My buddy has them on his Brute and he really likes them. The big advantage is in them being a radial. A radials "footprint" expands under load, placing more of the actual tire in contact with the surface. This thereby gains more traction. As for the 27" measuring short I have not seen this to be the case. I have the 27" Mud Lite XL's and he as the 27" Mud Lite XTR, and they stand the same height next to each other. Therefore, I do not see why the XTR's would rub when the XL's I have do not.