Terracross XD

[3TV]

I just upgraded from 25" Terracross tires to 26" Terracross XD tires on my 2007 Grizzly. The Terracross XD has an extra sidewall ply and a more durable rubber compound than the old Terracross tires did. I really liked the old Terracross tires on my Grizzly, and put 1300 miles worth of rock riding on them with no punctures, and still almost new looking tread depth. I liked the 25" Terracross tires so well on the Grizzly that I took them off the Grizzly and put them on my Rhino. That left me with needing another set of tires for the Grizzly, so this time I chose the 26" Terracross XD tires.

There are some notable differences between the old and the new Terracross tires. The 25" Terracross tires had a more square profile with a flat tread surface. The 26" Terracross XD tires have a more rounded profile. The 26" Terracross XD tires seem to have improved build quality, because they ride much smoother, and do not have the subtle shimmy at high speed on pavement that the old Terracross tires had. Its nice to see that ITP has improved in that area, and the new tires are as smooth as silk. Traction also seems to be better with the new Terracross XD tires, which is especially noticable at corner turn in. The old tires did have a slight tendancy to push in turns if you entered the turn too hot. The new tires bite and turn instantly, and there is enough improvement that it actually took a few minutes to get used to it. Turning is incredibly precise with the new Terracross XDs, and they still powerslide extremely well, which was always a good feature of the old Terracross. Its too soon to say how durable they will be, but considering that I never had a problem with the old Terracross tires, the new Terracross XD should be every bit as good, or better. After one days ride I'm very happy with the new tires, and would highly recommend them for trail conditions experienced in the western USA. The new 26" Terracross XDs seem to work better and ride better than the old style 25" Terracross tires did.

Here's a picture of the old flatter profile 25" Terracross tires.


And here's the new rounder profile 26" Terracross XD




3TV

[GRIZZLYWIZARD]

Great review! I have had my eye on these tires for a few weeks now myself. I am anxiously awaiting your long term review on these.

[Koko]

Same here, because the original terracross's were extremely puncture prone here in the northeast. A few of my friends ride with them and each of them has a minimum of one plug (ongoing joke as well).

[3TV]

Went for a good long ride today on the new Terracross XDs, ... 70 miles worth, in the mountains behind the house. Didn't even have to load the ATV on the trailer to get there. Most of the day was spent on rocky two track roads, but with about 20 miles worth of very steep technical ATV single track. Ground surface here is rocky, with so many rocks that there isn't any room for dirt in between the rocks.

I have to say that these are the smoothest riding tires I've owned thus far. The Grizzly feels like a big Cadillac in the rocks. Traction is good considering the ground surface, that can tend to be the equivalent of riding on ball bearings. The Terracross tires seem to have the ability to roll across the top of the loose rubbly surface layer of rocks, instead of bouncing and spinning, and spitting the rocks out from underneath them. Turning precision is better than the last pair of Terracross tires I had, but part of the problem with my last set of Terracross tires was likely my fault. I had been using 25x10x12 Terracross tires at all four corners, instead of the narrower 25x8x12 size that is usually used in front. I had thought that the wider front tires would improve traction and help protect the rims from rock damage. The wider tires may have helped protect the rims, but I suspect the extra width was one of the factors that made those tires handle worse relative to these tires. The 25x10x12 Terracross tires tended to push in turns, and the tread lugs along the sidewall of the tires had a habit of grabbing the edges of ruts, roots, rocks, and everything else they could get ahold of, and would try to steer the ATV in that direction. The new 26x8x12 Terracross front tires do not have that tendancy at all, and turning is markedly improved, especially at corner turn in. You had better be ready to turn when you turn the handlebars, because with these tires the ATV reacts right now to steering input. So far so good with these tires, time will tell how durable they are.

3TV

[1Bad1000Xxc]

This is all great news 3TV.

I'm really excited about ITP having seemingly thus far improved the terracross. It really will be interesting to see if they are more puncture-proof than the previous non-XD version as that seemed to be most people's problem with the earlier tire.

Keep us posted on your results from them.

BUster

[formguy]

That Grizz w/that wheel and tire combo looks awsome

[captjack]

3 tv,
I noticed in your first picture you have the stock handle bars and in the following pictures you have the risers and flex bar. My question to you is , how much of the turning/steering difference is attributed to the new bars ?

My griz became a little sport bike when I upgraded my handle bars.

[3TV]

The new handlebars were installed while the previous tires were still on the ATV. They did improve ergonomics and the overall feel of the ATV. The improved handling from the tire change was felt above and beyond what the handlebar change had done though.

3TV

[captjack]

3TV,

Thanks for the reply. I went back and forth on the Bighorns and terras. I have 2 700's so I mIght get a set of the horns for the other bike and test them side by side.

Your comments on the new HD swayed my decision toward the ITP'S