hey guys.. i have a 06 400i and i would like to put some new tires on it, i want to put 26x12x12 on the front and rear of the quad. do you think i should go with tens in the front?
or would i be ok to run 12's all the way around? i plan on putting a clutch kit on some time along with a pipe also. all help appreciated[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

in my opinion it would steer like crap you might even endup feeling every bump and having you handlebars pull out of your hands because of it. i dont know for sure but in a truck the wider the tire the worse the steering and bumpsteer. so im just applying this to atvs. on another note it would look awesome. i want to go 26's im just affraid to lose to much power. let me know what you decide to do i have the same machine and would like to know the pros and cons. good luck

 

I put 26-10 12's on the front and 26-12-12's ITP mudlites on my 06 400 auto. Big waste of money. The power loss is not worth it. I eventually put 25-10-12's on the front and 25-12-12's ITP mudlite xl's and could still feel a power loss and that was with a clutch kit. I wouldn't do it .

 

thanks for the info rango726, i was thinkin the same thing u said about the wider i go the more bumpsteer.... but i am defenitly going to get a clutch kit when i put those tires on there. i am still leary about getting 26's because of the feedback i am reading. I dunno though, because u have guys putting on 27's with no clutch mods and say they are turning them fine???

 

I have an 01 250 with the Executioners, can't remember what size but they are big, and mine does just fine. The ride is bumpy but for the traction, ground clearance and looks you can't go wrong. These tires are plain wicked!

 

i would not go any bigger than 26x10's all around, i had a 400i with all possible mods besides a big bore and when in deep or thick mud i could not turn the tires over at all. it just did not have enough torque for the big tires.

 

I dont know how the auto will handle the bigger tires but I have 10/12 and 12/12 ITP 589s on my o3 400 manual and they do just fine.

 

Consider that I am wet behind the ears and I do not have a clue what I am talking about, but let's just look at this situation from a practical point of view.

First of all you can only make progress when you have enough traction to move and/or your are not high centered.
Unless you plan of floating across mud then the practical way is to be able to sink your tires down below the soup to grab some traction ground.
Wide tires will offer floatation, light tires and rims will offer floatation. Narrow heavy tires and rims will sink down and grab the traction ground.
Mud creates suction on any surface, tires included.

Imagine this, if you had 25 inches of ground clearance then you probably would be able to cross many mud holes with bicycle tires.
My personal views are that you would not look as cool with 25" tires as apposed to 26" or 27" wide tires but I feel that getting though a mud hole is better than looking cool and being stuck.

I think that dollar wise a better investment would be a 1" lift kit, and 1" wheel spacers with narrow tires would get you through more mud.
Your AC with 12" of ground clearance is an awsome starting point, and you already have an advantage over alot of other machines.
From experience I don't get stuck any more often than alot of other machines running big, fat tires and is some cases I get stuck less.
I run the heavy stock tires and heavy steel rims and only 1' wheel spacers, giving me a wider wheel base. I run 9lbs or air in the front and 6lbs in the rear, with the front springs preloaded to the softest and the rear preloaded to the middle setting. I don't even have a locking front end. And during mud season I take the brush guards off the "A" arms. Leaving them on is like trying to drag a shovel through the mud. When in a mud hole I rock my machine from left to right aiding in sinking my tires to more solid ground and breaking the suction.

Another thing to consider. I have seen several machines with big tires and deep lugs suffer with more broken axles and joints.
Take all this for what it is worth, but it is something to think about and consider. My type of riding is that I will drive around a mud hole if I can and only go through it if there is no other route. My objective it to get where I want to go, I have a 2500lb winch on the front and I carry a portable winch that can be hooked to the back of my AC or a tree. If I get stuck I either winch it through or back.

One last thing to think about. With deep lugs on your tires if you run into any sand you will not have the floatation needed but will only dig yourself a hole.

Personally I would not go with more than 3/4 deep lugs. I would run 25x8x12 on the front and 25x10x12 on the rear, put a 1" lift kit which would yield the same ground clearance as 27" tall tires. Your 400 will have the power to turn the 25's, they would be narrow enough to not float and to sink down beyond the soup and grab something that would keep you going. A good tire for this are the GoodYear Rawhide ATT or the Rawhide Grip. So the money you would have to spend on 26" rims you can buy a lift kit and a winch.

Remember I don't have a clue what I am talking about but it is something to think about and consider. You may not look as cool but there is a possibility that you could get where you want to go.