Snow tire size

SavageGrizzly said:

Probably a dumb question, but I see alot of posts about what brand/type of tire to use for this or that, but my question is more about size.

Take into consideration a stock grizzly 700 and in this case I would put the same size on all four corners, wondering what size you would go with:
26x9
26x11
27x9
28x9

Trying to wrap my head around whether it would be better to go with possibly a wider standard tire and try to take advantage of some extra flotation while keeping the final drive ratio closer to stock. Or go with taller skinny tires that may rob some torque and gain an inch of ground clearance.

I am thinking that probably a skinny tire would be better, most of the snow I may encounter would be pulling around a small ice shelter on the lakes. I would probably only be going 10-15 mph anyways so using the low range wouldn't be a problem. Would running something close to 29" around in low range be much of an issue? As I see other posts where people are needing to do clutch mods for 29-30" tire combos.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

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Not a dumb question at all. I have limited experience with this, but I'll pput in what I have seen so far, hopefully it's helpful. I ride my Grizz out through my narrow, hilly woods trails every day in winter to haul deer feed, until the snow simply gets too deep, then I drag a sled by hand. It's not far, 1/4 mile, but it's across a brook, up and down a little steep ravine, etc. The stock 25x8x12 front and 25x10x12 rear that came on my Grizz were useless in snow over 8" deep. Right after Christmas I put on a new set of 26x11x12 Kenda Bear Claw K587 HTR radials on all four corners. Directly after that we got a 12-14" snow storm. With the new tires, in 4WD with the diff lock engaged in high gear so I could keep the tires churning, I was able to tow my sled with the feed, out through all my trails. Some spots were slow, but it did it. Maybe all narrow tires would have been better, I don't know. I do know that the steering, handling and stability is fantastic in snow, on frozen ground, or bare frozen gravel. The 26" Bear Claws actually measure 26.4" dia., the stock 25" actually measured 24.5", so pretty much a 2" dia. increase, which equates to a 1" increase in ground clearance. In low range, I don't notice any difference in "pull" or take off power. It seems a little "boggy" in high gear, so before spring I will probably try the 1mm shim and purple spring that I have already purchased. @Grizzcrazy probably has more experience than I do in snow riding, and I know that @wheelsquad runs all 9" wide on his with good results. I was trying to hit the best all around compromise for me and my usage, and so far I think I did it. Good luck and have fun!

There is no real direct answer to your question. There is lots of variables. What works best for one person in a certain area, won't work best for someone else in another.

In shallow depth snow (up to 8"-10" or so), without a icy bottom, a narrow tires works best to gain maximum traction.
In deep snow that can frame you out, a wide tire aired down works far superior to a narrow/tall tire.

The tires themselves also play a huge roll. Contrary to popular belief, deep lug mud tires are not the best for snow riding. A medium tread depth in a semi-chevron pattern works best. These kinds of tires gives just enough self cleaning to keep the tread clean without digging the snow to fast and framing you out.

Additionally, on ice the more rubber you have contacting the surface, the more traction you have. This is especially true if you have studs. The more tire is on the ground, the more studs you have biting the ice.

Again, it matters on the conditions you ride to what works best. BUT after saying that, for "overall" better traction in a more variety of conditions, a wide tire with semi-deep treads works best.

And just look at it this way. Look at all the Tundra vehicles roaming far up North, Antarctica, etc. Every single one of them is running large, wide tires at low air pressure for maximum flotation and traction. It's for the same reason why tracks are far superior to tires in snow. It's all based on ground pressure. Wide tires offer less ground pressure. Less ground pressure, less sinking.

SavageGrizzly said:

I apparently have alot to learn about shims, weights and sheaves. I have done alot of mechanic work but nothing really with a CVT other than a couple stock sleds where I would just replace the belt.


As far as the tire goes, I was thinking that skinny would be better just wasnt sure. Most of the snow I would deal with would probably be around 4"-12" with an occasional drift to bust through, any deeper than that I would need to probably stick near the plowed paths and pull the sled on foot. Probably throw on chains to keep it from sliding around on the ice.

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I would go with 27x9 tires. For snow there is a tire I know of that lots of people probably haven't heard of. These are called Mud Cats. They do super good in snow, at least I have heard. That gives you a place to start. They are aggressive though so a good non aggressive tire for snow would probably be Grim Reapers.

CVT is not my forte either but I am getting there with all the learning I can do on here. I think that for those tires 1.5mm shim would be perfect and probably give you a little extra power. Since you know what a CVT looks like then this is super easy to explain. The primary (front sheave) is where you put the shims. You take off the cage, remove the large nut, then the movable half of the sheave slides right off the shaft. Remember when you put it back together to torque the nut to 85 lbs. Using a torque wrench of course. Then you simply slip the shims on the shaft, put it all back together, and your done! I should mention shims will take top end but with the larger tires you probably won't notice. For $10 at most it's the best bang for the buck mod IMO. Of course you can add a secondary spring or change the weights and such as well but for what you NEED I think the shims should handle that for you. Anymore questions just ask. Maybe the clutch experts like Ridgeway will chime in.

Edit: @dezz brings a good point. I don't ride much snow that has ice underneath because everything is sand and it just goes into the ground when it melts.