<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: snowjunkeeee

Do any of you guys have skid plates for your kodiaks? Do they make a big difference when going over obstacles or in deep snow? Also how does the Kodiak handle 2 people on the bike at the same time? Is it too much for the IRS?</end quote></div>

CraZySteve makes skid plates and he has photos of a nice front one he made.

Skid plates are protection to prevent hard objects from striking the vitals. Snow performance is more dependent on tires.

My 450 has carries my 7 yr. old son or 10 yr. old daughter without a problem on the rear seat. I don't know if I would want to be riding around with a full size adult there all day long. But then I wouldn't want to do that with a so called "two up" machine either.

 

what tire do you recomend for snow? I had 26" ITP 589's on my Foreman and they seemed to work alright in the deep powder but spun on hard packed snow. I have heard that Mud lites are pretty good in the snow. I would be looking for a tire that is good all year round.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: snowjunkeeee

what tire do you recomend for snow? I had 26" ITP 589's on my Foreman and they seemed to work alright in the deep powder but spun on hard packed snow. I have heard that Mud lites are pretty good in the snow. I would be looking for a tire that is good all year round.</end quote></div>

A rubber tire 4X4 ATV is a compromise to allow it to go just about anywhere. There are many different types of tires for many different types of terrain and each is better suited to a particular application.

Regardless of what type of tire you buy, normally your ATV will never perform well in water deeper than two to four feet and it will never be an outstanding performer in snow without tracks. Snow is especially difficult for an ATV because deep snow wants to make the ATV float on top and the weight then comes off the very thing you need for traction, namely the tires.

The best tires for snow have some of the characteristics of the best tires in mud. They also need to be a rubber compound that stays pliable in the cold and you want to keep the air pressure as low as possible. Also weight distribution and weight transfer help a lot too. Mud lites and Mudzilla's seem to work pretty good.

If you really want maximum performance in snow, then you will either have to consider a $2500 to $4000 set of tracks, or buy a snowmobile.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: snowjunkeeee

what tire do you recomend for snow? I had 26" ITP 589's on my Foreman and they seemed to work alright in the deep powder but spun on hard packed snow. I have heard that Mud lites are pretty good in the snow. I would be looking for a tire that is good all year round.</end quote></div>



26" Bighorn 2.0's. They're suppose to be lighter than the original bighorns. They're suppose to be out within a few weeks... I can't wait to put a set on my kodiak 450...

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: headpressure

CraZySteve makes skid plates and he has photos of a nice front one he made.
</end quote></div>

Thanks for the compliments HeadPressure.

Here are some pictures of my new front bash after the 1st ride on it [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I ride in rocky terrain so I NEED Full skids!






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