Most of those types of tires are all similar performing. The Dominators are getting good ratings as aftermarket tires. I think the problem is you have enough power to always spin the wheels.

I know a few Banshee guys who have talked about wearing tires fast as well. If you have ever ridden a Banshee, it's easy to understand. It's pretty tough not to spin the tires! I haven't ridden a DS yet, but I am sure it's similar, especially when riding hard.

 

Pure Sports, bandits might be a good choice. I run them on my Scrambler and the hook up alot better than holeshots. The knobbies have about an inch of meat which makes thaem last quite long. The tires come in a 20 annd 22 inch sizes. The 22's are actually lighter because the have been redesigned. The profile on these tires is just like that of the razors, holeshots, dominators.

 

Wouldn't the answer to the question be trying taller tires? Maybe the 20" tires aren't quite tall enough to put that power to the ground. Try some 22" tires, they aren't going to kill your power, but they should keep it from spinning a little. I've got a 1990 LT250R with the 6-ply Holeshot XCT's on it.. They are 22" tires and my bike can turn them just fine. If I had the chance to make the decision again, I'd buy the 20" regular holeshot tires as they are a little closer to what I was hoping to achieve.

As far as the tire wearing.. I think any tire with a knobby pattern is going to get eaten up pretty quick. If you want long life, I'd suggest you try something like a Realter or other tire with large "chunks" of rubber.

 

The main problem that is being faced is the fact that 22" tires may rub/damage the rear fender as posted in another discussion thread. I definitely need something to hook up better too. I was in the mud with a suzuki that had 500LT tires on it and they cleaned out well, the bomb just sunnk, probably due to weight. I want some tires that will hook up on the loose surfaces as well. James

 

I personally swapped the tires from our 400ex onto our DS and they are night and day better than the mx tires that came on the DS. I have no idea why they put the dominator's on instead of a tread like the ohtsu's with wide spacing so they are a all around tire. The ohtsu's work great in the big sand dunes I was able to climb most 300 to 400 ft dunes with a good run. I was not able to climb choke cherry which is really steep and tall due to the choke cherry bushes that hold this face in place, though I could make it about 2/3 of the way up ( I est. choke cherry to be 400ft. plus. ). The dunes I'm refering to are the St. Anthony sand dunes in S.E. Idaho. I like the ohtsu's and will go with them or a simalar tread pattern.

 

just got back from a full day in the sand equiped with 22" edge paddles, lots of whoop's and jumps. I softened the rear compresion some and never bottomed out.I read in here somewhere that they wouldn't fit,but they were laying around not going anywhere so I tried them out.Istill dont know what the complaint about steering is the faster you go the better it handles.Oh yea, 10 paddle,great launch,270# rider.

 

Okbyethen mentioned that the rear fender costs $660!(Yikes!) My dealer replaced my rear fender under warranty so I asked for the price for future reference. $66.00 That's right $66.00. I asked him to triple check as I had heard it costs 10 times that much. Sure enough he swears it costs $66.00 And the front fenders cost just $17.95 a piece. I guess the proof would be in paying for one.

I can't imagine anyone thinking the Ohtsu's perform better than the Dominators. The Ohtsu's are balloon tires and would probably out do MX tires in the sand but that's what paddles are for!!
If you're not running paddles in sand then you aren't too concerned with performance/handling. Which is fine but outside of sand no one really thinks that soft sidewalled balloon Ohtsu's perform better than any number of aftermarket MX/woods tires including the Dominators.

My personal choice will be 22" Bandits based on owning/using Holeshots, Dominators, Bandits, Ohtsu's, Spider Tracks, Blackwaters, Turf Tamers and Haulers, my style of riding and my choice of riding areas/conditions.

Asking which tires are best is like asking which bike is best...everyone's got an opinion(including me)

Yella Terra
'00 DS650
'91 250X
'87 250X
'85 FL350R

 

Actually, the Ohtsus on the 400EX are pretty good, from what I hear. They are a lower profile radial. They came on the last year or two of the TRX250R.

A friend said that he could pull wheels in the snow with those tires.

I will probably get them for my 350X if I keep it. Unless I can find Goodyear Terra Turf knobbies. Those tires are awesome. A little baloony, but they work as good as v-paddles in the sand. I did some time tests between them, stock, v-paddles and Realators. They were so close to the v-paddles, that it made it not worth purchasing paddles. They did great in the mud also.

I will probably go with Sand Skate II's for the DS.

Laters,
CRT_Leech

 

Can someone explain why a 22" rear tire will help with traction? It seems to me that you are making the gear ratio taller which reduces rear wheel torque. I don't want to reduce rear wheel torque to get more traction. Are you saying that if I put 22" rear tires and change the rear sprocket to restore the original gear ratios & torque, I will still get more traction? Isn't using a 22" rear tire the same as installing a smaller rear sprocket?

 

The 22" will have a little more contact patch. The 22" Holeshots have a slightly different tread pattern on the edges compared to the 20", and might be a little softer tread.