Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

I have an 04 raptor 660 that I am looking to get a set of sand wheels and tires for. I have 10" wheels in the front and 9" in the back stock. I see that some people put 10" wheels on both front and rear. What are the advantages and disadvantages to this? Why do they have smaller wheels in the back anyways?

Also any opinions out there on wheel choice, should I go with the ITP C serries wheels. or the .190 T9's. I don't look to be doing a whole lot of jumping. Do I have to worry about hurting either of these wheels, are there any horror stories out there about either one of them?

Do I stick with the stock tire size or go bigger? The raptor is completly stock if it matters.

Any imput would be great as this is all new to me.

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

taller wheels/tires in the back = higher top speed and slower acceleration
shorter wheels/tires in the back = lower top speed and greater acceleration

they have small wheels/tires in the back stock because that setup they have is good all around. not too much acceleration that it dramatically cuts on top speed and not too much top speed that it dramatically cuts on acceleration.

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

You can get 22" tires on 8" wheels. The wheel size doesnt change your speed or bog you down, only the tires will do that.

Bigger wheels also mean a shorter sidewall. This means less flex and better, stiffer handling. But, this is bad for rougher terrain or for jumping. The less sidewall the more force put on the wheel itself, which means it will be easier to bend them.

Tire and wheel size all depend on what you want to do with the machine. If you want clearance for rough or wet trails, go with a larger tire and 9 or 8 inch wheels. If you are going to be in the sand just playing around, you can go with a 9 or 10 inch wheel. 21" rears are the best for sand, lots of clearance without having to have too much power to spin them. The bigger you go on the tire, the more power it takes to turn them. An 18" tire will spin much easier than a 22". If you need the clearance, go big. If you dont, stay at 20. If you are going to be on fairly flat terrain or a track, you can think about 18" tires. They are lots of fun, easy to slide around.

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

A 20-10-8 is alot lighter than a 20-10-10, tire for tire. In the sand the lighter, the better in most any case.

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

If you are going to be a serious sand addict, then get the C-series. I personally prefer desert cross-country and mountain trails to the dunes, so I couldn't justify spending a bunch on sand tires and rims. I went with the T-9's because they have a greater offset and width than Douglass or stock, and make the bike 3" wider in back and 2" up front, for some nice increased stability.

I would go 20" tires in back so you don't raise your gearing.

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

Actually, the 10" rim tire would be much lighter than the 8" rim tire. The 10" rim would be heavier than the 8" rim though, and thats why the set would weigh more.''

RR's got a good point on the t9 wheels. The raptor really needs the extra width. Do not go with a 4-1 offset front wheel though. You will have more bumpsteer, bent rims, clipped trees, poor handling, etc. 3-2 is the farthest front offset you want.

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

with a 10 inch rim in the back you get better handleing, but more wieght. a 9 inch rim in the back is lighter, but it doesnt handle as well. also, go with the c series just cuz they look better IMO

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

TRACTOR... "A 20-10-8 is alot lighter than a 20-10-10, tire for tire."... I'm sorry for doubting you, but you'll have to explain how a tire of exactly the same over all size, but 1" of extra rubber ( to account for the smaller diameter rim ), will weigh less ???????

I think you'll also find, that the aluminum, in a light weight aluminum wheel weighs less than rubber, & a tire wheel combo, with aluminum wheels, should weigh less, with a 10" wheel, than it would with an 8" wheel, for example ( all things ( tire & wheel thicknesses ) remaining the same )... however, steel will / can weigh more than rubber...

you'll find that there is a larger selection of tires for a 10" wheel, than there is for the 9" wheel... however I love my T-9 Baja's, in 9" X 9"...

you'll also get better wheel bead protection, in very rough terrain, with a taller tire sidewall, & a few inches wider tire, than wheel... a very short sidewalled tire ( like my 23" X 8" X 12" 489 XT's ), mounted on 12" X 7" wheels, do very little to protect the rim, in rough terrain

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

I have a set of each with haulers on them. Do I have to set them on a scale and send you the photo's? I see 2 people are questioning it. I have read since that post there is 2 kinds of haulers, I think buffed and double buffed???? Maybe that is the difference. We got a set with the 8 inch wheels with my wifes 400. I bought a set of tens for my Banshee and then put them on Honda holed douglas wheels. The 8's are way lighter and wife knows the difference and knows if I swap them. I then had to switch them back.

I guess inch for inch mile for mile rubber weighs more then aluminum

Pro's and con's to bigger wheels
 

I just weighed them. The 20-10 8 was 11 pounds. The 20-11-10 was 25[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] pounds on the scale. I weighed them both twice on the bathroom scale. There is some other things I didn't notice before. the 10's are 11 wide and on blue label Douglas wheels. The 8's are Douglas but the stickers are gone. I'm thinking blue labels are 160's and Reds are the thinner, or is that backwards.