RTV900 Replacement Wheels/Tires

[PRW587]

My RTV90 should be delivered tomorrow! (I hope) Already wanting to get bigger, better traction tires with chrome or cast wheels. Stock recreational tires coming. Need advice from those who have already done this, or at least thinking about it.

What brand should I look for? I've seen postings in another RTV forum talking about Essex tires and ITP (?) tires. Will these fit my stock (OEM) wheels or would I need new wheels too?

What are the tradeoffs with cast aluminum wheels? I understand the coolness factor, but what about the cast wheels brittleness?

Will 27" tires (with suitable tread) increase or decrease my hill-climbing ability? It would seem the deeper tread would be a plus, but the torque requirements would be greater. Any thoughts?

Lastly, would I need a lift kit (2"?) to keep bigger tires from hitting or rubbing the vehicle body?

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer. Paul in Indiana

 

[kubota men]

i went with 25x11x12 outlaw m-s-t on all 4 corners with itp alluminum rims and love them thay have over 1 inch tread and ride smooth on hard pack surfaces and great in mud also it gives you about 2 inches on the track width meaning a wider stance the rim is offset from the hub more .the outlaw m-s-t is from higtlifer .com the (m) is for mud (s) is for snow (t) is for trail i put 15 psi in the back and 13 psi in the front. the rims has a build up bead around them i have had them in pretty bad mud and rocks im telling you this much i can go any where i fill like much better than stock atv one.

 

[milkman]

I have seen the RTV with the 26X12X12 from the rear of the BX series tractor, sure looks tuff.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

i would go with some 27'' 589's i have them on my gator and now i go through stuff in 2 wheel drive that i used to go through in 4 wheel drive. they have about 1 1/4 of thread and they come oversized (the 27'' in bigger that 27'')

 

[PRW587]

Thanks for the info. I'm a beginner at the "tire changing" issue, so I'm trying to understand all I'm being told.

I've seen the term "589" on the ITP website. Is that peculiar to them or is that a term other tire manufacturers use?

What got this started was that when I was looking for a dealer for the RTV, I saw a machine that had been fitted with 27" tires of unknown brand, aluminum (or chrome - don't remember) wheels and a 2" lift kit. Really looked neat!! Wife wasn't too impressed, but she's leaving most of the tricking out to me. Just the occasional raised eyebrow!!

Should I ask ITP (for example) if I need new wheels or would they just try to sell me something I wouldn't need?

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

Thanks for the info. I'm a beginner at the "tire changing" issue, so I'm trying to understand all I'm being told.

I've seen the term "589" on the ITP website. Is that peculiar to them or is that a term other tire manufacturers use?

What got this started was that when I was looking for a dealer for the RTV, I saw a machine that had been fitted with 27" tires of unknown brand, aluminum (or chrome - don't remember) wheels and a 2" lift kit. Really looked neat!! Wife wasn't too impressed, but she's leaving most of the tricking out to me. Just the occasional raised eyebrow!!

Should I ask ITP (for example) if I need new wheels or would they just try to sell me something I wouldn't need?

i bought my tires with the rims and lugs for 560.00 i got them from atv direct.they took about 5 days to come in and i never been disapointed by them yet.the 27'' big foot kit that i bought comes with 9''wide in the front and 11 '' wide in the rear. the best thing to do is just go ahead and get new rims and tires thast way you will have spares.besides that i don't know what size rims come stock with the rtv.my hpx came with 10'' rims and you don't want to go with a 27'' tire with a 10'' rim then you will have alot of sidewall flexation(thats when you can push side to side and have it sway.

 

[Dargo]

My RTV90 should be delivered tomorrow! (I hope) Already wanting to get bigger, better traction tires with chrome or cast wheels. Stock recreational tires coming. Need advice from those who have already done this, or at least thinking about it.

I've had chrome wheels on mine for about 2 years. I like 'em.

What brand should I look for? I've seen postings in another RTV forum talking about Essex tires and ITP (?) tires. Will these fit my stock (OEM) wheels or would I need new wheels too?

I looked at numerous sets of tires before I chose the Maxxis Bighorn Radials. Since I do drive my RTV in my yard quite a bit I ruled out heavy lug tires that are too aggressive. I don't want my lawn destroyed when driving on it. I'm sure the 589's would pull better in sloppy mud, but sloppy mud will not be the majority of the surface I drive on. Also, I test drove two ATV's, one with some Mud Lites on it and the other with the 589's on it, and found that at slow speeds on hard surfaces there is some clunking. Again, no big deal if you want the most aggressive tire you can find because you mostly are in heavy mud. It's what you would want then. I split the difference with the Bighorns and have been very happy with them. I liked them so much that I changed my order for 589's for my Rhino and put 27" Bighorns on it. Again, I'd look at where you will mostly be riding and buy the tire that fits what you will be doing most of the time.

Will 27" tires (with suitable tread) increase or decrease my hill-climbing ability? It would seem the deeper tread would be a plus, but the torque requirements would be greater. Any thoughts?

I have a 2" lift kit on my RTV and the 25" Bighorns seem to be the right size. They actually measure just over 26" tall. You will increase your hill climbing ability to the most your RTV will climb. In low range with the differential locked, I will run out of power on extreme hills before I run out of traction. I've run my RTV, a friend's RTV, a neighbor's HPX diesel, and another guy's Mule on some extreme hills I have on some of my property. With an aggressive tire like all the tires discussed, you run out of power with each before running out of traction. If you want to climb really steep hills, you need a Rhino or an Artic Cat Prowler. Guys who claim that their Gator, Mule, or RTV will "climb any hill" simply have not been on hills like I have. If you do go with taller tires, you will run out of power earlier. Since my RTV is out of warranty, I have the injection pump turned up and have a few more HP than stock and I still wouldn't want to try to run 27" tires if you plan on going through deep thick mud or up relatively steep hills.

Lastly, would I need a lift kit (2"?) to keep bigger tires from hitting or rubbing the vehicle body?

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer. Paul in Indiana

The 2" lift is easy to install and I like mine. You must live somewhat close to me if you're in SW IN. You'd be welcome to see mine and see what it looks like and how it drives with the Bighorns on it if you like. Attached is a couple of pictures of my RTV with the 25" Bighorns and chrome wheels but before the 2" lift. You can see that they are a bit close without a lift, but they didn't rub.

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

i second the statement about agressive tire (589's) when i ride out of my yard to go to the trail the lugs punch little holes in the ground.does the rtv come with 489's if not that might be the tire for you. the question is how much mud you got around that you gonna be ridin in? if you like mud ridein then go with the 589's they won't let you down.but then again they do have a mud light.out of all the atv's ridin on my trails 90% are runnin mud lights. the big horns are really tough tires but if you gonna go mudin i don't think they would be for you.now the tread design on the would say that they are a smooth ridin tire but they mainly for rocks and sand or should i say dirt. . so what type of ridin ar you gonna be doin? oh dargo nice rtv and hey from them pictures i wouldn't want to tear up that lawn iether.

 

[pekabu]

I've heard the Bighorns are a really good tire. I think you really need these babies! http://www.atvoutfitters.net/vampire_edl_tires.htm

 

[PRW587]

Well ---- that's given me something else (lawn damage) to factor in. The RTV was delivered today. Tires are Kubota's standard Recreational tires. They look like little tractor tires. I tried climbing a ditch bank on my property and was a little disappointed. On the worst one I tried, the rear tires slipped on the gravel county road and the front tires couldn't pull me up by themselves. That was 4WD and Low range. I'm going to do something, but not sure what.

Got RTV with metal top (not installed). Spent way too much time trying to figure out where to put the U-bolts. No instructions in box. Finally put four U-bolts (the ones with the plastic spacers) in the long black plate to hold it to the front of the ROPS. Attached the front of the top to that with four regular bolts. Used the only two U-bolts left (without spacers) to attach the rear round ROPS bar to the back of the top. That left two pairs of holes a bit to the rear of center (above the front-to-back ROPS bars) without anything to go in them. Bare holes look funny, but there were no more fasteners. I guess I could get some more U-bolts at the hardware store to fit there. Can't even be certain the bolts I put in went in the right places, but these were the only holes that seemed to work. The only alternative was to use the last two U-bolts in the center holes, but the catalog picture clearly shows four nuts at the rear of the top. Did I screw this up?

Really pleased I got this, though it is a pricey item. My wife and I decided some time ago that we were not going to deny ourselves things like this that we wanted just so the kids could buy another new car when we died. We worked hard for our retirement money, and, by gosh, we're going to enjoy some of it!! Enough goes to grandkids college, etc. anyway.

Has anyone bought the cover Kubota sells to fit this? We measured for a tarp, but it won't fit worth shucks with the high center and low front and back. I saw one for $91 on some website. Don't mind the price if it's a decent weight fabric.

Wanted to see what Kubota did to fix driveshaft rattle. Saw something that said they had worked on that. Was so tired wrestling with the top, I couldn't make myself climb underneath and find where the problematic u-joint was. Another day!!!