You are right adnoh...I really have my heart set on trying the 450R stuff. I am not in any way turning my back on any of the current technology avail from ATVR or AS...they do great work. I have talked to both Co's and love the fact that they have gotten their specs and numbers together over the years. I however have caught the bug on my own up here in New Hampshire and have a full shop and I do powersports for a living day in and day out. The quad racing world has taught me to be innovative and meticulous in my work and this is one of those things I have been dying to try...meaning the 450R mock up. I mean realistically I know the RZR and Rhino side by sides are dominating this market and the FL's have been pushed out for years...so its not like I'm gonna hit the lottery with a new gold mine in Pilot design. So that said I go off to my shop daily to enjoy trying new stuff and new ideas on the front suspension first...and soon Im going to play with the rear as well. I wont be jumping on any shocks just yet to ensure the set will match up and be a total package when the time is right. I am going to try a few different lower arms first to see if I can get a good mounting point for Motion/Leverage ratio without relocating the top shock mount. This will also set me up with the length and stroke for shock purposes. (keep for later date)
Now steering...I know you say that it wont handle like a stocker. I would be lying if I said I had hours of seat time in a Pilot. Im really actually new to them and their handling capabilities...but I can say that if Im not sliding the rear it steers like a limosine with a bad ball joint and bad tires. Instead of the typical bump kit with a fabricated pitman arm would a Rack and Pinion from a Mini Sprint make more sense? Stallard makes a rack that looks like it would work out well. Any input? I do have a spare chassis to try this stuff out but I dont want to make any serious mods to the stock parts without weighing all options first.
The only issues with the rack is lock to lock distance....The pilot steering is less than 1/2 turn lock to lock,and any more results in problems with binding of the control cables,brake lines,etc.....
I will tell you thin on the steering.....If everything is not spot on,the steering will end up worse than stock,and bumpsteer will become a major issue,especially riding trails opposed to sand....Tires grip dirt more than sand,and any bad chemistry goes directly to the wheel and your hands opposed to some being distributed in the sand......
If I were you and had the resources to do so,I would first buy a proven product and get an idea of what it should feel like before trying to design one.....It will give you a baseline of what good handling can feel like,and let when you know if what you have designed is really good or really sucks.......You can spend $2000 on a long travel front,front shocks and rear shocks,or $1000 on the same thing only to find out it isn't worth a crap....Keep in mind this is not a quad,it won't act the same as a quad to changes you make,and things such as scrub,kingpin angle,ackerman,and bumpsteer become even more important in a pilot than any other sport quad out there....Simply because you are dealing with a heavier vehicle with completely different charachteristics,and the inability for drivers input from weight shifting,body english,etc.....
Hoodlum