Will anything bigger then a 26" tire rob power from my brute. I have a buddy that seems to think he knows everything about them. So I want to prove him wrong.

 

You will lose acceleration and a little HP due to wieght, so yes a 26" or bigger tire will rob some power.

 

Suspension performance and handling suffer just as much as acceleration, but you have to push your ATV hard to start to notice this, whereas most anyone can notice the acceleration difference. Just cruising around you won't notice it too much.

 

I would agree with the other posts adding it depends on the weight of the tire you choose and width of tire you choose that will determine the overall performnace characteristics of your quad versus smaller tire size also different tread paterns are designed for different applications some are designed for trail only some for mud etc.. I will say one thing I own a 700 prairie and I installed 25" mudlites and im a small guy I only weigh 140 pounds and the back wheels spin if I take off too quick they even spin at medium speeds because the bike has sooo much power, mind you I have a large winch installed on the front but I wanted the rear end to break loose on cammand because im experienced enough to control it, so it all depends on how you ride if I had larger tires I would have better take off but I would not be able to powerslide as easily. One thing to note the more aggressive treads grab some terrain and pull to one side hard I even notice this with my 3/4 inch lug mudlites it will pull hard if the side catches a rock or stump not a big deal but my arms get sore after long rides in 4x4 in rougher terrain mind you if you can get over that I will always have aggressive tires on the front of my quad because combined with the locker they will save your bacon in the really rough stuff and save on your winch! oh and with the 25" mudlites if I have a guy on the back or weight over 50 pounds on the back it wheeelies on demand at almost any speed if you crack the throddle in high or low gear and my bike is stock, another thing to consider is if you want to put on 26" tires or bigger If it was me I would buy a dynatek cdi and restore most if not all of your power back. I hate to post so long but it is hard to explain all of the factors involved im sure each experienced rider could write an essay on each question that applies to their experience but I want to get my info out there as im sure others will share their experience with me good luck on your tire choice and have fun with your quad!!

 

Ok well I just ordered my tires today. I got 27" 589's. Hopfully they wont take away to much power. I dont really do much in drag racing I play in the mud. So I think il be ok. Il take some pictures of it when i get it all put togahter.

 

Do us a favor and help settle this issue. Have a friend time you with a stop watch in a measured 300' drag race with the stock tires, and then with the 589s, and tell us the actual difference. I would be interested in knowing what the facts are.

OL

 

Il do that. They said the tires will be shiped today and it takes 3 or 4 days to get here. But its a holliday weekend so probaly 5. Il let you know then. Il start a new post when I find out.

 

Its all about unsprung weight, and it makes a big difference. I recently was testing this very thing with a set of very lite stock tires vs a set of stock size bighorn bias ply tires on vision wheels (see pic's). The stock quad dyno's out at 32 HP my modded 700 dynoed out at 34 Hp at the time and was loosing by about 3 bike lengths in a 200 yard run I switched to a simmilar stock tipe tire (badland radials on vision wheels)and they ran almost even. We have also mesured this very thing on the Dyno and you could loose as much as 4 or 5 horse by tire weight alone. So to answer your question a tall and very heavy tire could cost you alot of HP.

 

Your 27" rear tires and rims alone weigh more then all 4 stock tires and rims. So you are basicly doubleing your unsprung weight. You will loose power. The only atv out there that might not loose little if any would be Polaris. There stock tires allready weigh a lot, so when they put on new tires there isn't much difference.

 

cc1999,
I have done similar "testing" with my Prairie 700. I run 26" Holeshot ATRs on C-series wheels for the trail, and 25" Skat Trak Extreme paddles on ITP T-9s for rear sand tires, and 25" Maxxis Front Pro tires on the stock wheels for front sand tires. The sand tires and wheels weigh a total of 55 lbs less than the trail tires, and I spent a few hours switching back and forth between both sets of tires the last time we went to the sand dunes (see pictures on my picture page). I could not believe the night and day difference that the 55 lbs less unsprung weight made. Everything was better, ... power, suspension, handling, you name it. And the difference in performance really surprised me; just by the seat of my pants I would say it made about twice as much improvement as the combination of a K&N filter, Diamond G snorkel, Dyna CDI, and HMF Penland Series exhaust put together had made. Stated differently, you can do a lot of mods to your ATV, and if someone shows up with a stock ATV with significantly lighter tires/wheels, ... he wins.

OL