I am looking for a set of wheels and tires for my 05 Brute. I ride on mostly trails and creeks, with some mud every now and then. I have been looking around and I like the looks of the new terracross tires the best right now, but I am also considering Mud lite XTR's and Maxxis Bighorns but I would really like to stay with a radial tire. AS for wheels, I am liking the new ITP sport-lock wheels but I dont know what size to get them in, 12" or 14". Also, I do not know what size tire to get on fronts and backs. If any of you have had the terracross's or Mudlites I would like your opinions, and what you think the best sizes are to go with. Thanks for the help,
hollow

 

Your riding conditions are nearly the same as mine. I live in WV. If it were me I would go with the Maxxis MudBugs
26X10X12 on the fronts and 26X12X12 on the back.

The rims you have are lighter than ITP, so unless you are in it just for the looks, your factory rims are lighter and just as strong.

For ridablility the 10 on the front and 12 on the back is the best combo IMHO.

Mudbugs will last several thousand miles, where Mudlites will get about half that. Mudlites will give you a little softer ride on hard stuff because of a softer compound but the compromise is that they wear faster.

With the Mudbugs you get the best of all worlds IMHO.

Bighorns.. You will not like in the mud. If you ride mostly rock and hard stuff, I would go for these.

 

I disagree with that. I have bighorns on my BF650. They are very good in the mud. I was in some of the thickest, muckiest stuff I've ever seen last time out. I towed my buddy's Foreman out 4 times, and the Rincon out twice.

I didn't get stuck. I'll also give a good deal of that credit to Kawi's variable front locker.

The tires are very good at self cleaning. Maybe they are not as good as Mudzillas or something like that, but they more than bold their own in the mud.

 

Hollowcd,
I have ITP C Series rims and 26" mudlites on my '05 BF750. I have 10" in front and 12" in back. They definitely add 10x more stability and minimize body roll, but they also add weight. I can notice a big difference in power between the stock tires and rims vs. ITP's and mudlites. I think the ITP rims are most of the additional weight. I ride alot of hard packed dirt roads and rough logging trails and they aren't the smoothest ride on hard pack after a few hours, but when you get to the ugly wet parts on the trails they rock! I'm seriously thinking about putting the mudlites on my stock rims just to reduce the weight and the more I look at that setup the better I like the look of the stock rims with the Mudlites. I bought the tire kit at the same time I bought my quad. I saw them sitting there and just said to myself, "I've got to have those...". They are sweet and look sweet, but I wish I would have done a bit more homework on what tires to get for my riding style and conditions. I would say the Mudlites are a good choice if you do 50% trail and 50% mudding/water riding, but my riding is more like 80% trail and 20% mudding.
It sounds like you want a tire with an aggresive tread pattern that is geared more towards trail riding then mudding.

Know anyone in the market for a set of ITP C Series rims?