My '04 Sportsman 600 can use some new rubber, but I would like some increased clearance too. I have stock 25's, but if I go up to 26's or 27's I get increased ground clearance. Question is, does anyone know the biggest tire I can go without lifting the quad?

 

You will be "Safe" with one size bigger. if you go up from that something else will go wrong, maybe not today but it all adds up to undue wear.

Plus unless you start moding the clutch you won't like real big tires.

 

I would agree that a 26" would be fine. not to big and the 600 has enough power you wont even notice the small amount of power you lose!

 

I agree with all of the above that it is safe with the 26 but if you were to go any bigger you would need to dig into the clutch and what not.

 

I was thinking the same about the one size bigger. It sure never hurts to ask and I thank you guys for your input.

 

do you know what kinda tire your gonna go with??? some times you dont really need to go bigger cause you can screw with the steering of the bike and there could be more were like the others said but i guess its ur choice i was gonna go with bigger rubber on the kawi but i got thinking that it could mess with the steering of the bike and the handling of it so i stayed with the 25s but went with more agressive tred

 

I like the mud lite's. I had a set of them on my old Honda and they are damn near indestructible. The problem is, the widest I can find them is 25x10x12. The 26's come in 12x12. I don't want a narrower tire on the back than I already have. I also like the new interco Swamp Lites, but they have the same problem. I also like the idea of the tire/wheel kits where all you have to do is bolt on the new ones, but now were talking some $$$$.

Any thoughts on tire types/makes would be helpful.

 

That is one good pice of tire and go for it and most of all have fun with them.

 

Not sure why you would want to go bigger? There is no advantage going up 1 size and maybe even 2 sizes. 1 size only gets you 1/2 inch extra clearance. In the real worls 1/2 inch dont make any difference in the slop. The down side is that you WILL lose power because of the heavier tire, burn belts, lose low end and put stress on all the drive train components. So why chance the bigger heavier tire when so much more wrong can happen. Then you will say the Polaris is a POS because it breaks or loses power. Maybe it is just for looks or just to say look I have 26" tires or maybe you dont plan on playing in the mud. Polaris already needs to go on a diet so why make it worse?

 

I don't necessarily want to go bigger. As I mentioned earlier, I don't want to go narrower on the back than a 12" footprint. The widest I can get the Mudlites is 25x10x12. However, if go up one size, I can get the 26x12x12. I have no intention of modifying my clutch or lifting the suspension. I have 25x8x12 on the front and 25x12x12 on the back. The are the Carlisle Badlands. I want a more aggressive tire pattern and a 6 ply tire because where I ride is really nasty. Not so much mud, but downed trees, lots of stumps (big and small) and deep creek beds. Hell, I once punctured a tire on an old broke off T-post. Wider is better, but not at the expense of tearing up my ride. If I have to go to a 26" tire to get the width I want in a particular tire then I need to consider any/all consequences.

I love all of the input and differing opinions. This forum is awesome.