I have an 02 Sportsman 500 X. I am thinking about putting on a new set of tires and possibily a lift kit. A couple of my friends say that I sould go with the 27's on it without much power loss. Is this true? I am looking at either IPT 589 or Outlaw MST's. ALSO, I am on a tight budjet, so I was planning on mounting them on my stock rims. Is this a good idea/can it be done?

Thanks In Advance!

 

if you go with 27's u will loose a good bit of power

if i were u i would go with the 26's

 

Although you will lose some gearing due to the extra height; a good rule of thumb is that for every 1lb of tire or wheel add 4 pounds to the bike. So if each tire weighed 10 pounds more in a 27 vs the 26 that the same as loading 160 pounds onto the bike.

 

My buddy has 27" ITP 589 on his 02 Sportsman 700 and with 9 inch wide in the front he had to put spacers to stop the tire from rubbing without a lift. I have the 26" on my 450 and noticed some power loss. The 26 and 27 both have the same size lug so if I were you I would get the 26, they would be a little lighter.

 

I've had 25" 26" & 27" on my 700. You will lose some power with the 27" so I would recommend the 26" or even the new 25" Mudlites that have the same tread depth as the 26's & 27's.

Just my 2 wheat pennies.

 

Thanks for everybodys help!

 

I would also go with 26" tires. If I were you I would go with the Outlaw MSTs over the 589s. I haven't been all that impressed with the 589s.

 

Well, I have added my 27" ITP Mud Lites to my 500 HO as well as a lift kit. I noticed minimal power loss! I am extremely pleased with the mud lites. I took my quad out into some really serious stuff at Haspin in IN, and was quite glad I went with the 27's. The mud lites are a great tire!

 

Glad to hear you are happy with your tires. You will defintely have better ground clearance now.