MUDBUG tires by maxxis

[wildtexasranger]

I hope some one knows about these Tires and has tried them out.They look like they will swim.also do real good in the mud with the tread pat.Please some one speak up on this tire !!!!!!!!!I got to know!!!!!!!!!Im looking for a good mud tire in the range of 25x12x9 for my max2 and I think this tire will do it.I need it to swim only some to cross creeks and small ponds,but mostly in gumbo mud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

[Mike]

They sure have an aggressive tread and look like they would do good in the water too?

Here's the link on their website to that tire info: Mud Bug tires

[Overkill]

I'm running "mud bugs" on my home built 6x6. I built my rig after I crashed my '72 Attex. Being a newbe to 6x6 I bought the tires on looks alone. I can tell you that they don't want to skid, and at times it over powers the T-20 trans on dry ground. I'm going to try a different gear set to fix it. I havent run it with my GPS to see how fast it is, but it is defiantly faster than the Attex.

[mudbug3]

Matt Oxender has a friend with an Argo Big foot, and it has the Mud Bug atv tires on it. He says they swim as good as the amphiibious, Good year,raw hide III,s.

[jpswift1]

It was mentioned about the tires not skidding well. I know that many tires such as the Goodyear Rawhides are perfect for amphibs, most likely because the engineers of the major companies spent many hours on trying to see what would work best. If anyone has opinions on other tires, I would love to hear them because I am in the process of possibly putting some aggressive 26or 27" mud tires on my Hustler BIG FOOT. I know that Mr. Dan Edwards has done lots of experimenting with big mud tires and he would be a great person to consult if anyone has any additional questions about this.

[wildtexasranger]

thanks for the info guys

Overkill,
Your ride is the reason Im putting mud bugs on my max2.I saw your web site and dude that 6x6 is tuffffff!!!!!!!!!!what size are you running on that thing?what kind of trans you running?you need to post up some video of that monster!!!!!!!tell us about your 6x6.how much does it weigh?Im putting 25x12x9 on it (off the rim they are 22'' tall and 13'' wide a little over 1'' deep tread 6 ply)I know a guy in a few states over is running them on his Argo and he loves them they swim just as good as the raw hide 3's but they really go thru the mud like a Gator!! Im in alot of gumo mud and I think these tires will work for what I need them to do.Thanks again guys and I would like to hear more about this tire from every one still.

[mightymaxIV]

Overkill, it's proably your clutch and not the t-20 that is the problem. A red spring clutch should take care of it. Also when your running big tires you have to get in the habit of steering with the throtle. Once you master the throtle steering you'll find that everything else works just fine.I can't tell you how important this is. You might want to talk with Richard at route 6x6 and find out if he has a clutch that will work with your engine transmission combo,Because your machine is just to cool to be having drive train problems that can easily be fixed.

[Overkill]

This week I am changing all the drive sprockets. I did talk to Richard before I ordered the new sprockets. I was running 33mph with the old set. With the kind of trails I like to run, I don't need that much speed. I was also having problems on hill climes. It would get stuck half way and start smoking the belt. So I'm going to go up one tooth on the big drive sprocket, and down two teeth on the axle sprockets. While I've got it apart I came up with a cool new chain tensioner setup that cant go out of adjustment. I will post some pix when it is finished. You are correct about throtle steering. If you tried to baby it, it wouldn't turn. I don't know what spring is in the clutch, but when I ordered it from Richard I asked for the high performance one. Maybe that was a mistake.

[mudbug3]

Overkill,

I don,t know what colour clutch spring you have, but the stock one I pulled out was green in colour ( for more speed sooner,and less torque on the bottom ) and the one I just installed is red in colour and is for more low end torque. This is what I need for the riding I do,,which is slow and technical.

The pressure of the Red clutch spring I,m told,, keeps the motor in low range longer,because the spring is stronger, and this makes for more low end grunt. Which is what I want for pulling more aggressive and larger lug tires. The riding I like to do is not about speed, but about being able to drive through very rough and very challenging, muddy terrain.

Being able to get where I want to go, is more important to me, than getting there faster. Where I like to ride, you can,t ride fast, because the terrain is just too rough. It will beat you to death and will soon tear up your machine. What fun is that?

My friend who has a 27 hp Max IV, with the red clutch spring installed on the transmisson, told me he raced a stock Max IV with the same motor size, but it had the stock green clutch spring. My friend with the red clutch spring pulled the other Max by one and a half lenghs off the line, and on the top end,,pulled it by three lengths, he told me. :laugh

[Overkill]

Mudbug 3,

Thanks for the input. After talking to Wildtexasranger on the phone, he set me straight on what you meant about the "Red Spring". Being a stupid newbe I thought you where talking about the motor clutch.

Now that I know it's the trans clutch your explanation makes complete sense. I'm calling RI this morning and ordering the spring. Maybe I could go back to the Yamaha 570 motor.

[mudbug3]

OVerkill,

After you change to the red clutch spring, it will make a world of difference in the low end grunt of your machine And,,with all the weight the 23 hp briggs motor is pulling, I,m also sure you will have to change to different sprockets as well. The ones you are now running are not right for your amphibious application. They were for an Attex right?

[mudbug3]

A few days ago,I talked to a man on the phone who owns an Argo Fronteer. He recently took off the Fronteer tires, that every one is so excited about, and replaced them with 25 " Maxis Mud Bugs. He told me he is happy with the Mud Bugs on his Fronteer, and is really glad he made the switch. This change of tires has made his Fronteer just about unstoppable in the mud he told me.

The reason for the switch? The places where he and his ATV friends like to ride at, his Argo Fronteer got stuck several times. He blamed this on the type of mud where they ride at, and also the tread pattern of the Fronteer tires.

He told me the Fronteer tires were great in the water for water speed , but for the type of mud riding he and his friends did, the Fronteer tires would glaze over with mud. The Fronteer tires would not clean out the mud fast enough, and this caused him to get stuck in several places , where his ATV friends did not. When ever he got stuck in his 6x6,, all of his 4-wheeler, ATV friends, would laugh at him, after they made it through the same mud hole.

After he made the switch to the Mud Bugs,,he went back to try them out. On that day, there were lots of people watching on both sides of the 60 ft mud pit. This is the first time they had ever seen a strange looking, 6x6 , amphib, face off against a Kawasaki Brute Force 750, with a snorkle kit,and 29.5, High Lifter, Out Law tires. The 750 Brute Force, ATV rider, felt very sure of himself against the strange looking 6 wheeler parked next to him.

The ATV rider taunted the Fronteer driver and said " lets see who makes it back here the quickest". The ATV rider nailed the throttle hard, hoping to get the jump on his amphibious opponent. The Fronteer driver rolls into the water, shortly afterward, but only at partial throttle, paddling beside the now struggling ATV rider. The 60 ft mud pit had been filled with about 4 ft of water, and already the ATV rider is half way across it. But by now, the Fronteer was swimming past him. As the 750 Brute Force rider rocks his ATV hard , side to side, to gain foward momentum,,the wheels of the amphibious Fronteer soon crest the far bank of the mud pit. The Mud Bug tires claw deep into the muddy incline, lifting the front wheels into the air. To the cheering crowd, it looks like a wheelie. The Fronteer then does a 180,and heads back the way it came. As the Fronteer driver passes the struggling ATV rider in the water, he waves. The crowd on either side of the mud pit, goes wild, laughing and cheering the amphib driver as his Mud Bug tires creast the other side.

Later the ATV riders say " Well,,you beat us all in the mud pit,, but, lets see now, how you do in the thick mud and rutted trails. With the Mud Bug tires,,the Fronteer driver was able to follow the ATV riders on all but one deeply rutted trail. These trails had ruts made with 29.9 , High Lifter, Out Laws. On most of these trails,, the Fronteer driver was able to straddle them, and claw his way through, on the outer edges of the deep mud ruts. Only one deep rutted trail,,brought the amphib driver to a halt.

The Phone conversation ended with " Well,, I was able to follow all of the big tire ATV,s there, on 9 trails, and only got my Fronteer stuck on one"

"Nine out of ten ain,t so bad !

Since the Maxis Mud Bugs are made for ATV,s and not amphibs,,you can not use more than partial throttle for maximum water speed. These tires swim about 2 mph in the water, but really excell in thick mud. By next week,,I,ll be able to tell you the exact speed they GPS at in the water.

[jpswift1]

Great story! I love hearing about when a 4 wheeler rider's ego is completely deflated when an amphib shows him what these machines are truely capable of. You guys might just have me convinced on picking up a set of these tires for my Hustler BIG FOOT.

[mudbug3]

I asked the man who owns the Argo Fronteer,how the Mud Bug tires compare in water speed, with other amphib tires. After he made the switch from the Fronteer tires to the Mud Bugs,,this was his responce :

Water speed on a scale of 1-10

The number 10 --> the fastest water speed, and the number 1 --> the slowest water speed.

Good Year Raw hides - water speed ---> 5
Maxis Mud Bugs - water speed ----> 6
Fronteer tires - water speed --> 8

[Overkill]

I got all the mod's finished on my home made 6x6 this weekend. That included new gear sets. I went up 1 tooth on the large jack shaft sprocket, and dropped two teeth on the axle sprockets. While I had it apart, I changed the torque converter spring to the red one from RI. What a huge differance. All the problems with skidding and smoking belts are gone.

Thanks for all the good advice. The "mudbugs" are awsome.