I know this is a worn-out topic, but I cannot decide between 12" or 14" rims and tires for my BF750. Price is not really that big of an issue, i am more worried about performance. Is there a difference in stability or handling between the 2 sizes? I would assume the 14" would have less tire roll since the tire has a shorter sidewall. I really like the new ITP SS112 rims. Went and priced them today at my local ATV shop. I looked at a Brute there with 14" Type-7 rims and it was sweet looking. Like my original question though, Are there any major performance issues between the 2 and what would you all recommend. Thanks

 

formula1 it all depends on the tire you buy i have 12 inch rims but i have pirelli mudweisers which have a hard sidewall so there is no give in turns they are made for slow to mmedium riding speeds and plenty of mud so you need to ask yourself primarily what type of riding your going to do

 

I'm just about to order the ITP 14" type 7's with the 27" MudLite XTR's for my 750 BruteForce thru an Ebay seller & I thought I'd do a quick check here to see if anyone had any input myself. (My buddy has them on his Grizz & I gotta say they are sweet. )We do a lot of rock crawling/ trail riding at Paragon. Just my .02 .

 

I ride alot of sand and trails with occasional mud and rock crawling. Pretty much everything I guess. I do ride pretty hard and fast though so I do want whatever is going to perform the best.

 

One more thing, how much will 27" tires throw your speedometer and mileage off?

 

formula1 go to brutecentral.com tech tips axle and tire ratio

 

superbash, the mudlites are not the best tire on rock. they may do ok, but wear fast on rock and don't grip that great.

monty

 

Something else to consider if you're gonna be doing any river or rock crawling. I have the 12" ITP rims on mine and they are beat all to hell. I think if you went with a 14" wheel there would be no chance that they would last long at all. Also with a bigger rim you are gonna have less sidewall on the tire. This will give you much less flex with the tire and probably make it a little rougher ride. I debated on this one for a while myself and went with the 12". I guess its just a matter of looks or performance.

 

Yeah now you guys got me thinking about the same things I was thinking about before. 12" vs 14". My stock steel wheels are dented to hell after one ride to paragon & I hated the steering fatigue on my 650 BF & now hate it with the 750. I was hoping a nice tire/rim combo would solve the problem.

Monty. The MudLite XTR's are Extreme Terrain Radials. What are they designed for if not rock/mud ??? Thx.
14" x 27 XTR's

 

I ride in NewEngland (CT, MA, VT). My stock steel rims (05 brute 750) have taken a beating on the rocky trails we ride. After each ride I normally have to take a hammer and steel crow-bar and correct all the lip damage and dents. The stock rims do hammer out pretty good and I have been pretty much been able to correct the bends after each ride. I recenlty purchased ITP 12" type 7 rims (I wanted more tire sidewall vs the 14") and ITP XTR mudlite radial tires. I talked with an ITP rep and he said the rims should hold up, there is a replacement warrantly if they don't. So I will keep you posted on how well they stand up.....but for bashing and grinding on rocks I would say the 12" offer extra tire sidewall protection. BTW the ITP rep did say the type 5 rim with the "rock crusher" lip was his 1st choice for harsh use but the new type 7 would do fine. As far as the tires go, on the already tippy brute I went with the 26 tall tires, with the smaller backspacing of the new rims the wider stance did a nice job of balancing out the taller tires. I only have one short ride on the new setup, getting use to the huge lugs on the XTR, but the steering and cornering is 100% improved.