Great Tires or a Set of Chain for deep snow on a 250ES

[200XMichigan]

What is going to make the Big Red go through deep snow better, chains or just better tires.

The tires on it are just a set of Carlisle Turf Busters, a basic knobby. I was really bummed after the first snow to find that the tires really suck for snow, I started it up, let it warm up, expecting to just blast through some fresh powder and it got stuck as soon as I got it out of the shed.

Which is better in the deep snow, chains or good tires? What tires are really good in deep snow?

[vanaman]

Id say get some deep sand tires. they should pull you through good enough.

that is assuming you dont just sink in too much.

[Jason125m]

Tire chains are only good when on ice, if its just snow they are useless. You need some better tires. Not sand tires though, tires you can use all the time. Ie bearclaw, mudlite

[Mr_RPM]

finding a good 25 inch tire thats wide is kinda getting hard these days, most 25 inch tires are 8-10 inches wide for 4x4s. the big red wants something thats 11-12 inches wide.

as said, mudlites or any other mud tires will work. look for stuff thats light weight (for the tire class your looking in at least) and has the treads somewhat spaced out so the snow does not clog up and turn the tire into a big slick. big scoops are what you want. for the deep powdery stuff a sand type tire will be nice, but not good for when it starts to melt and you hit mud.

Mudlites do seem popular.
so how much snow are you talking about? anything more than 8 inches is gonna be tuff, no matter what tire. ground clearance is the biggest issue.

[oldtrx]

realtors, interco makes a 25x12x9 vampire, there are 25x12x9 gators too i believe, bear claws do good in snow, just dont get the claw ex or whatever they are(sad attempt at an all terrain sport/ute tire 25x10x12/25x8x12) interco also makes a tire called an ASX, withs 26" tall, 13.50" wide vampire. or go highlifter outlaw radial and never have to buy a set of tires again lol if youre stepping up to a 12" rim.

[Jerm1179]

i have bearclaws on my quad.....and i plow in 2wd 90% of the time....they do very well for me....and they last forever, almost aslong as trailpro :P

[big red hemi]

i have mud lights on my big red. they work pretty well. but i have to admit i thought id be able to go through a lot more snow. i found that if you reduce the preload on the rear shock and get your weight to the back, to keep the weight off the front tire works well. problem is steering. you get bounced all over the place and have little control on direction. just hang on and enjoy the ride.

[hublake]

I think you will find that once the snow gets a crust on it and the front tire breaks through the crust, you will have trouble getting anywhere, regardless of the rear tire. I have OEM tires on mine and they seem to work ok but once you get real deep and you bottom out your stuck.

[3wnut]

May I suggest a tire like the Wooly Boger or anything with that V type patern. Then run them reversed so instead of diging in the snow they will have a tendancy to float over. Also the front tire should have minimal tread and be a simple light tire to keep it up and not breaking in the snow. This is the same same set-up I use to run on my Old 125m and a Big Red 200. You can also run a front ski if your handy with a welder.

[Thorpe]

Like my Mudlites really well... 25x12x9

[Yamaha_Rules69]

What about the Maxxis 4 snow tires? A lot of people here use them, and they work great for snow, sand, and even mud. I think they are a 2 ply tire, and designed to expand to a taller tire when the rear wheels really start spinning. They kinda have a paddle like design. Im not sure if they come in the correct size for the big red, but it may be worth checking into. I have also heard of putting a piece of carpet on the lower front cradle of the frame, and is supposed to reduce drag from the snow to a certain extent, but I havent tried it yet. I dont know how they attach it - zip ties, bungie cords, or what. At the end of the day, a 3 wheeler can only go through so much snow, then its time to get a snowmobile out. Good luck!

[swifty]

id also say mudlites as they go awsome in any terrain are light and look good, your big problem is the 250es is a heavy tank and has very slow wheel speed, wheel speed is key to keep you moving and not dig to the bottom

[Mr_RPM]

4-snows only come in 22 inch. it would reduce ground clearance to much to benefit the tread pattern.

[pudge]

i didnt know that about the 4 sno's. too bad, 25 would be great for them, i would get them on my SX if they made 25's to increase ground clearance

my buddy has mud-lites on his SX and they are good in the snow

[200XMichigan]

Yeah, I was thinking I might just be asking it to go through too much snow. But my tires do suck. I did make it half way up a sand dune the other night in about a foot of snow with my tires. Some good ones and I should be able to go through a lot more. Mine clog terribly. What is the best all around tires for mud, snow and sand, we pretty much have it all up here.

[cattle-dog]

i had great luck with the hated tire trail pros last winter on my 250sxi rode everyday with them on the rear.
my 350x i am building for this wintersm riding has foursnows

[CRAZY70MAN]

What is going to make the Big Red go through deep snow better, chains or just better tires.

The tires on it are just a set of Carlisle Turf Busters, a basic knobby. I was really bummed after the first snow to find that the tires really suck for snow, I started it up, let it warm up, expecting to just blast through some fresh powder and it got stuck as soon as I got it out of the shed.

Which is better in the deep snow, chains or good tires? What tires are really good in deep snow? Did someone say trailpro aka turfbuster :shiftyeyes: http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo321/andyatc70/th_P8250008.jpg (http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo321/andyatc70/?action=view&current=P8250008.jpg) I had trailpros on last winter and got by, got some ole' stryker vtreads now with 100 pounds over the rears and my 200es is a mini bulldozer now. Night and day difference with good tires and WEIGHT:D Got some chains I am going to work on there soon as well. By the way, that picture of my dog is when she last heard me say trailpro.... lol:lol: And trailpros or turfbusters will never clean themselves in snow or mud IMO, they load up first spin every time, get rid of them if you have 2 sticks of dynamite to put in them,lol good luck

[rkoley1]

I picked up 25x12x9 carlisle trailwolves for my Big Red, almosst 14 inches wide, pulls like a little tractor in snow