Carbide 150cc stock (not for long!)

[1BIGkid]

First off, being a newcomer to the buggy world it's nice to have a site like this for quick education purposes and a little comradery.

Now the good news...I just bought my first buggy, a Carbide 150cc. I believe it is a 2008 and is stock (not for long). I plan on putting the following mods on it: uni filter, cdi (not sure which one) , iridium plug, high output coil and jets (don't know what size). I am also interested in new tires/wheels but I don't know where to go or what's best. I have also noticed that the coil overs bottom out all the time. Is this normal and what are some good replacements. I live in the Austin area and will be doing a lot of trail riding and hill climbing, hopefully this helps in answering my questions. I also prefer torque and speed out of the corners but I don't want to sacrifice too much top end. I know, I'm asking a lot but I have fallen in love with these buggies and my son has too.

Thanks for any advice/help and I look forward to further conversation.

[BuggyMaster]

Glad to have you on board. Your best bang for the buck will be in clutch mods and a uni air filter. Don't go too light on the roller weights as that will take out your top end. These things are a blast and I'm sure you'll have fun.

[1BIGkid]

Thanks BuggyMaster. Are you saying clutch mods over CDI? I've always been one to upgrade once it breaks. I figured the filter and CDI would give me a little extra fun until I break something. If I was planning on replacing the clutch later would it be counter productive to do small mods now to the clutch?

please keep the knowledge coming! I eat this stuff up!

[BuggyMaster]

The clutch mods are something you will feel. Not the CDI. We have tested the CDI's (and mind you the Carbide, like the Helix takes the DC based CDI) and what they do give us consistently is about 2mph on the very top end. Have never felt anything with them seat of the pants though. That is not the case with the variator mods. You can feel that.

[SYCARMS]

Buggymaster is correct, 1500 torque and clutch springs with some 12grm rollers, open the exhaust a bit, Uni Filter and a 123 main jet. The shocks are crap on any of these buggies. Some will use atv shocks, but they will usually make for a harder ride and more stress on the ball joints. ATV's are naturally differant animals when it comes to shocks eg. weight,track, wheel base, and travel. Unfortunately the only true alternative is a set of custom shocks made for your buggy like Fox or Works, but they are expensive but if the budget allows well worth the investment. They will give the buggy a whole new ride

TOM

[1BIGkid]

Buggymaster and Tom, thanks for the help. Tom, I see you are a vendor. I will be visiting your site and hopefully giving you a call soon. Where can I find these shocks and the prices?

Jon

[SYCARMS]

Hey Jon : Please do check out my site but I warn you it is in bad need of maintenance. Due to things going on in my life I haven't been able to keep it up. Soon I will be updating the site. I do not have the shocks on the site. The shocks I sell are Works. These have been designed specifically for out buggies in which the Carbide falls into the catagory. After checking out my site give me a call and we'll get you the most performance to fit your budget. Thanks for the interest.

TOM

[1BIGkid]

You'll hear from me soon Tom.

How about tires and wheels? Does anyone know a good site? The stock tires are soft and I need more of a trail style tread.