Sparks X-6 or FCR 41?

[Dune Surfer]

Ok I'm looking for my next upgrade. What do you guys think will give me better bang for my buck, a carb or full exhaust. Look at my mods in my signature.

[EvilJester400EX]

well, you already got a pipe, so i would get the FCR. i've talked to a lot of my friends who have one, they say it's one of the better things they've done to a 400. then you'll have pretty much the entire 416 package

[Sparks425Ex]

What ever you do if you get a carb don't get an FCR 41. You don't need it. Get the FCR 39. It is a better carb for 400Exs and plus it will work better with your mods.

The 41 is for bigger engines. Like Chadexers engine and stuff like that.

And since you already have a pipe then i say go with the carb.

It will do more than a pipe anyday.

[methyman]

I put a FCR39 on my stock motor with pipe and jet kit and it was a big difference in throttle response and all around power. I could ride in a higher gear and power out of turn that I could not do with my stock carb. The stock carb would bogg. Go with the FCR39. Curtis Sparks sells the carb with the throttle cable for $450.00. www.sparksracing.com. The carb is the best money I ever spent on my bike beside the exhaust system.

[433rd]

Originally posted by NACS425Ex
What ever you do if you get a carb don't get an FCR 41. You don't need it. Get the FCR 39. It is a better carb for 400Exs and plus it will work better with your mods.

The 41 is for bigger engines. Like Chadexers engine and stuff like that.

And since you already have a pipe then i say go with the carb.

It will do more than a pipe anyday.

Ditto!!!... get the FCR but get the 39MM...:)

[ChadEXer]

I agree, if you get the 41mm then you will lose a bit of bottom end, it will run better on top end, but for your application a 39mm will definately be best!!

[Sparks425Ex]

Chad, When are you getting your motor back. It has been gone for a while now.

[ChadEXer]

Im hoping to get the motor back any day now. Tom has had it back for about a month now,,,he definately doesnt get in a hurry!!! But Im not hasseling him to hurry because it will still be a week or two before SanDragon will build my new swingarm, and Im waiting to order the alky carb!!

[Dave400ex]

Get the Carb for sure.

[stupid driver]

i just orderd a 39 frc carb too. i got off the phone w/ sparks 10 minutes ago. I cant wait for this thing

[ChadEXer]

Well im getting a 42 or 44mm Lectron to run the alky, i know most people think the FCR's are the best, which they very well could be but ive decided that I will try the Lectron first for alky, and if I dont like it Ill get the FCR, but all the monster drag machines dont run Lectrons on alky for fun;) Not only that I can get a Lectron for less than half the price of a FCR!!

[Maryland 400EX]

Question: I have a 400EX with just a K@N Jet kit and No Lid. I have $500 to spend. Which mod gives the better bang for the buck between the FCR 39 and the X-6?

Originally posted by Maryland 400EX
Question: I have a 400EX with just a K@N Jet kit and No Lid. I have $500 to spend. Which mod gives the better bang for the buck between the FCR 39 and the X-6?

Id' say the carb is gonna give more power,,but I'd modify your stock exhaust to help it breath even better.

[Maryland 400EX]

You mean modify the stock exhaust via trimming the welds?

[ChadEXer]

You could get you a Lectron and a TC pipe almost for that much!!;)

[Maryland 400EX]

The X-6 is on the way. 39 FCR to follow if I'm not satisfied...

[Dave400ex]

The pipe will help quite a bit, but the Carb will add more power then the pipe does. The Carb will really help when you get a Piston and Cam.

[Maryland 400EX]

According to the Sales Representative at East Coast ATV in Pa., "The addition of the X-6 pipe AND the 39MM FCR will make that thing rock!" You believe him?

[ChadEXer]

Well sure it will!!! But if you do like Warriorman said and add a piston and cam and it will go nuts!!!

[Maryland 400EX]

Okay, so a 440 piston and a Cam will do wonders? If I take the cylinder up I might as well do headwork too right? I don't want the down time right now with motor work. Maybe I'll do the pipe tomorrow, the carb next week and the cam the following week. Thanks Chad.

[ill_lil_romey]

A stock bore built with the right combo of a cam, piston, pipe and carb mods will do wonders.

[Maryland 400EX]

Okay, the Sparks X-6 Pipe, 39MM Keihin FCR carb, the 440 Wiseco Piston Kit and Hot Cams for some serious butt kicking? 40HP?

[Dave400ex]

Don't get a 440 Piston. Just go with a 416 Piston, and heck you might as well get a Sparks Cam if you are getting everything else from him. You will need Valve Springs and Rockers with his Cam though.

[Maryland 400EX]

416 piston? ****, 16cc's ain't squat! I wouldn't go in the motor for anything less than the 440 kit... I agree with the Sparks cam idea though because I'll probably have him do the head.

[Dave400ex]

You'll be surprised what that 16cc will do for you.

[stupid driver]

Originally posted by WarriorMan
You'll be surprised what that 16cc will do for you.

its true, this kit will rev faster than a 440 too

[TrX465]

yea it will..... its funny as **** there was cob webbs on my bike i dont remember the last time i rode it i put fresh alky today and fired her up. after i cleaned the webs.lol gosh shes a beast

You deff need at least a decent silencer before you would be able to see the "real " benefits of a larger CFM or better flowing carb. If the air cant get out your not gonna be able to get it in and vice versa.


To answer the orig question on this thread, since there is nothing wrong with your exhaust try looking into the carb, from what I hear the fcr39 is perfect for most modded ex's. If you decide to go for the pipe consider mailing the supertrapp to me my FMF is getting real tired :)

Now for the most bang for the buck on a basicly stk 400ex or any quad for that matter. You will get your best value in a silencer, filter and "correct jetting". Then its all cubic dollars after that.

A header will be helpfull to some set ups and actually hurt others (they arent cheap and some reduce low end torque) so if your on a budget leave the header for later.



Im hoping to get the motor back any day now. Tom has had it back for about a month now,,,he definately doesnt get in a hurry!!! Chad man you must have some crazy patience :) that motor is more toms than yours LOL how long have you had it in your possession ? a week maybe. Wow thats a real bummer man I hope you get to run it a while this time. I was down for about a month+ and was going nuts, cant imagine what your going thru.






its true, this kit will rev faster than a 440 too

Theres no replacement for displacement period and no rumors and heresay can change that. Not agreeing with me on this, then ask Chad about his 505. Oh and bring on the 416's I like roosting them. :D :blah

And no flame to Warriorman but you can source the same stuff as sparks and save yourself a few hundred bucks. If your seriously gonna build your motor then forget about hotcams. They are a decent cam for most applications and I expect you will see more and more of them but they just arent large enough in lift for a serious motor. If you dont believe that then I have one I will make you a deal on when I replace it.

And hey this is supposed to be fun so check things out (check out your specs real good) hop it up and ride it.

[Maryland 400EX]

TRX 465: It sounds like your ride is off the meter! 60 RWHP? Now that's what I'm talkin' bout! So a 400 EX makes 25 HP stock right? Where do you think I'd be with the X-6 pipe and 39MM FCR?

[Maryland 400EX]

440 EX4ME: I agree with going for the bigger displacement. We're already behind the gun in terms of horsepower with these ancient air cooled motors and I want to give myself the best chance to win against Raptors, DS 650's, etc when the time comes. Even with the 440 kit you're still at a serious disadvantage in cubic inches, especially if they have piston kits too. Anyway, I'm pretty excited about bolting on this X-6 today and I realize that it's not the equivalent of bolting on a turbocharger, but I'm hoping to be able to reel in this neighborhood Z-400. It's funny, unlike streetbikes, there is no down time when it comes to these things so it's hard to find the time for engine work...

Originally posted by Maryland 400EX
416 piston? ****, 16cc's ain't squat!

YOu've not rode a 416 before have ya????:blah

[ChadEXer]

Well i definately disagree that theres no replacement for displacement,,theres NOS for that:D However I dont see myself ever using any!!!
As far as the 416 not being squat, when i first done my 416 it was awesome and yes i took ALL the 440's at the drag strip, however compared to what I got now,,,,well you understand!!!
440EX4Me, yea it really sucks waiting this long, but its definately worth the wait!!! This 505 is a damned beast,,,just imagine your 440 being twice as fast, this thing is unbelievable!!! I talked to Tom yesterday and he said I will have the motor back this week, my swingarm might make it in this week too,,,,so with the +5 swingarm and the Methanol carb, I just cant wait to get to the strip!!!

YOu've not rode a 416 before have ya????

Rico I know where your coming from on this one but I dont think that the mojority of the power diff you feel is from the 16cc's. Remember that when we(you us or what ever) get the larger bores we are also making many other changes.

Most of the time the piston is going to be a higher compression, and if done right this alone will make all the difference. Many times when you have the motor apart you will just do other mods as well like a cam or thinner gaskets or maybe a pipe, and this will also be making a increase in power.

And the number one thing that I have noticed is that many of the guys staying with the first overbore have had there quads for a while and many have wear in the cylinders and a current loss of power, so when the new higher comp piston is done right it will be like night and day.

I cant tell you how big a diff it is with my 440 from when I first got it to now with the damn thing set up right and cylinder and valves holding compression, but I would be happy to show you :D :macho


440EX4Me, yea it really sucks waiting this long, but its definately worth the wait!!! This 505 is a damned beast,,,just imagine your 440 being twice as fast, this thing is unbelievable!!! Well Chad I have been feeling your pain for over a year now and following the soap opera like developments etc and you even had me thinking about it a couple times my self. I bet it seriously rips but it better with all the time and $$$ you got invested. And that is where i decided to hang with the stk stroke for now, well at least till I got this set up working correctly :) but I am beginning to think that a big stroker set up is the only way to go if we expect these motors to hang with the new stuff thats coming out.

NOS is a great tool but it seems we all get "greedy" and grenade stuff so I would have to agree with staying away from it, or atleast till you have a spare motor.

[ChadEXer]

Actually you can run NOS on your bike trouble free for a very long time if you do it right!! Like the guys that try to go with a 40 shot of NOS of course their motor will blow shortly!!! Now if you have the right setup(piston, rod, etc) and go with a say 15 shot of NOS, it should last quite a long time and for the price of $600 for NOS and a 15HP icrease thats not bad at all!! But like I said i dont think Ill ever be testing it on my motor!!! I think once I get the Meth on it, there shouldnt be much more that I could ask for,,,,or I should have just put a V-8 in my frame;)

[Maryland 400EX]

Rico: No, I've never ridden a 400 EX with the 416 kit but I have installed piston kits in many vehicles in the past and I know that 16 cc's does basically nothing by itself in terms of HP. Even the 440 kit probably offers an average gain without increased airflow through the head and larger cams, carb, etc. What I'm saying in a nutshell is that if I ever go through the hassle of taking this motor apart it will be for BIG GAINS. In reality I'm looking to go as big as I can with reliability. Cost isn't really an issue with these piss ant motors because there's only one cylinder for God's sake...
I'm going to do it one time and do it right.

[Dave400ex]

Yeah there is no replacement for displacement. Most guys still like the gain of the 416, but I agree that it's not the 16cc's, but rather the compression increase as well as the cam you added.
440ex4ME is right, Sparks is REALLY expensive. You could get a cam with close spec's for cheaper, but you can't get the Sparks spec's so that would be hard to figure out. Call Bud Fischer. He had a cam built for 400MXer that is a lot like Sparks I think.

[Maryland 400EX]

I frequently hear the phrase "No replacement for displacement". That may be true in the ATV industry but when I'm at the dragstrip in the Supra racing against so called Musclecars such as the Vettes and Vipers, there is a replacement for displacement. It's called "A big turbo with 30 psi boost".

[stupid driver]

Originally posted by Maryland 400EX
I frequently hear the phrase "No replacement for displacement". That may be true in the ATV industry but when I'm at the dragstrip in the Supra racing against so called Musclecars such as the Vettes and Vipers, there is a replacement for displacement. It's called "A big turbo with 30 psi boost".

i second that :devil :devil :devil

I believe what your seeing is hp to weight ratios.

Why do you think your quad goes good with a hp that would hardly move an old muscle car, power to weight ratio is everything.

Now double the displacement of anything mentioned and what do you think will happen?

So start thinking it does work better that way.