Helpful tips:
Tall tires for hill-climbing
May 5, 2005 – Occasionally the ATVA answers questions that may be on the minds of a lot of riders. Here's one we received, and the answer may help you.
I own a 2001 Arctic Cat 400 4x4, and my stock tires are shot. I want to go to a taller tire, but I don’t know how tall I can go without losing my low second gear hill-climbing ability?
Who better to answer this question then 11-time Grand National Cross Country Champion Mike Penlan.
Mike: We will have to assume that you haven’t made any performance enhancements to your ATV—no pipe, carburetor or air box modifications—and your ATV is basically stock.
One of the first things you need to remember is to make sure you replace all four tires as a matched set. Mismatched tire sizes or tread patterns is a big mistake. Don’t do it!
Another thing to remember is we don’t know how steep or how long the hills are that you will be climbing, the type of soil or rocks on the hills, or your personal riding ability. All of these make a difference.
Your ATV should have come with 24-inch tires. If your engine is still running good and making good power, you should be able to go up one size to 26-inch tires. I don’t think you will notice much of a difference in the lower gears.
If your ATV is down on power and needs a tune-up you may notice your ATV not pulling quite as hard at full throttle.
Another thing to think about is what tread pattern to choose. Currently the U.S. Forest Service is doing research on ATV tire tread design and what effect it has on trails. It does not look good for large lug, aggressive treads. In the future, we could be faced with tire restrictions in the national forest.
I am very fortunate in that I can run any tire I want, and when I race, the tire that I choose is the Maxxis Big Horn. They give me all the traction I need in mud, rocks, snow, you name it. Another big advantage is that the Big Horns are durable. I use them to run Baja.