Originally posted by guinness77
I own the Diamond J Customs A-Arm extension pkg. I got the 4".

First off comes installation. Be aware that the 4" extension is four inches PER SIDE; NOT OVERALL. The install was on a 400ex. The install went pretty smooth. Essentially, the a-arms and upper shock mounts are move outward from the frame 4". The plate pieces lined up perfectly. As I tightened them down the frame brackets did bend just a bit. But nothing that couldn't easily be fixed with a pair of lock-jaws in the event I wanted to take them off. The brake lines must be unclipped from the a-arms and the c-clips on the calipers. The banjo bolt does fine without the extra clamps. When the quad is lifted from the ground and the tires turned so-as to pull the brake lines tight, the lines are long enough to do the job. BUT THAT'S IT. Another 1/2 inch and the lines would be so tight as-to-be unsafe. So it'll work in the typical jumping and twisting. But in a crash, all bets are off. A stock oil tank won't interfere with install. But if you have an aftermarket high-capacity tank, well... better get some longer tank bolts and some spacers... say... 1/4 inch. That'll make the a-arm extension brackets clear the tank by 2 or 3 millimeters. The instructions were woefully poor. But a mechanically inclined person could do it. You must layout all parts very carefully before installing. Install takes about 4 hrs. The bolts are 1.5 inches longer than they need to be and I was short a couple of washers. But neither of those issues were any problem.

After install came ride time. Moving the a-arms out 4" softened the shocks up front.. that's for sure! But it was nothing the couldn't be compensated for by even a medeocre rider. Stiffen the shocks by adjusting them.

The 400ex handles MUCH better now. There's very little lean when you're in a corner. The quad likes to track flat when you're going around anything.

I'm slowly increasing the air on my jumps and I'm detecting no stress as of yet. The metal on those brackets is 1/4 inch thick. So that ought to handle just about anything.

The trade off is in the tight trails. An extra 8" in width is quite a bit. Be careful. Watch out for those trees.

Strength of the kit was never my concern... if you read the posts so far you would understand why I am against these kits. What shocks are you using by the way? If it softens the front end up how are you getting less lean in corners?

You say you are detecting no stress as of yet? What are you looking for. I wouldn't count on the brackets breaking, it will be things like balljoints and tie rod ends. They will snap without warning most likely.


Also even at 1/4" thick you say they will handle anything? Not quite, run into anything with it and forget about it, the a-arms are acting like giant levers on those brackets, they will bend, they're just mild steel. Post some pics of your setup if you wish with the tires at ride height, full squat and full extend just so we can visibly show everyone the amount of bumpsteer built into the kit.