[IdahoRenegade]

Some of our best riding in North Idaho is in the late winter/early spring, after the snow has partially melted and set up a few times. With the right machine, tires and snow conditions, it's possible to run on several feet of snow. Now it can be touchy...in the morning when it's cold and the snow is nice and firm you can go anywhere...afternoon when it's starting to rot, uphill climbs may be impossible.

Tire selection is a big deal. You need enough width and a big enough footprint to float. Enough traction to pull...but not too aggressive a "mud type" tire, or it will dig in and bury you right now. Bighorns have worked very well, and I know some people that swear by Pitbull Growlers. I've run 25x10x12 Horns on all four year around on my quads, and now have them on my (50in) RZR. In deep snow I pull the valve stems to air down, then air back up when we get out of the mountains. The tires are stiff enough "flat". I like them for the summer, tough enough for our rocky trails, but still very close to 50 inches for some of our barriered trails. But...I think more footprint would be good for winter use given the weight of the RZR. I'm thinking of some wider-offset (4x3) wheels and wider tires. What setup have people found to work well in these conditions?

Thanks all.

 

[carsner2004]

i ride a lot in the snow up here in alaska and know exactly what you mean, i can tell you that as long as you are trying to float on the snow like you said the bighorns seem to work the best, i tried the baja crosses and they did not work very well at all, and any type of directional tire like mud lights or the stock 900 tires dig way too much, i was wanting to try paddles this winter, has anyone ran paddles in the snow???? what is the widest paddle you can get?? and what would it hurt to run all 4 paddles instead of the smoothies up front??? thanks

 

[IdahoRenegade]

i ride a lot in the snow up here in alaska and know exactly what you mean, i can tell you that as long as you are trying to float on the snow like you said the bighorns seem to work the best, i tried the baja crosses and they did not work very well at all, and any type of directional tire like mud lights or the stock 900 tires dig way too much, i was wanting to try paddles this winter, has anyone ran paddles in the snow???? what is the widest paddle you can get?? and what would it hurt to run all 4 paddles instead of the smoothies up front??? thanks

Funny, I've had the same idea. Never seen anyone running them in snow around here, but would like to know. My concern would be "side bite". When crossing sidehills (like snow-filled mountain trails), slipping downhill can be an issue...I don't know how paddlles would do. Might be great, might not. How do paddles handle rocks? Many days we'll ride bare, rocky ground at lower elevations and be in snow up high.

 

[skipdaddie]

My favorite snow tire is the Pit Bull Rocker. It seems to get the best traction. My favorite all around tire is the Big Horn. I have had the fewest flats with them. My least favorite tire is the Terra Cross.

 

[MuddyPaws]

lots of quad guys here run paddles in the snow. They are the go fast guys though.