tires unlimited says the claws are 4 ply.

I rode with a honda foreman es 4x4 with duro excavators on a 14 quad snow ride and he had less traction than some of the 2x4 quads in mud and snow. The riders were mostly kids, the one riding the foreman was about the oldest boy, and probably the most experienced. I don't think the problems were the rider or the machine, just that the tires weren't good.

I guess I don't have a real good oppinion of excavators. But, I have been wrong about tires b4.

 

Thanxs nyroc. Looks like that cancels the duro's. Looks like it is the bear claws. Now just gotta figure out what size.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]. BTW Nyroc, your site rocks it has been so informative and given me lots of insight.

 

Chief, good choice. Two of my buddies have Bearclaws on their 450 ESs. They are tough. Good traction for all around riding. Before I bought my 589s, I seriously looked at the Claws. I liked the tread pattern and the lower weight than the 589s. After seeing where my buds went with the Claws on, I thought they were the tire for me, but after riding another friends rubicon with 589s on it, I changed my mind. Also, I got a killer deal on my 589s. Good luck with the new skins!

 

I believe the Kenda advertising says that the Bear Claws are 6-ply

 

I have a royal distributing catalog here that says that they are 6 ply too, but i have read elsewhere that they are 4 ply, i think the ply is determined by the size. Anyone else have any input.

 

I have dirt devils on my prairie and Bear Claws on my wife's Kodiak. Bear Claws are now 6 ply. If you get 4 ply, they are old stock.

Devils are a bit too heavy, but I love the side lugs, they bite better than the claws. The claws ride a bit better and are lighter.

Have not had any puncture probs on either yet.

 

I too need some tires and having been reading the information above. However I ride in Southern Utah, (Nearly no mud, All Rock, and hardpark trails, and when winter hits there is deep snow). I have read that Maxxis is coming out with a Bighorn tire, does anybody knew how good of a tire this will be? Or could I do better?
Thanks for any input.

 

The bighorn was made for people that ride in rocky places like Utah (somebody did a review). However, the snow performance is best on the wider tires with lots of not so aggressive lugs (like the a 12" wide bearclaw).

Don't go buying things like mudrunners for Utah, even though they are pretty good in the snow, there are better tires that will probably cover the rocks and the snow, like claws and devils.

I drove my mudzillas in the snow, and they weren't good. They would just dig. My friends mudrunners stayed on the top and didn't dig into it. I bet devils and claws are even better. I lean toward claws because of less weight.

 

If you're not interested in heavy mudding and most of your riding is trails, rocks, loose terrain, etc. then why not go with the Dirt Devil XT? The DDs perform extremely well in these conditions, they are also a pretty fair mud tire but I wouldn't choose them for costant bogging.

I was torn between the Gators and the Dirt Devils and ended up choosing the DDs due to my riding style and terrain (mostly hills, creeks, and trails). I am very happy with my choice, GBC doesn't make the DD and Gator just to give you two looks to choice from, both tires are purpose driven.

Now I have to tell you, the DDs don't quite measure up to their stated diameter at 4 lbs (my 26s are right around 24) but the width is an understatement, depending on your wheels expect 1/2 to 1 inch more width than stated. The tire itself is one solid **** too, a 26x12x12 off the rim will support my 300 lb butt without collapsing.

In my opinion if you want an agressive off trail tire that still performs better than a stocker in the mud there is no choice other than a Dirt Devil XT.

 

HI ALL:
I am changing socks as well now. I am really leaning towards the BearClaws...However I have seen 25-10-12's that are lower profile that a stock dunlop 25-10-12 on my buddies Grizz...He never replaced the front and they are higher than the Bearclaws as well. I don't want to lose ground clearance so I have considered 26's. My friend has 25-12.5-12's on a wolverine and they seem as high as the dunlops...what gives? I wonder if it's the rims stretching the tires out thus flattening them some? I also am intrigued by Gators...how do they stack up to the Bearclaws (weight,diameter,ride quality and traction on hardpack,mud, and snow)? The Gators look alot like MudBugs to me and that I feel is a little agressive, especially for hardpack...any input on this. Thanks for all the info...this bike really warrants a change of socks...but I LOVE the wheelies and speed of this thing as it sits and really don't want to lose any. I will be doing the air intake and jets to help...just not yet.

ROB