after a lot of research and debating I purchased a set of xtrs 4 my 06 sportsman 500.ive heard from several reviews that they ride smooth on hardpack and on roads if u have to ride from trail to trail.they seem great around my property but I cant go above 15 mph on asphalt without serious shaking and side ti side wandering.i need to be able to ride a mile or two to the trails and these are horrible.has anyone had luck with having them balanced or am I wasting my money?my pxt radials were pretty smooth up to 50 mph.i expected some dropoff but not this much.i tried different air pressures,didnt help.26x12x11,26x12x9 on stock rims

 

I have 27inch XTRs on 14inch rims. IMO they are just about the smoothest mud tire that I've tested but they still have a bit of shake at low speeds on blacktop. They won't be as smooth as stockers or true trail tires because the lugs are still 1.25 inches deep. Compared to a set of bias ply mud bugs or Zilla, the XTRs ride like a cloud. If you want a smooth riding tire I'd suggest you look at bighorns or Bajacross' but you won't get the same performance in the mud obviously

 

Short lug tires are smoother riding on packed or paved roads but tall lug tires have more bite for traction on snow,mud,sand and softer dirt.

I would put up with some vibration on a road to have improved traction once I get to the conditions where 90% of my riding will be.

26" XRT have a much taller 1.12" lug while a Bighorn has a short 0.78" lug so of course they will be smoother on pavement.

Don,t worry once you put a 1000 miles or so on your XRT they will be as bald as new BigHorns and riding smoother on pavement as well.

On pavement I just keep the ATV in the back of the truck or car tailer until the roads turns into a tight rough ATV trail.
Can,t get a smoother ride on a road then a pickup truck.

 

Give them some time. A lot of the vibration is the leading edge of the lugs before they get worn some. I had a set that had about 2500 miles on them. They were a little rough at first but after a few hundred miles they smoothed out. Hopefully yours will do the same.

 

The more tread in the middle the better. They shouldn't be too bad since they have a decent amount of tread there. That can make a huge difference between those and other tires. Some aren't just kind of bad they're horrible on pavement or hard pack trails.

 

man- if you think xtr's are rough...... lol
just about every atv tire with any "bite" will feel bumpy on tar- they are made for dirt, not tar.

the longer the center lugs (front to back)- the smoother the ride. the less space between one lug to the next = smoother ride.

but- I hate xtr's (I've owned a couple of sets) and I'd never buy them again. there's a dozen other tires I'd try. imo.

 

 

I have to ask what air pressure you are running in your XTRs. the more pressure the harder the ride. I run 5psi in mine and love them.

 

Good point- I run between 3-5psi depending on terrain. Anything over 7psi in those XTR's will feel hard.

 

I started at 5 lbs,then 7,then 9.i felt no difference.i thought the side to side wanderind was due to the lugs but when I put it up in the air It ran smooth till about 15 mph then the shaking began and it started kicking side 2 side and walking off the jack.that was just in 2wd.i could feel the bars pulling side 2 side hard too.i wasn't expecting smooth but if this is the best they get I don't think anyone would brag about how smooth they are.they are bordering on uncontrollable.im wondering if they have water or some kind of liquid in them from mounting