[Workhardplayhard]

Are y'all running different diameter front to rear? I know the rear are wider but mine are all the same diameter. With all 4 being the same diameter, wouldn't a front tire work for a rear well enough to get you home?

[NMKawierider]

Are y'all running different diameter front to rear? I know the rear are wider but mine are all the same diameter. With all 4 being the same diameter, wouldn't a front tire work for a rear well enough to get you home?

Yep..that's what I would do for a spare...just get one front tire and wheel. Its just a spare..work on either. Just put a little more air in it for the rear.

[REDRIDER]

Are y'all running different diameter front to rear? I know the rear are wider but mine are all the same diameter. With all 4 being the same diameter, wouldn't a front tire work for a rear well enough to get you home?

You don't ever want to run a different diameter tire on a 4WD machine. You could but I would never put it in 4WD. Your transfer case would be very angry

[gfmoto]

EXACTLY!!! Two different rotation speeds will destroy your 4WD.

[glenlivet]

I’m thinking you really wouldn’t lose much traction. The old army jeeps went everywhere with 4 thin tires on them.  Don’t remember ever seeing old photos of those with wide rear tires. 😉

I have a feeling that wide rear tires are only put on ATV's and SXS because people expect the look. They don't perform better, in fact when I put 26-9-14 tires on all 4 corners of my King Quad immediately I was struck by how nicely it handled. It flicked around much nicer than it had done before with the 26 11 14 I'd had on the back.
You bet that army jeeps and Hummers and stuff would have wider back tires on them if that was a better way to get around!
Same as swamp buggies, that seem to all have same size tires on all 4.

[Dbanks]

Prolly a little late to chime in, but I like running the same size all the way around so I can rotate them and get even tread-wear. You'll replace two sets of back tires for every front set. At least thats been my experience with dirt bikes and fourwheelers. Dont see why with a four wheel drive machine they dont already come that way. Rear wheel drive on the other hand, i can see running wider in the back for sure.

[glenlivet]

Honda's Rincon 4wd utility ATV came supplied with all four same size tires.

[Bolson32]

Dont see why with a four wheel drive machine they dont already come that way. Rear wheel drive on the other hand, i can see running wider in the back for sure.

I'm guessing that's probably exactly why....most people are in RWD 90% of the time and only use 4WD when needed. Better traction with the rears means you need 4WD less and If you need it less it's not as hard on the differential correct?

[Dbanks]

Dont see why with a four wheel drive machine they dont already come that way. Rear wheel drive on the other hand, i can see running wider in the back for sure.

I'm guessing that's probably exactly why....most people are in RWD 90% of the time and only use 4WD when needed. Better traction with the rears means you need 4WD less and If you need it less it's not as hard on the differential correct?

 If that was the case, why do 4x4 trucks run the same size on all four corners? But in an offroad application i cant see the advantage of running wider in the rear.

[NMKawierider]

For the longest time I though it was because of the weight..that on a SxS most of the weight is in the rear so to get the same pressure per square inch, you needed more contact patch area...so a wider tire was needed. But on an ATV, the engine in mid-frame...so..I thought it was because you carry more weight on the back rack then the front. And a GNCC racer friend said he always puts the same size tire all the way around because..he doesn't carry anything extra so..that like of thought started to make sense. But there are 4WD trucks...and because we rotate those tires, they all have to be the same...but..just as an example, my F350 with 6.7 has... a lot of weight up front...and to make the tires not look low I add 8-10 more PSI to the fronts then the rears. And I certainty won't ever put wider tires on the front. But all 4wd trucks work just fine with the same size tires all the way around so..why not a SxS. Just put a few extra pounds in the rear and go.   

[Dbanks]

I just re- read my last post. I meant to say I CAN see the advantage of running wider in the rear on an offroad 4wd application.

[REDRIDER]

They wouldn't sell new vehicles with wider tires on the rear for one, due to maintenance purposed for rotating tires and the benefit is so slight, why bother on a truck. High end cars come with wider rear tires and they can't be rotated but there is a benefit to wider rear tires in cases. It is situational and you would be hard pressed to be able to tell a difference between a 10, and 11 inch wide tire on these machines. The benefit of all 4 being interchangeable outweighs the slight addition of traction of wider rears IMO, but a larger contact patch will give you added traction of course in most situations. Mud is a different animal though.

[Bolson32]

You guys are all right, the difference you get in an 11" rear vs a 9" like the fronts would be so minimal in a vehicle like this. Think I might keep my eyes open for a set of front rims. Or hell, backs, run 11s all the way around! Or would it be better handling to run 9s all the way around? Could you turn with 11s in the front?

[NMKawierider]

You guys are all right, the difference you get in an 11" rear vs a 9" like the fronts would be so minimal in a vehicle like this. Think I might keep my eyes open for a set of front rims. Or hell, backs, run 11s all the way around! Or would it be better handling to run 9s all the way around? Could you turn with 11s in the front?

I ran 11s all the way around on a quad I had...never again. It was not only murder to turn, it was murder on all the steering parts. I would run all 9s...maybe 10s..but no more then that.

[Dutchtrekker]

I looked around here in Holland. In the north (my surroundings) the guys with there standart rims habe a wider tire on the rear; the guys with new rims with a wider offset drive all around with 4 front tires. These tires you can chance from front to rear. Thats necessary because here it is allowed to drive it like a car = also drive it on termac.
The real mud guys have lifts and tractor tires.........4 front tires all around.