Choosing new tires for grizzly 700

I like my 26” bighorn originals but I can’t say they’re my top pick.
They came on my machine so I’ll run them for now.
I loved my STI black diamond XTR’s
I really don’t like back tires that are super wide. I want enough width to give rim protection but that’s it.
Anything extra in my opinion causes a steering bias. You have more rear traction than front and it’s harder to turn.
Try studding Your rear tires and not the front the drive on Ice and try to turn. I know this is extreme example, but it helps to explain my point..
other issues and probably the biggest is driving in snow. Deep snow to be exact. If the front tires make a rut that is 9 inches wide then the 12 inch wide rear tires try to drive in it, they will knock 3 inches of snow width down into the rut and you will be forced to push the rear tires new fluffy snow as well as the work the front tires already did. I have tires many times back to back in snowy conditions. By a longshot, the more evenly matched front and rear tires do better.

I really wish Maxxis made a 26x10x12 or a 26x11x12 rear tire.



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Hanover123 said:

I have a 2007 Grizzly 700 and have the stock tires and wheels on it. Front ires are AT 25 x 8-12. Rear tires are AT 25 x 10-12. I don't particularly care about rims but want new tires. If I understand tire sizes correctly the only difference from rear to front ires is the width. Is it better to keep front width narrower than rear tires? I ride primarily in rocks and dirt and obviously want the best all around traction. Radial vs bias ply?? Any education and opinions on tire brands, stock vs larger tires or wider fronts, and any tires with good rating based on riders opinions. I'm also not interested in doing ant lift at this point. I've seen some nice tires with really aggressive treads like Silverbacks but don't want a ire that will ride rough like a paddle tire. Thanks in advance for any responses.

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Do you have power steering? If you do, 10" or 11" wide on all four works great. Radials are better in every way. Are you old enough to have ever ridden in a car with bias ply tires? I am, and they suck compared to radials. If you keep the true diameter to 27" or under, you will have no need for lift or clutch mods. If you WANT more low end power there are simple clutch mods that are well documented in this forum, but you won't NEED it. If you go to my thread "they are on their way" you can read all the raving I have done about how much I like my new Kenda K587 Bear Claw HTR tires.
For your type of riding, an all terrain radial in 26" dia. will work great, whether you go wider on the front or not. The stock Dunlop "25" tires actually measured 24-1/2" dia on my machine, the Bear Claws measure 26.4", so nearly a 2" dia. increase, which gave me just about 1" more ground clearance.

Hanover123 said:

I have a 2007 Grizzly 700 and have the stock tires and wheels on it. Front ires are AT 25 x 8-12. Rear tires are AT 25 x 10-12. I don't particularly care about rims but want new tires. If I understand tire sizes correctly the only difference from rear to front ires is the width. Is it better to keep front width narrower than rear tires? I ride primarily in rocks and dirt and obviously want the best all around traction. Radial vs bias ply?? Any education and opinions on tire brands, stock vs larger tires or wider fronts, and any tires with good rating based on riders opinions. I'm also not interested in doing ant lift at this point. I've seen some nice tires with really aggressive treads like Silverbacks but don't want a ire that will ride rough like a paddle tire. Thanks in advance for any responses.

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As you can see in my sig. I own 26" Blackwater EVOs. I like 'em but if it wasn't for what I paid I think I would have bought Pitbull Growler 2.5s. I was told that the reasoning behind skinnys up front and wider rears, is turning. A wider front tire suits some of us because they tend to "float" in things like mud or water. Since 95% of us just run in 2x4 a wide rear tire wears better and has a bit better bite and OEMs save a bit of cash, not a lot but over the entire production run.....................it adds up. To answer the debate over BIAS vs. RADIAL well its prefferance. I find a radial to suit me 99% of the time. For the remaining 1% I find a really aired down bias ply tends to "wrap" itself around the terrain when hauling fire-wood for example. A radial at the same psi as a bias ply supposedly puts more tread on the ground thus extending tread life, within reason, ofcourse.


From what I gather you tend to mainly run trails. If I'm right I would suggest 26"ers in either Growler 2.5s, bearclaw HTRs, blackwater EVOs, maxxis Zillas etc........................
PERSONALLY I would NOT consider bighorns................yes they wear like iron, and yes they usually offer better traction over the stockers BUT once the "squareness" of the lugs is gone, IMO they are not much better than stock.


Happy hunting!! (shopping)

First, I want to say you guys are full of helpful info since I joined this forum. I am in the same boat on trying to find a more aggressive mud tire. I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. So my rides consist of trails, with occasional mud. Often times, that mud is a combination of both mud, and sand. If you stop forward progress, you’re screwed basically LOL. Get the winch ready! The rest of it are just trails with some small mud puddles. I definitely need something more aggressive for handling the mud, but don’t want to compromise smoothness of the ride.

So with the abundance of advice, and with selection, I am sort of overwhelmed. I was looking at Maxxis Zillas. The profile seems to fit what I mentioned above, but if there other options that fit this profile, I am game for what those may be. Also, do I need to consider new wheels also? I have a 2019 700 EPS Camo. So should I just stay with those wheels, or grab something else? Rookie here with lots of rookie questions. Thanks in advance!