| Long Travel Kits
Are you looking to add a little width and a bunch of wheel travel to your stock UTV? What is included in a Typical Long Travel Kit?Before you go running off to buy one of these long travel kits, it is best to understand what is included so that you can make side by side comparisons. All long travel kits include new a-arms, either a completely new axle assembly or just new axles to use with the stock CVs and either new tie rods or tie rod extensions. From there, things vary quite a bit depending on manufacturer and vehicle. A-Arms – A few different types of a-arms are out there. Most are made from chromoly tubing, others are boxed, and a few are made from billet aluminum or mild steel. Each material type has pros and cons. Ask questions about why a particular material and arm design was chosen. Some kits come powder coated in a standard color. Others come unfinished or offer custom colors. A-Arm Hardware – Inner and outer a-arm hardware is typically replaced. The majority of long travel kits come with new bushings (Delron, Daystar, etc.) on the inner side of the a-arm, but some come with heims. On the outer or spindle side, some kits use heims, others use uni-balls, and a few reuse the OEM ball joint. There are pluses and minuses to each type of setup and quality can vary from heim to heim and bushing to bushing, so ask questions. Axles – When you extend the wheels out, you are going to need new axles. There are two approaches to this. The cheaper route is to reuse the stock CVs and just replace the axles. The more expensive route is new axles and CVs. Tie Rods – Some kits come with tie rod extenders. A few come with new tie rods. Shocks – All of the kits include new shocks. Long travel kit manufacturers will tend to have a favorite. If you don’t want to mess around with shock valving, stick with what the manufacturer recommends. Shock selection can greatly affect not only the cost, but also the performance of the kit. Shock Tower – A few of the kits have optional shock towers that move out and raise the upper shock mount location and allows for a longer shock and more wheel travel. Some welding may be necessary. Spindles – Stock spindles aren’t typically replaced, but a few manufacturers are now offering new spindles as an option. If you race or like to jump, you should look into new spindles. Frame Gussets – Long travel kits put more stress on the factory mounting locations. Several manufacturers are now offering bolt-on or weld-on gussets to help beef up the stock frame in critical areas.
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