This is my first quad,,and I need a set of tires.. My main concern is Snow(plowing that is) with some mudding thrown in. I have heard good about the mudlite and the dirt devil,,so I have narrowed it down to these 2( I think).. I would like to stay in this price range,,I know radials would probably be better,,but I dont think that they would be worth the extra bucks plus losing mud traction.
I will not be puttting on a ton of miles,,so whatever I get should last a while. Any and all info is much appreciated. I know this topic has been beat to death,,but I have not seen much input on snow traction.

 

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mud bugs will outdo the dirt devils and mud lites in the snow.
i had mud lites on my rubicon and last winter any time i got into wet and deep snow the mud lites would dig for traction and i would end up stuck or beating my quad to get through it.
and my buddy with mudbugs would ride ontop of the snow and have no troubles..
lites are a rounded type tire and the tread is made to dig for traction.
and the bugs are a flat type tire with a great tread desing and work great in the snow.
as far as im concerned the bugs will kill the dirt devils and mud lites in the winter and summer for that matter.
i have seen all three in action and beleave me im not BSing you.
i also had a set of gators on my 03 cat and they were awsome in the snow mud anywhere you went the gators worked like thay were made for what ever i was riding in.
gators and mudbugs are almost the same tread desing but the gators will last twice as long as the bugs.
the gators are more money but are worth the extra coin.
but if you want a lighter tire that works just as good and cost a bit less then get the bugs you will love them.
good luck with your shoping.

 

SInce the mud lites seem to be a bad choice for snow, would they still be better then the stock tires?

 

For snow? Mud tires are the opposite of what you want.

Snow tires have fairly narrow treads so that the snow sticks to the tires. That's what you want, because nothing sticks to snow better than more snow. So if your tire picks up a layer of snow and holds onto it, you get great traction.

Mud tires have very wide treads that are self cleaning - they try to throw off anything that gets in the cleats. In heavy snow, they tend to dig in rather than pack the snow down and roll on top of it. End result is you end up high centered if the snow is deep enough.

ATR's are a great snow tire. Stock tires would probaby be a little better than mud tires in snow.

 

Look into Maxxis Big Horns...I have been going through tons of tire posts on another Arctic Cat specific forum...PM me if you want the address. Anyway, I have been considering many brands, including replacing my stock Dunlops which have performed extremely well. In any case, Maxxis Big Horns seem to be the way to go. Think about how much actual time you spend in the mud - if it's a lot of time, then by all means pick up mud specific tires. Be prepared however, for not the best going on the hard pack and not much grip in the snow. My stock Dunlops have pulled me through fender-deep slop. The only reason I'm not replacing them is that I want a heavier ply tire. Otherwise, they have been excellent. Maxxis Big Horns seem to be the best of all worlds. If you want to read the thread where it's being discussed, drop me a line, as I don't want to advertise another site in an open forum...Good luck!

 

Too late, just put on the mud lites.

 

well I have mud lites and they work fine for me but I don't use my quad to plow, just ride it.

 

For plowing mud lites work good, atrs are better. You will be much happier with the mud lites in the mud. If your going to be riding in deeper snow try turning the tire around( swap left and right) so the tire runs backwards, this will help you flott and not dig so bad.

 

i have dirt devils and they work a lot better than the stock tires. i was going to get the mudlites but i heard they have soft rubber and they wear down fast so i would go with the dirt devils.