Would like the lowdown on the Titan 489XT's, from anyone who has them, or had them at some time or another. I'm looking for tires for my AC650 to ride on all terrains, but mainly dirt trails. On occassion we get into some pretty good mud, but not the real deep thick stuff. I would like a tire that rides pretty smooth on hardpack, as one of our trails we ride is 6 miles on hardpack & asphalt to get to the trailhead. I'll be taking my Cat out west to ride trails there. I have another post on the GBC Dirt Devil XT's, previous to this one, if you have info on them. Your replies will be welcomed. Regards, Jerico1

 

Honestly... I turned my 489XT's into studded Ice race tires... they are very hard... thick rubber & 6 plys... while traction was acceptable, the hardness of the tire ( like the 589's ), IMO, makes them rough at best, for front tires... I reponded to your other post, that the radials would better serve you, for what you are wanting to do ( Big Horns, ATR's, Bad Lands, etc. )... if you wanted a better tire, (27" like you previously mentioned ), IMO, the Mudrunners would do anything the 489XT's would do, but better... again IMO, the best tire set up for you in 27" would be a set of 27" X 10" Mud Lites on the fronts, & a set of 27" X 12" Bear Claws on the rears...

 

newbeatle, Again, thanks for the replies. My mind is getting scrambled by all the tire info going into it lately. The 3 radials you mentioned....ATR's......Bighorns.......Badlands XTR's. I'd buy any of the three, if they only came in a 26" or 27" tires. I really don't want to give up any GC. Rumors are that Maxxis will be coming out with the Bighorns in a bigger size. I may just keep the MT/R's
on until that happens. I go anywhere i want to go with them, but they do flex too much at times & i would like to have 6-plys. Still haven't given up on the combo either, sounds unstoppable on the right quad. The 489XT's sound like they would be too hard for my liking anyway, especially on the front.But i do like their tread pattern. I gotta go see those Bighorns up close & personal somewhere. Thanks to all who took the time to reply to my posts, it was & is a learning experience for me. Anybody see POL-KATT's post on the Bighorns at Highlifter? Regards,Jerico1

 

I have the 489 X/T's. They do ride a little rougher than my stock 489 A/T's, but they arent that bad. Traction is great in almost every terrain. They grip real well in mud too. They do like to fling stuff though. They are super tough and strong tires. I havent had a sidewall puncture as of yet, unlike my A/T's

 

yea i have the 489 xt's and there pretty ausome in all terrains, i ride about 70% mud,20%trail, and about 10% water...those tires feel just as smooth as a stock,ive never ridden with the reg 489's but the 489 xt's perform 100x better than my stock dunlops in the mud,before the bayou couldnt even make it threw 1-2 inch of slick clay cause the tires would fill up but the x/t's sling the clay right off,they also clean realy well in reg mud ,and its hard to believe you could get stuck with them on because of there cleaning ways..i just wish more people would try them and see for themself but everyone thinks bearclaws are the best just because they dont know that the 489 even exists but here's a test that realy shows who's the winner http://www.4wheelatv.com/archives.asp?var=read&id=68

 

 

my head is spinning from info overload!! I'm looking at bearclaws. I read the review link that was posted here and has been posted on lots of other threads. Now I'm seriously looking at 489XT.They rate both tires quite well. The 489xt is rated a little better in mud. I'd hafta think the 4 ply Bearclaw is a little softer and perhaps handles better in large rock, boulders, creeks and would give a little more flex in off-cantor stuff??Seems others are saying the XT rides rough, but the review link says they're fine.

Suummokin deal on rear size only for the 489xt, through Nebraska Tire. Would still need to find fronts somewhere, preferrably cheap. No, rockymountain doesn't have them.any other cheap supplier of the 489XT? What about putting the 489AT on front? What would I lose as a result? OR, I could/should I put bearclaws on the front too? see, my head is spinning.

 

not to confuse you more, but the Bear Claws tread is great for rear tires, but IMO, that tread pattern is not all that great for front tires ( they have a tendancy to grab, hunt, for traction... on uneven ground this is often percieved as "wandering"... a tread pattern similar to the 489 XT, is IMO better as a steering tire... however there are better treads for the rear, as far as traction is concerned... I'm using these "types" of treads for examples... I almost never run the same tire tread pattern, in the fronts & rears...

For combination trail / mud use,

IMO, some of the better tread patterns for front tires on 4 X 4 quads are... 489's, 489 XT's, Mud Lites, Dirt Devils, Mud Runners, Mud Hogs...etc...

IMO, some of the better tread patterns for rear tires on 4 X 4 quads are... Vamps, Bear Claws Spider Tracks, Mud Runners, Mud Hogs, Gators 589's etc...

obviously, if mud was mostly what you were looking to ride in, then, Outlaws, Mudzillas, Vamp EDLs, etc are the treads to run front & rear...

a really good light combination for mid sized quads, would be a set of 489's or Mud Lites on the fronts, & TSL's or Bear Claws on the rears...

 

confusedbuyer, if you are going to be riding on rocky terrain, definately go with the 6 ply tires over the 4 plys. The extra sidewall protection is worth it. What size are you looking to run?

 

either stock on 1" off-set C series alum rims (25x10-12,25x8-12), or 26x12-12/26x9-12 on stock off-set. we ride some mud, no sand. I'm not worried about having the best mud tire;that's what the winch is for!Plus, you won't get hurt in mud, but flipping off a boulder or loosing traction on slimy dirt/hill hurts when the quad lands on top.