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P500 Save weight or better flotation?

educ8tedguess

educ8tedguess

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Warning, I'm fairly certain I'm "splitting hairs" here so I apologize in advance.

A quick question for those of you that have experience running staggered width tires ( Example: 26 x 9 in front and 26 x 11 in back) AND skinny on all four corners (26 x 9 )

Did the weight savings of running "skinny" tires in back outweigh the reduction in flotation?

Or, to ask in another way, was it worth giving up a little flotation in order to save some weight?

I have always run a staggered setup so I really don't know what the felt difference, if any, would be. I plan to run 26 inch Bearclaw HTRs and the difference between the 26x9 and 26x11 is about 6.5 lbs each.

I ran these tires in the staggered setup on my 2016 Pioneer 500 and it was fine but I also think it may have been geared lower than the 2017 through 2022 models.

Thanks
 
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HUCK

HUCK

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Warning, I'm fairly certain I'm "splitting hairs" here so I apologize in advance.

A quick question for those of you that have experience running staggered width tires ( Example: 26 x 9 in front and 26 x 11 in back) AND skinny on all four corners (26 x 9 )

Did the weight savings of running "skinny" tires in back outweigh the reduction in flotation?

Or, to ask in another way, was it worth giving up a little flotation in order to save some weight?

I have always run a staggered setup so I really don't know what the felt difference, if any, would be. I plan to run 26 inch Bearclaw HTRs and the difference between the 26x9 and 26x11 is about 6.5 lbs each.

I ran these tires in the staggered setup on my 2016 Pioneer 500 and it was fine but I also think it may have been geared lower than the 2017 through 2022 models.

Thanks
Won't make a damn bit of difference (probably) BUT if you run all 4 the same you can rotate your tires with no adverse effects !
 
Smitty335

Smitty335

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Won't make a damn bit of difference (probably) BUT if you run all 4 the same you can rotate your tires with no adverse effects !
You can buy wheels with the stock off sets and not have to buy spacers, that's what I did and running stock width front and rear. Yep, I don't rotate tires, run in Turf or 4WD almost all the time, tires wear evenly that way and last a long time.
 
educ8tedguess

educ8tedguess

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Can't speak specifically to your question, but I run 27s (9 front, 11 rear) HTRs on my 2018 P500. I tend to crawl through the pud muddles; never been stuck and seldom spin . . .
That is how I tend to handle the mud and why I really like the HTRs. I have them on my rubicon and they have pulled me through, up, and over plenty of obstacles . But they do like to grab ruts.
 
educ8tedguess

educ8tedguess

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The wide's do give you better flotation but the skinny's dig better for turning. I run the same size on all four but I've never rotated mine.
I probably wouldn’t rotate them much either so I won’t kid myself there. I’m thinking I’ll just stick to my original plan of running 26x9 front and 26x11 rear. I KNOW that works for my riding style. I will just put the new wheels and tires on before I drive it: that way I wont notice a power loss 😉
And, I wont need spacers if I put 4+3 Delta steel wheels on all 4.
problem solved…until the next time I need tires.
 
500oneer

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I have 6,000 miles on my 4 26x9 bighorn2s and am ready to rotate. The back ones are more worn and have plugs in them. 4 skinnys are cheaper and lighter.
 
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