We have 3 Stock RZR's with Big horns, we added a lift kit to each along with 1.5" Spacers. Went out this past weekend our 2011 and 2010 broke left AXLE, my 2009 broke both at once. Everything points to the Highlifter kit. Of course if you talk to HL they say no problem or never had an issue, bla, bla, bla.
Stay Away from Highlifter 2" Lift!!!
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No issues with mine....I've had the lift on since the first mile and now have over 675 miles on it....Running 29.5 Outlaws and no issues.....The lifts wont break you axles.....:eh:
Oh BTW these are Stock axles.......
Oh BTW these are Stock axles.......
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403 Posts
wow...that really sucks
You've been lucky or don't ride too hard but between the three RZR's that is the only similarity so I completely disagree with you that Lift won't break axles, every serious rider we have talked to says the Highlifters just put too much of an angle on the axle and the week link is the rod itself since it already has a groove for the boot to stop and thats exactly where it breaks. Wish we didn't believe HL when we bought them....they are for sale! $100. Just bought 300M Metal (Aircraft alloy) SOB will never break again! Of course I may completely destroy my CV's but one weak link down!
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257 Posts
Agreed 110%
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OK Sweat, Please slow down a little bit...accusing a lift kit solely of being the issue to your broken axels can seriously hurt a vendor and/or someone's livelihoods. Let's try and figure this out together...Because as stated in the quote above, others are having no issues.. I did more research before purchasing a lift than most do when shopping for an airplane...Let's say I'm very careful...
Suffice to say that the RAZR was NOT first..Most companies had their issues and trial and error with such SxS's as the Rhino ect...It was found that Lift Kits that did not relocate the tops of the shocks were destroying axles..But let's look first at what part of your axles have broke? I'm not upset or scolding you..It's just that you put out a MAJOR warning on a product that a lot of people on this forum are using and are having great success with, and the last thing they need is to feel that because they didn't have "deep" pockets, and bought into a better brand name that now they are insufficient, I wouldn't doubt if someone felt pretty ashamed over that comment..If I worked for the company who made that I would feel terrible right now... Your post (Thread )is number 3 on Google for (Highlifter lift kit RZR)So let's try and figure out what really happened...
You stated this, and I understand your frustration...
"We have 3 Stock RZR's with Big horns, we added a lift kit to each along with 1.5" Spacers. Went out this past weekend our 2011 and 2010 broke left AXLE, my 2009 broke both at once. Everything points to the Highlifter kit. Of course if you talk to HL they say no problem or never had an issue, bla, bla, bla. "
I have tested 3 Lift kits personally and I have yet to try and install the Highlifter 2" kit.. Now looking at this Kit it had 4 separate pieces, And I'm not talking about complete pieces that run the length of the upper shock mounts. They look like "adapters" This is the "earlier" style of lift Kits that in Fact did have issues with eating up CV joints but NOT breaking axles
Were you clear with the technical support on what happened? what parts broke exactly...Because we don't even know..
Also for ANY company to say that they have NEVER had an issue would be false.. You can work for a dentist and get blamed for a back ache later after a patient visits, and you were only there for your teeth..I'm sure that even Racer Tech has had some complaints..It's the nature of the beast..Always get names of who you talk to..
Which one of these have you installed??
Now look at what years (and/or months) of R&D has changed for the 2" lift...
Now, you left out important info for us to work on..were you jumping? did you use the standard hardware or upgrade your own? Did you need spacers and/or washers in between the shocks to make the fit properly? how long were they installed? did this just happen after you installed them?
I have to ask these questions because there are MANY members that have had lift kits with no issues for hundreds of miles then all of the sudden they are breaking axles...Why blame the lift?? We need more information before slamming a company and its products...no matter who they are..they deserve the benefit of the doubt and a proper investigation (if you want to call it that).. If I install Steve's springs and all the sudden my axles are breaking and the only change is that he installed progressive springs, I'm not going to make a thread that says "STAY AWAY FROM MAKINTRAX" So let's work this together. Thats why we are here..Cheers, Mike#9
Sorry about the Post but this is the Third axle I have broken in 2 rides and I am not a crazy kid jumping motocross. The second pic down is the ones we have and I had mine installed at the dealer. Before the lift I had Zero problems after lift that evening riding on a grass trail to test my new lift, breakage (Sheared the rod clean). As for the riding this past weekend, we were all over the map with a hill where the back end comes of the ground, deep dirt, and one hop over a medium hill. What I don't get is we have been zero issues going to several riding areas and all of the sudden we add lifts and spacers and boom..problems (4 sheared shafts).
I am making folks aware of the issue we experienced and put a lot of thought into what it could be so I am not out there shooting in the air. We were just told when we bought them that these don't have issues with Axles. I disagree.
Bottom line I get your point....
I am making folks aware of the issue we experienced and put a lot of thought into what it could be so I am not out there shooting in the air. We were just told when we bought them that these don't have issues with Axles. I disagree.
Bottom line I get your point....
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A lift will infact break your axles if your CVs bind at full droop.. I have talked to several people that have had this same issue with that lift... Either get limit straps or a different lift.. Some say with any lift limit straps are a good idea.. I use the Roktech lift and I'm happy with it. They run about 130ish on ebay.. They say 3" lift but really its about 2".. Roktech lift works a lot like the Racer tech lift as it ties all the mounts together.
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244 Posts
IMO, any lift will change axle angle, no matter what the manufacturer sais, and with angle comes binding... It has to change the angle, there is no other way to lift a RZR other than to add angle to the A-Arms... So, I don't understand how one can be better on axles than another.... But, I do like the way some change the shock mount at the top to lower it's angle, which is the way i will go when I buy one...maybe limit straps would be better to keep your a-arms from dropping to the lower limit and binding the joints...
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Its not a matter of the angle on the CVs with 2" lifts while driving around.. The problem is when the front end comes off the ground some lifts allow the the suspension to drop enough to put the CVs in a bind.. The shocks limit how much the suspension drops when the wheels come off the ground.. Lift kits move the shock mounts so this also changes how much the suspension can droop. Best way to check is jack up your RZR and turn the wheels to make sure they don't bind. Might even want to push down on them a little.
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672 Posts
So it was a 2" lift and 1.5 spacer .
That's a 3.5" lift on your rzr right
That's a 3.5" lift on your rzr right
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2,094 Posts
i think he meant 1.5" wheel spacers
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672 Posts
oh ok
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Hey guys i have an 08 rzr and it's had a highlifter 2'' lift since i bought it brand new in oct of 07, i was lucky and got mine early. I also run highlifter lift springs and 29.5 laws. I have 2200 miles with this setup and i don't at all take it easy. I have broke one cv and never any shafts thats it. probably b/c of a heavey right foot or i should say hand cuz i have hand controls and the bite from the tires. I abuse it pretty hard and all seems to be good for me. i'd put the lift on another rzr no prob.
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I couldnt have said it better myself!! As a mudder (for now) I do a lot of lifting and believe me, I can get those angles going pretty steep, But Like 8ball said...It only takes one bind, Just like using a ratchet with a u jount..you lock it up and that diff is going to strip that axle clean..That is why I was trying to get more information before we jump to slamming a product...Thats also why I did the research and actually showed you what the earlier kits (this one) looked like and the Kits like Racer Tech that have done much R&D to ensure you dont break axles...
#2 Grounds keeper willie stated this; "IMO, any lift will change axle angle, no matter what the manufacturer sais, and with angle comes binding... It has to change the angle, there is no other way to lift a RZR other than to add angle to the A-Arms... So, I don't understand how one can be better on axles than another.... But, I do like the way some change the shock mount at the top to lower it's angle, which is the way i will go when I buy one...maybe limit straps would be better to keep your a-arms from dropping to the lower limit and binding the joints..."
Ok this is NOT true as with the case of Racer Tech & im sure some others..The R&D That they did was infact to place the shocks in the proper positions so that if the front and/or rear does come off the ground the A-Arms cannot drop low enough to cause that critical angle that will "lock" up that CV joint and cause the diff to tear the axle.. The same can be said for the angle of the shock when bottoming out...Now you go and make your own bracket where you get all the lift you want and when your A-Arms cross that limit..well thats that...
Obviously if your saying that you were not jumping, not doing anything ruff...In otherwords if you didnt get your axles to either bottom out or drop all the way to critical angle, How would the lift kit have anything at all to do with it? IMHO I do believe that you did one of the 2.If you are not in an "S" or using a LT kit it is VERY easy to reach the maximums of travel on the stock A-Arms, You probably never even noticed... That being the case..Yes I would recommend that you pull the lift kits and upgrade to a company with a reputation for R&D, Customer service, & a Warentee on there build... For me its Racer Tech, and I have had ALL Three of the latest designs...
Im glad we were able to find out the issue without jumping to any conclusions and yes I believe you are right about staying away from this lift kit.....But isnt it better now that we have presented all of the facts that were involved....
Good thread, Cheers, Mike
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i dont have a lift kit but have broken plenty of axles and cvs. stock axles are crap. if you lift the rzr into cv bind what do you think is going to happen? strap it and you shoudnt ever have a problem with 300m the axle wont break but the cv will. its not a 'highlifter' issue its a lift issue.
sorry to hear about your issues i know how it is.
sorry to hear about your issues i know how it is.
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Well it sorta is a highlifter issue. Some lifts don't cause the CVs to bind even with out limit straps. IMO if the lift needs lift straps they should atleast warn you.. Companies like Racertech has lifts that do not bind your CVs and they make sure you know that..
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152 Posts
Not trying to but in but like it's bin said, no matter what lift you got it's going to increase the cv angle and a higher degree of angle weekens the cv period. As i said before, I've ran this lift for three years with no major issues, I've jumped it 3 to 5 feet in the air with the likt on with no issues. I actually went and jacked it up on stands to see for myself if it would bind. Even with the highlifter springs cranked there was no binding so unless your frame is diff than mine it would be the same.
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B.I.N.G.O. and BINGO was hi name oh!!
"Companies like Racertech has lifts that do not bind your CVs and they make sure you know that"
It just doesnt get any plainer than that....8Ball If its not understood at this point....Just let it fade way............Just fade way...........
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