ITP Tire New C-Series Wheel
| ITP Tire Creates An Industry first! Their New C-Series Wheel |
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How about ITP? There�s a company with focus. General Manager Craig Petersen has the personal drive and serious dedication to keep producing quality tires with optimum traction! In the early days, Craig was sales manager for ITP tire and took that opportunity to start building better ATV tires. Craig�s early racing years made him realize there was a need for a better racing tire. That�s when he started in what has grown to be an extensive line of quality tire and rim combinations. ITP, as we know it, had all started out of a need for a better tire! A lot of riders out there will only trust ITP. Just the other day, at a local dealership, I witnessed a fellow buying a brand new LTZ400. In the same breath he said, “I�ll take it.” and “Can you replace those stock tires and wheels with a set of ITP Holeshots and T-9 aluminum wheels?” That really was not a surprise for me but proves the point, that riders want good looks and the best performance they can afford. In the past, we have
tested some of ITP�s other tires. Such as, the Blackwater XTs and the Agricultural tires. Both work great for their designed application. Today�s ATV market has drummed up a few new unit segments such as, Recreational Utility and Sport Utility. Both of these categories show us there are plenty of new avenues. Riders are looking for a great ride with plenty of traction and performance. Again, that is where ITP has taken the bull buy the horns and released another great combination. A radial tire on the industry�s first one-piece cast aluminum ATV wheel!
The new All Terrain Radial (ATR) is intended to replace OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) tires and provide increased performance. These are not the first radials to hit the ATV market. Sport quads such as Honda�s 400EX, Suzuki�s LTZ400 
and Yamaha�s Raptor have used radials for some time. Even Honda�s new Recreational Utility, the Rincon 650, uses a Ohtsu radial. So, as you see, the need for a performance radial tire does exist. Radial tires have a definite advantage on pavement. They offer a smooth ride with a responsive feel. Radials will roll across ruts and grooves without following these “road scars” as bias ply’s do. Radials will give a smoother, more comfortable ride when the trail gets rough. Interestingly, radials have a softer side wall. This will obviously give a larger footprint but actually radials offer better fuel mileage. Most likely, do to less weight and less drag the roll efficiency increases. Radial tires have belts made from nylon or steel and are used to reinforce the area under the tread. These belts provide puncture resistance and help the tire stay flat in order to make the best contact with the trail surface. The new ATR tire is a 6-ply tire that utilizes 2 belts. These belts hold the tires low profile shape and give the stability needed for the off-road radial use.
Our thoughts of test these new radials where interrupted by thoughts of which ATV they would be best put to the test. After some thought, we figured the Suzuki manual shift Vinson would
be a perfect test unit. This unit already offers superior handling, traction and performance. The new radials come with a Holeshot pattern and are sized at 205/80R-12 (25×8-12) front and 270/60R-12 (25×10-12)rear. Weight is not really a problem. The new ATR�s weigh in very close to original equipment. Depending on what original tire you have, they may even weigh less. The ATR has a weight of 18 pounds front and 21 pounds rear. Compare that to the weight of a set of 589�s; which would be 20 pounds front and 26 pounds rear. We all can see the advantages of the lighter, stronger more responsive all terrain radial. The new ATR�s will sell for .95 front and .95 for the rears.
These impressive tires are put on equally impressive aluminum rims. The new C- series wheel is a one piece cast aluminum rim,
which are very attractive, light weight and priced unbelievably at 79.99 a wheel. The strength of the new C-series wheel is quite good. They hold up to abuse very well. ITP also has attractive center pieces and chrome lug nuts to go with this package. The C-series wheel was introduced last February, in Indy, at the Dealer Expo. Prior to that, the wheel was in design for just over six months. In a recent conversation, Craig explained, ITP really needed the new C-series wheel. Craig stated, ” Tires are getting bigger and heavier so going to a 
aluminum rim was the next step and has been a home run!” Craig feels, they are offering the new rims at the best price they can. Center caps and lug-nuts are optional. The reason being, the new C-series rims have been designed to accept the original lug nut design. To date, center caps are available for Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki ATVs and are very close to release for Polaris and Kawasaki.
tracked quite well. The power level was not effected by the slightly wider ATR tires. Actually, the power was transferred to the ground with a more positive effect. These radials hook-up. The Hole-shot tire pattern is not a new design but it is a proven pattern. The original bias-design has a few more H-type knobs across the tire surface. The ATR tires use a few less knob rows, but they seem to be placed just right for traction, ride and feel. Our test included the typical situations; several hill climbs, wet-muddy conditions, high speed handling and slow technical rock crawling. I would normally say, we were surprised with the results of these tests, but really after the first ride and knowing the technology that has gone into these tires I’m not sure if surprising is the right word. Instead, I will say 
impressed! The split H-knobs do a great job of clawing their way up and over any trail obstacle and the same with loose soil hill climbs! Going from a mud-hole to an up-hill battle with rocks could not of been better. Mostly, because of how well the tread design keeps clean and really will not slick over. After several days of riding and abusing the new aluminum wheel and radial tire combination, we were thoroughly impressed! The products held up to the trail conditions with ease and showed very little sign of wear or scaring. Would we recommend the new all-terrain radials? Yes, there may not be a more suited sport utility radial in existence today! Oh, and lets not forget not only are these two new products functional. They also have the good looks to match.
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