I JUST BOUGHT A NEW 00 300 4X4 FOR MY WIFE TODAY. I NOTICED THAT THE FRONT STOCK TIRES WERE 23" AND THE REAR ARE 24" . WHEN I PUT AFTER MARKET TIRES ON IT LIKE SUPER SWAMPERS, DO I HAVE TO KEEP AN OFFSET IN SIZE? EX..25" ON THE FRONT AND 26" ON THE BACK?
MY FRIEND HAS THE SAME BIKE AND THE DEALER PUT 25" SWAMPERS ON THE FRONT AND BACK.
I THOUGHT THIS WOULD CHANGE THE GEARING RATIOS. HE HAS ABOUT 500 MILES ON THE BIKE AND HE IS HEARING NOISES FROM HIS FRONT CV JOINTS. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS ON THIS. THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS BUY TIRES THAT WILL MESS UP MY BIKE , ESPECIALY SINCE HONDA WILL NOT MAKE THIS BIKE AFTER THIS YEAR

00 450S 4X4 YELLOW,27" TRICLAWS
00 300 4X4 FOURTRAX RED STOCK

 

My understanding is that the tire ratio must be maintained. It makes sense when you think about it. The front and rear tires are mechanically connected at all times by the drive shaft, differentials etc. All of this running gear is sized to turn a specific front/rear tire ratio. By going to the same size tire all around, the drive train is strained. On loose ground the tires will simply slip (if possible) to compensate for the incorrect drive train/tire ratios. On hard ground the strain on the drive train will be greater.

Bottom line, keep the front/rear ratios that the drive train was designed for. Change tire size if you want to, but attempt to maintain the ratios.

My '87 Four-Trax has the same size tire all around, but the drive train was designed for this. The newer 300s use smaller front tires to improve steering effort.

DJ

 

Deej is right on with his reply.
I used 24x9x11 fronts and 25x13.5x9 Rears on my 88 300 for 7 years with no problems.
One thing your buddy can do to compensate some for his problem (short of changing tire size) is to slightly overinflate the rears and underinflate the fronts. That will change the circumference of the tires to bring them closer to the correct offset.

 

Based on the specified gear ratios for the TRX300FW, the front axles turn approximately 2% faster than the rear axle does. This means, theoretically, that the laden rolling radius of the rear tire should be approximately 2% greater than that of the front tire to prevent any drivetrain binding or tire scuffing/slippage. Regardless of the tire sizes you use (25/25, 26/25), if you maintain the nominal height of the rear tires about 0.5" taller than the fronts, you should have no problems. 4 years of 26" Bi-Claws all around on my '91 300 - NO problems.

 

did you have to put a lift kit on to fit the 26"?