Yet another "Will It Fit" question - 2003 TRX250EX

18410 Views 18 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Ballast, Feb 9, 2012

melsman

Discussion Starter · Jan 17, 2012 (Edited)

Well, I can't have something very long before I want to tinker with it... and after riding with the wife on Sunday, I realize she needs more aggressive tires on the rear of her 2003 250EX.

I like the Kenda K229 Bear Claw tires (have them on my Rancher), but the only 22" ht - 9" rim they make in the Bear Claw is a 22x12-9. The stock tires are a Dunlop 22x10-9 tire, thus 2 inches narrower. And I can not find any thread that addresses whether the wider 22x12-9 Bear Claws will fit satisfactorily on the stock rims or not. (I've been burning up the search function...) Nor can I find what width the stock rims are.

Any help would be appreciated.

Melsman

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TJT_Rav

· #2 · Jan 17, 2012 (Edited)

I'm running 27x12-12 Bear claws on 12x7.5 wheels on all four corners of my Rancher. My '10 Rzr S rims are 8" wide on the rear with 12" bighorns on them. Fronts are 6" with 9" bighorns, from the factory. You shouldn't have any problems with your rims. If you're still apprehensive, call a tire shop that deals with ATV tires. They'll be able to give you the pros and cons.

Helmut

· #3 · Jan 17, 2012

The width of the stock rims are 9 inches wide (9x9). A 12 inch wide tire should fit OK.

melsman

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 17, 2012

Thanks, guys for the info. I can always depend on this forum to give me solid, straight forward, and timely information!

I'll make the order. Amazon has a screamin' deal... two 22x12-9 Kenda Bear claws, to my door, $155.

Melsman

TRX2fiveO

· #5 · Jan 17, 2012

put some wheel spacers on it the 250ex is really tipsy and narrow. the handling drastically improves

slincolnn

· #6 · Jan 18, 2012

I don't know where you are located but I saw some 22" claws for 9" rims on craigslist in Evansville Indiana they are listed for a 300ex.I think they were really cheap they're asking $80 for them but you can get them cheaper for sure.

melsman

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 18, 2012

slincolnn said:
I don't know where you are located but I saw some 22" claws for 9" rims on craigslist in Evansville Indiana they are listed for a 300ex.I think they were really cheap they're asking $80 for them but you can get them cheaper for sure.

Thanks for the lead, Scott. I'm in Central California, so I'm betting the shipping would bump me way up. Plus, they're probably Kenda Klaws vs. Kenda Bear Claws, which have a different tread pattern.

Melsman

melsman

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 28, 2012 (Edited)

... and they fit!

Mounted the 22x12-9 Kenda K229 Bear Claws on the 250EX tonight. They look pretty mean and definitely add to the traction of the drive wheels. Very happy with these tires. Turns out my stock rims were 9x8.0 (stamped right on the rim - one of those d'oh! moments) - but the 12's still fit pretty well. Cleared the Nerf Bars by 1.5".

Picture quality sucks - cell phone shot.

Thanks for all of the information, guys.

Melsman

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bobs330

· #9 · Jan 28, 2012

Looks mean with those tires on there!

melsman

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 29, 2012

Yeah... took it for a trial run down in and around the local creek bed. Man - it tore the place up. This little bike was really going places that it didn't like before.

Going to go for an extended trail ride tomorrow. We'll see if the wife notices a difference. Like the tires, she's mean too.

(Good thing she doesn't read my posts...)

Melsman

Helmut

· #11 · Jan 29, 2012

melsman said:
Turns out my stock rims were 9x8.0 - but the 12's still fit pretty well. Cleared the Nerf Bars by 1.5".

Looks like the ATV tire and wheel chart from the Mud-thrower's website is wrong. It said the 250EX used 9x9 on the rear.

ATV Tire and Wheel Application Chart : ATV Tires Free Shipping : ATV Wheels : Mud-Throwers.com

melsman

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 29, 2012

No worries! As always, Helmut, I appreciate your help and input.

I didn't realize that the sizes were stamped onto the rims! I even checked my Rancher, and yep... right there in front of me, stamped on the rim was the wheel size.

That's two new things I learned today. Man... I'm on a roll...

Melsman

Manny

· #13 · Jan 29, 2012

i love the looks of those 12 inch wide bearclaws!

TRX2fiveO

· #14 · Jan 29, 2012

thoes are some pretty cool looking tires for ssure

melsman

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 29, 2012

Kinda looks like it got crossed with a tractor...

slincolnn

· #16 · Jan 29, 2012

They look good on there.I'm originally from just west of sac ever heard dixon or vacaville

melsman

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jan 30, 2012

Took the 250EX to Pozo - La Panza OHV area today. I hadn't been there before, although it's only 30 miles from the house. Holy-moly...! The trail descriptions/ratings were appropriate for trail bikes, but were pretty challenging for a couple of modest quads! Scared the crap out of ourselves on a couple of the climbs/descents. But made it through and had some fun. Pic is of the wife right before we ran into our first huge drop. Big puckering surprise...

Luckily, the new tires proved their worth and the wife was able to climb some of the intense inclines that the 250EX would not have been able to climb with the stock tires.

@slincoln - Yes - very familiar with Dixon and Vacaville. My profession takes me to Sac-town frequently.

Melsman

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TJT_Rav

· #18 · Feb 9, 2012

Hey meslman, those tires look pretty cool on your machine. No shortage of traction with these tires. I'm wondering how much pressure you're running, it looks like they have a slight crown to them. My 27's are pretty much flat across the treads with no crown @ 7psi.

Ballast

· #19 · Feb 9, 2012

Looks real good, I may have to bite the bullet and buy some new rubber. I have the stock rear rims and 24" tires from my 420 on the 250 (trying for more clearance) but the tires suck. Those are nice!

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