HCR KING SHOCKS TMW X3

On Jun 30, 2021

Can-Am is on fire with back-to-back championships in Dakar, King of the Hammers, LOORRS and more, and this HCR King Shocks TMW X3 is on fire with top-shelf, bumper-to-bumper components—from BFG tire treads to the TMW roof rack. UTV Action got a chance to check out the $74,000+ build at Utah’s Sand Hollow State Park.

HCR RACING DUAL SPORT SUSPENSION

HardCore Racing (HCR) has been all over the Maverick X3 since 2017, and HCR’s Dual-Sport kit is a direct replacement for all 72-inch X3 rs, rc and mr models, or a long-travel conversion for any 64-inch X3. The Dual-Sport kit starts at $3,749.99 and greatly strengthens X3s with boxed, high-clearance A-arms and trailing arms that increase ground clearance by 1.5 inches. The boxed components are constructed of proprietary alloy steel that’s 30 percent stronger in tensile and yield than 4130 chromoly, and the material goes through several processes to produce better wear resistance and strength. Plates are laser-cut with internal ribbing for strength, then Tig-welded. CAD-CAM design improves the approach angle for less friction. The Dual-Sport kit includes two upper and lower A-arms, two trailing arms, and Delrin front A-arm bushings and shock bolts. Jason Murray rolled his X3 at the King of the Hammers, doing seven barrel rolls, and bent the frame but not the HCR arms.

Upgrades to the HCR King Shocks TMW X3e include King Racing 2.5 piggyback front and 3.0 rear remote-reservoir IBP shocks ($5,799.99) with finned reservoirs, a ZRP/HCR Uniball kit ($750), ZRP 7075 double-shear front knuckles ($1,950), ZRP billet rear knuckles ($1,950), HCR front shock tower support ($385.00), HCR front bulkhead gusset kit ($449.99), HCR high-clearance aluminum radius rods ($849.99), ZRP radius-rod dog bones, RCV Pro-2 axles ($3,200), ZRP Desert Series tie-rods ($400), RokBlokz trailing arm mud flaps ($249.99), and Candy Red powdercoat ($700).

KING AND ZRP UPGRADES

The King IBP X3 shocks have aircraft-quality billet-aluminum construction, 3/4-inch shock shafts with hard chrome micro-polished to a 6 RA finish, bodies that are honed after cadmium plating for a tight piston seal, 6062 aluminum reservoirs, Teflon-lined steel spherical bearings with circlip retention, ergonomic compression adjusters with 20-position detents, a wide range of compression adjustment, and urethane bump stops.

Zollinger Racing Products’ (ZRP) capped double-shear front knuckles are tested to 86,000-pound loads, compared to the OEM knuckles rated at 17,000 pounds. They are machined in-house with stronger tie-rod mounts, 7/8-inch Uniball misalignment spacers, ARP ball-joint bolts, and LH and RH threaded caps. ZRP rear knuckles are also double-shear to prevent the middle radius rods from loosening and destroying the knuckles, which are a real problem with the single-shear OEM setup. They’re also made of 7075-T6 aluminum with ARP bolts, ZRP anti-rotate caps with lock screws, FK Uniball bearings with snap-rings, and misalignment spacers with two O-rings. Desert Series tie-rods are larger-diameter 7075 aluminum with 17-4 clevis and custom-made hardware, including three-piece precision Heims with Teflon liners. They’re rated to 18,000-pound loads for extreme-duty use.

ZRP also supplied the 4140 chromoly wheel hubs ($2804) with 1-pound-less rotating mass and 17-4 stainless-steel, heat-treated wheel studs and a Polaris lug pattern. They’re mated to Method MR-401R beadlock wheels ($1,199.96) shod with BFG KR2 35x10R15LT tires ($1468) for the SxS Adventure Rally.

TMW OFFROAD STEALTH CAGE AND DOORS

TMW’s Stealth X3 cage ($1,499.99) is made of 1.75-inch high-grade DOM tubing with gussets for strength, and it includes a roof, three whip tabs and rear-view mirror mount. HCR went with TMW’s optional LED light-bar pocket and mounts for a Heretic 6 Series 40-inch LED light bar ($1,049.99), intrusion bars, grab bars, a rear bumper, adventure roof rack, and powdercoating, and the total was $3679. TMW Stealth X3 doors ($899.99) have hand-formed aluminum skins over tubular steel frames with adjustable hinges and bead rolling for strength and style. With TMW Sidewinder door bags, the two-seat doors are $1079. HCR also went with TMW’s X3 front winch bumper ($474.99), which also works on the X3 X rc with the factory winch, and it has a billet fairlead plate. TMW’s aluminum cargo rack starts at $275 (online), but it’s $505 with LinQ mounts and the TMW X3 storage bag.

FourWerx IV Carbon styles out the HCR King Shocks TMW X3 cabin, along with Assault Industries, TXC Power Products, Rockford Fosgate, Switch Pros and Agency Power.

TMW also strengthens the Maverick X3 with its bulk-head gusset kit ($449) and weld-in frame gussets (from $145). TMW also has X3 Red Poly A-arm bushings ($120) and carries Sandcraft’s Delrin A-arm bushing kit ($140) with 4130 sleeves that are gun-barrel-drilled for better grease coverage and machined for O-rings for grease retention.

Triple-X Venom Stitch seats ($1,018) add a lot of comfort and padding over stock, and they provide more side bolsters for security. The FourWerx console is a work of art, but the OEM Smart-Lok controls are a bit harder to reach on the fly.

FOURWERX CARBON X3 BLING

FourWerx Carbon produces strong and stylish carbon fiber and titanium products for ATVs and UTVs, and FourWerx has some outstanding Maverick X3 components. Its X3 front fascia ($880) is made of 2×2 Twill 3K carbon fiber and has aluminum mesh vents. It’s a direct replacement for the OEM front fascia using the stock mounts and hardware. It also works with OEM or aftermarket grills. The FourWerx carbon fiber hood ($200) has the same carbon fiber construction with aluminum push-pin bungs for the pop-in grommets and aluminum vent mesh. FourWerx’s inner hood panel set is $430 and is also 2×2 Twill 3K carbon fiber with OEM mounts. The 2020 X3 carbon fiber gauge surround is $185, while the gauge surround for ’17–’19 X3s is discounted to $140.

FourWerx also styles out the X3 with a carbon fiber glove box lid ($235), G2 Race dash ($620) with top hatch for electrical access, upper-dash side panels ($545.00) with 6.5-inch speaker locations and switch plates, center console ($300 no cup holders; $320 with cup holders), engine hatch covers ($150), under-dash panels ($180), and a rear cage trim set ($275), which replaces the OEM plastic B-pillar covers. The complete FourWerx X3 carbon package is $2790.

The Sector Seven mirrors ($799.99) light up terrain for night-ride turns, and the Heretic 40-inch LEDs are a must for the speeds the HCR/HCT X3 Turbo RR reaches. The TMW cage has extra gussets, hand-holds and intrusion bars, and the adventure rack greatly increases cargo capacity, all for $3679.

FINISHING THE ASTONISHING BUILD

HCR rocks the Turbo RR with Rockford Fosgate’s X317-Stage 5 kit ($3,269), which has a PMX-3 digital media receiver with a 2.7-inch color display and camera/video input, plus SiriusXM-Ready satellite radio, two front M2 6.5 Color Optix speakers, two rear M2 6.5 Color Optix moto-can speakers, two M10 Element Ready subwoofers, a 1500-watt Element Ready amplifier, under-seat subwoofer enclosures, wiring harness and a Color Optix controller. It also comes with replacement dash panels with speaker holes, but those were replaced by the FourWerx carbon. Other electronic upgrades include XTC Power Products’ new ATC Street-Legal kit ($389), which wires into the factory brake-light harness and has two 0.75-inch front 3-LED signals, a lit emergency hazard switch, laser-etched lit LED turn switch, horn, smaller flasher unit, wiring harness, zip-ties and instructions. Switch Pros’ SP-9100 switch panel power system cleans up the controls with eight user-programmable switches, four 35-amp and four 20-amp circuits, a 125-amp power module, 100 user-selectable switch legends and much more for $549.

ZRP billet-aluminum double-shear knuckles and tie-rods arm the HCR X3 for extreme duty and loads, and the RCV Pro 2 axles put the extra HCR/HCT X3 power to the ground. While not on this build, Agency Power also has X3 big-brake kits.

Agency Power was the choice for finishing the carbon console with its X3 interior upgrade kit ($190) that includes a billet 6061-T6 aluminum CNC-machined shifter and a passenger grab handle and gate that is laser cut. The three pieces are hard-anodized then laser cut for the AP logos. Agency Power also supplied its X3 billet waste-gate upgrade ($100) and silicone boost tube with BOV port ($150).

Assault Industries’ Ballistic V2 D steering wheel ($159.99), steering-wheel hub ($64.99) and quick-release fire extinguisher kit ($169.99) also add comfort, control and confidence to the HCR X3 build. HCR partnered with HCT Tuning on the X3 for the HTC Stage 1 ECU tune ($695), which pumps up the horsepower from 195 to 220 on the stock exhaust! Boost pressure goes from 18 psi to 22.5 psi. Revs rise to 8600 and speed limits are removed. Fan-on temps are lowered, torque limiters are adjusted, and the ECU flash adds Race Start in any gear without brake. Stage 1 requires 91-octane fuel, and another 5-10 horsepower can be had with an HCT exhaust. To control all that extra power, the build has a ZRP billet throttle pedal ($95) and brake pedal extender ($100).

Troyz Auto Body custom paint was $3500, and the total powdercoat bill was $1500.

See UTV Action’s feature on another wild custom X3 here: ASSAULT CAN-AM X3 MAX | UTV Action Magazine