I am buying a 2002 sportsman 500 ho it has 2000 miles on it the only thing it needs is tires and a rear inner cv boot.I know that the Front: 25 x 8-12 Rear: 25 x 11-12 what other sizes will work even if I went bigger there are a few guys around selling tires in the classifieds any info would be great.There are some gators that are 26x10x12 fronts and 26x12x12 rears would these be to big they only have 100kms on them for $200.Let me know any info would be appreciated.

 

manxman..

Are the current tires on the machine the proper size? If so, I would think that the Gators will probably be OK. They are only 1 inch taller and not much wider. The inch taller must be split in half giving you a half inch at the top, and a half inch at the bottom. (same with the width). The bigger concern is the rolling distance of one revolution that those Gator tires will give compared to the stock tires. A greater (taller tire) will cause you to loose a little bit of bottom end torque, but will give a higher top speed. I can't imagine that only one inch will cause too much of an effect on either end of the rpm range.

Wrench

 

The 1" taller shouldn't be a problem and neither should the width of the rear, but those fronts will probably rub somewhere unless you use spacers. 10" is the standard width for rear tires on other brands so it's like putting rear tires on the front. I think it will steer a lot harder.

P.S. Welcome to the forum manxman. If you're really a Manxman, you're the first I've met. Cheers! [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img]

 

10" wide tires will most likey rub so as mentioned aftermarket rims or spacers will be needed. thoe are the stock size tires. side note; make sure the cv is not gone since you said the boot was gone. it will make a clicking sound so test ride it good as these will add more to the repair bill. imo.

 

The tires on my polaris sportsman 500 are stock sizes I just saw those gators in the barter trader thought I thought I would ask ,they had a good price on them.I was looking at some tires at a dealer and I've driven a few honda atv with swamp lites on them worked great .I've seen some good write ups on them if I can get them at a good price I'll pick some up if I went bigger I would only go one size bigger .Stock tire sizes are Front: 25 x 8-12 and Rear: 25 x 11-12 what would you recomend ?Thanks for the replys.

 

Hey I have an 08 Sportsman 500....I put 26-9-12 on the front and 26-12-12 on the rears. No spacers required for the fronts...but they only clear by 3/8 of an inch or so......so I think with 10's up front you'll def need spacers.

 

If I went one size bigger and the stock tire sizes were Front: 25 x 8-12 Rear: 25 x 11-12 what sizes would be one size bigger I can get four bear claws for $240 taxes in clear out sale .I just thought if they did not have the right size I would either get stock sizes or one size bigger.

 

Tires aren't always the advertised size so it all depends on which ones you get. You could go an inch taller, or an inch taller and wider. Either 26x8x12 and 26x11x12, or 26x9x12 and 26x12x12. An inch taller gives you 1/2" more ground clearance. An inch wider may or may not do you any good, or any harm.

 

I'll keep note of those tire sizes if he does not have stock I'll check to see if he has those other sizes thanks again.

 

My stock size tires on my 2002 500 sportsman are front 25/8-12 rear 25/11-12 I was looking on kijiji and I found 4 mud max 25x10x12 for $250 obo.Would they work on my sportsman I'm not sure about running same size all around.