[Retired1]

I am ready to buy new ITP Bajacross tires. I have the option of buying narrower tires for the front and wider tires for the rear or all 4 being the same size. My new rims are all four 7x14 size (my OEM rims were 7x14 front and 8x14 rear).

On my Jeep, I run all the same size tires. UTV tires are a new horizon for me. I understand that the narrower tires will make steering effort a bit less and maybe wander a bit less, but I am looking at 26x10x14 & 26x11x14. I can put the 26x10x14s on the front and the 26x11x14s on the rear or all 4 the same. Reading and researching the narrower tires in front & wider tires on the rear seems to be the norm for UTVs. That said, I am inclined to go with all 4 tires being the same size (either size will work for me I believe).

What are the pros & cons I am not seeing here? Suggestions & recommendations will be welcomed.

 

[sandchris]

My opinion is to keep it as light as possible. So 4 fronts would be lighter. 4 rears would look beefier but would be heavy. And fatter rears and skinny fronts seems to be the norm.



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[Desertcat]

I run 26x9x14 and love them. I can rotate them to get the best wear if I find myself ridding an alot of pavement. For me they work good.



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[Mustanggeek]

Seth, your setup seems to work just fine and you can rotate. I like the bigger tire in the back myself. Either way.

 

[Desertcat]

Sandy soft ground the wider back tire will stay on top better.



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[ElkoTrailRider]

Hi Terry:

I put the BajaCross tires on my 650 earlier this year, and I asked Pat McGuire (ITP Product Development Race Support) about narrow on the rear. He asked why I would do this, and I said I had heard that people on Rhinos were having better handling and fewer broken axles. He said that the tires are only an inch wider on the rear, so that doesn't seem to be a big deal regarding handling, and with respect to broken axles, well it is usually the nut behind the wheel. So, I went with the wider tires on the rear.

I now have 1600 miles on the tires, and I am very happy. The BajaCross design and material makes them handle more like a bike, so you can slide the rear end out on turns. They are incredibly stable at high speeds on gravel roads, with a lot less float than some other tires. They also wear magnificently! ITP likes to see you run 12-15 psi in these, which makes them a tad harder riding than tires run at 7-10psi.

The only place where other tires have been better than these is in deep mud and snow. In those instances, the guys with ITP TerraCross tires did better than I did. But those conditions are such a minor part of my riding that it is of no concern. I like the durability (tread wear and reduced flats) and handling of these tires a lot.

So, FWIW, I would stay with wider on the rear.

Bob

 

[Darryl89]

Terry, I would also add that the larger rear tire will give you better acceleration than the skinny tire, due to more traction to the ground. The skinnier tire will break loose under power in corners sooner than the wider tire. With the power of your XTZ, this might be a factor. I know my XTZ has enough power to easily break the rear tires loose on most any corner.

I don't really think the extra inch on either side will cause axle problems, not near as much as taller tires would. Plus, wider is more stable....

 

[Retired1]

Hmmm, just when I thought I had made a final decision, along comes the thought as follows:


The 2 sizes available to me are 26x10x14 and 26x11x14. Rather than have all four at 10" or the front tires 10" and the rear 11".


If an inch is not going to make a BIG difference, why not have all four be the 11" tires? That way I would be able to rotate wear and have 2 11" OEM spares from my OEM set and I'd be able to sell the 3 9" OEM fronts I have now to other folks as spares? Does this make sense?

 

[ElkoTrailRider]

Terry, there may be a clearance issue in the front. Also, a slightly narrower tire in the front will probably provide a bit more ground pressure, so that you don't push the front end as you try to turn. Darryl might have more insight; he definitely knows a lot about this stuff!

 

[Desertcat]

Terry, there may be a clearance issue in the front. Also, a slightly narrower tire in the front will probably provide a bit more ground pressure, so that you don't push the front end as you try to turn. Darryl might have more insight; he definitely knows a lot about this stuff!

On a side note how do you guys like your Bils shocks?



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[ElkoTrailRider]

On a side note how do you guys like your Bils shocks?

Right now, I am not happy with them. However, Cat n hat gave me a contact at Microtouch, so hopefully I can get some satisfaction (unlike Jagger, I hope). Here is my story: I ordered them according to the instructions, which allows them to be set up specific to the weight, etc. you have. When the shocks arrived, they just needed to be bolted in. After setting the machine down on the tires, the A-arms were horizontal, which I didn't mind, but my ground clearance was down to about 10" (anyone that has ridden at Moab with only 10" clearance knows about dragging A LOT).

The ride was great, and the handling was better. I just needed to get my clearance back, so I cranked the springs down. Now I have 12" clearance, but the springs are very short. So, the ride isn't as good, and I think I have a lot less suspension travel (Darryl has been schooling me up on this stuff, which is helping a bunch).

What really made me upset was that even after sending Bilstein a real live snail mail letter, they would not make any effort to contact me to help me out. Now that Cat n hat has provided a contact, I am hopeful. If I can't get this resolved, I reckon the Kings might be next on the machine.

 

[Retired1]

My ITP true beadlock wheels just arrived. They look impressive. l haven't made a decision on the tire sizes yet. I will probably wait until next available weekend so I can try fit the beadlock rims and look at my clearances. Having 1.5" wheel spacers already installed, I don't expect any problems.

At the moment, I am leaning toward 11" wide tires all way around - keeping my two 11" OEM rears as emergency spares and selling the 3 front 9" tire and wheel assemblies to others to use as spares. My next choice is to use 10" all way round - keep one 9" OEM wheel/tire as a spare and sell my OEM wheels & tires as a complete set. Last one is buy 2 more beadlocks and tires to match the tires and beadlocks I am going to put on and use them as spares.

 

[Retired1]

I made the decision - I went with the 26"x10"x14" ITP BajaCross tires on the 7"x14" ITP True Beadlock rims. Photos soon (it's too cold for me to work outside here right now).

 

[prowlerbob]

Different tires sizes front and rear. A real dilemna. How about this. With the cats the wheel width are different also front to rear. So, if you go with same size tires it changes the overall diameter of tire because of wheel differences.The wheels are what makes up the tie rod clearances. There are offset issues, so when changing tire sizes and wheels front to rear, be sure and check clearances. Just a thought!

 

[Retired1]

Different tires sizes front and rear. A real dilemna. How about this. With the cats the wheel width are different also front to rear. So, if you go with same size tires it changes the overall diameter of tire because of wheel differences.The wheels are what makes up the tie rod clearances. There are offset issues, so when changing tire sizes and wheels front to rear, be sure and check clearances. Just a thought!

I guess I don't see me having the issues you mention. I have 4 new tires - all the same size - in the same diameter as OEM, on 4 new wheels of all the same width - having the same diameter and offset as OEM. The rollout is virtually the same as the rollout on the OEM tires and wheels. There are no clearance issues as the new tires and wheels fit where the OEM tires and wheels were. The ONLY differences are: my new front tires are 1" wider than OEM and my new back tires are 1" narrower than OEM.

 

[prowlerbob]

can't say much about that, but the front and rear OEM wheels are not interchangeable.Fronts will fit on back ,but rear won't fit on front.This is why if your going to carry a spare, it should be a front.

 

[Darryl89]

can't say much about that, but the front and rear OEM wheels are not interchangeable.Fronts will fit on back ,but rear won't fit on front.This is why if your going to carry a spare, it should be a front.

That's because of the offset of the OEM rims and the width of the tire causing interference when turning. Terry should be fine with the setup he is using. I have 10inch wide tires on the front of my XTZ for over 160 miles now and no rubbing at all.

 

[Retired1]

With the backspacing being .5" less on my new ITP wheels, the new wheels being .5" wider than OEM, plus my 1.5" wheel spacers, the centerline of my new 10" wide tires is 2.25" further out from the hub than the OEM wheels. They will easily clear without the spacers also.

I also have 2 spare wheel and tire assemblies now - one for the right side, one for the left side.