[RICHIE AHERN]

Not thrilled with the factory tires that came on the Kodak 450. 2 ply CVT grip well but handle terrible. Was looking at replacing them with ITP Mud Lites or Kenda Bearclaws. Before i take the plunge I thought i would ask for recommendations. I do mostly trail riding, lots of rocks, tree limbs and medium to soft pack dirt. An occasional mud hole but 80 percent is incline trial riding 20 % really soft stuff or mud. Lots of hills near me so i'm always either going up or down an incline of sorts. Thanks for any and all your help.

 

[CanadianKodiak700]

grab a set of knockoff bighorns. awesome all around tire.

 

[Vincent]

I have no personal experience with Mud Lites but I've often heard them referred to as Plug Lites.

 

[RICHIE AHERN]

Thanks for the input. I will definitely look into what’s available locally. The tread pattern on the Bighorns look more geared to hard packed trails but hard to disagree with experience. Thanks again

 

[RICHIE AHERN]

Enough said. Thanks Vincent

 

[JimP]

I would stay away from the mud type tires such as the Mud Lites. I had a set on my old 400 and they started to come apart at the ribs and I mostly ride like you on the trails and rocks.

 

[Primethious]

These guys did a 25 tire shootout on a Kodiak 700.
Here is the top 8 from that test.

I have the slingshots in my sights for when I change tires.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-x-8-12-AMS-Slingshot-XT-Tire/332798537693?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-x-10-12-AMS-Slingshot-XT-Tire/323494690508?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

[[email protected]]

I got the ITP mudlites XTR a year ago, and they have been great.They are a aggressive 6ply that after a little riding are much smoother riding than the factory tires. Not sure why someone would refer them as pluglights. I've never had them hold any mud. I have zero regrets. A friend of mine bought some ten years ago,and they are about 60% tread. He highly recommended them, and I'm happy I took his advice. Good luck!

 

[outbackandy]

These guys did a 25 tire shootout on a Kodiak 700.
Here is the top 8 from that test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8DRIbF2P0Q
I have the slingshots in my sights for when I change tires.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-x-8-12-AMS-Slingshot-XT-Tire/332798537693?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-x-10-12-AMS-Slingshot-XT-Tire/323494690508?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I would like to see the whole test and see what tire won the best in the hill climb ?

 

[outbackandy]

Best hill climbing tire

I looked up this test and see the Mars TG Q373 was the winner in the hill climb , the Quadboss QBT671 came in second, But why they didn't test any of the Maxxis tires ? and not the Maxxis Bighorn ??? for a base line they should of started with the stock Maxxis tire and then compare it to the rest of the line. A cheap test as I see it. :frown2:

 

[Vincent]

I got the ITP mudlites XTR a year ago, and they have been great.They are a aggressive 6ply that after a little riding are much smoother riding than the factory tires. Not sure why someone would refer them as pluglights. I've never had them hold any mud. I have zero regrets. A friend of mine bought some ten years ago,and they are about 60% tread. He highly recommended them, and I'm happy I took his advice. Good luck!

I was referring to the Bias ply Mudlite version with the softer rubber compound.

I also owned the Radial Mudlite XTR version for 2000 miles. Good tires overall and wear like iron but mine always had some handle bar shakes on hard surfaces.

That said, I now run PitBull Growlers and will probably never run anything else.

 

[RICHIE AHERN]

I appreciate all the responses. As I do more research I find that tire weight is all over the place and should come into consideration being I’m not springing for a clutch kit anytime soon. The AMS Slingshots are nice tires but seem a bit heavy. Is an extra 5-10 pounds a tire going to make that much of a difference in my clutching? I’m going to stick to the same size tire but is adding that weight of 40 to 50 pounds in just tires going to affect my low end? I guess going from a 2 ply to a 6 ply is going to add weight but keeping it to a minimum a good idea or not worth considering?

 

[Vincent]

I appreciate all the responses. As I do more research I find that tire weight is all over the place and should come into consideration being I’m not springing for a clutch kit anytime soon. The AMS Slingshots are nice tires but seem a bit heavy. Is an extra 5-10 pounds a tire going to make that much of a difference in my clutching? I’m going to stick to the same size tire but is adding that weight of 40 to 50 pounds in just tires going to affect my low end? I guess going from a 2 ply to a 6 ply is going to add weight but keeping it to a minimum a good idea or not worth considering?

Any 6ply aftermarket tire is going to weigh 5lbs to 15lbs more per tire then the factory ones. It's no biggy, you "Mite" feel a bit less off the line power gaining 40-50lbs of tire mass, but the gains are well worth it! Your bike has more then enough power to pull much larger tires without any clutch work, so sticking will the factory 25" size tires will be a non issue. AMS slingshot would be an excellent choice. If your really are that concerned about weight consider Maxxis Zillas or Bighorns 2.0.

I only have a 37hp 550 Grizzly, though I do have a Coop45 machined sheave. The point is I have Much less power then you and my bike turns much heavier 26" PitBull Growlers with Zero problems! My front 9" tires actually weigh 29lbs each, and 11" rears are 37lbs each. That's 132lbs of tire! Like I've already mentioned earlier, in my case, I will probably never run a different tire.

 

[Nomad]

I wanted to go up 27" when I decided to upgrade. I chose the mud zillas based on several recommendations and due to their weight. I experienced no power loss and they are not wearing near as fast as the originals. I will buy them again.

 

[Primethious]

Perhaps the test wasn't every tire, but it was very big.
I agree that they should have tested a stock set of tires to give a baseline.
The Bighorn should have been in the mix. A lot of guys run them.

I run mountain trails with some rocks and gravel roads, but it may be next spring before I need to replace the stock tires.

 

[Vincent]

Perhaps the test wasn't every tire, but it was very big.
I agree that they should have tested a stock set of tires to give a baseline.
The Bighorn should have been in the mix. A lot of guys run them.

I run mountain trails with some rocks and gravel roads, but it may be next spring before I need to replace the stock tires.

I also found that odd that such hugely popular tires like Maxxis Bighorn originals and 2.0 version wasn't part of the shootout.

Another point is as good as the tests were they don't represent every situation. I rode with a Suzuki King quad 500 with 25" AMS Slingshots last winter. It quickly became obvious to the both of us that my 550 Grizz with heavier 26" PitBulll Growlers had the superior tire for our Canadian winter conditions. My bike simply made everything look easier.

 

[Primethious]

I also found that odd that such hugely popular tires like Maxxis Bighorn originals and 2.0 version wasn't part of the shootout.

Another point is as good as the tests were they don't represent every situation. I rode with a Suzuki King quad 500 with 25" AMS Slingshots last winter. It quickly became obvious to the both of us that my 550 Grizz with heavier 26" PitBulll Growlers had the superior tire for our Canadian winter conditions. My bike simply made everything look easier.

It's good to hear that you have run both tires.. The Pit Bull Growlers make great winter tires. Huh!
Any comparison experiences on other surfaces?
I'm always going over rocks, sticks, logs, gravel, hills, and in the winter there will be some snow.
How are the PBG's wearing?

 

[Vincent]

​

It's good to hear that you have run both tires.. The Pit Bull Growlers make great winter tires. Huh!
Any comparison experiences on other surfaces?
I'm always going over rocks, sticks, logs, gravel, hills, and in the winter there will be some snow.
How are the PBG's wearing?

I've accumulated 1500 miles in 9 months on my PBG. They've warn down 1/8 of an inch in the center of the rears tires.

Sounds like your riding in the same area as me! Lol. My area is all rocks, logs, swamps, sand, hills, skeg, gravel, grass, logging roads, in winter 3+ ft of snow etc.......Traction is ALWAYS amazing! They track streight and run smooth, as in zero handle bar shakes. They also steer very well. Don't have the "push" threw corners that I read Bighorns owners talk about.

I do 2000 miles of aggressive year round riding so a tough, durable, do it all tire was important to me. After much much research I kept reading the same thing from 95% owners. "Once you run PitBull Growlers or Rockers , you'll never run anything else". Also note mine are the slightly less expensive made in China version called the Growler BG2.5.

Here are pix of me testing my new tires back in February. Coming from Mudlite XTRs witch were terrible in snow, the PB Growlers felt almost unstoppable. As long as I didn't get hung up. Once I did, 10 min of shoveling and away I went again! Lol Needless to say I was impressed.

 

[Buckmaster]

Vincent, do you plow with the PBG's?


Also...to everyone: do you have a recommendation on where to buy new rims for the best price? I dented one of my factory rims and I am thinking of buying new "tougher" rims. I don't need anything fancy, just durable and hopefully economical too. All responses are very much appreciated!

 

[Nomad]

Vincent, do you plow with the PBG's?


Also...to everyone: do you have a recommendation on where to buy new rims for the best price? I dented one of my factory rims and I am thinking of buying new "tougher" rims. I don't need anything fancy, just durable and hopefully economical too. All responses are very much appreciated!

VYou can usually buy factory take offs for good deals at the dealer. Keep in mind that aftermarket rims are generally heavy enough to cause a noticeable power loss.