hi thanks for taken time to read this have had my prairie 2003 for about 5 months finally saved enough money for tires and rims i was gona order 26 inch kenda bear claws on steel rims 26 x 12 x 12 on rear but rocky mountain atv .com says they might rub on my gas tank and cause problems they said they were to wide and they don't have them in 10 or 11 is there any thing i can do? also a side note should i bother buying rims or just putting new tires on my rims and save like 200 dollars? thanks for the time

 

save the money on rims, just buy the tires of your choice. I have 27" Itp Mudlites (10x10 front and 10x12 rear). No rubbing no bumping just a smooth ride, in fact I could put 28"'s on and still not have a problem unless I changed my rim size. Some rims (itp for example) makes the tires a little bigger when mounted, so they have been known to rub a little bit on gas tank. But with stock rims and 26 inch tires no problem. even if you wanted to spend the extra $$ on rims I still am pretty sure, you would have no problem at all with 26x12x12 rear tires.

Just my 0.02 cents worth.

 

I never heard of a 12" hitting the gaurd of the gas tank? I know people have 12 on the back with stock rims. You can get bear claws smaller.

 

i put highlander 1-1/2" wheel spacers on my bike and it really helped. however they are $100.00 a pair.
also make sure you put the same size tires on front as on back! e.g 25"on back and 25" on front or it will totally screw up the computer when you put it in four wheel drive!

 

thanks for the replies. so i can put kenda bear claws on stock rims - i want to use 26x9x12 front and
26 x12 x12 on the back. They will fit ok on the stock rims? thanks again for the help

 

Hi all!

I have had 26 inch bear claws on my machine for the past 5-6 months. They are mounted on stock rims and work awesome. Don't go smaller than 26" because they accually measure 25" once they are mounted. The stock rims are lite and do just fine. Beat them up and change them later if you would like after you have ridden on them for a few thousand miles. The look fine aswell. It sounds like you're not made of money like the rest of us, so spend the extra $200 on something else.

Best of luck in your decision

 

the 28x12-12 outlaw hits the tank guard on stock rims. The tire can be trimmed with a razor to fit. All other tires are good on stock rims.

 

Thanks for all the great responces everyone. I have decided ( thanks to all your help) to buy the 26bear claws. Are they something i can add to the rims or should i pay a professional to do it. I am also buying a skid plate the one on it sucks. Thanks again Dale

 

You have made a good choice with the Claws, IMO. I would run them if I wanted an aggressive tread tire. You are also correct about staying with the 26" Claws. Good luck, awesome tire.
I bought a Harbor Freight Manual Tire changer.......best $35 I ever spent! It paid for itself on the first use! It has a decent built in bead breaker.