I hope those tires are cheap that come with a new ATV, because I'll be repairing flat tires alot be that the case. Any suggestions or tips to avoid excessive flat tires! Or, is that what comes with owning an ATV?

 

In all these years of riding, I have never had a flat tire that I couldn't ride home. I run fix-a-flat in all my tires, all the time. You can get rim corrosion though, but that is the trade off for a long walk home. Once, out here in the desert I took out a cholla cactus (spines like needles) and got like 30 spines in a front tire. I pulled them out. Lost about a 1/2 lb of pressure, and continued the ride. I carry a plug kit and CO2 cartridges to back that up. But have never needed it.

 

What kind of ATV? Stock tires on almost all quads are 2-ply and very prone to punctures. Upgrade to to a 6-ply and your laughing. If you don't want to upgrade then just watch what you drive over and fill the stockers with tire slime.

 

'03 Yamaha Grizzly 660. I had a feeling the walls were thin 2-ply. I suppose I'll have to upgrade. Any suggestions on what tires (brands) are good? All-Terrain, 6-ply's? I don't need major mud tires, but a good all around tire.

 

I just punctured my sidewall on my virtually new stock tires, and yes, they are very thin. However I can personally attest to "Slime - Super Duty" you can get it almost anywhere. Rocky Mountain ATV has a gallon pump that I plan on getting when I get a new wheeler hopefully soon. I have run over screws, and pulled them out, and the chunks of whatever in the slime just seal it right back up, PERMINANTLY! Doesn't do a thing for sidewall punctures though.

Whatever you do, don't run "Fix a flat" stuff though, its nasty to clean out when you do eventually remove the tire from the rim.

"Slime" is non-toxic, biodegradable, and it just rinses right off when you change the tire. Worth every penny!

FYI - Regular Slime is for tube type tires, and the "Super Duty" is for tubeless.

 

ITP Mudlites are a great tire, 6-ply. Aggresive tread designed for good mudding abilities but till perform well on the trail. They are cheaper and lighter than the ITP 589's which are a comparable tire.

 

Whatever you do, don't run "Slime" stuff though, its nasty to clean out when you do eventually remove the tire from the rim.

Seriously, I have used slime, and it just never cut it.

 

Only use slime in stockers not in the 6-ply tires, thats what I think.

 

I don't know about 6 ply's yet, hopefully I'll have that luxury someday. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] But "Slime HD" did work great in my stockers for tread punctures. And it just rinsed out when I removed the tire. I used to work at a tire store and had to clean out a "fix a flat" and it was a nightmare, it just about made me puke. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

The stock tires on my Recon are just about worn out and I haven't had any problems with them.
I never liked the looks of the stock tires on the Yamaha atv's.