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Posted by: Andy Bassham
you shouldn't have any trouble at all with that setup. I ran 27" Bi/Tri Claws on my old 500, and it pulled them real good. The 03 500's have a little more juice than the old ones anyway. Bi-claws are 9.75" wide, and as far as steering, they were a blessing from the stock Titan 495's. Mud Bugs are shorter (in actuallity) tire than Claws, and are lighter weight too. I don't see you having any trouble at all with them. If I'm correct, your rear AC rim is going to be an 8" wide rim, and will fit the 12" tire good. My stock AC rims were 6.5" front and rear (same tire front and rear for 99 model), and the 12" tire ballooned out a little on them.
That seems like a decent price on the tires. I think these things have gone up, cause I don't rememeber paying as much for the Claws 5 years ago as I see them going for nowdays. Same tire too.
Posted by: Andy Bassham
The diameter factors in also. Like think of when you were a kid pushing on a merry go round. You could hold onto the outside where the seat is and push, but if you really wanted to make it go fast, you would get in the center by the pole and push on the frame of it. smaller diameter. I don't know anything about all of that, but it all makes sense to me for some reason. I think the added diameter does factor in, cause a lot of 26's weight real close to 27's.
But my AC never had trouble pulling the 27's. I actually think it lugs the Grizzly more than it did the 500 AC, but that could be the automatic transmission on the Grizz, cause its definitely not power.
I love the Grizzly. No problems with mine aside from tearing a cv boot. Its kind of narrow, but aftermarket rims make it perfect. Very fast, real fun to ride, and the differential lock is a must have for me from now on. Nice to see AC put it on all their bigger quads this year. Honda still is in the blind on this one.
What are you wanting this tire to do anyway? I think the design the Gators and Bugs have looks better for mud than Mudlites, but the centerline on the mudlites would have to have a better ride than the spaced bars of the other two.
Posted by: Andy Bassham
The Bugs look like they fit the bill for you I think. That place has a good price on them (though their prices on a lot of other stuff is ridiculous). I've seen them on an older 500 AC once, and they look pretty good. The rear tire is nice and wide. Should make the machine real stable (as if its not already).
Check out this link if you haven't seen it before. Worth reading. It was an old mud tire shootout in ATV magazine.
http://www.atvnews.com/output.cfm?id=48925
Posted by: Andy Bassham
If you do think about the Claws, they are above the other two in the mud. Claws will hang with Outlaws and are as good or better than Vampires. They are a full-on mud tire. They will not do as good on trails and in loose dirt and stuff as the other two tires I don't think.
If I'm climbing a hill with loose rocks and dirt and moss and crap like that, I do better with stock yamaha crap tires than I do with my claws on there. The claws just work like a tiller and dig and sling crap back, where as the stockers will grip and go. In the mud, the Claws are mighty mighty tough to beat. And they also have a better ride than most of the big 1.5" lug mud tires do.
Posted by: mudblaster
go with the 26" mud bugs.
i had gator 28x12x12s and 28 x10x12s on my cat and thay were awsome but thay were to hard on parts. i havs some pics of it in action on my page check them out.
the mudbugs are almost exactly the same as my gators but thay are only 4 ply tire and the gator is a six ply tire.
i put 26" mud lites on my honda and my buddy put 27" mud lites on his.
other then that there both the same.
and my honda has more power and more top end and faster excelleration then his.
stick with the 26s that way you get the big lugs and you dont loose as much power.
Posted by: mudblaster
dirteater.
i havent tryed the lites out in the winter axcept to try my buddys 600 grizz and thay seemed to be ok but my gators worked better.
the gators are a flat tire so thay tend to ride on top of the snow and pack it down.
the mud lites are a rounded tire and seem to dig for the bottom.
but im very im pressed with the mud lites so far,and i hope thay hold up as well as the gators.
i put 2500 miles on my gators and thay still looked and worked great.
if i could do it again i would pick.
the gators.
just because i've never had a single problem with the gators.
one of my mud lites has a slow leak and i cant find it.
but i wouldent go any bigger then 26" though.
26x10x12s and 26x12x12s.
and you'll go anywhere you want.
the mud lites and mud bugs are only 4 ply and the gators are 6 ply.
if you do alot of bush and rough country riding then get the gators thay wont let you down.
Posted by: mudblaster
if you want a tire that will take you anywhere check out the gators they are from what i saw last winter
the best mud and snow tire out there.
im think im going back to them when my mud lites ware out.
i havent seen a tire perform like them in any condition.
as far as im concernd there the toughest and best all around tire out there.
dirteater.
the only reason i said not to go any bigger is because i broke 4 axels with those 28s.
i never started to have any problems with it untill i had over a thousand miles on it and then it seemed like every 300 miles after that i broke somthing.
im sticking with the 26s less ware on the parts.
Posted by: Dirteater
I plan on buying some 27" Mudbugs soon and am wondering serveral things(the tires will be on stock rims). 1. Which of the two widths would be more suitable for the front tires(any and all riding conditions)? The stock width is 8 and I am concerned that with the 10's the front tires would actually be wider than the rear tires(the outside edge of the tire). Maybe this isn't a problem at all? By the way I plan on getting 27-12-12 for the rears. 2. Being bone stock , no mods at all, will the 500 handle the larger tires without any problems(major power loss, broken parts, etc), should I go with 26's? I like the ground clearance of the 27's and total weight(all four tires) there is very little difference. I have done plenty of research but I havent' seen anybody ask this specific question(#1). I would really appreciate any help with this. I will also gladly take any other unbiased advice: different choice of tires, tire size, etc. I plan on buying these from Nebraska Tire, their internet advertised price is 27-10($66.95), 27-12($73.95), I haven't talked to them yet so I'm not sure if they will budge or not. This is the ballpark that my wife says I have to play in.
Thanks
Posted by: Dirteater
I have been away from the forum for awhile. It is nice to see you two are still around, I always thought you guys gave great info.
Mudblaster how do you like the Rubi? How does it compare to the cat? I owned Hondas before and almost bought one, but the GC and FIS talked me into the cat. You have owned both Gators and now Lites, can you give me an honest opinion on which one you would buy if you were to do it all over again(pros & cons for each).
Andy how's the Grizz. I have a buddy that just got one, I haven't ridden with him yet so I have yet to see one in action.
I thought that the weight is what robbed power and acceleration. The weights that I got off of Hightlifter has the set of 27's basically the same weight as the 26's(within a few tenths of a lb.) If I am wrong on the weights or what actually does rob power let me know.
Posted by: Dirteater
Well I live in Nebraska so it will have to do everything. My buddy and I(he has an '04 AC) ride alot in creeks and rivers. The creeks have mud bottoms and banks and the rivers have mostly sand. In the winter obviously I ride in snow and sometimes deep snow. The creeks are on his farm and they run for some distance, so we will climb the hills that surround them in the wooded areas. The ground is usually pretty wet so the tires cleaning out will be important. This is what got me started looking at tires in the first place. The stock tires are just horrid, they don't clean out at all. After reading a bunch, probably too much as I have changed my mind several times, I came down to the bugs. I am looking for what I would call an intermediate. An above average mud tire with decent trail capabilities. I am not terribly concerned with the ride. I thought the bugs or the lites would probably be best because of the weight and price. I like the claws but the weight and price kinda scared me. It came down to bugs because of how many threads I saw that said the lites wear out very quick. If you have any other suggestions with any of this I am interested.
Posted by: Dirteater
Thanks for the info guys, I have been spending my computer time doing more tire "research" and not responding to this thread. I am considering the lites and the bugs. I like the claws just as much, if not more, but I don't know if I should spend the money for them as they are quite a bit higher in price(I haven't rule them out). Like I said I'm not real concerned with the ride, I would rather have a tire that will get me through the nasty stuff when needed. I know that all three of these tires will be a tremendous improvement over the stockers, I'm having trouble deciding because of the snow issue. All three tires will be above average in the mud with a decent ride, but I don't know which one will be best in the snow and the sand in the river. The river we ride in has sand/mud bottom with dry sand bars and sandy hills surrounding it. I have gotten stuck with the stockers and I'm pretty sure any one of these tire choices will probably dig worse. If you guys or anyone else who reads this has experience with any of the three in snow and sand please let me know. The snow issue, along with price, probably will decide which I tire I get. I am also(despite what mudblaster said) leaning towards 27's. I have read plenty of threads where people are running that size of a tire with a smaller machine and not having problems. If power loss is the only issue then I will have an excuse to do some mods(I'm sure the wife will love this). Thanks
