Hi all,

I have an 2004 Yamaha Grizzly 660 with stock wheels/tires on it. I did some reading here last night and went looking at various sites for wheels and tires and have decided to go with Bearclaws, because I believe they will suit my riding style and terrain the best. I mostly just do trail riding ranging from 5 to 25 mph, with the trails ranging from excellent condition to quite rough. I am rarely in muddy areas. I have already slightly bend the stock aluminum rims while riding so I am thinking of getting ITP Delta series steel rims to go with my tires for the added strength.

I cannot decide if I should stick with the stock tire sizes of 25/8/12 front and 25/10/12 rears or go with 26/9/12 front and 26/12/12 rears. Some of the posts I read last night said that this additional weight will affect the power/handling of my ATV. I would prefer to use 26 on front and rear if I will not have to modify my ATV to compensate for this additional weight. Does anyone out there have any thoughts and/or input on my choices here? Any helpful responses (especially from anyone who has used these wheels/tires on a Grizzly) will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

PS
Does anyone know what the offset of the Delta steel wheels is?

 

Alright if you do little mud riding and unless you have a need for more ground clearance 26 inch tires would be a waste of power...although it is not a huge difference in power but it is still noticeable...my friend put on 589's wich are heavier than your Bearclaws and he can still pull wheelies...so in reality you will still have plenty of power...you will not need to modify your quad to have these bigger tires...im not familiar with the delta rims but most aftermarket rims are lighter than stock ones and should help with some power loss...As for a handling difference with 26 inchers you will be slightly fore top heavy but with offset rims it will give you a wider stance and equal out tha top heavyness...hoped this helped...

 

I have the same quad and I am going with the 26" when I change them. I think they fill in the well and look better. I am going with the maxxis bighorns and maxxis 8 spoke chrome. probably around 600.00 for all of it.

 

If you go to 26" you will find yourself having to ride in low range more on slow rough trails in order to stay in the power that you are familuar with using stock tires. If you want to go that route I would suggest the Dalton clutch kit be installed also. With your described style of ride, if you go to 26" be sure to stick with the 9" width for the front tires. If you want the look of a larger tire and benefit of the little increased ground clearance it gives you then consider the 25" Bighorn tire. This is a very good tire for the type of ride you describe plus it is a true 25" tall tire at normal inflation presures. For example my brother has 25" Bighorns installed and I have 26" MudLites, when we park next to each other his Bighorns are as tall, if not a bit taller, than my Lites. I have measured my 26" MudLites to be no more than 25 3/8" tall at normal inflation pressures.

 

Thanks for the replies so far. I was planning on just using 9" tires on the front. I've been shopping around more, and I believe I will get the 26" tires soon, and see how they work for me. If I feel I need to get the clutch kit or have something else done, I guess I can always do it later. Thanks again

 

from where you say ur riding i would go with something lessw aggresive.. I have itp 589 and seen bighorn and unless you mudding no need for them. I would get 26 itp holeshot atr. You will get a smooth ride ok on rock ok in sand and pretty good in mud if you come across. They wont diapoint you at all... They are not just a holeshot tire ether they are actually a radila and one if not the best radial out there so definetly go with them and those rims you are thinkig about kick ***! Rember go with the best ITP

 

Check out durotires.com, My riding partner runs excavators on his grizzly. He's real happy with them, they seem like a good all round tire.

 

http://www.durotire.com/
I really like the looks of that buffalo, too bad looks aren't everything.

 

The tests say the bearclaws fill up with mud and slide around, but work OK. Wider tires will spit chunks of mud at you. I stuck with stock width, and would recommend that to all trail riders - but that's just my opinion. Nothing looks goofier than tires sticking out the side of a vehicle, whether a car, truck, or quad. I really like the Wetland's radials. Much better than my stock tires (ride, traction, and handling). 1/2" radius larger tire does not hurt your power anything like the weight of the heavy mudders. I like that the Radials are taller without being wider (26X8X12 and 26X10X12). Keeps me as dry and clean as the stock tires, while my friend is now covered with his wider 589s throwing chunks on the same machine. See photos for a better look of the radials if you want. The Bighorns are suppose to be rock and hardpack tires, so if you ride in the mud they may not be the best for your application too - they fill up with mud and slide around too.

I'm glad I bought the radials as any improvement to the Rubicon is a good thing. My friend is second guessing the 589s he's mounted.

 

I ordered the Bearclaw 26/9/12 fronts and 26/12/12 rears on Friday. Bearclaws may be a bit overkill for my riding, but I believe they will serve me well, plus they look good, much better than 589s (or any others) IMO. So hopefully I will get a very functional tire that also looks cool. I'm not that crazy about tires that stick way out past the sides of vehicles either, but a little bit doesn't bother me very much. I debated going with stock size, but figured the wider tires would do best for me. I guess I'll be finding out in a few days. Thanks again for the replies everyone.