28" Zillas VS 28" Mega Meyhams on 2012 XP 850

[mudmania]

Which tire should I go with? There is a 21lb difference in weight! I was thinking about 30" zillas, but don't want to lift. Comparing 28"-11"-14" on four corners. I do a little of everything, trails, mud, skeg, rock, gravel roads, river hills,creeks, snow/ice, and did I mention mud?

 

[Brute Force Boy]

Go with the meyhams 28", I've got 28 zillas on mine, they're a great tire but the meyhams have a bigger lug. My buddy has 30" zillas on his xp, they will rub bad without a lift and you WILL have to upgrade your front axles if you lift it.

 

[Brute Force Boy]

I have 28/11/14 on all 4 btw, I had to put the lift on cause they rub with the 2 up but if you have the reg xp, you will only need to bump your shock setting at about 1/2 up. No lift needed.
I would really recommend the 11's all around, it pulls great in the skeg.

 

[mudmania]

Thanks for the info! Do you think 11's in the front are going to be too much of a tire for the front diff? I heard the polaris front diffs are a little on the weak side?

 

[Brute Force Boy]

Its not the front diff thats weak, its the front cv's. I've broken two stock outer cv's on mine with my 28 x 11's with my lift on, its fine with the aftermarket cv's now though.
My friend with the 30's sheared his stock axle, I've never seen anything like it, he's had 0 issues since changing his axles out.

 

[rzrgade]

After 2010 the axles suck,once you upgrade them it is a pretty good set up............If you go to a 14 inch run the front rims (6 inch )front and back with 11 inch tires .This will help with the mud in the bead issue quite a bit...........
That is why i prefer the 30 inch over the 28`s,the bead is a lot more protected on a 30...........

 

[mudmania]

So what type of after market axles do I need?

 

[Brute Force Boy]

I used ADR axles bought through Superatv.com, got them for 120 a peeve shipped with a discount. You could spend mor on rhino or gorilla axles but the ADR seem to be holding up just fine.

 

[OnlyPolaris]

I would go 30x11 zillas on all 4. All you will need is spring spacers to stiffen up the ride, which will give you no rubbing issues. The front dif will hold up fine. The only time there are issues with the front dif is when guys are switching to 4x4 when they are stuck and the rear tires are spinning. It locks in hard and breaks the pinion. We have 2 850's in the shop getting serviced righ now with this setup. One doesn't even have the spring spacers just has the shocks cranked up all the way. here is a pic of my 850 with 1.5" spring spacers and 31" outlaws. No rubbing what so ever.

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2477678600105061121izwJDq

 

[Brute Force Boy]

I agree that the diff will be fine but it just a matter of time till you snap a cv unless the 2012+ have changed them.

 

[mudmania]

If I go 30" zillas with spring spacers, would that out perform the 28" meyahams in the mud? Would the 30" zillas make the quad unstable/tippy in the river hills?

 

[Brute Force Boy]

I'd say it's a step back, to me, it looks like the meyhams have a bigger lug and I think they would be wider as the 30 zillas measure to 10" wide. But I haven't tried the meyhams so I really don't know.

 

[mudmania]

Looks like im going with 28" mega meyhams on 14" rims. Lots of positive reviews for the megas in the mud and seems like they are decent on the trail. Can't beat the price, half the cost of 28" outlaws!

 

[tmo1620]

Id of went with the zillas just for the weight difference, but with 30" zillas over the 28's. A buddy I ride with had 28" mayhems on his can am 650 and he went through no more or no less mud than I do with my AC 550 with 28" zillas. Only difference is he snapped 3 axles this year to my 0. After his last axle break in July, he took those heavy meyhems off and sold them to his buddy and he then put on 28" zillas and zero axle problems since...... so far

 

[Brute Force Boy]

28x11x14 zilla weight = 28.7lb tread depth = 1-3/16"
28x11x14 mega mayhem weight = 32lb tread depth = 1-1/2"

 

[mudmania]

There is a weight savings with the 28" zillas vs 28" mega meyhams, Approximately 21.2 lbs. BUT, the 30" zillas are 31 lbs, 28 mega meyhams are 32 lbs, not much weight difference. I was thinking of staying with 28" to avoid lifts, increasing gearing, and increasing the angle on the axles. For weight it looks like the 28" zillas would be the tire, but if I go 30" zillas, the weight is the same as the maeyhams? Hmm, this tire thing is giving me a headache.

 

[doorfx]

Ground clearance is a big deal but 28" to 30" only gets you 1" of ground clearance

 

[tmo1620]

Sometimes that 1" is alot, to have the same weight and a bigger tire seems like a no brainer to me

Ground clearance is a big deal but 28" to 30" only gets you 1" of ground clearance

 

[doorfx]

True dat!!

 

[mudmania]

So I guess zillas it is! 30" by 11" wide on all four corners. Sounds like alot of xp's have this set-up and is working well. I guess it doesn't matter what kind of tires I run, as long as my winch is working!