A few things to keep in mind when buying new tires. Everyone’s requirements will be different so choose wisely.
I use my 2017 PK1 about 80% of the time for lion hunting in Colorados high country. Our trails are the rockiest, nastiest, steepest, worst trails around so my tire choices are critical.
A lot of guys want bigger tires. The extra clearance is great but be careful. Bigger tires are the number 1 torque and power killer. Here in Colorado, I live at 8500’ and we run between 8000’ and 13000’. You cannot go any bigger then 28” here. My buddy put 29” on his new PK1 and had to remove them as he lost so much power he couldn’t make it up hills I had no problem with. I was surprised how much difference there was between my 28s and his 29s.
And, his 29s rubbed pretty bad.
Ply ratings are critical here. We have horrible sharp rocks, especially when they are covered in snow and you can’t see them, and so we have to go with 8 or 10 ply tires. Anything less and they don’t last. There’s some great tread patterns on some 6 ply tires but they are useless here. Another benefit of higher ply tires is the ability to run completely flat because of the stiffer sidewalls. I’ve run for 20 miles coming out on a flat tire without any damage to the tire at all. Can’t do that with a 4 or 6 ply tire when loaded down with 600 lbs of dogs and riders inside.
Beadlock rims are also a must around here. (See the preceding paragraph).
If running in mud or snow like I am, deeper lugs are a must. Minimum 1”. Again, there’s some nice tread patterns out there but a lot of them are 3/4” lugs which to me are useless.
So when you start looking for how many options you have out there for 8 or 10 ply tires that are good in deep snow, there’s very few choices.
So, what tire have I been running in these challenging conditions? I run 28x10x14 Sedona Ripsaws. Their 28” and 30” tires are 8 ply, they have a deep lug and a great pattern for deep snow. I have never once had to put chains on even though I do carry them. I do also carry recovery tracks which I do use quit often to get through snow drifts. They are much faster then putting chains on and off all day long.
I’ve had outstanding customer support and warranty support from Sedona in the past for my quad tires so that’s another plus running their tires.
So, look for higher ply ratings, deeper lugs and get beadlock rims and you’ll have no problems here in the Colorado high country.
I use my 2017 PK1 about 80% of the time for lion hunting in Colorados high country. Our trails are the rockiest, nastiest, steepest, worst trails around so my tire choices are critical.
A lot of guys want bigger tires. The extra clearance is great but be careful. Bigger tires are the number 1 torque and power killer. Here in Colorado, I live at 8500’ and we run between 8000’ and 13000’. You cannot go any bigger then 28” here. My buddy put 29” on his new PK1 and had to remove them as he lost so much power he couldn’t make it up hills I had no problem with. I was surprised how much difference there was between my 28s and his 29s.
And, his 29s rubbed pretty bad.
Ply ratings are critical here. We have horrible sharp rocks, especially when they are covered in snow and you can’t see them, and so we have to go with 8 or 10 ply tires. Anything less and they don’t last. There’s some great tread patterns on some 6 ply tires but they are useless here. Another benefit of higher ply tires is the ability to run completely flat because of the stiffer sidewalls. I’ve run for 20 miles coming out on a flat tire without any damage to the tire at all. Can’t do that with a 4 or 6 ply tire when loaded down with 600 lbs of dogs and riders inside.
Beadlock rims are also a must around here. (See the preceding paragraph).
If running in mud or snow like I am, deeper lugs are a must. Minimum 1”. Again, there’s some nice tread patterns out there but a lot of them are 3/4” lugs which to me are useless.
So when you start looking for how many options you have out there for 8 or 10 ply tires that are good in deep snow, there’s very few choices.
So, what tire have I been running in these challenging conditions? I run 28x10x14 Sedona Ripsaws. Their 28” and 30” tires are 8 ply, they have a deep lug and a great pattern for deep snow. I have never once had to put chains on even though I do carry them. I do also carry recovery tracks which I do use quit often to get through snow drifts. They are much faster then putting chains on and off all day long.
I’ve had outstanding customer support and warranty support from Sedona in the past for my quad tires so that’s another plus running their tires.
So, look for higher ply ratings, deeper lugs and get beadlock rims and you’ll have no problems here in the Colorado high country.
