ChiknNutz said:
You say to remove the lid and spark arrestor. Where I mostly ride (woodsy trails and the occasional stream crossing, along with wetness and mud), is this still a recommended mod? I personally don't want to suck in any water, and I also don't want to be the one who started a fire (or get cited for not having one). So, I've seen some of these lids that look like they have a breathable mat'l on top, will that also keep water out? As far as the spark arrestor, I know that many aftermarket pipes have options for that, but how much of a hindrance is it really? I saw something on ebay (of course) that replaces the stock one with a larger one, but it's not USFS approved. So what real options are available?
OK......if your always going through puddles and getting water on the airbox then you probably dont want to ditch the lid. You could go with something like the EHS Racing lid, or the protech lid. They are "water repellent", so if there is a splash, it should roll off...but if its submerged or really "douched" then it will still let water in.
Removing the "sparky" on a stock exhaust isnt like removing the "sparky" on an aftermarket. You see, the stock "sparky" is also a sound suppressor/baffle and an emissions control device. It REALLY plugs the exhaust up...and deadin's sound...And performance. Its not just a screen spark arrestor like an aftermarket exhaust. You mentioned fires.....If you could get a fire to happen with the stock exhaust I would be really impressed. When you take the stock "sparky" out you still have a large internal wall mid way down the exhaust can. Exhaust gas is forced to escape down the sides and turn 90 degrees to get out. Any spark that comes down the exhaust piping is going to be stopped or suppressed right at that wall.
As far as getting a ticket....well, I was stopped at the ORV park on my yfz when it had a stock can with the "sparky" removed. I thought I was screwed...but the ranger pulled out his highly technical piece of equipment "a stick" and poked it down my exhaust and it hit that wall. He said....your good to go! I said "ok"! haha.
When you remove the spark arrestor from an aftermarket exhaust, there is no wall and any sparks that are traveling threw the exhaust have a clear path all the way out the end....and thats what causes the fires you are talking about.
I will also add that if you are running the correct mapping and the machine is in a good state of tune, there should be no sparks flying out the end of the muffler.
ANYWAY, I still think the best route to go it to get a PCIII first. You are going to need a controller for ANY mod you do performance wise. :thumbsup:
There is not a map for just running the "sparky" out and the airbox lid on. You can still run the map with "no lid" if you want to get one of those free flow airbox lids.
Good luck!