MudLites 26"

[panfishhunter]

if it were me with a 500 i would put 27 inch tires on this would give you more clearance and better traction. the 500 will have more then enough power to handle the tires. a lift kit can be good, if you get the right one, highlifter makes a kit that will not wreck things on your wheeler, i had a moose kit on my rancher and i tore 2 front cv boots in a month so i took it out. but the only reason to put in the lift kit is if the tires dont clear the fenders, which i think they will, because in all reality a lift kit does nothing to help the clearance under the wheeler, just allows more room under the fenders for bigger tires which give the clearance.

hope all things work out...and have fun

[Dave]

For starters, 26" tires on a Rubicon would be fine in most cases without a lift kit. 27" tires would be rubbing the fenders quite often. I would stay 9-inch width in front to have lighter steering effort; rather than 12" tires in front.

panfishhunter, I'll have to partially disagree with your assessemnt on added ground clearance from a lift kit. It does increase ground clearance on some models.
Lifting a straight axle wouldn't increase ground clearance but lifting an independent axle would. Technically, lifting also causes more angle, and stress, on the CV joints.

The front of a Rubicon (independent) would get some increased ground clearance but the rear end (straight) wouldn't.

bklimek, a 500cc is plenty good to add some 26, even 27"ers, for, shall we say, playful riding. If you plan on deep "mud bogging" often (and that's your goal to compete with your buddies in the mud pit), I'd spend the money on the biggest cc you can. In gooey bogs, a 500cc can get bogged down with 27's.

An occasional bog for fun, 500cc will give you some fun.

[CHOPPERTHEDOG]

I think I would stick with the 26's. I have the 26" 589's on my rincon and have found that they give me plenty of traction and clearance. It looked to me like the 589's were about 2.5" taller than the stock tires, so I probably gained a little over an inch of ground clearance over the stockers. They do rub, slightly, on the front fender when turned full lock. I figured not really an issue for me and not even sure they would rub on the Rubicon at all. The taller they are the more power it takes to turn em and all that much easier to break cv's. Good luck.

[panfishhunter]

these gentlemen have some good points. now i will speak of my own experiences, i have a rancher with 26 in. titan 589's on it. they have never rubbed the fenders unless i was in the muck soo deep that the fenders were forced into the tire. a buddy of mine has a foreman 450 with 27 in titans and i could speak for him that they dont rub either. granted the fenders are designed different on each model but i dont think that you would have a problem.

consider what you are goin to do with the wheeler, how much playing, and what kind of stuff you expect to play in ( the bigger tires will help go through the deeper snow also) and make your decision from there..as far as i am concerned larger tires are always a good idea to have

[bklimek]

I am close to pulling a trigger on a Honda Rubicon 500. Main purpose is for icefishing and some hunting. I was thinking of putting 26 inch mudlites on for better traction and clearance. Is this is smart idea or would the bigger tire just bog me down more? If I am looking for clearance would a lift kit suit my needs? I have also talked to guys that said this is hard on the ATV. Any insight? Thanks for the info guys.

[Maverick]

I say go BIG! You have a 500cc machine thats quite a bit of power, yeah it's not a Rincon but it still has some balls. Make the thing able to do what you want, if you have to put a lift in it so the tires don't rub so be it (it will only look that much more cool). I have a Rancher with 27" 589's and a Highlifter Kit in it, and it runs great it does have a couple of hop-ups done to the motor for more power but that's only a 350.
Good Luck, and Have fun with the thing.

[Dr. Fish]

You must not be taking your Rancher through very deep mud! There are no motor mods that are going to make a Honda 350 turn those 27" where I ride. Buy the Kawi. 700, and put 28" Outlaws on it. I guarantee you will be king of the mud!

[iffwalleyes]

I have a question for you guys. Do you guys that use bigger tires use tire chains on them in the winter on the ice or do you guys get enough traction with just the tires? I am considering getting new tires but I was also wondering if I should also get chains. Thanks

------------------
Grip it and Rip it

IFFWalleyes
I Fish For Walleyes

[Fisher Dave]

Chains are great unless they figure out a way to come off and wrap around your axle. Studs will increase traction greatly.

The best thing to do in the 1st place if you plan on running in mud or snow is to put respectable, aggresive mud tires on your machine in the 1st place. I run super swampers (Y tread design 1"+ deep) and I rarely ever have a problem... If and when I do have a problem, I'm somewhere I knew I shouldnt have been in the 1st place. On another positive note, most *good* mud tires are 6 ply tires that are nearly bullet proof, and dont wear near as quickly as 2 and 4 ply tires... I dont care what your riding .. You will not make it far with a flat. Good tires usually cost about twice as much as standard tires, but they generally last more than twice as long.. I guess we get what we pay for in the end.

[Dr. Fish]

The best thing for winter ATV use is big tires, and drilling 3/4 inch hex screws into them. Use a lot of them! You wouldn't believe the difference this makes when pulling a shelter through snow. You will be very happy when your buddy is wrestling with his stuck quad, and you're already fishing!

[Guest]

Hi Guys,
I've been interested in the discusion on tires. I'm leaning towards buying Polaris 400 or 500. They are going to a less aggressive tread tire made by Carlisle. Anyone familiar with the quality of these? I liked the bigger tread of the previous Polaris tire. How do these (the older style tire) compare to the Blackwater or Other "MUD" tires. I am mainly concerned with the snow and icefishing.

Thanks

[fishnutbob]

L&M supply sells carlisle tires, search Yahoo for their store locations.A friend has the 27inch swamppro tire on his grizzly, said he liked them handled well on trails he hasnt been in the snow yet. He did say he had a slow leak in one tire and on the spec sheet they list it as a 3 ply tire and I think mud lites are all 6 ply.I would go for the 6 Ply tire Bob

[Benny]

Dave , how would those new ITP Holeshot ATR's work?
Seen any tests on those?The adds say they were designd for snow and ice as well as loose loom soil.

Benny

[Fisher Dave]

Snow tires and Mud tires are basicly one and the same for ATV's .. the better the *Mud* tire, the better it is in the snow.

I would rather run *paddles* through snow and mud anyday vs. *nobbies*.. a loose term for most all *all terrain* ATV tires.

*paddle*(mud tires) can be studded for the best traction. Mud tires also have the deepest tread depth.. deeper the tread, the more bite you will get with the exception of glaze ice .. thats where studs come in. Studs or chains are the only thing that will provide traction on ice... but studs wont get wrapped around you axle.

[Dave]

Earlybird, stock tires do not compare to most aftermarket "mud" tires. However, stock tires usually offer the smoothest ride and decent traction in "most" terrains".

If OEMs go to less agressive tires, it's because of price and because of screaming from environmentalists to tread more lightly.

For snow and ice, if you have a chance to try some radial tires, I would (maybe one of your friends has some)

I ran High Lifter Outlaw 26" radials alongside "mud" tires and the radials out performed the mud tires for traction on ice and snow.

Blackwaters (close tread pattern)also work well in snow since the snow packs in the treads better and snow sticking to snow offers more grip than open lugged (mud)tires sliding on snow. Now, tires with open lugs would work better in mud than closely spaced lugs. Open lugged tires might "deeep" in certain conditions of snow/ice also. Take a hill of ice cubes for example. The lugs of a mud tire will grip (catch) the ice edges better than a closed tread pattern tire.

Hope this helps and doesn't confuses ya.

[This message has been edited by Dave (edited 09-30-2003).]