Newbie needs to line out his 350x and has some dumb ???'s

[Hoodlum]

Had my 350x for about a year. Always wanted one and never had a chance till last year. Didn't get to ride it but about 5 times. I bought it knowing it soon needed new tires, sprockets, and a chain. That time has come and beings that 99.9% of you have more 3wheeler experience than me, I wanna see what yauls recomendations are.

Thinking bout stock sprockets (13/40) and an O-ring chain. Most my riding is sand (70%), hard pack (20%), and rock (10%). Is O-ring really worth it or should I just replace it every year? (on my bikes, I always went o-ring but rarely rode sand)

I started surfing for tires and didn't really see a lot of O.D. size options for the front and can't really decide on the rears. :rolleyes:

Here's what I was looking at...

Front:

23x8x11 GBC Gator
23x8x11 GBC Dirt Devil
23x8x11 Carlisle AT489*
23x8x11 Kenda Front Max K284

Rear:

22x11x9 GBC Gator
22x11x9 GBC Dirt Devil
20x11x9 Carlisle Turf Tamer
20s11s19 ITP Holeshote XC*

the ones marked "*" are the ones I'm leaning towards.

Ok...[flame suit on] What yaul think?

[350Xccelerator]

for tires i would definatly go with the kenda front max and the holeshots, i have those on mine and love them. i also really like turf tamers they'll be my next pick. ;)

[roofinggun]

I would just recommend not getting a really heavy tire that will speed up bearing wear.

[ATC crazy]

Your tire choices (*) are good ones. I've ridden an R with that tire on the front and it got plenty of traction. Holeshots are another tire which give gobs of traction. I think 86250RZ on here has that exact same tire set-up if I remember right. Also, an O-ring chain will out-last any other non O-ring chain by far, especially in the sand...so that would be my choice.

Good luck ;)

[Trikeaholic]

front max and holeshot or shredder XC's in 20" diameter. nice set up.

[Ddw350]

i have the same set up as trikeaholic with the hole shots.i went up 1 tooth in the front mostly for open field riding,but the combo works great.i did have 20"blackwaters but they beat the rear bearings to death cause they were rock hard!

[TimSr]

Most my riding is sand (70%), hard pack (20%), and rock (10%). Is O-ring really worth it or should I just replace it every year? (on my bikes, I always went o-ring but rarely rode sand)

Since most of your riding is in sand, youll want something with larger lugs, and preferably a rounded profile. Turf Tamers are a joke in the sand, and Holeshots are only marginally better with their larger knobs. Both the GBC's you mentioned would work pretty well. The lugs are angled with cleaning out mud in mind, but since that wont be problem in sand, so you might see better results with GBC's Mud Shark, though its not rounded. Maxi All-Trax will probably outperform all of those mentioned in the sand, and stand up to rocks very well, and will probably give you the mildest ride in the rocky stuff. The All Trax and Dirt Devil give you the option of running them backwards for even more bite in fine sand. All Trax tend to overgrab on dry hardpack which is more of a problem on 2 strokes raising the front end when your not wanting to. Also, you can dig a hole in a hurry in the sand, so 22" is the way to go.

Of those mentioned, the Kenda Max is probably a better tread design for a front wheel on a trike.

Definately go with O-Ring chain. Not only are they less expensive to run, but you spend a lot less time doing chain adjustments and removing links, which also tends to make your sprockets last longer. With larger engine ATVs like your 350X, an all day hard ride will have you doing chain adjustmenst in the field with a standard chain.

[Hoodlum]

Thanks for the replys yaul!! I think I'll go with the Kenda Front Max but am still undecided on the rears. I really wanted more aggressive tread for the rears than the Holeshots or TurfTamers but I also want to stay with the flat contact patch. Rounded tires have a tendancy to fold over and cause handling problems with my style of riding. I leaned toward the Holshots cause of the TurfTamers only being 2 ply.

Any body got pics of the MudShark and Alltrax TimSr mentioned?

Another thing...where should I buy em?
I've been looking at www.traxmotorsports.com and thikin' bout mail orderin but I'm not realy "up" on my ATV vendors. I'm sure one of you knows the CHEAPEST place.

[TimSr]

Both are pictured in the atv tire listings at www.denniskirk.com . You wont have trouble with the All-Trax rolling, with about 3lbs in them, but if you prefer the flat profile, the Mudshark is probably the way to go.

[Hoodlum]

Both are pictured in the atv tire listings at www.denniskirk.com . You wont have trouble with the All-Trax rolling, with about 3lbs in them, but if you prefer the flat profile, the Mudshark is probably the way to go.

Thanks!! You've been a big help.

I like the MudShark!! That's perfect but the closest size to my stock tires is the 21x12x9. Is 12 gonna be to wide for my stock rims?

If I go with the MudSahrks I may just go with a Gator on front. I think the slant of the tread lugs may help the front climb out of ruts better than the Front Max and I think it'll still steer well in sand and hardpack.


If the MudShark isn't too wide for my rims, I think that's what I'll get.

[TimSr]

Theyll be fine on your stock rims.

[Ddw350]

ive seen a few people with the realtor[i think thats how you spell it]its made by puresports.i was gonna get a set,but i wasnt sure if they were rock hard like the blackwaters,or if they were kinda pliable.if they were "soft" iam gonna get a set,they look pretty good for snow...

[Hoodlum]

ive seen a few people with the realtor[i think thats how you spell it]its made by puresports.i was gonna get a set,but i wasnt sure if they were rock hard like the blackwaters,or if they were kinda pliable.if they were "soft" iam gonna get a set,they look pretty good for snow...

I was also considering them. Till I rode PureSports Realtors on a Warrior. (Uncle's bike and he's got 4 or 5 sets of tires and rims) They're kinda pliable and kinda rough. I liked the fact that they're bidirectional but thought them to be a bit to rough for my trike.

They worked well in just about anything but hard surfaces. (but that's a given, ain't it?)

[Ddw350]

were they as hard as the blackwaters? i had a set of them on 8"rims with like 2lbs of air and were hard as a rock when it got cool out!!

[Hoodlum]

I've personally never road blackwaters.

I imagine any tire with low air pressure rides rough for a while when it's cool out. I know the bias ply swampers on my truck are like squares for a few miles until they warn up a bit. (even with 20lbs. in em)

[trikerider2oo7]

For my 350X im puttin on a 23.5x8x11 Kenda front max and 20x11x9 Maxxis Razr's