Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. Lots of good info here. I found a good deal on a non current 2016 foot shift Rubicon this weekend and will be heading to the dealership to pick it up next Friday.
I have decided the first modification I'll be doing is new tires. I decided on Bearclaw HTR's. After reading what feels like about 100 posts about these tires on here, I still have some questions. I chose the HTR because it sounds like a great "do it all tire," and that's what I need. In the area I live I hit pavement, loose gravel road, hard pack, and some light mud (but nothing too serious.) My main concern is ground clearance as there are a lot of downed trees and rocks around here. I am coming off of a 2007 Sportsman with 26" tires and I have never had clearance issues (nearly 11.5"). The 2016 Rubicon is advertised to have roughly 7.3" in the front and 8.5" in the rear.
1. Which size HTR is right for me?
I don't do any racing around or much high speed stuff, but I don't want to be bogged down by extra tire weight when pulling a load or getting through mud on occasion. It looks like there's a 15-20 pound increase with the 26" or 27". Is there anyone on here running these tires that wound up wishing they had gone with a smaller size due to power loss?
2. How do the 25",26", and 27" HTR's truly measure vs. the stock tires?
3. How much do the bigger sizes affect handling at high and low speeds?
Basically what I'm trying to get at is: at what point does tire weight overcome the benefits of ground clearance of these larger tires on a small bore machine?
I apologize for the novel.. :grin
Thanks in advance.
I have decided the first modification I'll be doing is new tires. I decided on Bearclaw HTR's. After reading what feels like about 100 posts about these tires on here, I still have some questions. I chose the HTR because it sounds like a great "do it all tire," and that's what I need. In the area I live I hit pavement, loose gravel road, hard pack, and some light mud (but nothing too serious.) My main concern is ground clearance as there are a lot of downed trees and rocks around here. I am coming off of a 2007 Sportsman with 26" tires and I have never had clearance issues (nearly 11.5"). The 2016 Rubicon is advertised to have roughly 7.3" in the front and 8.5" in the rear.
1. Which size HTR is right for me?
I don't do any racing around or much high speed stuff, but I don't want to be bogged down by extra tire weight when pulling a load or getting through mud on occasion. It looks like there's a 15-20 pound increase with the 26" or 27". Is there anyone on here running these tires that wound up wishing they had gone with a smaller size due to power loss?
2. How do the 25",26", and 27" HTR's truly measure vs. the stock tires?
3. How much do the bigger sizes affect handling at high and low speeds?
Basically what I'm trying to get at is: at what point does tire weight overcome the benefits of ground clearance of these larger tires on a small bore machine?
I apologize for the novel.. :grin
Thanks in advance.