I have a 2000 Yamaha Big Bear 400 4x4. It has the stock tires on it now, front 25x8-12, rear 25x10-12. I'm going to be replacing them soon. My four wheeler has a ton of low end power and is geared very low too. 1st gear is super low. I can take off in 2nd gear most of the time, even in mud, snow and on hills. My top end speed is limited by my engine revving to high so I have to let off the gas to keep from over revving it. Once I get into 5th gear (top gear) when we ride on dirt, gravel and seasonal roads I usually don't have to down shift very much. If we slow down quite a bit and are going up a hill I'll have to down shift, but mostly it has the power to pull away in 5th gear and keep on going.

I don't think I'll notice much of a difference either way going with 26" tires. I'm thinking of going with 27" tires. I'd like to go with front 27x9-12, rear 27x11x12 (or 27x12-12). Would they fit on my four wheeler? Will they rub at all? Would they be to big and make me lose to much power/performance? I know I'll lose some low end power because of the taller tires. Will I gain any top end speed with 27" tires and still be able to creep through the woods in 1st gear breaking new trails? I think with the low end power and low gearing that my four wheeler has, it might work well with 27" tires. What do you guys think?

Thanks, NYH1.

There's not much of a diff between 26 & 27" tires.
Some brands 26 are taller than other brands 27"s.
The factory originals unless your running a ton of pressure (6lbs+) will likely only measure 23-1/2 or 24".
I personally like the 27" because I tend to run less than 4lbs for better ride, traction & floatation. They measure in at 26" in height.
There should be lots of clearance on the rear for either tire.
Should also be enough on the front. I see you quoted 9" front width, I think thats a good idea, it'll be slightly easier to steer that way.
I would think you will gain about 4-5mph in your cruise speed with 27"s.
The biggest gain you will notice is ground clearance, especially in ruts!

i have 26-9 and 26-12 bighorns and they are great...

You won't be able to spin 27's properly with a 400 unless you re-gear your machine.

27's are MUCH heavier in general than any stock tire. For reference (and admittedly this is comparing apples to orange juice since you didn't state what tire you are thinking of going to) but my 27x10x12 Silverback is heavier, just the rubber, than the stock 26" tire AND rim combined.

Power loss will be more than significant. Steering will be greatly impacted, and you likely won't be able to get your handlebars to turn to full lock without significant rubbing on your front a-arms.

Starting on hills will tough.

You want to go faster? Try a different bike. Less headaches that way.

yeah the big bear has some low end torque but its still just a 386cc engine so spinning heavy tires wont be easy....
i have the BH's on a '12 foreman 500 with lighter than stock aftermarket ITP aluminum rims and i think it had a slight loss of power with the heavy 26 BH's


one hting ive learned about 4 wheelers is dont try to make the bike something it isnt

i see people buy a 400 or 500cc quad and put an optimizer in it, exhaust, gear reduction etc and spend almost as much money as if they wouldve bought a 600-750cc quad to get the same result...

A 400 isn't gonna "power thru" any mud hole like a big bore.
But he'll have no trouble turning those tires, the larger tires provide more ground clearance & the larger lugs will let him walk thru place he never would have gone before.
Anybody doesn't think the 400-450 Yam line of Big Bears have an adaquate amount of low end gearing grunt hasn't driven one!

I'm not trying to make my four wheeler something it's not. I bought it brand new in September or October 1999 when the new 400's came out. It's 100% stock...even the tires that I'm going to replace are original. I've been very happy with it after 13 years of owning/using it.

I didn't take into consideration the added weight of 27" tires. So I'll definitely consider going with 26" tires instead. But what senior said is correct. Big Bear 400's are geared very low and their engines make their power down low and in the mid range. They have a ton of pulling power because of this. They run out of steam on top end because they're geared so low. The engine will just over rev it's self to death if you don't let off.

I've been absolutely amazed at the things I've been able to pull with my wheeler and how well it breaks new trails. In 1st gear it's like a little tank just rolling through pretty much everything I've put it through. Clearing land to put in food plots with Sportsman 400/450/500, Arctic Cat 500, Suzuki Eiger 400 automatic, Honda Foreman 400/420 or what ever it is. I'm never at a disadvantage when it comes to pulling logs and other equipment. Yeah they are faster then me on open trails when we just ride. However, on tight windy rough trails or when it comes to towing/pulling my wheeler more then holds it's own.

I just figured I'd be willing to give up a "little" low end performance to gain a "little" top end performance by going with taller tires.

Thanks, NYH1.

Trust me, I'm quite familiar with the Big Bear line...I bought my first Big Bear in 1987 brand spanky when the 350cc Big Bear was the biggest machine available on the market....And then another later that year. And then another in '88.

And one in '91, and then another in 2000.....So yeah, I've ridden one or two, and know what they are capable of....And more importantly, what they aren't.

Trying to turn a 27" you will give up "a lot" of low end, and probably "a lot" of top end, as it just doesn't have enough engine to GET to the top end before you will run out of room. But do what you like, it's your money not mine. I'm just telling you that it won't have the effect you are looking for.

Maybe I missed it in your post but what tire are you looking at getting? That will make a big difference when choosing the size of the tire you want.

Me personally, I wouldn't put 27" tires on such a small wheeler, I've got a 450 Foreman that is currently running 26x9x12 Mudlites and I wouldn't go any bigger than that and my Foreman is a low end torque monster. I think you'd be perfectly fine with a good 26" tire on your Big Bear.

id run bighorn 2.0's in 26-9 and 26-11 or black diamond xtr in the same size

Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it. I'm going to go with 26 inch tires. Probably 26x9-12 front and 26x11-12 rear. I'm not sure which tires I'm going to get. I need a tire that will be good for general trail riding on dirt, gravel and seasonal roads (most of my riding), some mud, some woods riding riding around at a crawl just checking things out. I also have a 60 inch Moose Snow Plow and regularly plow in the winter. We get about 120 inches of snow a year so some years I do a lot of plowing. So I need a tire that has not only good traction going forward, but going in reverse as well.

I've been looking at a few different tires. I think I like the first tires (Buzz Saw RT) the most, the rest in no real order- Sedona Buzz Saw RT Radial Tires[/b][/i][/u], [u][i][b]Sedona Mud Rebel Tires[/b][/i][/u], [u][i][b]ITP Mud Lite XL[/b][/i][/u] and [u][i][b]Kenda Bearclaw. I have some time so I'll look at other tires as well.

Thanks again, NYH1.