Tire/Wheel set up for trails

[PhilCod]

I'm still running stock wheels with EFX Motoclaws- stock size. The tires have been great, but they don't hold air well. They leak out all the time. I've taken the wheels to my local tire guy and he can't find a leak. I have added tire sealant and it hasn't done the trick. When they have about 20 Lbs. of air in them they hold it. But I like it around 9-10 Lbs. for trail riding.
I've decided to go with a new set of wheels and tires. I ride mostly in WV/TN/KY and the majority of trails are rough, rocky, and steep. We ride as fast as we can when allowed, so hitting 30-40MPH isn't out of the question on the trails. We don't road ride much, but we'll run 55-60 on the road.
So I'm open for suggestions, but I don't want to go bigger than a 30" tire. Running the same size wheel is appealing, but not absolutely necessary. Heavy side wall protection is a must. I'm not opposed to keeping the stock rims either.

If you ride like I do, and you have a good set up, please let me know what you have.

Thanks!

 

[Josh97stang]

I'm still running stock wheels with EFX Motoclaws- stock size. The tires have been great, but they don't hold air well. They leak out all the time. I've taken the wheels to my local tire guy and he can't find a leak. I have added tire sealant and it hasn't done the trick. When they have about 20 Lbs. of air in them they hold it. But I like it around 9-10 Lbs. for trail riding.
I've decided to go with a new set of wheels and tires. I ride mostly in WV/TN/KY and the majority of trails are rough, rocky, and steep. We ride as fast as we can when allowed, so hitting 30-40MPH isn't out of the question on the trails. We don't road ride much, but we'll run 55-60 on the road.
So I'm open for suggestions, but I don't want to go bigger than a 30" tire. Running the same size wheel is appealing, but not absolutely necessary. Heavy side wall protection is a must. I'm not opposed to keeping the stock rims either.

If you ride like I do, and you have a good set up, please let me know what you have.

Thanks!

I ride in the mountains in Arkansas. I ride in rough and rocky terrain with some gravel and paved roads between trails. I cut a sidewall on my second outing with my stock tires. Another guy we ride with cut his sidewall on his first outing with his stock Talon tires. Me and @Rednick69 both put 32" Tusk Terrabites on our stock rims. I have about 1000 miles on my tires and have not had any problems with them. Nick has close to the same mileage and he has not had any troubles either. We both run about 11psi but will be trying 9psi on our next outing. I think the true size of the tire is around 31".

 

[PhilCod]

Thanks Josh. Any reason for the 32" tires? I haven't had any real issues with clearance on the stock tires. But honestly the 28's look small for the Talon.

 

[Josh97stang]

Thanks Josh. Any reason for the 32" tires? I haven't had any real issues with clearance on the stock tires. But honestly the 28's look small for the Talon.

We wanted the biggest rock tire we could get without rubbing. We did have clearance issues on some of our trails and was scraping the skid plate often. The 32’s gave us the clearance we needed and now we don’t worry about scraping. We were interested in the Maxxis Roxzillas but they were out of stock at the time we were looking for tires. The picture shows the difference in the stock 28’s vs the Tusk 32’s.

 

[Vikes79]

9-10 lbs of air may not be enough to properly seal the bead against the rim.

I know that seems odd in a ATV tire but I’ve seen it before.

 

[Hometeam]

I have your exact ride and I ride the same trails as you do. I have System 3 wheels with a +38 offset and 32" Terra Masters. They have been absolutely awesome in the Tennessee, Kentucky, WV trails. They are light (39lbs), grip in the climbs and handle great. They run closer to 31.4 at 10 psi. I ride as fast as we can almost all the time (my kids want to go fast...I guess me too!)). With them being a lighter set up (56lbs wheel and tires) I don't notice any real power loss in the 1st-3rd/4th gears. These tires have really impressed me in every type of condition I have been in. They have a little more rounded profile that keeps them from really rubbing at all. The round profile also handles great in the corners where a more squared off profile will slide/push in the corners. They also offer them in a 31 if you wanted to be closer to a true 30"tire.

 

[PhilCod]

9-10 lbs of air may not be enough to properly seal the bead against the rim.

I know that seems odd in a ATV tire but I’ve seen it before.

I agree, and so does my mechanic. I didn't have any issue with the stock tires holding air at that PSI, but since the ones I have are thicker and tougher, they may need more air. But that just beats the crap out of us on the trails. Once they are worn I'll go with a new set. Over the winter we don't ride much so that is when I will do mods and change out the tires.

 

[Josh97stang]

I agree, and so does my mechanic. I didn't have any issue with the stock tires holding air at that PSI, but since the ones I have are thicker and tougher, they may need more air. But that just beats the crap out of us on the trails. Once they are worn I'll go with a new set. Over the winter we don't ride much so that is when I will do mods and change out the tires.

We sent our shocks off to Weller Racing. Hopefully we will have a smoother ride when we get them back. Our next trip is planned for August 6th weekend. I will let you know if they make any difference and if its worth the money for shock rework.

 

[Spankynip]

I wanted all the same tires in case I got a flat. I bought 4 ITP Blackwater 30 10R 15s. I had to order a mount for the spare tire. When the mount came in I put it on my Talon. Mounted the 4 new tires, and took it out for a rip. Didn't I punch a hole in the sidewalk of the back left tire. Of course I hadn't bought the 5 tire for a spare yet. Talk about pissed.

 

[PhilCod]

I wanted all the same tires in case I got a flat. I bought 4 ITP Blackwater 30 10R 15s. I had to order a mount for the spare tire. When the mount came in I put it on my Talon. Mounted the 4 new tires, and took it out for a rip. Didn't I punch a hole in the sidewalk of the back left tire. Of course I hadn't bought the 5 tire for a spare yet. Talk about pissed.

Thanks for the info. What was the offset on the rim? 5-2?

 

[Smitty335]

I wanted all the same tires in case I got a flat. I bought 4 ITP Blackwater 30 10R 15s. I had to order a mount for the spare tire. When the mount came in I put it on my Talon. Mounted the 4 new tires, and took it out for a rip. Didn't I punch a hole in the sidewalk of the back left tire. Of course I hadn't bought the 5 tire for a spare yet. Talk about pissed.

Take the tire to a tire shop that does vulcanizing and use it for a spare, usually cost about $ 35.00.

 

[GPR1500SC]

What Smitty said ⬆️
I had two of my Big Horn 3,'s done and they are holding up fine you have to really search to find where they Vulcanized them, except they charged me $70.00 dollar's a pop for mine it was still cheaper than a new tire and the tread was like new

 

[Spankynip]

Take the tire to a tire shop that does vulcanizing and use it for a spare, usually cost about $ 35.00.

Yeah that's my plan.

 

[Spankynip]

Thanks for the info. What was the offset on the rim? 5-2?

I don't know about any of that. I bought them from the honda dealer. They told me I didn't need spacer. Being the wheels were all the same the rear tires were slightly off. Of course riding it would not make much of a difference. Most people who race like the rear wheels in slightly. But just to make it look square I bought a set of 1.5" spacers from RB3. Looks and runs great. Well that is until i cut the tire.

 

[Spankynip]

Well took the tire to be vulcanized. Turns out the cut is to close to the bead. So I guess I am out around $180. Nice. 😡😡😡😡🤔

 

[JRkc]

I put a 2 1/2 inch gash in my super swampers one time and I used a thin stainless steel wire to "stitch" it together. Them I put a large tire patch over the stitches on the inside and outside of the tire. Still wheeling on the tire 2 years later with no leaks.

 

[JenElio]

Well took the tire to be vulcanized. Turns out the cut is to close to the bead. So I guess I am out around $180. Nice. 😡😡😡😡🤔

I put a 2 1/2 inch gash in my super swampers one time and I used a thin stainless steel wire to "stitch" it together. Them I put a large tire patch over the stitches on the inside and outside of the tire. Still wheeling on the tire 2 years later with no leaks.

Inner tube 👍 keeps tire working well and still safe

 

[Montecresto]

I put a 2 1/2 inch gash in my super swampers one time and I used a thin stainless steel wire to "stitch" it together. Them I put a large tire patch over the stitches on the inside and outside of the tire. Still wheeling on the tire 2 years later with no leaks.

I did similar and added a boot and tube to boot…