CAN-AM (BRP) Discussions about CAN-AM ATVs.

why are front tires bigger than rears?

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Old 04-18-2006, 11:31 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

Does anyone know the engineering theory behind having 22 inch tires on front and 20 inch on back? I just put on 22 inch Holeshots on the rear. Should I leave the 22 inch fronts on or go to a larger size or does it make any difference? Thanks.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]
 
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Old 04-18-2006, 11:36 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

well from what i heard it makes it handle worse but when i have my 22's on i cant tell nething except the regular fact that it will bicycle easier
 
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Old 04-20-2006, 09:31 AM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

once my stock 20's were bald, i put on some 22"s and it felt the difference immidiately, it seemed to me like i was very tippy and i couldnt take really fast sharp corners without it making me wanna tip over, so i bought some new 20's and it handles so much better
 
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Old 04-20-2006, 12:53 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

Allot of this all comes down to how the weight of the quad is shifted. If you put larger tires in the back it will put more weight on the front tires. To keep it loaded correctly you need to up size all 4 tires not just the rears. You can see how this could play out better for sand drags if you had mini's in the front to keep the nose down.
 
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Old 04-22-2006, 03:41 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

Larger tires up front gave me more clearns, easier effort in steering. I love my 23"s. It does make it sit taller.
 
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Old 04-22-2006, 04:56 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

I run 22's front and rear, you will be fine chouser. but ideally the 23's in the front with 22's in the rear will handle better.
DS's have less caster angle in the front end geometry than other quads, this makes for a little more sensetive steering that some complain about, however this less caster also allows for a tighter turning radius. the DS is so long and wide that the turning radius is a bit larger than alot of other quads, and this less caster helps to combat that, with a price of handling at higher speeds from the sensetivity.
so anyway, with that being said - if you increase rear tire size without increasing front tire size, you decrease caster even more. but maintaining a larger front tire than the rear will maintain stock caster angle.
 
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Old 04-22-2006, 07:53 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

motor cycles and atvs are almost always designed with larger tires on the front because its way more important that your front tire isnt stopped dead by a rut or severe bump. a larger tire will traverse a larger rut without dropping into it. I once had an xl350 honda enduro motorcycle that had a 23 inch front wheel. it was a monster but the rear was only an 18. I also once had a mini bike with a 6 inch front wheel and one time while ridiing through a grassy field I found some 4 wheel drive pickup ruts that had been left by somone the previous winter which were now hard but 12 inches across. I was only doing about 25 but didnt see them coming. you can imagine what happened.
 
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Old 04-22-2006, 07:54 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

yea, my son just brought this up. ever hit even a small rock on your skate board when you were a kid?
 
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Old 04-22-2006, 08:47 PM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

Originally posted by: Hightower
I run 22's front and rear, you will be fine chouser. but ideally the 23's in the front with 22's in the rear will handle better.
DS's have less caster angle in the front end geometry than other quads, this makes for a little more sensetive steering that some complain about, however this less caster also allows for a tighter turning radius. the DS is so long and wide that the turning radius is a bit larger than alot of other quads, and this less caster helps to combat that, with a price of handling at higher speeds from the sensetivity.
so anyway, with that being said - if you increase rear tire size without increasing front tire size, you decrease caster even more. but maintaining a larger front tire than the rear will maintain stock caster angle.
Thanks for the great explanation, My friends and I have discussed this to no end on occasion. They kept wanting me to level it out, and before all I could say was, they had to do it for a reason. lol. =]

 
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Old 04-23-2006, 11:13 AM
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Default why are front tires bigger than rears?

22's 4 the rear & 20's 4 the front... Makes the quad look kool with the little tilt to the front... where i'm from there is a lot of mud. So i'm gonna put bigger tires in the front after these 1's wear out, so i can get more clearence.
 
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