my 2 cents: I got two sidewall flats on my stock dunlop tires in the first 40 miles of owning my new machine. I went out and bought 2 stock size 25" titan 489 XT's and the only noticeable difference is no more flats. I can carelessly slam over all types of sharp stumps and rocks now and haven't had a flat. Traction is not noticeably different nor is ride. I would buy another set without hesitation.

 

Thanks for all the help so far. I think I am starting to narrow it down. I am thinking about the Bear Claws or 589's in 6-ply, but was also thinking about the Spider Trac's in 4-ply. Any information as to the strength of the Spider's? They seem to be lighter than the other tires. They are also wider than some of the others.

In Bear Claws and in Spider's, I can go wider. Do I NEED to go taller? I would only go to 26" at most at this time. The nice things about the Bear Claws are that they are really inexpensive. They have 25x8x12, 25x10x12, and 25x12.5x12. If I went that route, I would go with the 12.5x12 for the rear, but what about the front? My other choice would be the 26x9x12 and 26x12x12, wider, and still inexpensive. I like that they are supposed to be good in snow, as I will have a plow this winter. Are they really that bad in the mud? The weights are possibly a little less than the 589's, but more than the Spiders.

For the Spiders, they are fairly inexpensive too, and fairly light, are are 9.5 in the front, 12.5 in the back in both 25" and 26". Any idea as to the overall height of these compaired to the stockers?

For the 589's, pricing is about the same for ITP and Titan, so what is the real difference? I am having problems finding reliable weights for these tires however, the figures listed on some sites vary widely. I would like a little wider tire, so for 589's I would probably have to go with 26x9x12 and 26x12x12, but weights listed vary from 26 to 28 lbs for the front, and 29 to 33 for the rear. That is a lot of variation and much more than stock.

Again, I appreciate the help. I have put calls into Kenda, ITP and Highlifter to get actual weights from the factories, as well as tire heights. If I get them, I will keep you posted. I also want to know what the Highlifter Outlaw Radials weigh as the Holeshot radials are listed as fairly light.

 

Well, here's what I have found so far:

Highlifter Outlaw Radials - Not available yet, 26" available first, and maybe in Mid-September. They don't know weights yet, and as far as height, a 26" should be 26". Not cheap though.

From another post on this list, stock Dunlops are 61.70 lbs. a set.

ITP - The factory says their tires should be within a 1/4 in. of the designed size for height. Spider Trac's weigh as follows:

25x9.5x12 21
25x12.5x12 26
26x9.5x12 22
26x12.5x12 26


A set of 4 25" would weigh 94 lbs. A set of 4 26" would weigh 96 lbs.


589's weigh:

25x8x12 20
25x10x12 26
26x9x12 27
26x12x12 32

A set of 4 25" would weigh 92 lbs. A set of 4 26" would weigh 118 lbs.

At Kenda the woman answering the phone didn't know a whole lot, and she went to a sales person for an answer, and not a engineer, so all she would say is they didn't have diameter numbers, and tires weigh between 21 and 23 lbs. Of course that is bunk, and different size tires weigh differently, but they don't evidently know what they weigh, as "each tire varies in weight". I said that is great, but a 25x10x12 shouldn't vary from 23 to 28 lbs from tire to tire. She agreed, but had no answer.

From two sights on the web, Kenda Bear Claws weigh:

25x8x12 18 or 19
25x10x12 28 or 23
25x12.5x12 31 or 28
26x9x12 24 or 20
26x12x12 35 or 35 (I guess that one is correct!)

A set of 4 25" with 8x12 on front and 12.5x12 on back would be 94 to 98 lb.s. A set of 26" would be from 110 to 118, and a set of 25's with 10x12 on front and 12.5x12 on back would be 102 to 118 lbs. Could you run 10x12 on front and 12.5x12's on the back? How would this affect handling?

Obviously, to go with the 4-ply Spider Tracs, whether in 25" or 26" would be about the lightest for larger wider tires, and only about 32 lbs over stock weight, but how much difference is there between a 4-ply and a 6-ply? If I go with 589's in stock size, I stay about 30 lbs over stock and have much better traction and 6-ply, but don't have bigger size. I can stay in that same weight area, 32-36 lbs over stock with Bear Claws if I go with 8's on the front and 12.5's on the back, and get 6-ply again.

To go with 26" 589's, or 26" Bear Claws, I am going to be in the 118 lb area, maybe 8 lbs. lighter with Bear Claws if the lower figures are right, but still, 118 lbs. is 56 lbs. more than stock, or almost twice as heavy as stock.

You know, I don't think all this analysis is helping! Oh well, at least I'm getting lots of information, sorry that this reply was so long. Any comments?

 

Conman said Bearclaws weigh:

Front
26x9x12 = 19lb 12 oz

Rear
26x12x12 = 27lb 15 oz

He weighed them himself, I forgot what he used, but he said it was calibrated and accurate (no bathroom scale).

I don't think any other tire has this bad of a weight listing inaccuracy.

I would have gotten bearclaws if I knew they weren't as heavy as they are listed in teesoffroad and tiresunlimited.

 

I just got my Surtracs and 489 fronts. Which I thought would be a good combo for me. But after reading above I have second thoughts about the surtracs. trx said that they arent good for rocks. I ride mainly trail and sometimes they happen to be pretty rocky trails. Am I'm gonna have a problem? What ply are the surtracs? Thanks guys.

 

I believe the SurTraks are a 2-ply tire. They are tougher than stock, from what I hear, but still 2-ply.

As for me, I think I have finally decided on what to do. I have thought about this WAY too much. After finding out that the Kenda Bear Claws are lighter than previously thought, I am going to order a set of them in 26", 26x9x12 and 26x12x12. I like the bigger and wider size, I like the 6-ply tire for hunting out west when I am in the boonies (and even for where we ride in Iowa where it is quite rocky in places) and I like the cost, which isn't very much. About the same as what I paid for 489's for my 220 Bayou last weekend. Thanks for all the help and information. It is neat to hear what everyone is running and how they all work in the various types of terrain. Great web site!

 

cheiftam, let me know how they work!!

 

I put Dirt Devils on the front and Bear Claws on the rear. IMHO, the Bear claws are a cheap quality tire. The 10" bear claws measure similar width to the 8" Dirt Devils.

I think in hindsight, the Titan 489 XT would have been a better choice.

The 589's are pretty aggressive and can beat you up if you go too big...

 

gtchief--- UNLESS you ride ALL rocks, you should be just fine with the Sur-Trax. You operate in Pa. mostly, right? That combo should work well for you. The Sur-Trax work great in the Applachian foothills, and mtns. of SE OH., and W.Va. Not to worry.

 

I am also considering the bear claws. I talked to Conman and he really likes his kenda's. My question is, if I get the original stock size in the kendas will they be smaller than my dunlops?
I want to retain the stock tire size for handling and speed. Are the kendas 4ply or 6ply i seem to be getting conflicting info. When i put 6ply and wider tires on my 98 suzuki 500 the ride became unbearable. I live in the heart of the canadian shield there is more rock than dirt here.
Does anyone run the duro excavators. They are available in many sizes and are a 4ply?