2005 Rubicon in need of new tires.
#11
08-23-2006, 07:40 PM
2005 Rubicon in need of new tires.
Originally posted by: fedfuzz
JDQuadRider, I have to wonder why you feel Rubicons arn't good in the mud. I have had my Rubi for about 14 months and have put it to the test numerous times in the mud. I have yet to be disappointed. Most people would agree that the Rubi's Hondamatic transmission is one of the strongest tranny on the market. This was my reason for purchasing the Rubi in the first place.
I see you also have a Grizzly. I could see where it would probably out perform the Rubi. I originally was going to purchase a Grizzly but changed my mind due to so many people having problems with them at the time. I did not want a belt drive system. I know to many people who own various makes with belt drives, and occasionally when they get in deep water or mud the belt will slip. I did not want to worry about that. Can't imagine anything much worse than coming out of a creek and starting up a steep hill and having a belt start slipping.
To answer your question. I ride mountain trails, hills, and old logging roads probably 60% of the time and the other 40% is spent riding through creeks and mud holes. I guess I need to clarify what I mean by mudding. I am not talking about mud bogging where the entire 4 wheeler is under water/mud. I try to make sure not to get in anything that will come up over my exhaust pipe. I do occasionally get in muddy water that comes up over my front fender at times, but this is rare and probably less than 10% of my riding. When I am in situations such as that I am normally just playing anyways and its nothing I couldn't get around if need be.
My reason for wanting a 26" tire is so that I will have just a little bit more ground clearance. If you will look most tires also have a larger lug size when you get into tire sizes 26" and above. Ofter 1/4 - 1/2" of deeper tread. Yet another reason I am choosing to upsize to that 26". Compare weights of a 25", 26" or even a 27" that is very little difference. Also the GBC Gator is one of the lighter so called mud tires out there. Really close in comparison to the weight of the mud lights. Anytime you switch to an after market tire you will have the extre weight. I don't believe anyone would purchase a replacement set of 2 ply tires. The 6 ply is were most of the extra weight comes in.
In regaurds to everyone else. Thanks for you imput so far. I have looked at most of the tires mentioned. I do like the Mud Light XTR. Looks like a really nice tire and I have heard good things about it, but its a quite abit higher than what I can by Gators for. I originally wanted Dirt Tamers or Big Horns, but have been told they suck in the mud.
Originally posted by: JDQuadRider
Can someone please explain to me the need to oversize the wheels?? Rubicons aren't that great of a mud ATV anyway. Does adding 27" tires really make that much difference? From the thread initiator's post, it looks like he will be riding in a variety of conditions. I'd like to know the actual percentage of his riding time that he spends in deep mud pits.
Generally speaking, though, why add a lot of unnessessary, unsprung, and power robbing weight to a machine? Sooner or later, there will be a price to pay for it.
Can someone please explain to me the need to oversize the wheels?? Rubicons aren't that great of a mud ATV anyway. Does adding 27" tires really make that much difference? From the thread initiator's post, it looks like he will be riding in a variety of conditions. I'd like to know the actual percentage of his riding time that he spends in deep mud pits.
Generally speaking, though, why add a lot of unnessessary, unsprung, and power robbing weight to a machine? Sooner or later, there will be a price to pay for it.
I see you also have a Grizzly. I could see where it would probably out perform the Rubi. I originally was going to purchase a Grizzly but changed my mind due to so many people having problems with them at the time. I did not want a belt drive system. I know to many people who own various makes with belt drives, and occasionally when they get in deep water or mud the belt will slip. I did not want to worry about that. Can't imagine anything much worse than coming out of a creek and starting up a steep hill and having a belt start slipping.
To answer your question. I ride mountain trails, hills, and old logging roads probably 60% of the time and the other 40% is spent riding through creeks and mud holes. I guess I need to clarify what I mean by mudding. I am not talking about mud bogging where the entire 4 wheeler is under water/mud. I try to make sure not to get in anything that will come up over my exhaust pipe. I do occasionally get in muddy water that comes up over my front fender at times, but this is rare and probably less than 10% of my riding. When I am in situations such as that I am normally just playing anyways and its nothing I couldn't get around if need be.
My reason for wanting a 26" tire is so that I will have just a little bit more ground clearance. If you will look most tires also have a larger lug size when you get into tire sizes 26" and above. Ofter 1/4 - 1/2" of deeper tread. Yet another reason I am choosing to upsize to that 26". Compare weights of a 25", 26" or even a 27" that is very little difference. Also the GBC Gator is one of the lighter so called mud tires out there. Really close in comparison to the weight of the mud lights. Anytime you switch to an after market tire you will have the extre weight. I don't believe anyone would purchase a replacement set of 2 ply tires. The 6 ply is were most of the extra weight comes in.
In regaurds to everyone else. Thanks for you imput so far. I have looked at most of the tires mentioned. I do like the Mud Light XTR. Looks like a really nice tire and I have heard good things about it, but its a quite abit higher than what I can by Gators for. I originally wanted Dirt Tamers or Big Horns, but have been told they suck in the mud.
I guess my question when comparing 25" vs 26" wheels is what are you really gaining? Will .5 inches of extra ground clearance really make that much of a difference in the mud? or rock crawling? It just seems that the tradeoffs are more in the red than in the green after you consider the extra unsprung weight and the decrease of overall power and handling. My grizzly with stock sized tires will KILL my Rubi in the mud. I can't see the Rubi making up the difference if I went with 26" tires - even if you don't consider the fact that the Grizz has the diff-lock.
I can understand your concern about the belt transmissions - kinda. The Grizz is the 2nd one I've owned and I have been in some deep water with it. I have not experienced any belt slippage ever. The Yamaha's have one of the most reliable belt-driven transmissions out there. I also have a 1996 Polaris with a belt driven tranny and haven't had it slip on me either. These quads were notorious for belt slippage too if you believe what you read. I think the magazine articles from 8 yrs ago have permanently scared people away from the belt driven tranny's when, in actuality, they are much more reliable now. Don't get me wrong, I love the tranny on my rubi. The compression braking is 2nd to none although it's very good on the grizz too. The main thing besides the compression braking I like about it is that you can't hear the belt whine at all.
#12
08-23-2006, 08:45 PM
#13
08-23-2006, 10:20 PM
2005 Rubicon in need of new tires.
JDQuadRider, in your second pic when yall are over looking the town of Edar or whatever, what tires does the guy on the red Foreman/Rubicon have? Im guessing XTR's? And if so, what size and what rims does he have? Is it just 26 inch tire with Type 7 rims? Whatever it is, it looks really good.
As far as what tire for you to get, out of the ones you mentioned, i'd get the Mudlite XL. For the riding you do, i think its the best tire. I have no expeirence with the Mudlite XTR's but as you can see, from what i hear they seem to be excellent. I guess its all going to come down to what you want to spend. Do you plan on getting rims with your purchase?
And i dont mean this in a mean way, but for get what JDQuadRider said. With the conditions you ride in, a 26 inch aggressive tire will do nothing but benefit you. A 26 inch tire will not rob enough power for it to be that noticeable. PROMISE. A different tire can change the whole outlook on a ATV. And for what you do, it makes good sense for you to get a more aggressive tread. I personally will never leave an ATV with stock tires on for any longer than i have to. I say get the MudliteXL or MudliteXTR's. NOT the Gators. They wear way too quick and wont give you the mud capabilities that the XL would.. You wont regret it. Good luck.
As far as what tire for you to get, out of the ones you mentioned, i'd get the Mudlite XL. For the riding you do, i think its the best tire. I have no expeirence with the Mudlite XTR's but as you can see, from what i hear they seem to be excellent. I guess its all going to come down to what you want to spend. Do you plan on getting rims with your purchase?
And i dont mean this in a mean way, but for get what JDQuadRider said. With the conditions you ride in, a 26 inch aggressive tire will do nothing but benefit you. A 26 inch tire will not rob enough power for it to be that noticeable. PROMISE. A different tire can change the whole outlook on a ATV. And for what you do, it makes good sense for you to get a more aggressive tread. I personally will never leave an ATV with stock tires on for any longer than i have to. I say get the MudliteXL or MudliteXTR's. NOT the Gators. They wear way too quick and wont give you the mud capabilities that the XL would.. You wont regret it. Good luck.
#14
08-23-2006, 11:15 PM
2005 Rubicon in need of new tires.
Originally posted by: J0NJON
JDQuadRider, in your second pic when yall are over looking the town of Edar or whatever, what tires does the guy on the red Foreman/Rubicon have? Im guessing XTR's? And if so, what size and what rims does he have? Is it just 26 inch tire with Type 7 rims? Whatever it is, it looks really good.
As far as what tire for you to get, out of the ones you mentioned, i'd get the Mudlite XL. For the riding you do, i think its the best tire. I have no expeirence with the Mudlite XTR's but as you can see, from what i hear they seem to be excellent. I guess its all going to come down to what you want to spend. Do you plan on getting rims with your purchase?
And i dont mean this in a mean way, but for get what JDQuadRider said. With the conditions you ride in, a 26 inch aggressive tire will do nothing but benefit you. A 26 inch tire will not rob enough power for it to be that noticeable. PROMISE. A different tire can change the whole outlook on a ATV. And for what you do, it makes good sense for you to get a more aggressive tread. I personally will never leave an ATV with stock tires on for any longer than i have to. I say get the MudliteXL or MudliteXTR's. NOT the Gators. They wear way too quick and wont give you the mud capabilities that the XL would.. You wont regret it. Good luck.
JDQuadRider, in your second pic when yall are over looking the town of Edar or whatever, what tires does the guy on the red Foreman/Rubicon have? Im guessing XTR's? And if so, what size and what rims does he have? Is it just 26 inch tire with Type 7 rims? Whatever it is, it looks really good.
As far as what tire for you to get, out of the ones you mentioned, i'd get the Mudlite XL. For the riding you do, i think its the best tire. I have no expeirence with the Mudlite XTR's but as you can see, from what i hear they seem to be excellent. I guess its all going to come down to what you want to spend. Do you plan on getting rims with your purchase?
And i dont mean this in a mean way, but for get what JDQuadRider said. With the conditions you ride in, a 26 inch aggressive tire will do nothing but benefit you. A 26 inch tire will not rob enough power for it to be that noticeable. PROMISE. A different tire can change the whole outlook on a ATV. And for what you do, it makes good sense for you to get a more aggressive tread. I personally will never leave an ATV with stock tires on for any longer than i have to. I say get the MudliteXL or MudliteXTR's. NOT the Gators. They wear way too quick and wont give you the mud capabilities that the XL would.. You wont regret it. Good luck.
There are better mud tires and better trail tires, but I do not think there is a better all around tire than the XTRs.
#15
08-24-2006, 01:09 AM
2005 Rubicon in need of new tires.
I have had 26" Gators on my 06 Rubi for 3 mos now and ride with a friend that has put 25" Mudlites on a 400 Big Bear so I know a little about both tires. The Gators look awesome on the bike, and so far have performed very well, on trails and in the mud. I made a little mistake by buying a heavier tire AND a heavier wheel, so yes I have noticed a little power loss, but the way I ride, trails and a little mud, the effect is minimal. The only bad thing I have noticed is a very harsh ride with the gators, a little more than that of the Mudlites in my opinion. The wear on the tires so far has been very minimal, but only with 200 miles on them so far. For the look, Gators cant be beat. For the price, they are great. For the trail ride, maybe next time I might try Mudlites or probably Bighorns, only because the Gators sometimes seem to steer me a little bit to the side when traveling over bigger rocks, causing me to have to work a little harder, but really not a major problem. But even at that, I am still happy with my purchase and would recommend them to anyone, but only with a lighter rim...these tires have some weight to them. And BTW, my friend loves his Mudlites, so I dont see how you could go wrong with either.
#16
08-24-2006, 01:38 AM
2005 Rubicon in need of new tires.
Originally posted by: J0NJON
JDQuadRider, in your second pic when yall are over looking the town of Edar or whatever, what tires does the guy on the red Foreman/Rubicon have? Im guessing XTR's? And if so, what size and what rims does he have? Is it just 26 inch tire with Type 7 rims? Whatever it is, it looks really good.
As far as what tire for you to get, out of the ones you mentioned, i'd get the Mudlite XL. For the riding you do, i think its the best tire. I have no expeirence with the Mudlite XTR's but as you can see, from what i hear they seem to be excellent. I guess its all going to come down to what you want to spend. Do you plan on getting rims with your purchase?
And i dont mean this in a mean way, but for get what JDQuadRider said. With the conditions you ride in, a 26 inch aggressive tire will do nothing but benefit you. A 26 inch tire will not rob enough power for it to be that noticeable. PROMISE. A different tire can change the whole outlook on a ATV. And for what you do, it makes good sense for you to get a more aggressive tread. I personally will never leave an ATV with stock tires on for any longer than i have to. I say get the MudliteXL or MudliteXTR's. NOT the Gators. They wear way too quick and wont give you the mud capabilities that the XL would.. You wont regret it. Good luck.
JDQuadRider, in your second pic when yall are over looking the town of Edar or whatever, what tires does the guy on the red Foreman/Rubicon have? Im guessing XTR's? And if so, what size and what rims does he have? Is it just 26 inch tire with Type 7 rims? Whatever it is, it looks really good.
As far as what tire for you to get, out of the ones you mentioned, i'd get the Mudlite XL. For the riding you do, i think its the best tire. I have no expeirence with the Mudlite XTR's but as you can see, from what i hear they seem to be excellent. I guess its all going to come down to what you want to spend. Do you plan on getting rims with your purchase?
And i dont mean this in a mean way, but for get what JDQuadRider said. With the conditions you ride in, a 26 inch aggressive tire will do nothing but benefit you. A 26 inch tire will not rob enough power for it to be that noticeable. PROMISE. A different tire can change the whole outlook on a ATV. And for what you do, it makes good sense for you to get a more aggressive tread. I personally will never leave an ATV with stock tires on for any longer than i have to. I say get the MudliteXL or MudliteXTR's. NOT the Gators. They wear way too quick and wont give you the mud capabilities that the XL would.. You wont regret it. Good luck.
#17
08-24-2006, 01:17 PM
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