I have a 2006 Arctic Cat 500 4X4 which I purchased new last september. I really like the machine, but it has one big issue. Almost everytime I ride thru mud it builds up in between the rim and tire and causes air leaks. My only solution so far is to deflate the tires and clean the area in between the tires and rims or carry an air pump and refill the tires every 30-45 min. I brought the issue to my dealer several times and he told me this is a common issue, but there is nothing he can do about it. He will usually then advise is to buy new rims and tires. It is still covered under the extended warranty. I do not mind a doing a little maintainence but it seems like I spend more time cleaning rims than riding it. I have a few friends who purchased the same machine and are having the same problems.

Are there any fixes for this?

I have been told it is the fault of the Badlands tires that came stock on the machine. Coincidently one of my tires needs replacing anyway. I let a friend borrow the machine and although he will not admit to it I believe his solution to the deflating tires issue was to drive on a deflated tire for quite some distance. Now there are cracks which leak air all along the side of the tire.

 

Quite possibly could be the Badlands. Some tires have 'bead-protection' and lessen that problem.
The thing that came to my mind at first, was that you are not running enough air in your tires and are getting a tremendous amount of 'roll-under' from the side walls - which would open the gap between the rim and the seated bead.
Let me guess - you get more from the front than the rear? Correct?

 

I have tried anywhere between 5 and 20 PSI and I still get the same problems. increasing pressure above 15 PSI cause the problem to occur less, but the ride sucks and that just seems like way too much pressure. The problem occurs the most in the front left tire but it happens to all of them.

I have been thinking about gluing the tirs to the rims, but that seems like too permanant of a solution.

 

If you have had it to 15-20 lbs and still have the problem then my advise is to change tires because obviously the Badlands seem to not be holding the bead tight or have stiff enough side walls. A second option if you don't want to get different tires is to put tubes in your tires. This will stiffen your sidewalls. You only get mud and dirt in there when the sidewalls 'roll-under' opening that gap.

My front tires have 'bead/rim protectors' and I never get mud or dirt in there. My rear tires have a little ridge similar to 'bead/rim protectors' and I never get mud or dirt in there either.

 

It seems ridiculous that I have to buy new tires when the ones I have are perfectly good. They came stock on the machine. If my dealer is correct and this is a common problem, then in my opinion this is a problem Arctic Cat should address.

 

Seems so, good luck.

Another thing you can do is to break down the tires and put a 1/4" bead of 'bathroom tub and tile silicone' around the bead on your rim, then blow the tire up again. That will cause the silicone to squeeze out and form a bead between your wheel and tire. That will keep the dirt and junk out. It is not as radical as glue.

 

I guess it is just something that you have to put up with from radial tires.