[GM DOC]

I just bought a set of 26" ACT XLR's. I loved them after riding my Dad's new Can-Am 800. His are the .75" lug, but the tread pattern looked like it would hook up really well with taller lugs, so I thought I would give them a try. They just arrived yesterday and they look awesome! Should have easily as much bite as the Mud Lite XL as the lugs are about as big, but being a radial, I expect much better ride and tread life. Time will tell and I haven't got them on to try them yet, but I can hardly wait!

 

[GM DOC]

They'll be going on my Foreman 450. I'll have to update my avatar once they're on. Just got them mounted on the rims today. Spent almost 4 hours grinding and sandblasting rust off the bead seats and priming/painting the rims. Rust is the enemy

 

[GM DOC]

Just installed the new tires and went out in the snow. These work fantastic. Was pushing snow with the front skid in places and still went through. Even tried a hill which stopped me in 3rd (going really slow, just not enough momentum) I downshifted to 2nd and started moving again! The ride is also improved greatly. Anyone not running radials should really give them a look. They are worth the extra money. Low speed roughness is minimal. I couldn't feel any, but I could hear my passenger seat box latches vibrating at 10km/h on hard packed side road.

I love these tires already!

 

[GM DOC]

No rubbing at all. The tires actually suit the Foreman quite well. And yes, they are the stock rims, I just sandblasted them, mostly to get rid of rust on the bead seats, then I painted the entire rim with Chevrolet rim silver after priming with etching primer. Both can be purchased in spray cans from almost any auto supply store. The rims are a lot brighter than stock now and really do look better I think.

I'm very happy with my choice. Glad I didn't get mudlites now. Everyone should switch to radials, especially if you do any trail riding. More traction and way better ride.

 

[GM DOC]

I'll keep you updated on anything I find as to wear etc, but one thing I will say about radials and the sidewalls, I'm running these at 5psi right now, which with my original Dunlops would mean zero traction. Especially in snow. But these still have enough traction that when I got stopped on a hill in 3rd gear with more than 6" of snow, it wasn't cause they were spinning, it was because the bike ran out of power! Just downshifted, hit the gas and started moving again!

Now with 5 psi, the sidewalls stay pretty stiff, but the ride is still way better than the original bias tires. And if you put 5psi in the Dunlops or any bias tire, the thing rides terrible. There really isn't any need to air these down any more than this, but I would imagine that if you did, the traction and ride would both increase again! And by an even larger margin than bias tires since the tread contact patch will remain flat with a radial vs. the center losing contact with the ground on a bias.

 

[GM DOC]

Tires are still impressing me. I love the look, and they hook up so well. Hard to believe that the ride has improved too! There is just no downside! The only thing I have to wait for is to get them off the snow. That should happen soon, but I've never done this much snow running that I can remember. These tires should be more popular. I'm suprised how few people run them.

 

[GM DOC]

Well, I finally got these things out in some mud and trail riding not snow related. I am even more impressed now. There is absolutely no roughness to the tires at all, and the ride has improved so much I can't believe it. Putting radials on your bike is the equivalent of putting $600 shocks on it. I also learned that you have to check your tire pressure carefully, as 1/2psi and 5psi look the same when walking around the machine. (I didn't ride it for a couple of weeks and found a leaky valve stem)

Very good traction, and the 26" size is perfect for this bike. No rubbing and more clearance, with not noticeable power loss till top speed. Even then, it's likely the same, just won't pull the same numbers on the speedo, but likely is doing the same ground speed.

Excellent traction over wet logs, rocks, and uneven/slow going stuff in the woods as well as really good side bite when trail riding. You will never drift these tires though, you will flip the machine first, so keep that in mind. I have found excellent bite in the mud too. Haven't found anything I couldn't get through yet, but haven't buried it in the swamp yet either. Have to go out with the guys so I have someone to winch off of before I try the big holes.

All in all, these have worked out way better than expected. I just wanted more traction for light mud/rocks/woods and figured if I could give up just a little ride/roughness for that I would be happy. I never would have figured on making the machine ride better with the extra traction and clearance, not to mention the looks! I love these tires

 

[GM DOC]

Haven't been here in awhile, been riding as much as I'm allowed. I think now that these tires are by far one of the best investments I've ever made. Still showing almost no wear, and I went riding with a big bunch of guys over the summer running all different kinds of tires. 2 guys had Kodiak 450's, one with Mudzillas and one with mudlites, there was a Bruin with Bearclaws, some Grizzly's with stock tires and with mudlites, and a bunch of others. My buddy was with me with his Rincon, using the same 26 inch ACT XLR's as me. We were the only ones to make it through this mudhole. And as I said, trailrunning with these is better than stock.

Man I love these tires!!!

 

[GM DOC]

I don't know if there is any weight difference, I wouldn't think so. I think the weight difference is more a factor of how big the tire or lug is. I didn't find the Carlisle's to be as heavy as the 589's I was looking at, but I don't know if that means anything. The actual handling of the Carlisle's feels very good to me. They don't roll over under hard cornering and you can still ride the machine hard, they just have more bite.

As for the size, I find my 26" ACT's are taller than anyone else's 25" tires, but they still don't measure 26". I think all the manufacturer's fib just a little about the sizes. A friend of mine just brought over his new Grizzly 660 with 25" Dunlops on it and I would say my rears are 3" taller than his!

 

[GM DOC]

QUOTE

GM DOC,
still lovin your tires?
How are they holding up to everyday use?
Good wear so far?
If you had 1 complaint about these tires what would it be?

I still think this was the best thing I ever did for my bike, I have found these tires are very tough, no cuts from rocks, very very little wear even after a year and a half of running.

I can't come up with any real complaints, the only thing I would like is if they made more sizes. There really aren't any choices for width, but maybe that's a good thing. If you could buy wider, I would have and maybe I wouldn't have the handling I do. They really are a fantastic 'do a little of everything' tire.