I had my new tires mounted today and so far I'm really impressed. I put 489XTs on the front and 589MTs on the rear. I stayed with the stock sizes.

I gained a total of 29LBS, 7LBS on the front and 22 for the rear which I didnt think was bad.

I didnt get a chance to hit the trails this evening so I did a short ride around my home which was mostly blacktop. The rears have more of a chunky feel at very slow speeds on the blacktop but not quite as noticeable through my yard. Once I hit about 20mph that feeling went away and the ride was surprisingly smooth for how aggressive the 589MTs are. There is a hugh traction difference on the blacktop as compared to the stock Dunlops. The 589s hook up really well. I couldnt get much of a feel for any change in handling or that pushing sensation on the front so I guess I'll have to wait for the weekend to find out if my theory of the 489s being a much better handling tire payoff.

I was concerned when I brought the tires home (off of the rim) that I was going to loose some height, they seemed to be about 2" shorter than the stock tires. I didnt take into consideration that once the tires were mounted that by them being squeezed onto the rim that they would "stand up" more. I actually gained almost a full 1" of GC.

One thing I didnt expect was the 589 being a much flatter profile than the rounded Dunlops and it gives the look of more travel in the suspension. Which is sort of cool.

The built in rim protector on the 589MTs is a really nice feature. I cant imagine how hard I would have to hit something to bend the rear rims. The 489XTs offer more protection than the stock tires but not the amount of the 589s.

I cant wait for Saturday.

 

hey scramman,
i put on some 589's on my grizzly and took it out to a mud pit area. man, what a differance in traction!!! i got 26 in, so i gauned 2 inchs of height easy. it did seem more able to do all the mud digging, water chugging, rutt making traction i will ever need. what i did see in riding is, it is easier with stock tires to ride on open trails, but when it gets sloppy, i can go where no stock tire has gone before, lmao! i bet you will love all the traction you will get with the new tires, and the weight differance is easly made up in the mud.as for the rim protection, i allready used mine due to the wider stance and not being used to it. thank god for the pim protection.


my pictures

 

I have 27" 589's on my 650. The handling stinks, but they have good traction. I'm glad I got them on separate rims because I use the stockers 95% of the time mainly for general trail riding and I use the 589s only when mudding.

 

92LT. I hope by going with the 489XTs in the front that my steering and handling is actually better than with the stock Dunlops. From what I can tell so far the 589s arent going to make much difference in ride. Once I get out on the trail if my ride seems to firm because of the 589s I'll try backing off the spring on the rear and see if that helps.

 

I replaced stock tires on my 650 with 26 inch mudrunners on all 4 .The handling is alot better then stock plus you dont have as much soft front end feeling in turns .I did however lose 5 mhp now hit 58 on flat pavement .I might add pipe in the spring.
Gb in NJ

 

Check that speed with a GPS, if the tires are bigger they are going to rotate less at the same speed. I was thinking about Gators they weigh the same as stockers I believe but I have heard they are soft. Anyone with any experience here. BTW guys changed my front end oil and used the left over V-Twin 20W-50 Synthetic in the front and it seems to have eliminated my sticky 4x4 action. This was a good trade off since all that is left is a little over a half when you change your oil. Also put on my trailer hitch today and it was EASY should I say, one pointer use put the large side around the casing first and all goes smoother. Also if you do not like K's hitch look on my site I have the outline for the bolt holes on my site.

 

Dustin...I had pretty good luck putting on my hitch also, I was a bit worried after a few of the posts about having some problems with the hitch. I dont think it took more than 20-30 mins.

I think the lugs on the 589s are pretty soft also. The tire is very stiff overall but the lugs do have flex.

 

Got to hit the trails today and give my tires a test. I think the ride is just as good as the ride with the stock tires. The front doesnt feel like it dives or pushes nearly as much. I played around with tire pressure and decided I thought it felt best with 5psi in the front. I couldnt really tell much of a difference in the rear with psi ranging from 3-6lbs so I kept 5psi in the rear also. I think I made a good decision with my tire selection the handling feels better and the ride doesnt seem to be effected and I know I am getting ALOT better traction over the stock Dunlops.

 

I put 27in. Mud Machines on my 650 I love them. I put them on steel rims so ONE mud tire and steel rim weights almost as much as 3 stock tires and rims. The 650 felt no difference. It is a little harder to pop a wheelie w/all the weight but it can be done. I can get incredible traction in mud. It still spins them like they were stock. I went through a hole with ease that a rubicon w/26in 589s had some problem with, but he too did eventually make it. The tread is tough rubber. The dealer said the mud machines, outlaws and mudzillas are made with truck rubber not lawn mower tire rubber. He said the reason the mudzillas cost a good bit more is because they have white writing on both sides. So I went w/the cheaper of the three even though they are not too cheap.

 

Guys we got out today and went on the Hatfield McCoy trail here. My friend who has a 650 has the 27 inch Blackwaters on his and he seems to have no trouble and Crashman has 589s on his and I have a video where he duals with a Suzuki with outlaws and has no problems. The mud is fresh here guys I had to stop at the local car wash and we were not even mudding, I have stockers and wish to not sink hehe[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]