Swamp witch

[AKmud]

What is y'alls opinion about the Swamp Witch tires? I have come across a killer deal on these new tires for my 6x6. I am going to stay stock sizes except for the front where I am going 2" wider. They look a lot like the Mud lites (AKhunter45....) and the Bear Claws. I just haven't heard much about these.

Anyone know about em?

[AkHunter45]

They look like some pretty nice tires and sorta look like the Mudlites, only difference being the Lites weigh in @ 20 lbs versus 26 lbs for the Swamp Lites. Thats was for a 25x10x12 tire. Wish i could help you more but I only have experience with the Mudlites and useless Honda stock tires.

[AKmud]

26#

Was that for the Swamp Lites or the Swamp Witch tires? Oops, nevermind, I answered my own question -

http://www.swamp-witch.com/

If anyone has any experience with these I'd appreciate any info + or -.

[AKmud]

Tires

Tires are on their way, I'll give a report when I get em on. Sounds like I am going to need spacers for the front though. A buddy of mine just put 8" wide 589's on the front of his 6x6 and said he has about 1/2" clearance with no spacers.

Also, has anyone heard of the 6x6's having a transmission problem once more aggressive tires were put on them? My buddy (above) was told of another 6x6 owner who put 589's all the way around and ended up burning up his tranny. He had it rebuilt and burned it up again. He finally had the dealer put stock tires back on. Of course I don't know anything about this guys maintenance or riding style. Maybe it was operator induced I dunno. Just wondering if anyone else has heard of this?

[Water_Gremlin]

I have a friend who just bought some Highlifter MST's. Basically the same tire but siped. Soon I will be comparing my bugs to his MST's.

[AKmud]

I got 'em in....

now I just have to put them on! They look pretty mean and are a huge step up from stock. My buddy got his 27" Swamp lites in today....they look pretty cool too. It will be interesting to compare them.

See ya'll on Sunday!

[Water_Gremlin]

I rode with AKHNTR (Dan) this past weekend and he was sporting MST's. Similar to Swamp Witches but they have sipes, a flater profile, and more side wrap. These tires were utterly amazing. There climbing abilities were unreal and they were just as good in the mud with a bottom as my bugs. If the witches even come close to the MST's they will be an awesome tire.

[H_I_L_L_B_I_L_L_Y]

tranny problems

Most guys that go with bigger tires get a clutch kit installed. It will make a big difference with the extra weight. Ive never worked on a 6x6 so i dont know if you can get one.

[Contender]

Clutch Kit

I hear about clutch kits on this forum but I don't know what they are? I have an Arctic Cat 500 auto and a Grizzly 660 but have never had any problem with clutches. So what do they do and what type of machines do they install them on?

[Water_Gremlin]

Clutch Kit Low Down

I have an 05 Kawi Brute Force 750. I also have two sets of tires, 28" bugs & 28" zillas. With a 3" difference in tire size compared to the OEM tires the final gear ratio will rise, also there is a difference and traction too. A clutch kit will help regain this power. More so on the Kawi's and Po's than the Suzuki's, AC's (non kawi engine), and Yamaha's with their wet clutch setup. With the higher gear ratio, added weight, and extra traction it takes more power to turn the tires. This causes a loss in power and extra strain on the belt. A clutch kit can raise the RPM's higher in the powerband than the OEM setup. This will regain your power and hold the belt tighter.

For example. My kawi is a spin and grab pulley system. It consists of a secondary pulley (it can be called the rear pulley too) and a primary pulley (or front pulley). The secondary pulley has one spring, and the primary puley, on the kawi system, has 4 weights and a spring. The Suzukis, AC's, and Yamaha's have a wet clutch which keeps the belt engaged at all times, this offers a much more reliable system but the clutching is limited and not as customizable. Also clutch kits are not as effective on the wet clutch systems as they are the spin and grab of the Kawi's and Po's. Keep in mind they are much more reliable though. On my kawi the pulleys hold the belt and the belt travels within the pulleys to gain power and speed with higher RPM's. At idle the primary pulley opens up enough to where it cannot grab the belt, at this point the atv will not move. Once the engagement RPM's are met the primary pulley grabs the belt and the atv begins to accelerate. A perfectly clutched system will hold a constant RPM while the belt and pulleys works their magic to make the atv gain speed.

The secondary pulley spring mainly holds the belt tight and controls backshift. It can also drastically alter your top speed. The primary pulley, for the most part, controls stall engagement and gear ratio. By adding new springs and weights you can regain almost all of your lost power on this system, atleast on the kawi and Po' belt drives. I clutched my brute so I can wheelie like a mad man even with MONSTER mud tires. The downside to a clutch kit is it can raise the stall, that would be the rpm where the machine starts to move.

A clutch kit is not nescessarily needed on most atv's with 25" aftermarket tires. Once you get into the 26"+ mud tires a clutch kit can be very beneficial. BUT there are many different clutch kits for many different setups depending on the type of machine and setup. A trail rider with larger aftermarket tires shouldnt use an "extreme" clutch kit when an oversized tire clutch kit would have been perfect. A 6x may be different since there are 6 tires, I dont have much experience with them.

I believe belt driven machines are ideal when you need instant power. Instant and consistant power is perfect for mud (some cases manuals are better), hill climbing, and especially snow. There is no loss of momentum or power while shifting like there would be with a manual machine. The pulleys shift your power throughout the power band automatically.

[Water_Gremlin]

Clear as mud huh? :-)

[Snyd]

I have an 02 Griz 660 with 27" MudMachine BiTri Claws. I installed a Highlifter clutch kit also. Best $200 I spent on the the quad after adding the tires. To me it's a "must have no brainer". Gives back your low end and helps out big time with reverse.

[AKmud]

6x6

I think for my 6x6 it will be the same clutch kit as for the Polaris 500 sportsman. I thought about a Team Performance clutch kit (great with the snowmachines) but don't know about the ATV end. Any ideas on how a clutch kit would integrate with the engine brake system (EBS)?

[Snyd]

I think for my 6x6 it will be the same clutch kit as for the Polaris 500 sportsman. I thought about a Team Performance clutch kit (great with the snowmachines) but don't know about the ATV end. Any ideas on how a clutch kit would integrate with the engine brake system (EBS)?

I don't know much about the polaris's but check out either www.highlifter.com or www.atvfrontier.com.

[Water_Gremlin]

With my clutch kit the engine braking kicks in at a higher rpm, which creates a delay right before the EBS kicks in when you go down a hill. I just stick her in low and use slight braking. That does the trick, even on nasty hills.

People on highlifter lean towards the Heel Clicker clutch kits. Why, I dont know.