Polaris Discussions about Polaris ATVs.

Maxxis Bighorns

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  #11  
Old 08-23-2011 | 03:21 PM
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That vid says alot...those tires weren't cleaning out at all...packed with snow/dirt. Looked like slicks!! "A picture is worth a thousand words"...Can't hide that tires downfall!!

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  #12  
Old 08-23-2011 | 04:28 PM
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Boy, a lot of haten' on the Horns happening here. There is really only one other tire out there that outperforms the all terrain capabilities of the BH, but nobody can afford them, if you can find them in stock anywhere. If it was such an average tire I don't think there would be three other tire brands out there that have copied the tread design almost exactly. I have ridden on several different tires, not just OE, and in my opinion these are as good as it gets. Remember, this is an ALL terrain tire we are talking about. The only thing I saw in the video was what appeared to be a rookie rider. Pretty sure the tires weren't the problem. I have done plenty of snow riding.
Anyway, back to the original question here, not here to argue about who has the best tires. Just answering a question. Yes they will fit your rims and yes they will do you just fine in the snow.
 
  #13  
Old 08-23-2011 | 05:18 PM
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Thanks again everyone, I have tested the big horns on gravel, sand, rocks, hill climbing, rock climbing etc. and they have performed excellent. The only terrain I have not tried them was in the snow, so we will see how they do.
 
  #14  
Old 08-23-2011 | 08:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Specta
I'm not sure how BHs got soo popular other than a very aggressive add campaign.

Almost any aftermarket tire will outperform most OE tires and when you bolt on a set of BHs they feel better than the OEs. Once you see the improvement most people feel that they are the best tires they have ever had which they are.

I wish folks could try a few different tires before they buy. I guarantee that if they could compare tires side by side BHs sales would drop considerably.

Two reasons the BHs aren't "great" snow tires is that the rubber compound is hard and gets even harder when cold; that’s why "winter" tires are made of a soft rubber compound so they grip the snow, same thing applies to "rock" tires like they use on rock buggies, soft rubber grips better than hard rubber.

BHs have big square lugs but not a lot of space in-between them so they cannot move a lot of snow. Watch my video and see how little snow they actually throw.

I thought my BHs were the greatest until I replaced them with tires that outperformed the BHs in every category except for mileage.
100% agree with this post- we have snow on the ground for 5 months a year- feet of it, and nothing but nasty mud for months after it all melts-

a good snow tire will have contoured long lugs to grab and push you through the slop- a lot of riders equate an aggressive deep lug tire with good forward motion- but that's not the case. IME, deep shorter lugs like on BH's are more apt to dig down and stick you in a hole when trying to climb out of a snow hole - there are much better tires to keep you on top of the snow moving forward. BH's are good for dirt and bumpy trails because they are much softer... and a good mud tire does not mean it's also a good snow tire.
 
  #15  
Old 08-23-2011 | 08:34 PM
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Originally Posted by bobx2
Boy, a lot of haten' on the Horns happening here. There is really only one other tire out there that outperforms the all terrain capabilities of the BH, but nobody can afford them, if you can find them in stock anywhere. If it was such an average tire I don't think there would be three other tire brands out there that have copied the tread design almost exactly. I have ridden on several different tires, not just OE, and in my opinion these are as good as it gets. Remember, this is an ALL terrain tire we are talking about. The only thing I saw in the video was what appeared to be a rookie rider. Pretty sure the tires weren't the problem. I have done plenty of snow riding.
Anyway, back to the original question here, not here to argue about who has the best tires. Just answering a question. Yes they will fit your rims and yes they will do you just fine in the snow.
there's hundreds of atv tires on the market- and if you're looking for a "one size fits all" tire for every terrain, then you won't have the best tire for any terrain... I don't hate BH's- but I feel a lot of people think they make the "best" snow / dirt / trail / sand / rock tire and that's just silly.

They are a good semi-aggressive trail tire that will perform ok in mud & snow...
 
  #16  
Old 08-23-2011 | 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by beergut
there's hundreds of atv tires on the market- and if you're looking for a "one size fits all" tire for every terrain, then you won't have the best tire for any terrain... I don't hate BH's- but I feel a lot of people think they make the "best" snow / dirt / trail / sand / rock tire
Thank you, my point exactly. We are talking about an ALL terrain tire. Not the best for every terrain, but very good at all terrains. I'm hearing that there are a bunch of better AT tires out there, but I'm not hearing what they are. If I found a better one out there I would have no problem switching over. Pitbulls are supposed to be the new best tire available, but who wants to pay $150+ per tire? I have also seen them in action in the snow. They are great until the snow gets deep. Talk about a tire that will dig in and leave you high centered... I know because I winched him out.
I not defending BH's just because thar's what I run on my machines, it's just because in my opinion they are the best all terrain tire available right now. As I said, I would buy something else if they were proven to be a better AT tire.
 
  #17  
Old 08-23-2011 | 10:24 PM
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#1 selling doesn't make it the best. Copy cats copy the best selling.

The very first ride on my BHs the very first thing I noticed was very poor lateral traction and control, I kind of just accepted it thinking that was the difference between a very aggressive bias ply and radials. The rear of my ATV would drift and slide around corners way too easy. Im sure it was due to the large trad contact area and the tread design of the BHs. the lugs are for foreward movement only with little to no tread to prevent lateral movement.

The very first thing I noticed when I replaced them with a set of Carlisle ACTs was how much quicker the steering response was and the superior lateral traction, no more drifting and sliding around corners at speed.

So far the ACTs have been the best snow tires I've had and these new Black Diomond XTRs have so far been my favorite all around trail tires.

I defended BHs for a long time. They rode smooth and lasted a long time but that's about it.

As far as my friends experience - the other 700 KQ (new BHs) and the Polaris Sportsman (generic BHs) both had more trouble than I did and it was all tires.

BHs are not really bad tires, its just that are soo many that are better, IMO.
 
  #18  
Old 08-23-2011 | 10:35 PM
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Originally Posted by bobx2
If I found a better one out there I would have no problem switching over.
Carlisle ACTs, ACT HDs; STI Black Diamond XTRs and ATRs.

There's 4.

Right now I'm thinking the XTRs are the best tires I've had so far but haven't had them in much snow yet.

My Carlisle ACT HDs only had a few hundred miles on them when I put the Black Diamond XTRs on. I'm saving the ACT HDs for the winter.

Carlisle ACTs Deer Creek Canyon 11/22/10 #1 - YouTube
These are 1/2 worn Carlisle ACTs and not the HDs. The HDs have 1" lugs; the Black Diamond XTRs have 1 1/8" lugs.

sorry for the sound, cheap camera
 
  #19  
Old 08-23-2011 | 10:45 PM
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Specta, I will agree to disagree with you on some points. I agree that there is not as much lateral grip with the BH's, but the majority of the time I don't mind that. Steering with the rear end can be entertaining. Where do you ride, and what type of terrain? Just curious. I haven't seen the Black Diamond tires around here. Here in Colo. Polaris seems to be the machine of choice for the majority and BH's are the tire of choice. You know what they say. That many people can't be wrong.
 
  #20  
Old 08-23-2011 | 10:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Specta
Carlisle ACTs, ACT HDs; STI Black Diamond XTRs and ATRs.

There's 4.

Right now I'm thinking the XTRs are the best tires I've had so far but haven't had them in much snow yet.

My Carlisle ACT HDs only had a few hundred miles on them when I put the Black Diamond XTRs on. I'm saving the ACT HDs for the winter.

Carlisle ACTs Deer Creek Canyon 11/22/10 #1 - YouTube
These are 1/2 worn Carlisle ACTs and not the HDs. The HDs have 1" lugs; the Black Diamond XTRs have 1 1/8" lugs.

sorry for the sound, cheap camera
I do believe the ACT II is the tire that was on my 850 when I bought it. Those are pretty much junk. Not sure how they compare to the regular ACT. Dealer gave me $250 trade in on them so I guess they weren't totally worthless.

I only run one set of tires year round so have to go with what works best for me. However, there may be a set of tracks in my future. Snow problem solved.
 


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