I just got a 2k&1 rancher and i dono what kinda tires i wanna put on it. It still has all the same parts that honda put on it,and with the exception of a little suspension lift down the road it will prolly stay that way. I want smoething that is more agressive than the stock ones. what do the tires sizes mean and what would fit my stock rims. How tall is too tall, and if i go taller should I go wider to keep stability. Is there a hieght that will hit the fender with the stock suspension? what would other honda owners recomend. So i prety much need a crash corse in atv tires
thanks for the help

 

TexMud would probably be able to answer this question best. He has installed a lift kit and larger tires on his Rancher, but if I remember correctly he told me that the tires he put on his Rancher (27 inch Maxxis Mudbugs, i think) were too big for the Rancher to get the power to the ground. I have also read that many tire manufacturers do not reccommend a 27 inch tire on anything less than a 400 cc machine. I would be inclined to agree based on other's comments posted in this forum. Sometimes people want this biggest and baddest, but in the end they are less satisfied by the compromises made to have that. I think you might consider some 26 inch tires, but 27 or 28 inch tires would be too much. I also think you could go with a 25 inch tire if you wanted & even though you may not have the "look", you would probably be happy with the all around result (unless ground clearance is that important). Also important to remember is going up an inch in size only nets you a half inch of additional ground clearance. Good luck with your decision, I am struggling with it myself on my Rubicon.

 

honda made a dealwith bridgestone to not make any other tires to fit the stock rancher rims besides the dirt hooks (witch i like) and it will take proably another year for the other companies to match the 24x9x11 and 24x10x12 tires for stock rims,lets explain the tires,if u already have the lift kit there is no need for big tire lift kits,and u are gonna have to buy new rims if u dont wait a while and u want tires now the tread is not so big a part but it is,the key to traction is how much of the tread u get on the ground this is the footprint so u should try to get the widest tire with the lowest highet,if u have the lift,maybe the the 25x10x12 bear claws for the rear and maybe for ur situation 25x9x11for the front my friend has them on a king quad 300 an we rock crawl in the creeks of our area so we let a little air of our tires to get a wide print we messard about 13 inches on the rear and allmost 9 1/2 on the front,also the softer the ply the quicker they wear,but like a 2 ply will hook up on rock well but 6 ply wont hook on rock but is great in mud & snow so i think 4 ply is the best of both worlds.


2001 rancher ES 4x4 lift kit,2500 warn winch,handuards,boot guards,factory tires

 

To set things strait, the Ranchers stock tire sizes are as follows:24x8x12 front, and 24x9x11 rear. Thats for the 4x4. As far as I know Goodyear makes the Mudrunner in an 11" rim size as does ITP's Blackwater. Both I believe are 25" tires. For the fronts, you will have many choices, as they are 12" rim size. I hope in the future some manufacturers will start to offer 11" rim size tires for Rancher owners, in their most popular tires.

 

If you want to use stock rims and mud tires, you can put on Vampires, TSLs, and something else I am forgetting. The stock rims will work fine for these tires and they make the sizes to fit. I would personally not go higher than 27, but that is my opinion. I have some vamps for my Rancher on order right now. The plan for those is 26x12x12 on rear and 26x9.5x12 on front, but not on stock wheels. If you want cheap standard size wheels go to www.servicehonda.com and order some Rubicon OEM wheels. They are very cheap there.

 

Go w/ the mudrunners. There a little pricey but give an excellent ride on hardpack and in the mud.