[Moose]

What's everybodys thoughts on the level of traction the stock tires give?

As many of you know, I replaced my stock tires on the Pioneer, but that was before the first snow here. I have since took those tires and replaced the worn tires on my King Quad. Taking it out to plow around 4 inches of snow last night, I felt like I was losing traction over the worn Dunlaps I replaced.

The 4 plys felt sloppy in the front too when I was reversing with the plow up, which sure, to be expected over a 6 ply.

My driveway is a sand/dirt/small rock path really. So there isn't a lot better traction under the snow when pushing with the plow.

 

[DG Rider]

They seem fine to me...but without trying tires back to back, it can be a little hard to tell. And as we've discussed, i think the Pioneer's ability to hook up flatters any tire.

They do seem to clean out mud much better than most OEM tires..but they could be a one trick pony.

 

[toodeep]

IMO the tires are lacking siping and are too hard of a rubber to get great traction on frozen/slick ground. Some time with a tire tool to sipe the lugs and I think they would do pretty decent though.

 

[Moose]

I think this is one of those rare occasions where you both say something completely different, but are 100% correct. Good tire for anyone that doesn't see 6 months of rock hard frost in the ground.

The rubber is rock hard on the tires at room temperature. It was probably closer to diamond last night in the 13 below.

Siping. I hadn't even considered it. Before I see how far I can discus them, I might give that a shot

 

[hoops]

we are talking about traction in the snow right?

 

[Moose]

Yes, or in this case, a lack there of.

 

[OLT]

I heard mixed reviews of them. Some said they
re good enough, others said they would consider swapping them for something else

 

[DG Rider]

we are talking about traction in the snow right?

Yes, or in this case, a lack there of.

Okay...i thought you were talking about general traction.

The dusting of snow in the pics i posted elsewhere is honestly the 1st time I've ridden in snow in years. Again, they seemed to do fine. Never needed 4wd. But, i can't say I've ridden what would supposedly be a great snow tire either, like and ITP Holeshot.

Just a thought...but i wonder if this fairly aggressive tread might do better if flipped around to scoop the snow, rather than plow it out of its own footprint.

 

[NVredneck]

i have ran in 8" of snow and it acts just like sand hills and digs in and climbs seems to clean out good not bad for Chinese tires

 

[CSFI]

These are my thoughts on stock tires, I've never met a stock tire I liked. I really wish you could just order the dang thing without wheels and tires OR with the option to choose which tires you want (if ordering) when delivered. I did notice that the stockers are quite hard and will probably wear well, I like Bighorn's and always have. If I had my way I would order them on every ATV/UTV I own.

 

[rmk700]

I think the stock tires do well in snow. Took the snow on in that sporty go go hustle mode and was ripping through about "8 with ease. Even climbed some fairly steep hills. Also putted around in 2wd (locked diff of course) and did fine as well.

 

[Moose]

Okay...i thought you were talking about general traction.

The dusting of snow in the pics i posted elsewhere is honestly the 1st time I've ridden in snow in years. Again, they seemed to do fine. Never needed 4wd. But, i can't say I've ridden what would supposedly be a great snow tire either, like and ITP Holeshot.

Just a thought...but i wonder if this fairly aggressive tread might do better if flipped around to scoop the snow, rather than plow it out of its own footprint.

I guess when you get down to the heart of the matter, I was actually talking about traction while pushing snow or plowing.

I did a light snow plowing a week ago with my old , pretty bald ATV tires. I switched the tires out and then we had the recent snow. As soon as I raised the plow and backed out of the shed, it felt like my back tires were searching (spinning). I put it in 4wd, and that helped. The rest of the plow session, they just seemed to struggle to lock in. I don't think ever, besides when we have a coating of ice, have I used 4wd to plow that little amount of snow.

Maybe they engineered that tire compound for a heavier vehicle. I admit, it is the first time I have scavenged a stock SxS tire to put on an ATV. Just surprised me how much it had to hunt around to grab hold. It really almost felt like they were on ice.

 

[rich450es]

I guess when you get down to the heart of the matter, I was actually talking about traction while pushing snow or plowing.

I did a light snow plowing a week ago with my old , pretty bald ATV tires. I switched the tires out and then we had the recent snow. As soon as I raised the plow and backed out of the shed, it felt like my back tires were searching (spinning). I put it in 4wd, and that helped. The rest of the plow session, they just seemed to struggle to lock in. I don't think ever, besides when we have a coating of ice, have I used 4wd to plow that little amount of snow.

Maybe they engineered that tire compound for a heavier vehicle. I admit, it is the first time I have scavenged a stock SxS tire to put on an ATV. Just surprised me how much it had to hunt around to grab hold. It really almost felt like they were on ice.

moose ...... how much air are you running in them on the suckzuki .......don't run more then 2-3 psi on that thing for plowing .......we run 2psi on our atvs for plowing

 

[Moose]

Ya, I run 3 in back and 4 in front. I also do a 100lb weight in back along with my mooseness

 

[Moose]

I decided to customize the stock tire a little bit by adding some surface area and flex to the tread pattern. It only took about 10min per tire.

Dremel Sawmax with multi purpose blade set at 1/4" depth.

 

[Duwop]

Just want to say Thanks, as I've said this a new ball game to me. I rode dirt bikes as a teen and street bikes as adult and have no real comparisons. Your experience shared is helping us newbies learn and understand what to expect and demand from our new rides. Membership- free, education- priceless THANKS

 

[Duwop]

Moose, how will this help performance?

 

[Moose]

Moose, how will this help performance?

The treads on the stock tire are super stiff in my opinion. They have very little flex to them, which on a slippery or hard packed surface causes them to slip freely. Cutting these grooves into the tread helps give a little flex to it. That flex allows it to better conform to the surface, that little bit can catch hold. It also gives the tire a little more surface area, which is good in mud, snow, and wet conditions. It's called siping. You can google it and will come up with a lot of info on it. Toodeep with his calm collected demeanor, reminded me of the process as I was ranting about the aforementioned lack of plow traction.

I remember helping my dad do this same thing to the old Case tractor we used to plow our lane in the winter. He used a grinder though.

 

[GaPioneer]

I learn something new everyday....
Tire Siping - Discount Tire

 

[Rancher Guy]

What did you cut the sipes with? Looks like you did a nice job getting then even.