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ATV tire advice

4K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Sthrnromr 
#1 ·
Ok I know they aren't exactly the tire for much on road use But I want one.
I ride close to 50/50 road dirt. I'm wondering what would be the best road mannered ATV tire. I have been thinking about the duro for months but looking at the terracross it looks like it might ride better on the road. I have read through as many tire threads as I can find and haven't come across much info on road use.... most likely because they arent great or intended the pavement.
Just wondering if I could get some pointers from those who have made the switch.

Here in Hawaii off road is sand, clay ,or lava rock usually all in one ride.
 
#3 ·
The Duro is very square and takes some getting use to when cornering on pavement.
 
#4 ·
You have likely read all sorts of critical if not negative comments about ATV tires on a TW from those who have no experience with an ATV tire on a TW.
I would advise you to focus more on the experiences of those who have.

My street and off road experience is limited to the stock TW34, Duro and the Terracross over the last 15 years. I have ridden the Duro2 on the road only and have ridden with others running the Bighorn and Cerros on & off-road.
None of these tires exhibited noticeably poor road manners in my opinion. RideOn tire sealant and balancer helped smooth out the ride on ATV tires just like any other tire.

At first I anticipated all sorts of grief transitioning into leaned over aggressive pavement cornering with the rather square profile Duro but the learning curve was not steep, I quickly adapted. The Duro2 is lighter and more rounded so likely potentially performs better on road. Off-road I thought the Duro gave the best performance in loose sand. In ruts made by skinny tire motorcycles the Duro's square shoulders tend to hunt left and right a bit looking for equilibrium as they alternately grab and rebound off rut margins...not a big deal since the trade of is vastly superior traction compared to a TW's stock rear tire. I ran that Duro for a good 6000+ miles 'till very worn with never a tire induced scary moment. Those with greater road racing skills would likely have pushed harder & observed subtle nuances and inadequacies that I couldn't detect, I just had fun.

Mr & Mrs. Admiral do very well on all surfaces with their Cerros, it is likely a good candidate for your 50/50 riding style.

I put on a tubeless TerraCross 6 months ago and am very pleased. Very rounded profile. It may wear out sooner on pavement than the other tires mentioned due to most of the time it rides just on the center V lugs. This is acceptable to me. I've called the TerraCross "playfull" in that you can induce & control sliding then power out nicely in situations where the stock tire would just let go upon acceleration, or the Duro's sidewall lugs would overly engage and limit intended sliding then stand the bike upright. Stock is like a family sedan, Duro is like a tractor, Terracross is like sportscar...your choice.

TW-Brian has a TW with the Duro2 & I was very impressed after a brief ride. I could see it making you happy in Hawaii...has that big wide look, decent manners, tracks well in beach sand and likely will last a long time. Much safer after a rain too when red volcanic soils turn to muck that would founder the stock tire, the Duro or Duro2 will likely keep thrusting much longer.



TerraCross's center "V" lugs seem to do most of the work: Snow Freezing Winter Tire Frost
 
#5 ·
Fred makes some excellent points. While my experience is limited to one ATV tire, and I don't ride a ton of asphalt on my Tdub, I do on occasion run about 5-10 mile clips when needed and can say I have no issues with road behavior of the Terracross. I am sure it would wear quickly if road ridden often, but for my use it has been great.
 
#6 ·
I did see some of the negative comments but I know the few down sides will be vastly outweighed by the positive off road ability that will be gained. But I get the little voice in the back of my head saying "are you being a fool?" I really appreciate all the responses. I'll most likely order one up in the next week or so. Luckily Amazon wont ship a tire here so I get to special order. I'll let you know what I end up with! I did order the kenda k760 for the front. I'm hoping it shows up here before too long.
 
#10 ·
Upon reflection and recollection of Hawaii's slippery short grasses when wet and muddy roots perhaps the TerraCross's center lugs might grab better and be less susceptible to sideways slipping compared to the Duro and Bighorn tread patterns. Plus those two styles are very noticeable, and maybe you don't want to be noticed by island constabulary.
Unfortunately I can't speak from experience as to which has better adhesion on pavement in the rain. Certainly I would recommend a trials style tire for the front rather than the stock Death Wing so that the front brake becomes a useful tool rather than a crash inducing switch. Shinko 244, 241, or a IRC GP-1 Trials are good choices to complement an ATV tire.
 
#11 ·
I am leaning towards the terracross thinking it will perform better all around and the cost of performance is faster wear. Worst case I have to get an extra rim and swap the stocker on when I'm fooling around town.... now to find someone who doesn't want more than the cost of the tire for shipping!
 
#12 ·
HI all.

I really like the look of a huge back tire and would appreciate the grip off road. Just wondering if i used one of the tires mentioned, what mods, if any, would have to be performed before installation? I have a 2019 model. Will the stock tube work for these bigger tires?

thanks

TTS
 
#13 ·
Nothing needs to be modified. However greater success and fewer failures have been reported by trimming the ATV tire bead first & monitoring the installation personnel so they do not attempt to quickly seat the bead with high pressure. They all seem to want to do that to help he customer, after all they know more than you, right? BAM!
A good quality tire grease, a clean polished rim, time & elevated temperatures help ensure a safe tire bead seating process. Don't feel frustrated if it takes 3 days or so.
Due to difficulty of patching a tube on an ATV tire equipped stock TW rim I like to seal the spokes and go tubeless. Otherwise stock rear tube works just fine.
I advise reading up on the numerous older posts here regarding ATV tires.

Note: My Terracross is showing significant wear after 7 months and a few thousand miles. I attribute this to many rocky and/or hard terrain miles.
 
#14 ·
Note: My Terracross is showing significant wear after 7 months and a few thousand miles. I attribute this to many rocky and/or hard terrain miles.
Mini-hijack

Since I am running the same rear tire and haven’t seen much wear yet, can I see some pics of yours in current state? How many miles do you think? Thanks Fred.
 
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