Front snow tire for a 10" rim, or something like that.

[fabiodriven]

So I plan to put my 4snows (or as aldochina says, "FerSnows") on my XR650L street trike this winter and do plenty of snow riding. I'm all set up for them already on the rear, but the front wheel is an 85 Tecate wheel which is 10" as opposed to the 8" wheels going on the rear. Having run 4snows plenty in the past, my biggest problem has been steering as the 4snows get so much bite in the snow that the front just pushes when I try to turn. It makes turning more than just a chore, it's dang near impossible sometimes. HOWEVER, it does push forward with those amazing tires very impressively. I'm figuring the only way to counter the bite of the 4snows on the rear is with a 4snow on the front. Problem is 4 snows only come for 8" wheels, not 10", and there is no way you're going to fit a 4x156 hub inside of an 8" wheel and also get the right offset for the odd Tecate 3.5x5 offset or whatever it is. I'm not looking to get into custom hubs and such right now and I might just go with a studded aggressive tread tire, but I don't feel that's going to hook to my liking. I'd much prefer the 4snow on the front. We've got some bright fawkers on here...

[jays375]

Can you buy just a big old balloon knobby?

[fabiodriven]

Probably but that will not have the bite to counter the 4snows.

[clmeue37]

I just read the word "snow" way too many times for my liking. A studded aggressive tire would definitely be your easiest option for now. Give it a try, you might like it! I don't ride in the snow much though...

Edit: what about a ski on the front?

[fabiodriven]

A ski would be great for the off road trail system, I'll be keeping my eyes open for one. I don't think that would fly on the street though. I might end up doing a studded front tire which would probably do well on the roads. However, studs are for grabbing ice, pavement, or something under the snow. A snow tire would be a better match for the snow tires on the rear as there won't always be something solid under the snow for my front tire to grab. If I have to studding a tire for the front may work well, but those 4snows really bite out back.

[M.Pargiello]

I can't imagine a 4 snow would work too well on the front. I have never done it so who knows :)

[yaegerb]

Wonder if something like this would work

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/1443/15365/ITP-Mud-Lite-SP-ATV-Tire

[fabiodriven]

That would work, as in the front wheel would roll, yes, but that's a mud tire. I need a snow tire.

[bkm]

I think the only option would be something like a Kenda Max front. You're going to need something with side bite and the straight lug pattern should do well when turned sideways. I understand it's not a Tecate, but several fat tire Tecate owners swear by them.

I'm not a snow rider, so this is purely speculation on my part.

[Yamada]

Try to find an AMS Zipper 22x10-10. They are now discontinued so they may be hard to find.
http://www.kazumaracing.com/22x1010-ams-zipper-atv-tire-p-12334.html?page=13

[slashfan7964]

Are studded tires legal on your roads?

[fabiodriven]

Are studded tires legal on your roads?

Yes they are.

[slashfan7964]

I almost wonder if you could run something studded up front to attempt to counter act the bite the rears would be giving, since you said it likes to plow in turns but the forward bite is great. Getting it sideways on the road is not an option unlike offroad; the only thing I can think of is to run a knobby with some studs on it. Come to think of it, what do they do about it when it comes to racing? Studded tires in the rear ovbiously give great bite; but then comes the issue of getting the machine sideways and going from slosh to pavement will end up flipping you at speed. Granted, I have almost no experience with this so it'll be a bit of a shot in the dark (especially more so as very few people street ride trikes on the road as it is, let alone in the snow).

I'll keep brainstorming and see if I can come up with something. *thumbs up*

[fabiodriven]

Ice and snow are two different animals. Studs are for ice more so than snow. The more I think about it, I'm thinking the studded knobby is going to be my best option for the front, although it's not ideal.

[dmfaulks85]

I've always ran a kenda front max on the front with my 4 snows and never had a problem turning

[coolpool]

I know this isn't exactly the same, but you may have noticed I run three OHTSU Pro-Vector H-Trac II's (pretty close to a 4-Snow) on my camo US90. I do find that when you start turning on slippery surfaces the front tire skids out just the same when the tire comes off the centre onto the shoulder tread. Like you stated, the rears grip a little too much at times. I have to agree that a shoulder studded knobby would be my choice for icy roads.