Grizzly 700 tire recommendations

[icefisherman]

What else does one do while waiting for some driveable ice on Simcoe? Spends money on his ATV to make it more ice fishing friendly ha ha ;-)

 

Anyhow...have a tire/wheel related question for my 2010 Grizzly 700 FI EPS Camo version.

 

Bought it used a month ago and it came with the following tires:

 

New Dunlop 25x8-12 in the front and ITP Mudlites 25x12-12 with plenty of tread left at the back.

 

It also came with stock black aluminum wheels. Not sure if I can keep the original wheels, or should I buy new wheel/tires combo? Front wheels have some dings on them and just had to take the front right one for repair, as it was leaking air from the valve and the rim (I was told).

 

Main use will be for ice fishing (couple months a year) and also a week of deer hunting each fall. All of that in SW Ontario. I'll never be running it in mud, rocks, mountains, etc. extreme terrain. Would like to go up in size (without getting too crazy) mainly for better clearance on the ice/in deeper snow.

Do NOT want to make any clutch or similar modifications because of changing the tires.

 

Another key thing is....right now I am able to load the Grizzly in the bed of my F150 with 6'6" box and can still close the tailgate. No one could believe it! Like to keep it that way after the tire upgrade. Therefore whatever bigger size tires I buy it must still fit in the truck's bed the same way.

 

Can use some advise from ATV/Grizzly owners here.

Thanks,

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

Edited January 26, 2016 by icefisherman

[Sinker]

Tracks.

 

S.

[icefisherman]

Tracks.

 

S.

Thanks Bud, but no tracks for now ;-)

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

[NANUK]

Tire size will depend on how much room you got between the wheel and the tail gate.

[icefisherman]

Tire size will depend on how much room you got between the wheel and the tail gate.

 

Not much room but some...hoping I can fit 26", possibly 27" with bit of luck as I can probably push forward the bike a bit before hitting the rear window.

 

What is good ATV tire for the snow/ice?

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

[wallyboss]

I love the ITP Mudlites with the bigger lug depth same size as the ones you have now.. Not sure of the actual model # for the deeper lugs. Mine are about 6 years old and still lot's of thread. There might be better ones now but I thought that these were the best for me Summer and Winter.

 

Check in here, they used to have the best prices.

 

http://royaldistributing.com/?gclid=CMKY6IKUyMoCFQ8taQod8DQCFA

Edited January 26, 2016 by wallyboss

[Fisherman]

A word of caution, the larger you go in diameter, the harder it is on the drive line. Bearings wear out faster too. They are designed with a particular size of tire, sometimes it pays to just keep them the same. One inch up in diameter is only 1/2 an inch higher clearance. Not worth it. I've got the stock Dunlops, 25/10/12 and 25/8/12 and haven't got stuck.

[icefisherman]

So guys who have Grizzlys and other bikes...what tires do you use when on the ice? I've seen so many ATV's buzzing by...just never paid attention what tires they are using.

There has to be people here who use upgraded tires on their bike. Surely not all are using stock tires?

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

[FishAbout]

I put chains on my yamaha grizzly 700 it will go through a lot of snow now. I have the stock tires on it still. I only put them on the back tires.

[porkpie]

Mudlites , good all round tire.

[vance]

I atv in Mattawa with access to thousands of kilometers of trails,in the summer there are about 20 of us in our trailer park that ride at least three times a week.Most people just use what came on their bikes with no real issues because we dont hit the big mud holes and water crossings. The stock tires that came on my Suzuki were used on the ice a few times but chains sure would have been nice. Two of the younger bunch way up sized their tires and have broken just about everything that they could break,if you up size dont go more than one size.My stock tires where replaced at 6,000 k and still had tread left and worked okay. If you do replace tire go to radials like I did as you get a better ride and traction. From what I have been told after market rims have a different offset and should be replaced a set of four. Yamaha makes a great atv and with the diff lock on you will be amazed where you can go !!!

 

vance

[icefisherman]

Vance,

 

Speaking of radial what do you think of Big Horn 2.0 as good radials (expensive!)? Or some of their knock offs like the Duro Power Grip or Artrax/CTX?

Will radials perform well on ice and/or deeper snow? Not big fan of chains.

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

[G.mech]

If you're going to be on the ice and don't like chains these work great:

 

http://www.gripstuds.com/ATV.php

 

I bought a cheap used set of stock tires and studded them with only about 30-40 #1300 studs per tire and they are amazing on bare ice. In really deep snow once you're bottoming out I'm not sure it matters much which tire you have as the tires are usually off the ground anyway. In middle depth snow they grab the ice underneath and push you through pretty nicely. These will chew the crap out of concrete and asphalt though so you can't run them on your driveway....I just run these for ice fishing.

Edited January 27, 2016 by G.mech

[vance]

The few times that I have been on the ice whether towing a trailer or not I have found it is how deep the snow is the limiting factor. You can only push so much snow,eventually your tires are not touching the ice (high siding). We were at a hunting camp a few years back ice fishing and it snowed heavily while we were there,we had a half a kilometer to get back to the main snowmobile track on the lake.. Luckily we were eventually able to make a trail (4 hrs) and the guy with the sled towed each of us out to the trail. On ice i am sure it doesnt really matter radial or not traction is limited,studs would have helped but you wouldnt like what they would do to the bed of your truck !!

I run Black Diamonds but never have run them in the snow but I dont see any reason why they would any better in the snow as all atv tires are not winter rated. I really dont think you can go wrong with most tires but you have to consider the tread pattern for where you are riding. I ride a wide variety of trails gravel-sand - shallow mud - rocky and I got a good deal. They have a fairly heavy lug pattern which is great on the rears but on hard packed and paved roads in gives a real buzz to the handle bars. Most of the time I dont run 4x4 as they will go thru most stuff except those muddy water holes 2wd.My experience is cheap doesnt last, my black diamonds have 7,000 k on them and I am sure I can get another 3-4 k out of them this summer.

 

vance

[Fisherman]

Funny as it may seem, some guys have very good luck switching their tires to opposite side in winter, I don't know why, maybe something to check out.

[SBCregal]

I have an older kodiak with itp mudlites on it. i don't think i've come across a situation where the tire was the limiting factor. not the smoothest riding tire out there but it's done everything i've asked them to

[Sinker]

Is there something wrong with the tires you have on it? Seems like you just want to spend money for no reason. Like has been said, the only thing thats going to stop your bike is deep snow. If the snow is that deep the tires arent going to give you any advantage. Just sayin.

 

S.

[wallyboss]

Funny as it may seem, some guys have very good luck switching their tires to opposite side in winter, I don't know why, maybe something to check out.

 

I've done that a few years ago because of the amount of snow and it does help. What happen with ATV tires they are built to throw the mud out the sides. so if you switch sides then they push the snow under the tires and helps with flotation on snow.

[wallyboss]

Is there something wrong with the tires you have on it? Seems like you just want to spend money for no reason. Like has been said, the only thing thats going to stop your bike is deep snow. If the snow is that deep the tires arent going to give you any advantage. Just sayin.

 

S.

 

Most of the original tires are okay but in the snow a good set of mud tires(with some kind of paddle type of thread) will make a hell of a difference. I used to get all stuck all the time with Original tires on my Kawa Brute Force never hapened yet since putting on Mudlites.

[icefisherman]

Is there something wrong with the tires you have on it? Seems like you just want to spend money for no reason. Like has been said, the only thing thats going to stop your bike is deep snow. If the snow is that deep the tires arent going to give you any advantage. Just sayin.

 

S.

 

As I mentioned in my original post my current tires are: 25x8-12 in front and 25x12x12 in back. Few people have told me that is a mismatch I should correct as it could affect the bike.

Never had an ATV before so I am learning from scratch and listening to those who know more.

If I am going to replace my current tires then I though I should explore and see what to replace them with that could give me a bit more clearance while still fit in the back of my truck and close the tailgate. Hence all my questions about type and size of tires. I am hoping to buy 26x9-12 for front and 26x11-12 that allow me to do the above.

I understand what is critical is the exact real height of the tire (many tires come slightly taller or shorter than spec). In my case every little bit counts. And I am kind of leaning in the direction of radials. Really like what I've read on BigHorn but they are pricey...looking at some of their knock offs like Duro Power Grip and similar..... just hope to get more specific advise on best bang for the price...

 

So even though it may seem like a mad search there is a logic and system in what I am trying to do Shane ;-)

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

[porkpie]

Disregard, I was going to say it sounds like stock rubber, but I see you have Mudlites on the rear. Put some Mudlites on the front and be done. Or leave it as is. It won't give you much more clearance just to size up in tire. Mudlites are pretty decent in the snow as it is.

Edited January 28, 2016 by porkpie

[icefisherman]

Again not an expert but was told by number of people stock is 25x8-12 front and 25x10-12 rear

Mine are 25x8-12 front and 25x12-12 rear.

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

Edited January 28, 2016 by icefisherman

[porkpie]

Right, that's quite possible but I read your post further and you say you have Mudlites on the rear. I don't know that they'd be stock, but they did put Mudlites on the big bears at one point so who knows. Good luck with it!

[icefisherman]

Thanks Bud.

Who knows what previous owner did with tires. I am left to clean up the mess now though ;-)

Yes Mudlites on back (likely not stock), and their size is what apparently is not matching with the stock Dunlops in front.

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

[ch312]

Funny as it may seem, some guys have very good luck switching their tires to opposite side in winter, I don't know why, maybe something to check out.

 

This works great for aggressive tires and those with directional tread as most are designed to dig down through soft material to reach solid ground for traction. This is exactly what you don't want when riding in snow or sand. You need a tread design which propels you forwards rather than digging. The Big Horn 2.0's are awesome all around tires and propel more than dig.

 

Is there something wrong with the tires you have on it? Seems like you just want to spend money for no reason. Like has been said, the only thing thats going to stop your bike is deep snow. If the snow is that deep the tires arent going to give you any advantage. Just sayin.

 

S.

 

Tires are by far the most important factor on an ATV. It's ludicrous to suggest certain tires don't give a huge advantage over others. There's a reason why some guys can rip around everywhere in deep snow without getting stuck while others sharing your opinion get stuck in every drift or slush pocket around.

 

 

I've done that a few years ago because of the amount of snow and it does help. What happen with ATV tires they are built to throw the mud out the sides. so if you switch sides then they push the snow under the tires and helps with flotation on snow.

 

Yep. But, this only works with tires that have directional tread and is a complete waste of time doing so with unidirectional tread.

 

 

As I mentioned in my original post my current tires are: 25x8-12 in front and 25x12x12 in back. Few people have told me that is a mismatch I should correct as it could affect the bike.

Never had an ATV before so I am learning from scratch and listening to those who know more.

If I am going to replace my current tires then I though I should explore and see what to replace them with that could give me a bit more clearance while still fit in the back of my truck and close the tailgate. Hence all my questions about type and size of tires. I am hoping to buy 26x9-12 for front and 26x11-12 that allow me to do the above.

I understand what is critical is the exact real height of the tire (many tires come slightly taller or shorter than spec). In my case every little bit counts. And I am kind of leaning in the direction of radials. Really like what I've read on BigHorn but they are pricey...looking at some of their knock offs like Duro Power Grip and similar..... just hope to get more specific advise on best bang for the price...

 

So even though it may seem like a mad search there is a logic and system in what I am trying to do Shane ;-)

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

 

My lord, please do not take anymore advice from whoever told you the smaller front tires are a mismatch as 95% of ATV's sold will have a narrower front tire. Why? The narrower front tires are easier for the machine to push through material which then creates a tire track for the wider rears to follow which makes it easier to get around. Narrower front tires are also much easier to steer and provide better handling.

 

However, some people will switch to skinny/skinny or wide/wide combinations rather than the standard skinny front/wide rear configuration.

 

skinny/skinny - mudders do this as it makes it easier for the tires to dig down to solid ground for traction

wide/wide - sand/powder snow as it provides better flotation

skinny front/wide rear - best overall performance

 

 

Stock tires are a joke and are best for those who ride paved trails