Hi all,

I'm VERY new to sport quads. I just got an '04 DS 650. A few months ago I saw a Raptor in one of the ATV mags that had Mud Lites on it. I do a LOT of river riding and I was curious and excited about the possibilities. If Mud Lites were mounted on the DS, would it mess up your gearing? Has anyone done this before? PLEASE give me your thoughts....

 

well i've never specifically used mudlites, but i've had experience with excavators, realtors and vampires on a ds, all 22", and you won't notice much of a power difference if you buy a $13 15t front sprocket from RMATV

 

TBR is currently using 27" Titan 489 style tires in the front with 25" out back for the SCORE and Best in the desert series. I know you won't wnat to use the lowering kit they do to get back to normal ride height, and I'll try to find out the gearing they use. I would assume going to a 22" or 23" tire may be the ticket in your case.
BTW they are still playing with the setup but as of now with those monsters they can run @ 95mph and it just eats up the terrain.
It seems that the larger 23" and up tires are better suited to the DS's size rather that the smaller tires generally used on 250/450 sized machines.
Just remember the application you are going for. The larger tire will work better in the muddy conditions but some cornering stability will be sacrificed.

 

LILNOTTS and JAYCEKARL 10,

Thank you SO much for your input. I called 4atvtires.com and Highlifter.com and they both advised that you can indeed put 23" Mudlites on the DS with no gearing changes. They advised that you would loose some bottom end but not much with no gearing changes. They also agreed that Mudlites are the best compromise mud/trail tire for what I was trying to get accomplished which is trails to the river and then very light mud and water terrain. It will raise the DS around 1 inch to an inch and a half. Should be perfect for what I'm trying accomplish. Again, THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR HELP, it is much appreciated.

LILNOTTS, what is RMATV? and how involved is changing the sprocket to 15t?

JAYCEKARL 10, let me know if you hear anything else on gearing please.

 

RMATV=Rocky Mountain ATV, all you need to do is take off the sprocket cover, loosen the chain, loosen the nut on the front sprocket(can't remember the exact size, do soem searching and should be easy to find),slide it off the shaft,pull it out off the chain, put the new sprocket on the chain, slide it back on the shaft, put the crush washer back on, put the nut back on, make sure it is tight, bend the washer, tighten chain, put cover back on, not to difficult of a job, i can do it in about 5 mins with all the right tools,

btw, i have 23" Bandits and the front and i love it, way nicer than my old 21" dominators,
and i'd love to try that 27/25 combo, if i had that i'd put some Mudzillas and a 14t front and have some fun in the mud, show those 4X4's wat a 2 wheel drive can do

 

Hi LILNOTTS,

The company i bought the tires from advised that I couldn't go over 23" tires without fender work, etc. Is that true? I'd like to go taller than 23"s. Can you give me some quick sprocket 101? To increase low end, do you go up in teeth or down in the number? I'll need more low end with the added weight of the tires and the demands of that type of terrain....

 

If you go down teeth, you will create a lower gearing situation, which in your case is what you want. It will cause your quad to rev out quicker because the motor needs to spin the smaller sproket faster in order to spin the rear sprocket at the same speed you would with the normal front sproket. With the larger tires, this becomes a wash as the larger tire diameter compensates for the smaller counter sproket size. The weight difference of the tires should be minimal, plus the power of the DS should be able to handle it no problem.

As for cutting the fenders, I don't think that is much of an issue as the possibility of the tire contacting the heel guards. Some trimming may be required.

 

well i wouldn't suggest going any bigger, i know they don't touch the fenders with 22", you will have to cut some of your heelguard, and basically in the front if you go down you get more bottom end,