Howdy people, my 1st post here so cut me some slack.LOL. Ok, I have a 99 Honda 300 4x4, bought it in July. The stock tires are junk, I'm concerned about the power loss if I go to the bigger heavier tires, ie Vamps, etc. Also looking into a locker kit for the front end? Give me your thoughts on tires and the locker? Does the 300 have enough guts to handle these changes? Most of my riding is trails, some mud, but when I want to go I want to go! Help please. Thanks.

 

Nick, with My King Quad I'm in the same boat as you wanting more agressive tires. I want a decent ride on the trails/hardpack yet be able to tackle the mud. I was thinking about the Goodyear Mudrunners as their design seems fit for both. They have deep lugs that look like they'd clean out good, yet there's thread up the middle of the tire for smooth rides on the trail. I haven't been able to find prices/sizes on the 'net or any of the magazines, but I called Kaufman Tire here in the Atlanta,GA area and the have them in my size for the rear for $79 a tire. Someone recommended
Kenda Bear Claws ir ITP Blackwaters. The Bear Claws don't seem to have as high a tread as the mudrunners and the blackwaters don't look like they'd clean out very well. The blackwaters are cheaper @ $60 a tire.

good luck!

 

I've been looking at the Goodyear MudRunners, though folks on the forum have told me I should go with Bear Claws or Blackwaters. The Bear Claws tread looks to shallow and the Blackwaters look like they wouldn't clean out very good. I believe Highlifter.com has lockers you can check out, lucky me I don't need one :-)

Oh, and my thinking has been to stay with the same height tire as stock, just more agressive tread

TM '99 King Quad

 

Hey Nick,

Welcome to the forum!

The Honda 300 will handle larger tires to a point. You are correct in that putting larger and more agressive tires on the 300, will take away from the power. What you have to find is the best compromise for the conditions in which you ride.

When I got my 300, (month old when purchased), the initial owner had already replaced the stock tires. It has/had 25x12.5x11 rear and 24x9x11 front in the regular Super Swampers. The stock Honda will handle these pretty well. There are several other tires that will work with your stock rims as well, Bi-Claws being one of them. You can also get Vamps, but I would not recommend going any larger than a 25" rear and 24" front.

If you plan on any performance parts to up the power or get 12" rims, that would open a few more doors.

Go check out the Honda forum - Honda General Part II and III - there is a lot of very good discussion on these subjects.

Good luck with your choice!

Dooooo!
Forgot about the locker question. For info on that, check out highlifter.com. To ask someone who KNOWS (actually has one on a 300) - go to the Honda forum and holler for Shane West - he'd be happy to tell you about that.

Shoot... One other thing - If you are not LIVING in the mud - I would not recommend the Vamps. TickMagnet is right - depending on the kind of mud - Blackwaters do not clean out very well. They are a good all round tire though. Mudrunners, Bi-Claws, Regular Super Swampers, Bear Claws, and maybe this new Titan 589 (I'm hearing this is a good tire, but have yet to see one).

Happy Trails

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Steve "Bog Hog" West

Honda 300 4x4 - Gordonized, Powered and Vamped

[This message has been edited by Bog_Hog (edited 11-07-1999).]

[This message has been edited by Bog_Hog (edited 11-07-1999).]