After looking at the getting a RZR for months I changed my mind I got a 500 X2. I will be picking it up tomorrow, but wanted to get an idea of what people are running for wheels and tires. I searched for this topic but couldn't find anything so here we go. Maybe we can use this thread as a place to capture all tire/wheel combos used on the Sportsman.

Can everybody post what wheels (w/size & offset) and tires combo they are using, and comment on your likes/dislikes with your setup. Please note if there were any issues with a particuliar combo and if spacers are being used. It might be a good idea to note what type of riding you do as this is a big factor in tire choice. I think pictures would help everybody out also. Would the width be info of value to anybody? (I know some places have a 50" width restriction.)

I am looking at either Douglas Rokstars or the Vision 161 (Bruisers) with Swamplite tires. My riding will be on trails with some mud and rocks - little hard pack - but being in Maine I also need something that is good in the snow as I plan on plowing and using the machine to go on the lakes for ice fishing.

Here are some different combo's:

My Stock on Stock.


OIown12's Stock 489's on Vision 160's. Stock size 12x7 with stock 4+3 offset.


polarisman600's 26" Mudlites on SS106's. Wheel offset is 3+4.


bytor's 27" OutlawMST's on Vision 159's. From bytor "I like the looks and the tires are good in all conditions. I do like the mud and they hook up and clean great. Fairly smooth on the hard packed too. As jumbo stated though, my width is now about 53" which may be a problem in certain places."


Vince's 26" Swamplites on the 12" Polaris Deluxe Wheels. 26x10x12 for the front and 26x12x12 for the rear with 1 1/2" spacers on the front and back on the existing 12" stock rim (Polaris Deluxe)


On the right is Vince's ITP 27" XTR Mud Lites on 14" ITP rims.


ivplay Swamplites on Stock wheels. From ivplay "As for the ride they are very good, they pull excellent in the mud or where ever you put them. The 10 inch on the front required me to have to flip the tie rod ends but thats all"


mcfly682's 27" ITP Mudlite XTRs on 14" Vision 161 Bruisers. From mcfly682 "Lemme tell ya, these things kick serious ass in the slop but are a little rough on hard pack. Regardless of any downfalls they may have, theyre way better than the stock Carlisle crapola"


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'08 Sportsman X2 500EFI - Red/Black, Polaris 3500 Winch, Front Brushguard and Rack Extender, Dual Cargo Bags, Passenger Floorboard Risers, Front Spring Coil Spacers, Moose Rm3 Plow (60").
'05 Son
'02 Son
'99 Daughter
'88 Honda Shadow 800
'70 Wife

Edited: 05/09/2008 at 05:54 AM by *5 J's*

I put Vision 160s on my 2007 X2. Stock size 12x7 with same 4+3 offset. I kept the stock tires for the time being. Plan to replace those with 26" ITP Terracross in the fall.

I have some before and afters on my photo page.

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2007 X2
Vision 160 Wheels
Xtreme 3000 Winch
3 Headlight Mod.
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XR70R - "The Clown Bike"

Edited: 05/02/2008 at 08:41 AM by OIown12

Mornin *5 J's*
I like these http://motoalliance.com/index.cfm/pageid/227, They might not all completely round but they will replace em if there not. Price is good and they do hold up well. Here's what they look like on mine.
There 6 ply.

-------------------------
"Fear nothin but God"
06 Sportsman X2 500

Edited: 05/02/2008 at 08:48 AM by hobbles

OIown12 - nice looking ride - I like the looks of those wheels. I had looked at the Terracross but read that the tread doesn't empty well. As I live in Maine this would be an issue in the snow. The Kenda Bounty hunters look similiar to the stock - but seem a little more aggressive and have a nice side lug. The Swamplites follow the same design but are even more aggressive. A lot of people seem to rave about the Maxxis Bighorns - I just not sure if I like the looks. I would like to see them on a machine.

hobbles - how does that tread pattern work for you. What type of riding do you do? Do you have a side shot of your ride? (by the way your link to motoalliance captured a comma so it won't work without removing the comma)

No spacers used in either setup I take it.

Anybody else?

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'08 Sportsman X2 500EFI - Red/Black, Polaris 3500 Winch, Front Brushguard and Rack Extender, Dual Cargo Bags, Passenger Floorboard Risers, Front Spring Coil Spacers, Moose Rm3 Plow (60").
'05 Son
'02 Son
'99 Daughter
'88 Honda Shadow 800
'70 Wife

I just put on 26" itp mudlite xtr's. They are mounted on itp SS 106 rims. I believe the offset is 3+4. So far I love them. I have a pic. of them under my page. Also if you are going to go with a wider tire in the front you might have trouble with them clearing the tie rod. You can either buy new rims with a different offset of relocate the tie rod end.

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2004.5 Sportsman 600
ITP Mudlite XTR tires
ITP SS 106 rims
Warn 2.5ci winch
K&N air filter
EPI sport utility clutch
Dyno Jet Kit
Pure Polaris exhaust
Pure Polaris handguards
Kolpin rear storage box
Ram GPS holder
Driving lights
Warn backup light
Front and rear tube bumpers
Glacier Plow System
ATV alarm
SHO-ME LED, by the inch, light

afternoon *5 J's*
I like the tread on mine. It's not as smooth on the pavement as stock, but they do good other wise.
side view
After 700 miles
They work good
I parked here to take a picture.
All in all, I like em.

no spacers. On stock rim's.

-------------------------
"Fear nothin but God"
06 Sportsman X2 500

Edited: 05/02/2008 at 05:23 PM by hobbles

hobbles - looks like they'll do whatever you need them to do - even swim. Thanks for the info.

Anybody else have different combo's?

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'08 Sportsman X2 500EFI - Red/Black, Polaris 3500 Winch, Front Brushguard and Rack Extender, Dual Cargo Bags, Passenger Floorboard Risers, Front Spring Coil Spacers, Moose Rm3 Plow (60").
'05 Son
'02 Son
'99 Daughter
'88 Honda Shadow 800
'70 Wife

I'm using the stock 26" radials. I bought mud tires once and it was a complete waste of money. I never needed anything other than stock tires to go through mud and water up to the seat. When the mud was so deep I framed out, I just rocked side to side until one tire bit in, and I was outta there.

I couldn't even go down the 50" trails in here Michigan if I had wheel spacers. Like I tell everyone else stick with the stock tires to see how they perform. THEN if you don't like them, get something different. My best friend wouldn't listen to me and now he has three sets of wheels and tires for his Grizzly. Including 27" Mud Lites on ITP rims, that he NEVER uses, but hauls them around in his trailer everywhere, just in case. SOME DAY, he MIGHT try to go through the swamp I went through two years ago. I went through alone and a dozen of my friends went around. That was the one time in my life I needed mud tires.

Most mud tires don't ride as nice on hard packed dirt either. I saw one quad with Greenball Gators or something like that and you could actually see the quad going up and down, bumpity bump, on smooth ground. If you do get mud tires make sure there's a lot of tread at the centerline to avoid that. My Goodyear MudRunners were nice but they roto-tilled the trail behind me. It looked like a farmer was getting ready to plant two rows.

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2006 Sportsman 500 EFI with winch, Glacier Plow, Lock & Ride backrest, front brushguard, rear bumper, 8" rear rack extension, thumb-warmer, 3-headlight kit, RAM mount for Garmin GPS 12.

Evo 2X 50cc 2-speed powerboard (scooter) with Power Pipe, velocity stack, ADA Racing air filter, bigger drive gear. Only 55 pounds with 6 HP.

2001 Chevy Siverado half-ton 4x4, regular cab, long bed, Leer fiberglass cap, an old mutt in the passenger seat.

I've got 27" Outlaw MST's on Vision 159 wheels. I like the looks and the tires are good in all conditions. I do like the mud and they hook up and clean great. Fairly smooth on the hard packed too. As jumbo stated though, my width is now about 53" which may be a problem in certain places.

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08 Sportsman 800EFI - Sunset Red, 27" Outlaw MST's on Vision 159 Wheels, 2500 Polaris Winch, MV7 Front Springs, Front Brushguard/Rear Bumper, Front/Rear Rack Extenders, 3 Headlight Mod, Reverse Light Mod, Water Temp Gauge, Reverse Override Switch, Polaris Hand Warmers, Polaris Hand Guards

Kenda Executioners look pretty good too. http://www.kendausa.com/atv/utility.html#executioner They should clean out really good since the spaces are way bigger than the lugs. Better than 589s judging by the picture.

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2006 Sportsman 500 EFI with winch, Glacier Plow, Lock & Ride backrest, front brushguard, rear bumper, 8" rear rack extension, thumb-warmer, 3-headlight kit, RAM mount for Garmin GPS 12.

Evo 2X 50cc 2-speed powerboard (scooter) with Power Pipe, velocity stack, ADA Racing air filter, bigger drive gear. Only 55 pounds with 6 HP.

2001 Chevy Siverado half-ton 4x4, regular cab, long bed, Leer fiberglass cap, an old mutt in the passenger seat.

I'm putting 26" Interco SwampLites on my X2 500 with 1 1/2" spacers front and back. I'll post a picture in the next day or so as my tires and spacers should both be ready to put on the bike tonight.

L8r,
Vince

Hobles,

What do you all do in that pond, fish from your quads? LOL..LOL

Wow, I wouldn't of thought they were good water/mud tires. Okay your
just making my decisions on the Mudlites harder! Decisions Decisions!

R'

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Quads: 08'800 Sport Stealth (Blk) - MINE | 06'450 Sport (Ylw) - WIFE

Add-ons: Warn2.5ci Winch/Brush Guard&R.Bmper/F&R BG Rack Ext.
H.Guards/M-Dog Grips/K&N Air Filter/3-H.light MOD/R.Wrk.Lights

PICS|VIDEO

Mornin RticKwad
I know what you mean bout Decisions. There are some nice tires out , but man are some expensive. And some of those are only 2 or 4 ply.

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"Fear nothin but God"
06 Sportsman X2 500

I wouldn't really anything less than 6-ply. You don't want to poke a hole in those expensive tires. And if you want good tires, get radials. They work good on quads because you get a bigger footprint and better traction. They don't change shape according to how much air is in them either.

One time when I was playing in a beaver pond I got a nail stuck in my tire and ended up having to plug it. A NAIL in a BEAVER POND. I knew they were good builders but I never knew they used nails.

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2006 Sportsman 500 EFI with winch, Glacier Plow, Lock & Ride backrest, front brushguard, rear bumper, 8" rear rack extension, thumb-warmer, 3-headlight kit, RAM mount for Garmin GPS 12.

Evo 2X 50cc 2-speed powerboard (scooter) with Power Pipe, velocity stack, ADA Racing air filter, bigger drive gear. Only 55 pounds with 6 HP.

2001 Chevy Siverado half-ton 4x4, regular cab, long bed, Leer fiberglass cap, an old mutt in the passenger seat.

Well I picked up my X2 Saturday - got out for while last night, stock tires rode good. One thing I need to consider is that the stock X2 will just fit on my 4x8 trailer. If I go with a different tire or wheel I may have to get a new trailer.

I still like the looks of the Vision 161 or Douglas Rokstar wheels - but I guess once that are covered with mud - you won't be able to notice them anyways. Does anyone have a picture of the Rokstars on a Sportsman?

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'08 Sportsman X2 500EFI - Red/Black, Polaris 3500 Winch, Front Brushguard and Rack Extender, Dual Cargo Bags, Passenger Floorboard Risers, Front Spring Coil Spacers, Moose Rm3 Plow (60").
'05 Son
'02 Son
'99 Daughter
'88 Honda Shadow 800
'70 Wife

Vince - looking forward to the pics of the swamplites. What wheels are you mounting them on? Do you need spacers or is that just for a wider stance? Can you check the width of the rear after you get the swamplites on?

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'08 Sportsman X2 500EFI - Red/Black, Polaris 3500 Winch, Front Brushguard and Rack Extender, Dual Cargo Bags, Passenger Floorboard Risers, Front Spring Coil Spacers, Moose Rm3 Plow (60").
'05 Son
'02 Son
'99 Daughter
'88 Honda Shadow 800
'70 Wife

I like the looks of the Maxxis 4X4. There's kind of an elegant simplicity to them. Nothing too fancy but it's one of the strongest looking wheels I've seen. Some of the other wheels look too delicate for the kind of beating I dish out. http://www.maxxis.com/products...duct_detail.asp?id=323

I just checked my motosport.com catalog and the Maxxis wheels cost more than Rokstars. I guess it's because of that little bit of black paint. I never bought anything from these guys but they sell all kinds of different combinations of wheels and tires, mounted, or separately. As for tires, a set of Executioners costs $300 and Mud Lites cost over $500. $200+ still buys a lot of gas even at today's high prices. Executioners look like they can handle a lot more mud than Mud Lites can too. You can go here and enter the quad infomation and it tells you what fits. http://www.motosport.com/offro...l&pcatName=ATV%20Parts

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2006 Sportsman 500 EFI with winch, Glacier Plow, Lock & Ride backrest, front brushguard, rear bumper, 8" rear rack extension, thumb-warmer, 3-headlight kit, RAM mount for Garmin GPS 12.

Evo 2X 50cc 2-speed powerboard (scooter) with Power Pipe, velocity stack, ADA Racing air filter, bigger drive gear. Only 55 pounds with 6 HP.

2001 Chevy Siverado half-ton 4x4, regular cab, long bed, Leer fiberglass cap, an old mutt in the passenger seat.

Edited: 05/07/2008 at 11:20 AM by jumbofrank

Those Maxxis 4x4's look nice. I guess I have to add the Maxxis to the "potentials" list. I like the elegant simplicity also - one of the reasons I liked the Rokstars. The Vision 161's have a bunch of nook and crannies I'm not a big fan of. While I want a strong wheel that won't leave me stranded the Vision Wheels do have a lifetime warranty. "If you ever break or crack a Vision ATV wheel, Vision will replace the wheel free of charge."

The Executioners certainly look like that will handle a lot more mud - but I bet they would be a little rough on hardpack.

Another site that sells wheel/tire combo's is http://www.atvoutfitters.net/tires.htm. A 26" set of Swamplites on RokStars costs $538. ($438 for the same tires on an ITP Delta Steel Wheel).

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'08 Sportsman X2 500EFI - Red/Black, Polaris 3500 Winch, Front Brushguard and Rack Extender, Dual Cargo Bags, Passenger Floorboard Risers, Front Spring Coil Spacers, Moose Rm3 Plow (60").
'05 Son
'02 Son
'99 Daughter
'88 Honda Shadow 800
'70 Wife

Edited: 05/07/2008 at 11:57 AM by *5 J's*

I'll have the photos of the Swamplites tonight... finished them off last night but it was kinda late and dark out.

Vince

Thanks Vince - I am looking forward to seeing the pics. What wheels? Why an offset?

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'08 Sportsman X2 500EFI - Red/Black, Polaris 3500 Winch, Front Brushguard and Rack Extender, Dual Cargo Bags, Passenger Floorboard Risers, Front Spring Coil Spacers, Moose Rm3 Plow (60").
'05 Son
'02 Son
'99 Daughter
'88 Honda Shadow 800
'70 Wife