I'm going to get a new set of tires for my Rancher, I'm going with ITP 589's. I borrowed a friends set of 27" 589's on steel wheels and my Rancher turned them fine but it was summer and there wasn't a lot of mud around here. Has anyone had a hard time turning 27" 589s with a Rancher or should I go with 26's or 25's. I was thinking of getting aluminum wheels.

 

My son talked to the Honda dealer today. We are considering a Rancher purchase. We are in Louisiana where there is plenty of mud all year long. The dealer told my son that to run 27s, we would need a lift kit. Therefore, If we purchase a Rancher we will swap to 26s at purchase time. 24s will never work down here.

 

I put 26" Vampires on my 2001 Rancher 4x4 ES to run in the mud and water of rice fields in Arkansas. I bought a wider rear tire which sticks out a bit beyond the fenders. I like the extra vertical clearance the tires give me but there is a slight loss of power. When running in 6" of water with the 26" I have to stay in first gear, whereas I could could operate in second gear with the 24" tires. However I make more forward progress, even in low gear, with the 26".