lol, ok thanks

 

IMO the 500 is Polaris' best all round blend atv- comfort features/gas consumption/power/price, you get the most bang for your buck. With the 500 if your going to jump up in tire size you will most definitely want/need to do some clutching especially if your going to go mudding. As for brand&model tires thats a personal choice thing and type of riding, for all round riding I like Swamp Lites but there are quite a few other very popular tires, your best bet is to surf this forum back a few pages and also go to the Drivetrain,Suspension& Tires section and you will find a lot of in depth posts with follow ups on the various popular tires out there.

 

ok, and i like the swamp lites too, but some times they don't work as well as i would like them too.i mean, sometimes i go over the same mud spots or the same water/mud spots andit always has a little problem getting through. But a good feature about them is that the dont dig holes and they get over the big ruts. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

I can talk about hard pack, rock crawling, nasty hill climbs and snow. Not much mud on the top of the mountain. I have a 2005 Sportsman 500HO and 2004 Kawi Prairie 700. The Sportsman is definitely the most comfortable ATV I have ever owned but I have three complaints. Number 1: The 4 wheel drive doesn't kick on until the back tiers start slipping (20% turn). When 4X4 does engage it's seamless and works great but here is the problem. You're on the side of a hill and need those front tiers to start pulling but your not going fast enough for the backs to slip. Even worse...on a trail covered with snow barely wide enough for the ATV to fit and one side drops 200ft. The quad wants to fall of the edge because half the trail is covered with snow at a 45 degree angle. Know I really need those front tiers to pull which they won't until the backs start to slip. Talk about a BIG pucker factor. This ties into problem number 2: This quad is around 750 pounds, sets high and buy the way...likes to tip over. If you find yourself charging up a hill, of canter, on a rutted out trail and you need to cross that rut, don't expect the Sportsman to like it. When she decides to go you're not going to stop her. I have been ridding since 1998 so this was quite surprising when I tried to ride the sportsman like my other ATV's. Number 3: You're on the right track in looking at a new set of tiers. Those Polaris Extreme Radials that it comes with stand for extremely FLAT. They can't take rocky trails without getting punctured all over the place. They hook up good and provide a nice ride however there not good for serious ridding where you would expect to take a big 4X4. I suggest Maxxis Big Horns. Talking about tiers, I wouldn't lift this ATV any higher than what it already is (taller tier) because it already sets high enough (tip-over factor). Don't get me wrong, she stays flat in corners, probably better than most ATVs with independent suspension but sets high and likes to wander to the side of a road while going around the corner on hard pack. Between the Kawi and Polaris, I actually like to ride the Polaris in most situations. These are the negatives but they only account for perhaps 5% of the situations I have found my self in and...it's hard to beat the on board storage Polaris came up with. Compared to the Kawi the Polaris is built like a tank.

Good luck and remember; pain is only weakness leaving your body.