I think I would like to replace the stock rubber on my BF750. Been looking around the net and stopped by my local dealer to check prices...looks like I'll be ordering online! Anyway...I know this subject has been kicked nearly to death but I got to ask a few questions:

1) What tire would be best to KEEP the power I am used to out of my Brute and that would perform well while plowing snow but also be ready to run on the trails. I am not a mudder and would only be getting into mud when there was no way around.

2) I have read alot about the ITP Mud Lite and it seems to be a viable option but I am a little skeptical as to how it performs on the trails with it's real aggressive looking tread, would I be able to hammer hard on the trails if I put on Mud Lites? Will they tear the snot out of my yard?

3) Is it really necessary to get new rims?

4) What is the advantage (other than the obvious ground clearence) of bigger tires? I want to keep my power curve, wouldn't bigger tires eat a little power?

5) How hard is it to mount your own ATV tires? The local dealer gets $35 a wheel which seems to be a little steep.

Thanks and God bless,

-BunnMan

 

I'm using the 26" Mudlites & I find them to be a great all-purpose tire but next set I am going Radial.
You may want to look into the 25" ITP Holeshot Radial or the New ITP Wetlands Radial, smoother ride over the non-radial tires & still give excellent traction.
I switched out wheels as well mainly for improved fast speed handling, which the ITP wheels have delivered. If you are comfy with the stock wheels then by all means use them.
The stock tire is not easy to break the bead off of the wheel, I have found the easiest way is with you & your Buddy, a Pickup Truck, lay the ATV tire down flat, remove the air from the ATV Tire & drive your truck tire up & on top of the sidewall of the ATV tire, the 2nd person will need to have their foot against the ATV tire/wheel for this to work. Get your truck tire right up against the atv rim & it should break the bead, you may need to rotate the ATV wheel a few times if it doesn't break the bead on the 1st try or flip the wheel/tire over & try the other side. Flip the tire/wheel over to break the bead on the other side of the wheel. You may want to do this on a soft surface such as grass, as the force of the weight of your truck tire can dig your atv wheel into the payment & mess-up the outer look of the rim. Putting on your new tires is easy, a little dishwashing soap & a couple of long screw drivers will do the job. Next, wrap a ratchet-type tie-down around the new mounted tire & tighten it down all of the way. Begin to air the tire up, keep a close eye on the bead & as soon as you see that the tire has taken hold of the rim then release the tie-down all of the way & then continue to air up till your hear 2 loud pops, both beads will then be seated, air your tire back down to the correct PSI. BE EXTRA careful when you release the tie-downs & don't pinch your fingers. I'm sure there are other ways to break down these ATV tires but this way has always worked well for me.

 

BunnMan- BFB has some really good ideas towards tires and changing them. I too have the 26" mudlites and have found them to be a great all around tire, with great wear and tread life. I am looking into an extra set of tires and I am going to try the ITP Wetlands( I like the way they look, tread design and should be a better ride).
I mounted my mudlites on the stock rims, but I will go to an aftermarket rim for the wetlands, just so I can have an extra set. If I were you I would check your local tire shops and see who does ATV tires. I had my tires switched for $5 a tire($20 cash out the door), which I feel is worth the money. The dealer did mine on some other atv tires for $60 plus tax for 4 tires, which was way too much.
If you are only going to run 1 set of tires and don't have enough money saved for new rims, stay with your old rims for now.
Anyway, I hope I was of some help to you.

 

Thanks for the replies fellas. It's looking more and more like the Mud Lites if I buy new. Can't afford the rims right now but man do they look sweet with those 26" Mud Lites on your rig BFB! I really like the black. One of the fellas on here lives near me and said he has some used Dirt Devils he'd consider selling so as soon as he gets back to me I'll take a look at them. Was thinking maybe I'd get a hold of some cheap used stuff for an experiment and save my pennies for a good looking and performing outfit like BFB is running.

Any thoughts on the Dirt Devils?

BFB- I noticed you are running 9"F and 10"R. Is there any science to that? I see alot of the kits for sale on ebay are 10"F and 12"R but it seems to me that would throw alot of grime at me with alot of tire outside the fender. One of my main concerns besides grip in the snow is maintaining the awesome power curve the Brute has I'm not sure how width would affect that. Right now I can only use the juice in a straight line as these stock tires don't seem to like power through a turn. How does your rig handle when you're hammering it? How would wider tires affect that?

Thanks and God bless,

-BunnMan

 

When changing you tires I found it to be easier to break the bead if you leave the air in it.