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| September 09, 2010, 07:30:00 AM |
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Sizes: 26x9 front, 26x12 rears
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Product Overview:
With all the new suspension changes to Project Rhino I finally put together a great wheel and tire package that suites our riding conditions and requirements. The combination Maxxis Bighorns on the newly released Motosport Alloy black tork wheels gave our Rhino a whole new look. The new tires have an aggressive deep tread pattern that has been known to do well in desert, mountain trails, and rocky terrain riding. I had a chance to use the Bighorns on hard pack mountain trails, desert riding in Ocotillo Wells, snow in our local area, and some sand riding out at Dumont Dunes.
These tires have an aggressive and deep tread pattern that the desert guys love. Not only that but these tires are a radial so if durability is what you after than these tires are one of strongest on the market. There is a draw back to having a heavy duty tire and that's just it, It's a HEAVY tire! Not much, but a few pounds per tire more than a comparable size from a different manufacture. I know this seems like a draw back because these already underpowered UTV's have a low hp and power as it is. What happens when you add a heavy tire to your Rhino? Not much but there is a slight lag in powering the tire over the stockers. This is were your best judgment comes into play. Is it worth the extra few pounds per tire for them to be extra durable? For me this was an easy decision. The last thing I want is to tear a side wall out in the middle of the desert while I question whether or not the bighorns would have allowed me to continue on without the loss of a tire.
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MAXXIS BIGHORNS
Alright now lets talk sizes, the question always comes up, "which size tires should I go with? 25-inch or 26-inch"? The factory tires are a 25" Maxxis general purpose utility vehicle tire which measures smaller than the Bighorns. I've heard the 25-inch Bighorns tires measure closer to 25.75" to 26" inflated while the 26's measured 26.5 to 27" full inflated. After some debate I chose the 26" to go on my Rhino. In the front I kept the narrower 9-inch wide while in the rear I went with the 12" to match the factory's configuration.
True measurements I recorded personally on this tire are this. The fronts measured 26.75" tall. The rears measured about the same 26.75 to 27" tall. Both with 15lbs of pressure. No more confusion, if your thinking about 26" Bighorns than this is what they'll be.
Mountain Trails:
After installing these bighorns I took Project Rhino out for some testing. I started on hard pack mountain trails were these tires really hooked up great! Hill climbing and Rock-Crawling all worked excellent. I dropped the pressure down to about 10psi when crawling to help allow the tire to grip the rocks better. The Bighorns large lugs grabbed a hold of the rocks and really climbed!
Sand Dunes:
For sand testing I headed out to Dumont Dunes. Again dropping the pressure to 8-10psi for a better traction. These tires did pretty good in the sand, Not outstanding like im sure a paddle would do but equal to that of the stock tires. The one thing we did notice was the 26-inch tires lugged out rhino a little more than before with the 25's. Not much different but noticeable.
Desert:
Next I headed out to Ocotillo Wells a little while back to do the final testing on the Mason Long Travel kit. Before heading out I stopped off and had the Bighorns mounted. Unfortunately the new wheels were still being made so I went ahead and mounted them on the stock steels. I've been holding off on installing the tires until the Long Travel was on first anyways. Glad I had them in the desert. While hammering across the desert I was very happy with how well the Bighorns held up to the abuse. The desert can truly test your tires and there ability to come through without a puncture. The bighorns did just that.
Snow:
These tires did amazing in the snow! The rhino had no problem tearing through 6" of fresh snow with little traction loss. The deep, sharp tread really hooked up while my foot was stuck to the floorboard :)
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Final Thoughts:
Over all i've been very pleased with the Bighorns. These tires have managed to endure all the abuse I've been giving them lately. That says a lot! The one thing I might think twice on was the size though. When I installed the 26's I noticed a slight power loss as mentioned before. Any power loss is questionably worth it. The Rhino lacks power as is in my opinion. I am curious to see what the 25's feel like in comparison. Maybe i'll try those next. For more information check out Maxxis's website or talk with your local dealers.
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