I've been told by my dealer that putting bigger tires on an ATV will cause more stress on a machine and cause more problems in the long run. For those of you who have put larger tires on your wheeler, what kind of experience have you had? Do the larger tires cause more stress to the machine?

 

i always thought weight was the key. if a larger tire is heavier then the answer is yes. my mudbug tires are larger then stock but lighter and i went
from steel rims to alluminum. So much lighter. to me then - less weight means less work for the engine to turn the wheel. larger heavier tires is more work. maybe some one with extensive knowledge of small engines can tell us how much extra stress
there is on an engine and how much it shortens the life of the motor? rangerchet.....

 

I have larger than stock tires on my Scrambler and have had them on there for a couple of years. I have yet to notice any engine problems, the only problem that I have noticed is that the tie-rods are starting to wear. This is a problem that exist with or without larger tires although I am sure that the larger tires are causing this to happen sooner than usual. The newer models have different tie-rod ends than my 97 and may be able to handle the extra stress better.
The larger tires outway the negative for me.

 

It is a weight issue for sure and also motor size also plays a big role. But it also depends on how much bigger you go?

 

Mitch I live in Caribou.

 

Weight is an issue but so is traction. The better traction the tires have the less likely they are to spin. Therefore the energy once dissipated through wheel spin is taken by the running gear, notably wheel bearings, drive train etc.
My 2 bits.

 

Leverage from the larger tire also plays a role. Larger diameter tires tax the braking and drive systems more from their larger circumference. Wider tires add more stress on spindles,bearings and axles,as do wider offset wheels and spacers.