I have 2000 300 4*4. The stock tires are Titan 489's size 25-10-12 on the rear and 24-9-12 front. I'd like to upgrade to Titan 589 or ITP589 rear 26-12-12 and 25-10-12 on the front. The stock setup is great except for low ground clearance. Has anybody upsized by 1 or 2 "? How does it affect gear ratio and power delivery. This bike has good low end torque now with the 5 gears and 3 ranges.
Any thoughts please pass on - Thanks

 

i ride with a guy who has a 99 300 and he has a set of vampires (26"12-12 rear and 26" 9-12 front). they are heavier of course but there is very little power loss. the machine churns thru the mud and some of the roughest terrain around! in fact, he is now talking about upgrading to 27's or 28's. he did install spring spacers to get a little more clearance. i would do that or get a lift kit if you haven't already. i have a '00 autocat 500,i would like to go to 28's myself but i haven't run across anyone that has went that big. i am sure i have enough power but i'm not sure about the fit. i have lifted my machine about 1.5" and that is as high as i can go with causing problems the drive shafts. anyway[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img], if you have the cash slap them on and ride![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
if i get a chance i will post a link to some pics of my buddys 300 in action!

later

 

We put 25x8 f & 26x10 r Gators on my sons 250 4x4, it comes stock with 23f and 24 rear. You can tell the decrease in power but it is still acceptable. The added traction is worth every bit. We went with the narrow tires on the rear because of the weight and glad we did. I would recomend this set up for a 300 also. I've had the 589s and myself I like the Gators better and they're cheaper too, but both are good tires. There are some pictures of it in my pics. Good luck and lat us know what you get.

 

longlake, i just got 26x10x12 and 26x12x12 outlaws for my AC 300. i am very impressed with them. if you are going all out for mud then the outlaws are the heat. if you are not all mud then the gators or the 589's are an excelent choice. i had the gators on order but they got back orderd so my dealer cut me a really good deal for the outlaws. i have noticed some loss of top end speed in high 5th. but in med and low range you will have all the power you need to turn the tires. i have the spring lift on mine and havent rubbed the tires on any part of the bike. i would feel safe with 27" on the rear. ( i wish i had went with the 27's insted of the 26's now ) i have 26" 589's on my 500 auto. i think they are a really good tire too. the only thing i am not to happy with the 589's is the lack of sidewall traction. but they will slug it out in the mud really well too and give a little better riding on the trails. Good luck on your choice

Rac

 

Thanks for your reply to my question on tire sizes. I thought I had to maintain a 1" difference between front and rear tires for gearing purposes. I'm trying to get away from using a lift kit, but can always add one later. I'll check out the Gators too, about 80% of my riding is old logging roads, with muddy, rocky sections.

 

you do need to maintain the 1" difference between the front and rear tires. on mine i have the rear tires at 10 psi and the front tires at 3 psi. but if you 27's on the rear and 26's on the front then you will be good to go.

 

I put a lift on my 2000 300 & have had no problems the increased ground clearance is a BIG ++. You should try putting 1 back tire on the front so you can see the clearance problems, it'll become obious you will need spacers to put anything wider than 9" on the front!

 

I have to agree with racnooc, try to keep your tire ratio's the same.

 

I have 26-9-12 front and 27-11-12 rear, titan 589's on my 300 4x4. I have been very happy with this set up and no regrets. I used 500 springs up front and spacers in the rear. The rear tires have never rubbed and the front ones rub the top of the fenders if I hit a large bump hard.