[Snowman7]

Rookie here, just bought a 96 Foreman with stock 11" rims.It looks like changing to 12" is a common thing to do.Will I have any problems with 26 10 12 and 26 12 12 tires.This is basically going to stay on my property and move snow and haul wood.Maybe an occasional trail ride.Thank you for any input.It is dizzying looking at all the tire options.Plowing some snow is going to be on the top of this old workhorses priority list.

Doug from Boyne Falls,MI

 

[bryanc5712]

You should be fine running 26's, one of my mates has 27's on his and hasnt had any issues, oh and by the way welcome!! im new myself, lots of knowledgeable people on this site who can pretty much answer any honda atv related question

 

[Goober]

10 on the front seems wide
Foreman that year sits pretty low you're gonna have to lift it

 

[mrbb]

OK, I own a 99, same atv, bought it new in 1998(had 3 at one time too all 400's)
I went from stock 24's to 25's and they rubbed the front inner fender liner(plastic liner), I added a 1-1/2 inch lift and problem solved on tire clearance, so, to run 36's, your going to need a lift for sure?/
NEXT, I work my atv, pull heavy trailers and plow snow alot!
I personally noticed a LOSS in power going from the 24's to the 25's
I could NO longer do the same things as easy or in the same gear as before
I do NOT know where you live, but if you get a LOT of snow, your going to notice the power loss going to a 26 over a stock 24, there is NO way around this!
unless you plan to do a GR, or your happy with the power loss??, I wouldn;t go to 26's on mine doing what I do with my atv, just not worth the 1/2 inch of ground clearance!

YOU can still BUY tires in the 11 inch wheels too, so, you do NOT need to change wheels
I run 589's and have been great all over, (again in 25's 8 inch fronts 10" rears) they can be had on E bay(or used to) for pretty cheap too in a 11 inch wheel yet!

and my tires are about 10 yrs old now, and still about 50 % tread and about 5,000 miles on them!

 

[bryanc5712]

Edit* Sorry i read that wrong thought you meant the 450 foreman my apologies,,,

 

[SamUK]

In a nutshell, the more grip you gain the less power you'll have. Going taller and wider means more rubber on the ground, more rubber on the ground means more grip. Plus the circumference being larger giving you a higher ratio at the wheels.

I fell hook, line and sinker for the 'bigger is better' theory and cost myself 400gbp! I have no experience with your model Honda but knowing the knowledge that is available on here is certainly wait and hear a few other opinions before I made a purchase.

Personally for heavy work I'd stick with 24's.

 

[Goober]

I have a 99 Foreman 400 at the job real reliable. Use it for plowing snow and off road property work. It is low and drags the plow mount on hillcrests. I have stock wheels n 24 in mudlites. Have a spare set of 25s in the shop but haven't tried em on there yet.
I think if you're plowing on stock rubber you'll be good but if you're pulling a little trailer for hauling wood or pulling logs those bigger tires will reduce your performance.

 

[Snowman7]

Glad I stumbled upon you guys!I was totally ignorant of small tire changes having the ability to rob that much power.
Thanks, I am going back to the drawing board.

 

[mrbb]

I tow heavy, I plow a LOT (most winters a 5+ mile trail system I try and keep open about 15 ft wide)
I plow dirt gravel, stone and you name it, I pull a Harrow, a disc, and a small like plow making food plots, I work the crap out of my 400
IMO< 25's is as tall as I would go
YES I felt a LITTLE loss going from 24 to 25's
but overall I am happy with the 25's, I would NOT go back to gain the small power I loss

25's are a nice sized tire , and way more options for you, main reason I went to them, were just too few decent tires to pic from in 24's to be honest for my liking!

Plowing snow is taxing to any atv, its mostly a first and second gear deal, so, some folks can live with more power loss than others, based on where and what all they plow
I plowed a drive way about a 1/2 mile long for 15+ yrs with mine on 25's, needed weight more times than I didn;t have enough power, but I still wouldn;t want to go taller than 25's on tires

like I first said, it all comes down to how hard you WORK the atv and what you can live with or not!

with 25's, if you DON"T lift, your fronts will rub the inner front fender liners, lifts are simple and cheap
OR you can do the lift thru shocks
you can move your ATV"s stock rear shocks up front, and then get 450 foreman FRONT shocks for the REAR of your 400
that is one way to lift the front end and BACK, to keep it level like, I just did a lift back in 1999, and ZERO issues from doing so!

another thing you can do besides JUST a lift kit, and I recommend this for you here, is you can BUY a set of front shocks off EBAY for about a 100 bucks, BRONCO's, they are adjustable and when I got mine(due to breaking a spring on my OEM's) they were about 2 inches longer than STOCK front shocks, they then lifted my front end(had to remove the lift however) and since your ATv is 20+ yrs old, new front shocks would be a nice help to handling for you any how, killing two birds with one stone so to speak?

without a lift again, or longer front shocks(same thing) 25 and taller tires will rub on you!

 

[Snowman7]

Thanks again everyone!I was already thinking about shocks just because of the age.