Hey, Doug. I'm looking forward to hearing what you find out, I think you should take some mention the weight of some tires compared to others. And I'd be interested to know if any of the tires you thought the machine could have used or/should have had a clutch kit added. Or any other aftermarket parts. I'm pro longevitiy of my bike, so I am concerned about over taxing it. I find it hard to tell what is too much, because there is such a dramatic difference in performance between stock to not.
Truth be told, Doug, if you remember, i installed a set of BH's in my KQ some months ago, you did mock me for that... and you were sort of right: yes, they're an improvement over the stock Dunlops, but just. I noticed a huge improvement in comfort, but they're so hard that you need to lower the pressure to find the extra grip promised, and that makes the ATV quite wobbly, which is not pleasant... I'll wear them and then try a set of ATR's, as you recommended... Regards!
Awesome videos, thanks. I seriously look forward to hearing what you find out. I have been debating on the Terra Cross and the Dirt Commanders for an upgrade from my stock tires on my 2009 Honda Rancher 420 4x4 manual shift ATV. You're findings will go a long way in my decision on which to purchase.
Why no bighorns in the comparison? They are the standard for all terrain tires and it would be interesting to see how they compare to the grim reapers and itp terracross.
well i know this is going to sound stupid to alot of you but if you could i would trie out the old bear claws i have ttryed alot of tires since i started rideing in 84 and they have always been my fav i get traction through everyhing
@mackyyoyoyo See our reply below......We REALLY wanted to include them in our test but many Bighorn owners wouldn't have believed our findings if we had. We tested some 12 inchers some years back. But with all that said I'm excited to see how the Ceros do - I think (thanks to the siped tread!) they'll do way better than the Bighorns would have.
@carducho Ah yes..... Well, wait until we get into this test a ways and see what we find out. There are several tires that I really like the looks of and am thinking may do well - including the newest Maxxis tires, the Ceros! We have a set of 12" BHs sitting here so maybe when we come to a really good tire in this test, we'll get a set of 12" and try them against the BHs.
hey, what do you think of the sedona ripsaws? i got a pair and put about 400 km on them so far in the past bit and i love them, they suck in snow but thats about it! when you first get them there is a slight wobble at high speeds but after about 200-300 km that goes away and it is only on pave to begin with, they are heavy too but the low gearing in my foreman helps compensate for that (mid to high 20's is the weight)
@chrishcyp In that bunch I think we'll find a couple good ones. We've almost come to the conclusion here that if you ride in a lot of snow in the winter, you almost need two sets of tires, a snow set and a trail set ;-)
The answer depends on what else you do. Snow plowing only the ITP MudLite XTR is about the best I've found, but it sure tears up the dirt when you're not plowing snow ;-)
@DukeWhite04 We'll weight each set and measure their height and diameter as those are indeed important factors in a tires performance and how they affect a machine. What we've found is that most tires continue to increase in weight so they can be used on both ATVs and UTVs. Not good! And lightweight, high performing tires don't sell so goodbye to one of our favorites - the ACT. Everyone is chasing the Bighorn down the heavy, hard, and long-lasting road to lower performance.
Hi Doug. I have enjoyed watching ATV TV's videos for a long time now. I have a question I was hoping you might be able to help me with. I have a Sportsman 850 SP that came stock with a set of Carlisle AT 489II tires. For a stock tire I was very impressed with how well they handled high speed trail riding and how they handled sliding the back out a bit in a controlled manner. They reminded me of my old machine's Carlisle ACT's, which I also loved. Unfortunately for me the AT 489II's were not very durable and I blew a sidewall in the back left and put a few small rock punctures in the back right. I replaced all four with a set of Kenda Bounty Hunter ST 8 ply tires. They had a great appearance but were a bit heavy and rode VERY stiff, so much so that I sold them and put a set of used stock tires back on the machine. Those are getting quite worn now and I need to replace them again. What would you suggest for a durable tire that might also be a decent handling tire? Thanks, and keep up the good work!
+PC MR I'd look at several tires for that machine - depending how how and where you ride. The Carlisle ACT HDs are great but will also wear fairly fast. The ITP MudLite XTR lasts longer, works incredible but is an even more aggressive tire good best in mud and snow. The STI Black Diamond is a great all-around tire but runs small so run size bigger than you would normally go. Also a great tire is the Sedona Mud Rebel RT. Perhaps my favorite all-around tire is the ITP Terra Cross RT.
+ATVTV Wow, thank you for the quick reply! Most of my riding is hard packed trail riding with some occasional rocks and mud. A couple of times a year I'll venture out in the snow during a winter club rally. Once a year I take a week long camping trip to Newfoundland and put 600 miles on during that trip. It's mostly dry, light gravel and hard packed dirt with a lot of whoops from snowmobiles using the same trails in the winter months. I'll do some more research on the tires you mentioned and compare reviews as well. Thanks again.
@MrTyler416 Haven't tried them in a very long time....and don't remember a lot about them ;( I really like the tread pattern. Unfortunately they don't make them in 14" - our test size this time around.
You did not Test simply the best all weather tire in the world !! was this intennsional ? nothing of those mention up there compare to Maxxis Bighorns .... sorry if you are not ready to make a fare comparison just dont do it.... BH is the most popular allweather tire in europe and US ....
@bballplaya123678 And that was our idea as well - especially to compare the Bighorns to our favorite ACTs and then to the rest. Unfortunately we couldn't get our hands on a set. Maxxis saw no reason to risk sending us a set. And with all that said we've made no bones that we think that the Bighorns are highly overrated ;-)
I am not very impressed with the stock Polaris/Carlisle tires on my 2015 RZR 900 trail. 300 Miles and I already had a rock puncture the tread and I wasn't ever ridding it hard. Just doing some trail riding up Mayfield canyon, Utah. A guy I know had the same thing happen to him at about 700 miles with the same setup. I had 5000 miles split between my stock tires and Big Horns with no flats at all on my 08 RZR. Needless to say I'm now looking for a better tire for 70% mountain, 15% Moab and 15% desert terrain and still maintain the 50" width. Any advice advice?
acstorm07 Really good tires and maintaining the 50" width is tough. The best way is to run the same (smaller) front tires on the rear as well. Sedona Rip Saw RTs, STI Black Diamonds, and ITP MudLite XTRs are three god ones.
ATVTV Thanks for the info. The front stock tires on the 900 trails are 26x8x12 and the rears are a 26x9x12. All the aftermarket tires that I am looking at only come in a 9" width in my size. So I might have to go with a 9" on all four corners. I'm also thinking about stepping up to a 27x9x12 tire. Any experience with the Kenda Bear Claw HTR's ?
@5b4afq Don't confuse most popular with best. And don't confuse a comparison between two tires and many. Perhaps you should read my Blog on Perception....You can get to from our website. I really, really wanted a set of Bighorns in this tests. To see why read one of my replies below.......
Yes. We have the reviews of them on our website. Look under product reviews.
Hey, Doug. I'm looking forward to hearing what you find out, I think you should take some mention the weight of some tires compared to others. And I'd be interested to know if any of the tires you thought the machine could have used or/should have had a clutch kit added. Or any other aftermarket parts. I'm pro longevitiy of my bike, so I am concerned about over taxing it. I find it hard to tell what is too much, because there is such a dramatic difference in performance between stock to not.
Truth be told, Doug, if you remember, i installed a set of BH's in my KQ some months ago, you did mock me for that... and you were sort of right: yes, they're an improvement over the stock Dunlops, but just. I noticed a huge improvement in comfort, but they're so hard that you need to lower the pressure to find the extra grip promised, and that makes the ATV quite wobbly, which is not pleasant...
I'll wear them and then try a set of ATR's, as you recommended... Regards!
great thanks for your help, I had the mud lite on my old quad and worked pretty good. Thanks again.
Mud Lites are a good bias ply tire. The Mud Lite XTR is an incredible high traction radial!
Awesome videos, thanks. I seriously look forward to hearing what you find out. I have been debating on the Terra Cross and the Dirt Commanders for an upgrade from my stock tires on my 2009 Honda Rancher 420 4x4 manual shift ATV. You're findings will go a long way in my decision on which to purchase.
@MegaCANAM800 We're gonna be testing these (and the Polaris' they are on) for a year. But, we'll be updating our findings all along the way.
Why no bighorns in the comparison? They are the standard for all terrain tires and it would be interesting to see how they compare to the grim reapers and itp terracross.
well i know this is going to sound stupid to alot of you but if you could i would trie out the old bear claws i have ttryed alot of tires since i started rideing in 84 and they have always been my fav i get traction through everyhing
Please do this for sport quads! Cause today's tire market is filled with all kinds of treads, but nothing says what works best for what terrain.
@mackyyoyoyo See our reply below......We REALLY wanted to include them in our test but many Bighorn owners wouldn't have believed our findings if we had. We tested some 12 inchers some years back.
But with all that said I'm excited to see how the Ceros do - I think (thanks to the siped tread!) they'll do way better than the Bighorns would have.
Great vid. I like my Black Diamonds so far. They have some serious tread.
@carducho Ah yes..... Well, wait until we get into this test a ways and see what we find out. There are several tires that I really like the looks of and am thinking may do well - including the newest Maxxis tires, the Ceros!
We have a set of 12" BHs sitting here so maybe when we come to a really good tire in this test, we'll get a set of 12" and try them against the BHs.
hey, what do you think of the sedona ripsaws? i got a pair and put about 400 km on them so far in the past bit and i love them, they suck in snow but thats about it! when you first get them there is a slight wobble at high speeds but after about 200-300 km that goes away and it is only on pave to begin with, they are heavy too but the low gearing in my foreman helps compensate for that (mid to high 20's is the weight)
I think for a Carlisle their bread and butter design is the 489's. They look to me like they have the best trail tread design.
@chrishcyp In that bunch I think we'll find a couple good ones. We've almost come to the conclusion here that if you ride in a lot of snow in the winter, you almost need two sets of tires, a snow set and a trail set ;-)
When will you have the testing done
so what were the results of this test? even google search is telling me nothing. do you have the results of this still?
+Steve Farrow Go to our website and look under Product Reviews. The first list on that page are tires. We tested each one individually on a video.
What would you suggest for a good snow plowing tire. Thanks great review.
The answer depends on what else you do. Snow plowing only the ITP MudLite XTR is about the best I've found, but it sure tears up the dirt when you're not plowing snow ;-)
@DukeWhite04 We'll weight each set and measure their height and diameter as those are indeed important factors in a tires performance and how they affect a machine. What we've found is that most tires continue to increase in weight so they can be used on both ATVs and UTVs. Not good! And lightweight, high performing tires don't sell so goodbye to one of our favorites - the ACT. Everyone is chasing the Bighorn down the heavy, hard, and long-lasting road to lower performance.
Hi Doug. I have enjoyed watching ATV TV's videos for a long time now. I have a question I was hoping you might be able to help me with. I have a Sportsman 850 SP that came stock with a set of Carlisle AT 489II tires. For a stock tire I was very impressed with how well they handled high speed trail riding and how they handled sliding the back out a bit in a controlled manner. They reminded me of my old machine's Carlisle ACT's, which I also loved. Unfortunately for me the AT 489II's were not very durable and I blew a sidewall in the back left and put a few small rock punctures in the back right. I replaced all four with a set of Kenda Bounty Hunter ST 8 ply tires. They had a great appearance but were a bit heavy and rode VERY stiff, so much so that I sold them and put a set of used stock tires back on the machine. Those are getting quite worn now and I need to replace them again. What would you suggest for a durable tire that might also be a decent handling tire?
Thanks, and keep up the good work!
+PC MR I'd look at several tires for that machine - depending how how and where you ride. The Carlisle ACT HDs are great but will also wear fairly fast. The ITP MudLite XTR lasts longer, works incredible but is an even more aggressive tire good best in mud and snow. The STI Black Diamond is a great all-around tire but runs small so run size bigger than you would normally go. Also a great tire is the Sedona Mud Rebel RT. Perhaps my favorite all-around tire is the ITP Terra Cross RT.
+ATVTV
Wow, thank you for the quick reply! Most of my riding is hard packed trail riding with some occasional rocks and mud. A couple of times a year I'll venture out in the snow during a winter club rally. Once a year I take a week long camping trip to Newfoundland and put 600 miles on during that trip. It's mostly dry, light gravel and hard packed dirt with a lot of whoops from snowmobiles using the same trails in the winter months. I'll do some more research on the tires you mentioned and compare reviews as well.
Thanks again.
+PC MR No problem! Sounds like you should start with the Terra Cross and the Balck Diamond.
@MrTyler416 Haven't tried them in a very long time....and don't remember a lot about them ;( I really like the tread pattern. Unfortunately they don't make them in 14" - our test size this time around.
You did not Test simply the best all weather tire in the world !! was this intennsional ? nothing of those mention up there compare to Maxxis Bighorns .... sorry if you are not ready to make a fare comparison just dont do it.... BH is the most popular allweather tire in europe and US ....
@bballplaya123678 And that was our idea as well - especially to compare the Bighorns to our favorite ACTs and then to the rest. Unfortunately we couldn't get our hands on a set. Maxxis saw no reason to risk sending us a set. And with all that said we've made no bones that we think that the Bighorns are highly overrated ;-)
Do you have any experience with artrax tires? I'm looking at some for my renegade. 25 10 12 and 25 8 12
Sorry. Never even heard of them. I'll have to look them up.
I am not very impressed with the stock Polaris/Carlisle tires on my 2015 RZR 900 trail. 300 Miles and I already had a rock puncture the tread and I wasn't ever ridding it hard. Just doing some trail riding up Mayfield canyon, Utah. A guy I know had the same thing happen to him at about 700 miles with the same setup.
I had 5000 miles split between my stock tires and Big Horns with no flats at all on my 08 RZR. Needless to say I'm now looking for a better tire for 70% mountain, 15% Moab and 15% desert terrain and still maintain the 50" width.
Any advice advice?
acstorm07 Really good tires and maintaining the 50" width is tough. The best way is to run the same (smaller) front tires on the rear as well. Sedona Rip Saw RTs, STI Black Diamonds, and ITP MudLite XTRs are three god ones.
ATVTV Thanks for the info. The front stock tires on the 900 trails are 26x8x12 and the rears are a 26x9x12. All the aftermarket tires that I am looking at only come in a 9" width in my size. So I might have to go with a 9" on all four corners. I'm also thinking about stepping up to a 27x9x12 tire.
Any experience with the Kenda Bear Claw HTR's ?
acstorm07 I think the bigger problem is the rear so 9s all around 'should' be okay. I went to 27s on ours. No experience with Bear Claws.
What do u think about maxxis zillas
I have not tried them....
@5b4afq Don't confuse most popular with best. And don't confuse a comparison between two tires and many. Perhaps you should read my Blog on Perception....You can get to from our website.
I really, really wanted a set of Bighorns in this tests. To see why read one of my replies below.......
what do you know about th ejourney 350 tires?
Absolutely nothing.....Sorry.
no biggie thanks anyways
@drdumais We'll keep plugging away - we've been known to irritate but never disappoint.
I cant find the review of the Abuzz tires, interested in them, would love your opinion.
We ended up not testing them - at least yet.....Tried to stick to radials.
darn, I found a crazy deal on them, but its looking like I'm gonna spend the extra and go with the black diamond xtr's
2002ZRX1200R The BDs are one of our all-tim favorite tires! Just remember to go one size taller than you want as they run small.
Have you ever used carlisle trail wolf tires? If so how do you like them?