[Stannis89]

Hey guys,
I've been lurking the forum for quite some time and I couldn't really figure out what to do so here it goes:


I've got a 2006 Grizzly (660cc) and I'm pretty happy with it.

However, I'm a bit heavy myself (270lb) and so is my wife (200lb). I put a seat for a second person in the back, but even with the (original) shocks load adjusted to maximum, our ground clearance is very low when we're both riding. Whenever there's a bigger rock or an obstacle, we manage to scrape the bottom. We often go hunting so we need to be able to go through rough terrain.

I've been wondering what to do and I've come up with 3 possible solutions:

1) Put a lift kit (2.5inch coil spring spacers)
2) Get bigger tires (stock are 25, maybe put a 26 to gain half an inch)
3) Sell the ATV for a Canam 2 seater frown2: I don't want to unless absolutely necessary).

What do you think I should do? I love my Grizzler, but it's tough to navigate through rough terrain because of the low clearance AND because I feel like I'm going to roll over all the time (rolled over once in winter, luckily it was in snow)?
Are the lift kits going to make the ATV more prone to roll over though? I don't really understand the concept of "center mass displaced" by the lift kits.

 

[reogem]

Hey...Stannis89...Welcome to GC from Wisconsin.
First, I never recommend that people should ride 2 up on a Grizzly.

Everything that is done to make the Griz higher above ground raises the center of gravity. This makes the Griz more tippy.
A couple things that you can do is install the stiffest side wall tires you can find at least 8ply.
Mount the tires on offset rims or add at least 1" spacers to make the machine wider.
Install stiffer after market springs.
Carry less gear and load it on the front rack if possible.

While riding...
Keep the speed low.
The driver should stand when cornering, leaning into the turn and somewhat over the handle bars.
Going up steep grades, someone should walk.
Going down steep grades...wear a cup.:shocked:

 

[dezz]

Spring lift spacers do not add ground clearance or lift, contrary to what they market. They simply increase spring tension, allowing you to maintain the ground clearance you already have....you can carry more weight.

I recommend you install Highlifter heavy duty helper springs, keep the spring adjustment collars turned up to max tension, and install 1.5" wheel spacers.
I also highly recommend installing bigger tires.

This setup should give you a decent weight carrying ability without riding like a rock, and while still being decently stabil to ride with 2 people.

 

[Steampunk1375]

Highlifter discontinued the HD springs for the 660, and they are shorter than the 700.

And I ran spring spacers on my brute force. They sucked. It rode like a brick on a skateboard, and I bent 2 of the 4 springs. I put highlifter HD springs and it was great.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[Stannis89]

Hey...Stannis89...Welcome to GC from Wisconsin.
First, I never recommend that people should ride 2 up on a Grizzly.

Everything that is done to make the Griz higher above ground raises the center of gravity. This makes the Griz more tippy.
A couple things that you can do is install the stiffest side wall tires you can find at least 8ply.
Mount the tires on offset rims or add at least 1" spacers to make the machine wider.
Install stiffer after market springs.
Carry less gear and load it on the front rack if possible.

While riding...
Keep the speed low.
The driver should stand when cornering, leaning into the turn and somewhat over the handle bars.
Going up steep grades, someone should walk.
Going down steep grades...wear a cup.:shocked:

Hey, Thanks reogem.

I looked more into what is available for my specific model and honestly there's not much - no stiffer springs from Highlifter or any "official" lift kits from Moose or other brands.
We're not riding that fast anyways, mostly keep it under 40 km/h (25mph) and we usually bring lots of gear with us - an inflatable fishing boat so we can fish on remote lakes near old forest roads, or our hunting equipment.

Going up steep grades is the worst, especially since we live in a very mountainous terrain, often we're not that comfortable and unfortunately my wife no longer wants to follow me on many outings because it's scary/uncomfortable.

My only solution would be to get 26'' tires (instead of 25) so I gain 1/2 inch of height and 1+1 = 2 more inches on ground contact, with spring lift spacers so the springs don't compress as much.

Don't know if this will cut it though.
Either I get a CanAm (so it fits in my 4x8 trailer, another inconvenience right there) or I keep the Grizz but I get a second ATV for the wife. But that's double the trouble, insurance, registration, gas, etc.

Really don't know what to do :/

Spring lift spacers do not add ground clearance or lift, contrary to what they market. They simply increase spring tension, allowing you to maintain the ground clearance you already have....you can carry more weight.

I recommend you install Highlifter heavy duty helper springs, keep the spring adjustment collars turned up to max tension, and install 1.5" wheel spacers.
I also highly recommend installing bigger tires.

This setup should give you a decent weight carrying ability without riding like a rock, and while still being decently stabil to ride with 2 people.

Highlifter discontinued the HD springs for the 660, and they are shorter than the 700.

And I ran spring spacers on my brute force. They sucked. It rode like a brick on a skateboard, and I bent 2 of the 4 springs. I put highlifter HD springs and it was great.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

They don't make them anymore. Do you know of a place where I can find them? Or maybe another spring that would fit? They don't list the spring force/length in stores.

 

[reogem]

Stannis89... Gaining any height with the tires is a gamble many manufactures use some weird imagination or some sort of fuzzy math to calculate the diameter of their tires. So be careful when you choose a tire. I have 8 ply pit bulls they are true to size, they are spendy however.

I forgot about a mod that can be done on a 660. The rear knuckle can be flipped upside down this will give you about an inch more ground clearance. A number of members have done this with out problem. Here is an old video
knuckle flip video

 

[wheelsquad]

They don't make them anymore. Do you know of a place where I can find them? Or maybe another spring that would fit? They don't list the spring force/length in stores.

2 options I can think of....Bronco gas shocks are 10% stiffer than stock and they are preload adjustable to make them even stiffer.

2nd option is to find a local suspension guy. Any guy that knows what he is doing has a spring tester and could measure your current spring rate, length, and diameter, and then order from a wide variety of spring suppliers to get you what you need. If you can't find someone local, shoot me a PM.

Edit: https://us.elkasuspension.com/product/stage-1-rear-shocks-for-yamaha-grizzly-660-all-years-2/ you could also call Elka and tell them your application and they can set you up....for $$$

 

[Stannis89]

Follow-up

I figured I'd mention what I did and how it worked for my situation after taking all tips into consideration:

I took the wheel hub (where the bearing is) and flipped it - I gained around an inch by doing it.
Also, I got 2'' bigger tires so that gave me an inch as well (8 ply tires).

All in all - having more plies makes the quad less tippy than before, and the extra 2 inch lift is enough to stop scraping rocks en route

The only con is that max speed is now 75km/h (used to be 95 with stock tires) and that fuel consumption went up a bit.
But on the average, and for my purposes (hunting and fishing - with little trail riding "just for fun"), it's plainly worth it!

Thank you all for your advice.