P500 My ultimate do-it-all tire.. Down to Three

[Twangin]

Well after a ton of researching I’m ready to pull the trigger on a set. I know the wheels I want and I’m down to choosing between three 27” tires (on 12” rim) and have priced them all out at 2 different places.. all are right in my budget and have the exact look I’m going for. For a broad mix of wooded trails, soft clay/sandy type trails (not fine beach type sand), watery mud, etc.. Which of these 3 would you chose and why?
1) 28x10 Zilla all around- going 28” because they run short
2) 27x10 Interco Interforce all around
3) 27x9 front / 27x11 back Vampire II

From what I’ve learned these all should have a pretty good ride on the trails (probably not much worse than stock even at slow speeds), be decent (if not great) in mud, fairly light for the amount of grip they provide, etc.

Would love to here everyone’s take on which they think would excel in which areas and what the big differences (if any) would be.


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[Twangin]

Update: 28x10 Zillas won..

The 27x10 interforce is really hard to find and Zillas have just been my gut instinct all along. Just placed the order right then with PureOffroad for the tires mounted on STI HD3 wheels. Excited!


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[maddmax]

Update: 28x10 Zillas won..

The 27x10 interforce is really hard to find and Zillas have just been my gut instinct all along. Just placed the order right then with PureOffroad for the tires mounted on STI HD3 wheels. Excited!


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I run 30x9x14 maxxis zillas and love them.There way lighter but they do ride a little harsh at real low speeds on hard packed soil,I do run a little more air in the front than the rear.12 front & 7 rear.

 

[Twangin]

I run 30x9x14 maxxis zillas and love them.There way lighter but they do ride a little harsh at real low speeds on hard packed soil,I do run a little more air in the front than the rear.12 front & 7 rear.

Any reason you run such a different pressure in front/back? Easier steering maybe?


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[Smitty335]

I run 30x9x14 maxxis zillas and love them.There way lighter but they do ride a little harsh at real low speeds on hard packed soil,I do run a little more air in the front than the rear.12 front & 7 rear.

I don't have a P5, but the manual says run more in the front than the rear on stock tires. Now that I have same size tires all the around I run 1 PSI more in the front, 8 front and 7 rear ITP EVO Black Waters 30 inch. I haven't run but three different tire brands and the ITP's are the only one I haven't busted front tires with. I was running 14 and 12 with the other brands. Enjoy your tires!

 

[Twangin]

Well well well.. look what got delivered today... four 28x10x12 zillas mounted on STI HD3 wheels


The folks at PureOffroad were awesome through the ordering process and even threw in a cool T-shirt. Taking the P5 for its initial 100 mile service tomorrow morning and bolting on the new tires tomorrow afternoon.. will update once they’re on and we take it for a spin. First impressions with this tire/wheel combo is ‘Man they look huge in person’! Hope I won’t need to do the trimming frame mod


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[Twangin]

So far so good!! Extremely pleased with my choice.

- Ride great.. smooth as stock when slow cruising, only time I feel a tad bit of “tractor lug” is when going 3-5 mph and take a sharp turn, and it’s really not much at all
- No power loss.. still starting off in 2nd, can still lug around the trails in 3rd around 8-10 mph (keeps rpms/noise down)
- Extra ground clearance.. I’d say right around 2”
- Ride quality improved a TON.. dips and bumps feel so much more subtle now, and the smaller bumps are almost not even felt whereas the stock tires make you feel everything
- makes the P5 look MEAN!!

BEFORE


AFTER


(It’s missing my rack box in the pic.. took it off to bolt a diamond plate aluminum tool box in it this weekend.. should complete the look once that’s done!)


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[Chooglin]

So far so good!! Extremely pleased with my choice.

- Ride great.. smooth as stock when slow cruising, only time I feel a tad bit of “tractor lug” is when going 3-5 mph and take a sharp turn, and it’s really not much at all
- No power loss.. still starting off in 2nd, can still lug around the trails in 3rd around 8-10 mph (keeps rpms/noise down)
- Extra ground clearance.. I’d say right around 2”
- Ride quality improved a TON.. dips and bumps feel so much more subtle now, and the smaller bumps are almost not even felt whereas the stock tires make you feel everything
- makes the P5 look MEAN!!

BEFORE
View attachment 72065

AFTER
View attachment 72066

(It’s missing my rack box in the pic.. took it off to bolt a diamond plate aluminum tool box in it this weekend.. should complete the look once that’s done!)


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Looks great , it's amazing what a set of tires and wheels does for these machines.

If you haven't already , try disconnectin the anti-sway bar. The improvement in the ride is well worth it !

 

[Smitty335]

So far so good!! Extremely pleased with my choice.

- Ride great.. smooth as stock when slow cruising, only time I feel a tad bit of “tractor lug” is when going 3-5 mph and take a sharp turn, and it’s really not much at all
- No power loss.. still starting off in 2nd, can still lug around the trails in 3rd around 8-10 mph (keeps rpms/noise down)
- Extra ground clearance.. I’d say right around 2”
- Ride quality improved a TON.. dips and bumps feel so much more subtle now, and the smaller bumps are almost not even felt whereas the stock tires make you feel everything
- makes the P5 look MEAN!!

BEFORE
View attachment 72065

AFTER
View attachment 72066

(It’s missing my rack box in the pic.. took it off to bolt a diamond plate aluminum tool box in it this weekend.. should complete the look once that’s done!)


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Looks mean? It is mean! I think when you go with bigger tires it helps S x S's as long as you over do it.

 

[Twangin]

@Chooglin Thanks man. I haven’t disconnected the sway bar yet but I have it on my “maybe” list.. what differences could I expect? Seems like it would make it feel more tippy when cornering on the trails..

@Smitty335 You’re right. It IS mean. It has a completely different “feel” to it now.. I’ve been over several obstacles and ruts that I got high centered on with stock tires and now I can just creep across them effortlessly and barely even feel the bumps


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[Twangin]

While we’re talking about tires.. I’m trying to figure out what to do with my factory tires/wheels and it would be great if I could put them on my Honda Recon 250. The only thing is at first glance it looks like the wheel studs on the P5 are thicker than the ones on the Recon. Im sure they’re the same bolt pattern but I’m guessing this would be a bad idea to bolt the P5 wheels up there if the holes are larger than the Recon studs..?


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[Ragincajun92]

Looks like a very nice set up. Do you have any rubbing issues? Do the tires measure true. I looked hard at these but I went the other route and chose the vampire 2’s

 

[Smitty335]

While we’re talking about tires.. I’m trying to figure out what to do with my factory tires/wheels and it would be great if I could put them on my Honda Recon 250. The only thing is at first glance it looks like the wheel studs on the P5 are thicker than the ones on the Recon. Im sure they’re the same bolt pattern but I’m guessing this would be a bad idea to bolt the P5 wheels up there if the holes are larger than the Recon studs..?


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My sway bar has been laying under my work bench for six months and that's where it's going to stay, unless I sell it.

 

[Twangin]

Looks like a very nice set up. Do you have any rubbing issues? Do the tires measure true. I looked hard at these but I went the other route and chose the vampire 2’s

Thanks. Loving the setup so far. Meant to get a true measurement once I settled on my riding psi this weekend but forgot. I’ll do it in the next day or so and let you know. As for rubbing, it is very close. I haven’t felt/heard any rubbing but I think at absolute full lock and maybe shock compression there may be a 1/16” of the lug lightly brushing the corner of the frame. There’s no sign of it on the tires but right at the frame cap I can see a line in the dust/dirt that indicates the lug may be making contact from time to time. Not sure if that will be an issue long term but would love to hear some opinions. Again, even at full lock I don’t hear or feel any rubbing so if it is happening it’s got to be like a 1/16” of the lug edge touching..


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[Twangin]

My sway bar has been laying under my work bench for six months and that's where it's going to stay, unless I sell it.

What would you say are the main improvements you noticed?


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[Smitty335]

What would you say are the main improvements you noticed?


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Articulation

 

[Delton]

Articulation

Poor man's version.....removing the swaybar allows the rear tires to be truly independent of each other. You'll notice all 4 tires staying in contact with the ground more often. Very little(if any) front tire in the air exiting a rut or any other off angled obstacle.

 

[Twangin]

Looks like a very nice set up. Do you have any rubbing issues? Do the tires measure true. I looked hard at these but I went the other route and chose the vampire 2’s

They measure right around 27 1/4” with 7 psi. And it’s funny, I was actually between the Zillas and Vampire 2’s.. so we both “went the other route”. Hope you’re enjoying yours!


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[Ragincajun92]

They measure right around 27 1/4” with 7 psi. And it’s funny, I was actually between the Zillas and Vampire 2’s.. so we both “went the other route”. Hope you’re enjoying yours!


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Yeah I am loving them. They ride and pull great.