tire and rim oprions

[Adam in Va]

Just got this 96 Max IV, and loving it.
However it does have some issues I'd like to improve.
It has 26" tires on 12" rims with awesome grip but rough ride.
Maybe even too much grip? Tears grass off my yard with the slightest turn.
They do swim well, good speed, but floats very low with 3 people.
Would a 25x12x8 tire float better? Less rim-more air? and maybe ride better too with more side wall.[IMG][/IMG][/IMG][IMG]
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[ARGOJIM]

25x12x9 will surely ride better, the Rawhide 3's do pretty good til the peanut butter.

[Mike]

First, check your air pressure with a true low-pressure gauge and drop it down to 3psi. The Terra tires are some of the roughest but air pressure does make a difference. The other thing to point out is that you have the older wheels that are not k-locks. If you had k-locks, you could drop the pressure down to the 1psi range to help even more. Also keep the wheels in mind if you go into a rut. When you skid steer sideways into or out of the rut, your front and rear tires can get knocked off the bead. Here is my wife in my parents Max IV with the older style wheels knocking both front tires off the bead at one time: https://youtu.be/cbCtVC6-bTA?t=110

I don't know that you will see any noticeable floatation improvements from different tires but I could be wrong. I've just never noticed a difference between a few different tires/wheel combinations that I have tried. If you decide to try different tires and don't need some aggressive mud tires, there are a few options that would provide better ride comfort. The Rawhide III's that ArgoJim mentioned ride well and do fairly well in most conditions. However, I think if I were you I would try some of the Mudd-Ox Vendettas. I don't know how they perform in the mud but they seem to offer a decent ride and still swim well.

[Adam in Va]

I was thinking a 8 inch rim would be lighter than a 12" rim and displace more water = float better.
using same height and width tire.
any thoughts?

[Adam in Va]

I may do some testing and post my results.
weight it takes to sink a 12" rim and tire VS 8"

[TravisW]

That seems logical, you would be hard pressed to find anything bigger than a 22" or maybe 23" tire that will fit an 8" rim though. Unless we're including the ridiculously priced Argo 24s that fit 8" rims.

[msafi65]

As Mike stated the wheels you have wont take low pressure. I would look into klock wheels instead of different tires and run pressure down. Another lesson is nothing gets you I trouble faster than turning a skid steer vehicle on a nice lawn.

[Adam in Va]

My other odd atv is a Deere AMT 5 wheeler, is uses 9" rims (may be 9x9) and has 25X12X9 tires.
Lots of side wall, as it has no rear suspension either.