If you remember, we had a post going where I had measured weights on my tire/wheel combinations. I compared my stock tires on my '05 700 EFI, 26", vs the 27" ITP 589 and ITP Mudlites mounted ITP Type 5C wheels. I was going to find that thread and go from there, but figured I would just start a new one. If you want to go back and read it, do a search.

I have tested both the 27" 589s and Mudlites. I finally got out today to do a thorough test on the Mudlites. Here is the results, look at the end for some pics of my riding area. I didn't take pics of the machine buried in the mud, hard to jump off and snap a pic then. In the arroyo I was riding in, the mud is like quick sand, when you walk the whole ground moves, some parts you just sink right in, others is slower sinking:

Hard Pack ride:

Mudlites and 589s have about the same riding characteristic on hard pack roads. They feel the same at higher speeds. Even in cornering they are close to the same.

Sand:

The mudlites and 589s handle similar in a straightaway, but I would give the nod to the Mudlites in the turns on sandy area's, as they are tapered near the edge and turn slightly better. Surprisingly, both do very well in the sand, I guess because of the gap between the treads.

Mud:

Both tires do very well in mud. Neither had any problems with pulling and cleaning their treads. The 589s are the winner when you need to rock the machine to get it out. Slightly bigger lugs on the 589s and full size tread near the edge make them better for pure mudding.

Climbing (soft terrain)

I would give the nod to the 589s. It grabs better than the Mudlites, although the Mudlites do remarkably well. If you are climbing on a muddy slope, or something that the tires will dig in, I would give the advantage to the 589s as they seem to not slip as much as the Mudlites.

Climbing (hard terrain)

Both tires do equally well.

Side stepping

When riding on the side of a hill, there are a couple of things that make a difference between these tires. If the terrain is soft, the 589s are superior, if it is hard, then the Mudlites do better. I believe this is due to the tread design on the edges of the tires.

Transitions

When riding fast and wanting to catch quick turns, the Mudlites transition better....unless you are on really soft terrain or mud, then the 589s do better.

Cleaning in mud

As I mentioned above, both tires just spit the mud right out, they do no clog up. Now an interesting thing I noticed. I was doing alot of reverse driving to see how they would handle 2wd and 4wd in reverse, as we know we need to back up sometimes when stuck. The Mudlites just dug a hole in reverse in most situations....in 2wd. In 4wd, it pulled right out. On the 589s in reverse, it did better in 2wd than the Mudlites. When in 4wd, there was no stopping the 589s.


I played some with tire pressures, and like I said before, this big tires do not spin very true on the spin balancer. I have a slight shimmy in the front end on both sets of tires starting at 40+ mph. Not annoying, only slightly.

Conclusion: Both excellent tires. For all around riding where there will be some mud and wet terrain in the way, I would opt for the Mudlites. The 589s are great tires, but I would use them if you plan on riding alot of mud and snow.

Now for the finale....here are pictures of todays ride:

Oops, deadend

The Arroyo

Don't look up

Follow me

Not too dirty, yet

Hope that doesn't fall

Dave

 

Thanks for the great info.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Thanks for the info. MAN, the country is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!

 

Awesome job......great pic's. I appreciate your time and effort to post material like this. Very useful. I have to ask......is that a stock rear bumper? I havent paid attetion to the 2005's(since I dont have the money to buy one...lol)....but that rear bumper is awesome!!

 

It doesn't come with the rear bumper, it is a Polaris bumper that I added....as well as adding the frong brushguard. What you don't see in the pics is some of the crap I drove through to get to where I am at. I had to go around a couple of small arroyo's, driving over Salt Cedars and trying not to fall in a 10 foot deep arroyo that runs into the main area. I started to slip into one, but I had it in 4 low and just goosed it so I didn't drop in....

 

I expected your bike to be more muddy then that ! Would love to expierence that kind of riding though [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Nice pics

 

One thing about the '05s are that they have larger fenders.....supposedly it was a complaint from '04 and earlier owners....not much mud comes up on the rider....except when going faster. I didn't bury the machine much, I did get about half way up the tires in a few spots, and gas'd out of it with no problem...

 

I should go outside and take pics so you can see my 04 scram right now. lol .. but man, was today fun. !!

 

Thanks for the great report Dave. Real nice country you ride in. Wish I would have had the 589's on Saturday when I was wheeling through 14" of snow.....

 

14" of snow, I guess you could have used the 589's. Thats pretty much the limit and still be able to move around when the snow gets too deep.

It is great country, tons of places to ride. I have some killer rides, but they require more than just me as the technical terrain causes you to park one machine to get another up the hill, i.e. hold it from going over sideways etc, one person standing on one side and another holding on to the rack, usually requires 3 people. There is one old jeep trail that climbs up this mountain, it has been used in probably 20 or more years. We took a few ATVs up it, but got alittle hairy. I'm going to try that one again one of these days.

If anyone is ever interested in coming out this way and riding, let me know and we can do some riding.

dave