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Pit Bull Tires Growler X.O.R. Review
Picking an ATV or UTV tire these days to replace the worn out tires or simply upgrade the OEM tires your new machine came equipped with can be tough. There are many manufacturers out there today that make exceptional ATV / UTV tires. Some tires are designed with one terrain in mind. They could be intended for strictly mud or have more of an “all-terrain” design. This is where a tire designed with both types of terrain in mind is very valuable.
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</td> <td height="371" width="74%"> A few months back we had the opportunity to test and evaluate a new tire. Pit Bull Tires, is no stranger to off road tires. They have been manufacturing tires, focusing on the off-road community since 1994. Pioneering the off-road light truck and jeep crowd, Pit Bull now produces 2 models of ATV / UTV tires; the Pit Bull Growler and the Rocker. I had a chance to speak with Mike Green, owner of Pit Bull Tires. Mike knows off-road tires in and out. Mike’s down to earth attitude had me interested immediately in the information he had to tell me about these tires. Mike also gave me quite an education on tire manufacturing and marketing. It was evident that Mike is extremely passionate in the products that he produces and sells. When speaking to Mike, I could definitely sense that producing a quality product is his top priority for the Pit Bull Tire Company.
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber2" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="73%"> Choosing between the two tires was a tough decision, but our choices were narrowed quite a bit when we found out the Growler was the only ATV tire that was currently in production by Pit Bull at the time. This certainly made our choice easier; so we chose to go with the 25.5x9x14 for our fronts and 25.5x10x14 for the rear of our Polaris RZR. Concerned that we were going to loose some ground clearance by dropping to a slightly smaller tire size, we were assured by Mike at Pit Bull that the Growlers would run slightly taller and much closer to actual marked diameter. This is something atypical with ATV / UTV tires as they rarely run within the size in which they are marked.
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First Impression
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber3" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="42%"> Cousin to the larger Pit Bull LT off road tire the Pit Bull Growler Radial boasts some tremendous advancements in ATV / UTV tire design. Once we received the Growler tires from Pit Bull we were immediately impressed at the lug depth and design. Pictures do not do these tires any justice. They have some serious deep and intimidating lugs. The lugs measure at just slightly over an inch at 1.075” deep and are in Pit Bull’s words “Aesthetically Directional yet Functionally Non-Directional”. However you translate it, you’ll see that the Growler tires have biting edges in every direction imaginable. Making sure the tires do their job in holding air in while giving you a smooth ride, the Growlers feature a 6 ply rated radial design.
Currently Pit Bull only produces the Growler tire in the 25.5" diameter. But they are making the Growler in a 26.5 and 27.5" tire. These tires will will feature the "Uber" meaning super in German. The Uber X.O.R.'s will be an 8 ply rated and feature and extra deep rim guard that Pit Bull calls EXD Technology. Our tires tested were the standard X.O.R. Growler.
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Pit Bull puts a lot of attention to the detail in the manufacturing of the Growlers. The Growler tires’ sidewall is marked with all kinds of cool logos, American flags, names, and acronyms. My short attention span had a tough time determining the tires direction indicator while trying to mount it on the vehicle. But finally, I found it; talk about sensory overload.
Here are all the specs Pit Bull gives for their tires.
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</td> <td width="74%"> Now, without going through the entire list of features, we can tell you our first impression was a lasting one with the Pit Bull Growler tires. It was time to get these tires mounted and ready for some action. The Pit Bull Growler tire seemed a little heavier than most. I weighed the tire which was mounted on the DWT Racing Diablo wheel and the rear wheel weighed in at 44.6 lbs while the front weighed in at 41.2 lbs. Our 26” Bighorns which were mounted on the Polaris Crusher wheels weighed 39.5 lbs on the front and 41 lbs for the front. We went a step further and weighed our stock RZR steel wheels and tires which were 33.4/rear and 31.2/front. As you can see, the weight isn’t that significant when comparing the Growlers to a competitor, but it is more when you are looking upgrading from your stock setup. Of course, this was a comparison to a Polaris RZR, your machines setup may very slightly. As for the height, the 25.5” tire when mounted on the Polaris RZR measured in at 26 1/8 inches tall.
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Ride Report
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber6" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="73%"> Our first trail test took place in some moderately dry trail conditions with mixed sandy sections and a few red clay mud holes. This was an easy task for most tires, but what impressed us the most was how well the tires rode. In high speed sections of our trail, the cornering was very predictable. This cornering ability was our first experience with the Polaris RZR. We noticed very little tire roll while cornering; however we were using a 14” rim diameter with the Pit Bull Growlers which fostered less sidewall area so we didn’t expect much tire roll. A lot of tires will push out when cornering at high speeds, the Growler held fast and the RZR performed as if it were on rails. The radial design also makes traversing large rocks and logs very easy allowing a wider and flatter tire footprint with excellent gripping capability. This was where what Pit Bull calls “Fang” technology comes into play. We did not get a chance to ride the RZR in any dune type conditions, but while riding around some sandy river bed areas they did impressively well so I would be confident they would do fine in sandy areas.
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</td> <td width="74%"> In the rocky terrain, the Growler tread gripped in all directions. This assured that the RZR would have positive traction at all angles. One of the biggest complaints with nearly all other tires tested was the lack of traction when traversing the side of the hill and a tire wanting to slide out; not the case at all with the Growlers. We witnessed that at all times there was at least two lugs touching and gripping the rocks we were trying to negotiate.
The radial design gives the Growler a flatter footprint when compared to a bias ply tire. This allows the tires to somewhat wrap themselves around inanimate objects on the trail like logs and rocks affording you maximum traction. The integrated sidewall protectors, rim guards and over the shoulder lugs coupled with Pit Bull’s “Tear it Up” rubber compound afforded us the confidence that the RZR could negotiate the rockiest of situations we could find without fear of gouging the sidewall and leaving us stranded till help arrived.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber9" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="73%"> The Pit Bull Growlers ride very well on hard pack. Typically you can quickly sense any irregularities in an ATV tire on hard pack roads. We have noticed this on several tires; however, the Growlers rolled very smooth as if these tires had been balanced. Normally on a paved rode I have noticed some kind of lope or wobble; but not with the Pit Bull Growlers. Never have I had a set of tires roll so smoothly on paved roads as these did. They also tracked straight and true without pulling to the left or the right.
You may ask, how well do these do in the mud? This is a tough question; we primary traveled in areas of ruts and sticky red clay. They may or may not do great with the watery swamp type riding you may see in the Championship Mud Racing Series, but in every thing else they did very well. Expecting the Growler tire treads would pack full of the sticky clay and require higher than normal wheel speed to clean out was just not the case. Mud has a very tough time adhering to the Pit Bull Growler tire. You’ll notice in the video presentation that the Growlers would track much easier than competitor tires do when in mud and off camber terrain. The bottom line, they do very well in moderate mud situations.
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber13" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" align="center" width="100%"> Pit Bull Growler X.O.R. Videos
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</td> <td width="74%"> During our testing we covered rocky, muddy, hard pack, technical and sandy terrain. The Growlers did an outstanding job in all these conditions that I couldn’t seem to find any reason to fault the tires. The only thing that stopped us in most situations was our lack of ground clearance. The rim guard was adequate, we would have preferred a deeper rim guard, but it is better than what most tire manufactures provide. For the Polaris RZR and the terrain we travel on, I would have to consider the next larger size diameter. A little more ground clearance and the Pit Bull Growler tires would make the RZR nearly an unstoppable combination.
We have only had a chance to run the Growler tires for 500 miles. A big concern for me is how the Pit Bull Growler tires will wear. Let’s face it, ATV tires are not cheap, and few of us want to have to buy ATV tires often. I can say that in the 500 miles traveled so far, the Growlers tires have showed no signs of wear.
In this review we only covered the basics in our 500 mile test. I am continuing to evaluate the Pit Bull Growler tires and will be reporting more at our 1000 mile point.
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Conclusion
The Pit Bull Growler X.O.R. is an excellent performing tire in medium / moderate mud as well as rock, snow and sand. It is very tough to write this article and not express a biased opinion on these tires, but they truly live up to everything in which Pit Bull claims. We have tested a lot of tires in the past; some have been impressive performers while others have been average in performance. The Growler tires are one if not the top tire on our list. While the price of the Pit Bull Growler is only slightly higher than most ATV / UTV tires competing in the same category, you get the piece of mind of “Made in the USA” quality and a guarantee from defects with a promise of top level performance.
Contact Information
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber11" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="53%"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="50%"> Pit Bull Tire Company
A Division of Tire Mart, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
[email protected]
314.621.8954
314.621.5396 Fax
800-645-2006
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</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Picking an ATV or UTV tire these days to replace the worn out tires or simply upgrade the OEM tires your new machine came equipped with can be tough. There are many manufacturers out there today that make exceptional ATV / UTV tires. Some tires are designed with one terrain in mind. They could be intended for strictly mud or have more of an “all-terrain” design. This is where a tire designed with both types of terrain in mind is very valuable.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber1" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" height="371" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td height="371" width="26%">
</td> <td height="371" width="74%"> A few months back we had the opportunity to test and evaluate a new tire. Pit Bull Tires, is no stranger to off road tires. They have been manufacturing tires, focusing on the off-road community since 1994. Pioneering the off-road light truck and jeep crowd, Pit Bull now produces 2 models of ATV / UTV tires; the Pit Bull Growler and the Rocker. I had a chance to speak with Mike Green, owner of Pit Bull Tires. Mike knows off-road tires in and out. Mike’s down to earth attitude had me interested immediately in the information he had to tell me about these tires. Mike also gave me quite an education on tire manufacturing and marketing. It was evident that Mike is extremely passionate in the products that he produces and sells. When speaking to Mike, I could definitely sense that producing a quality product is his top priority for the Pit Bull Tire Company.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber2" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="73%"> Choosing between the two tires was a tough decision, but our choices were narrowed quite a bit when we found out the Growler was the only ATV tire that was currently in production by Pit Bull at the time. This certainly made our choice easier; so we chose to go with the 25.5x9x14 for our fronts and 25.5x10x14 for the rear of our Polaris RZR. Concerned that we were going to loose some ground clearance by dropping to a slightly smaller tire size, we were assured by Mike at Pit Bull that the Growlers would run slightly taller and much closer to actual marked diameter. This is something atypical with ATV / UTV tires as they rarely run within the size in which they are marked.
</td> <td width="27%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
First Impression
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber3" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="42%"> Cousin to the larger Pit Bull LT off road tire the Pit Bull Growler Radial boasts some tremendous advancements in ATV / UTV tire design. Once we received the Growler tires from Pit Bull we were immediately impressed at the lug depth and design. Pictures do not do these tires any justice. They have some serious deep and intimidating lugs. The lugs measure at just slightly over an inch at 1.075” deep and are in Pit Bull’s words “Aesthetically Directional yet Functionally Non-Directional”. However you translate it, you’ll see that the Growler tires have biting edges in every direction imaginable. Making sure the tires do their job in holding air in while giving you a smooth ride, the Growlers feature a 6 ply rated radial design.
Currently Pit Bull only produces the Growler tire in the 25.5" diameter. But they are making the Growler in a 26.5 and 27.5" tire. These tires will will feature the "Uber" meaning super in German. The Uber X.O.R.'s will be an 8 ply rated and feature and extra deep rim guard that Pit Bull calls EXD Technology. Our tires tested were the standard X.O.R. Growler.
</td> <td width="31%">
</td> <td width="77%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Pit Bull puts a lot of attention to the detail in the manufacturing of the Growlers. The Growler tires’ sidewall is marked with all kinds of cool logos, American flags, names, and acronyms. My short attention span had a tough time determining the tires direction indicator while trying to mount it on the vehicle. But finally, I found it; talk about sensory overload.
Here are all the specs Pit Bull gives for their tires.
- 5 Circumferential groove channels
- Aesthetically Directional yet Functionally Non-Directional
- Patented Tread Design
- Multi-varied Patented tread blocks
- Rounded edge tread blocks
- 6 ply-rating
- Tear It Up® rubber compound
- Over-the-shoulder lugs
- Integrated Sidewall Protectors
- Rim guards
- Serious Siping
- Stone kickers
- High Void Treads
- Reinforced Tread Blocks
- Cool sidewall designs
Check out the Pit Bull Sidewall Designs
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber4" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="26%">
</td> <td width="74%"> Now, without going through the entire list of features, we can tell you our first impression was a lasting one with the Pit Bull Growler tires. It was time to get these tires mounted and ready for some action. The Pit Bull Growler tire seemed a little heavier than most. I weighed the tire which was mounted on the DWT Racing Diablo wheel and the rear wheel weighed in at 44.6 lbs while the front weighed in at 41.2 lbs. Our 26” Bighorns which were mounted on the Polaris Crusher wheels weighed 39.5 lbs on the front and 41 lbs for the front. We went a step further and weighed our stock RZR steel wheels and tires which were 33.4/rear and 31.2/front. As you can see, the weight isn’t that significant when comparing the Growlers to a competitor, but it is more when you are looking upgrading from your stock setup. Of course, this was a comparison to a Polaris RZR, your machines setup may very slightly. As for the height, the 25.5” tire when mounted on the Polaris RZR measured in at 26 1/8 inches tall.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Ride Report
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber6" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="73%"> Our first trail test took place in some moderately dry trail conditions with mixed sandy sections and a few red clay mud holes. This was an easy task for most tires, but what impressed us the most was how well the tires rode. In high speed sections of our trail, the cornering was very predictable. This cornering ability was our first experience with the Polaris RZR. We noticed very little tire roll while cornering; however we were using a 14” rim diameter with the Pit Bull Growlers which fostered less sidewall area so we didn’t expect much tire roll. A lot of tires will push out when cornering at high speeds, the Growler held fast and the RZR performed as if it were on rails. The radial design also makes traversing large rocks and logs very easy allowing a wider and flatter tire footprint with excellent gripping capability. This was where what Pit Bull calls “Fang” technology comes into play. We did not get a chance to ride the RZR in any dune type conditions, but while riding around some sandy river bed areas they did impressively well so I would be confident they would do fine in sandy areas.
</td> <td width="27%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber7" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="100%">
Here is a close up view, look closely at the mud separating between the lugs.
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</td> <td width="74%"> In the rocky terrain, the Growler tread gripped in all directions. This assured that the RZR would have positive traction at all angles. One of the biggest complaints with nearly all other tires tested was the lack of traction when traversing the side of the hill and a tire wanting to slide out; not the case at all with the Growlers. We witnessed that at all times there was at least two lugs touching and gripping the rocks we were trying to negotiate.
The radial design gives the Growler a flatter footprint when compared to a bias ply tire. This allows the tires to somewhat wrap themselves around inanimate objects on the trail like logs and rocks affording you maximum traction. The integrated sidewall protectors, rim guards and over the shoulder lugs coupled with Pit Bull’s “Tear it Up” rubber compound afforded us the confidence that the RZR could negotiate the rockiest of situations we could find without fear of gouging the sidewall and leaving us stranded till help arrived.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber9" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="73%"> The Pit Bull Growlers ride very well on hard pack. Typically you can quickly sense any irregularities in an ATV tire on hard pack roads. We have noticed this on several tires; however, the Growlers rolled very smooth as if these tires had been balanced. Normally on a paved rode I have noticed some kind of lope or wobble; but not with the Pit Bull Growlers. Never have I had a set of tires roll so smoothly on paved roads as these did. They also tracked straight and true without pulling to the left or the right.
You may ask, how well do these do in the mud? This is a tough question; we primary traveled in areas of ruts and sticky red clay. They may or may not do great with the watery swamp type riding you may see in the Championship Mud Racing Series, but in every thing else they did very well. Expecting the Growler tire treads would pack full of the sticky clay and require higher than normal wheel speed to clean out was just not the case. Mud has a very tough time adhering to the Pit Bull Growler tire. You’ll notice in the video presentation that the Growlers would track much easier than competitor tires do when in mud and off camber terrain. The bottom line, they do very well in moderate mud situations.
</td> <td width="27%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber13" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" align="center" width="100%"> Pit Bull Growler X.O.R. Videos
</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" width="50%">
<object height="265" width="320">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OVnQDrUmIzo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="265" width="320"></object>
</td> <td align="center" width="50%">
<object height="265" width="320">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-TR2YC7NGqI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="265" width="320"></object>
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</td> <td width="74%"> During our testing we covered rocky, muddy, hard pack, technical and sandy terrain. The Growlers did an outstanding job in all these conditions that I couldn’t seem to find any reason to fault the tires. The only thing that stopped us in most situations was our lack of ground clearance. The rim guard was adequate, we would have preferred a deeper rim guard, but it is better than what most tire manufactures provide. For the Polaris RZR and the terrain we travel on, I would have to consider the next larger size diameter. A little more ground clearance and the Pit Bull Growler tires would make the RZR nearly an unstoppable combination.
We have only had a chance to run the Growler tires for 500 miles. A big concern for me is how the Pit Bull Growler tires will wear. Let’s face it, ATV tires are not cheap, and few of us want to have to buy ATV tires often. I can say that in the 500 miles traveled so far, the Growlers tires have showed no signs of wear.
In this review we only covered the basics in our 500 mile test. I am continuing to evaluate the Pit Bull Growler tires and will be reporting more at our 1000 mile point.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Conclusion
The Pit Bull Growler X.O.R. is an excellent performing tire in medium / moderate mud as well as rock, snow and sand. It is very tough to write this article and not express a biased opinion on these tires, but they truly live up to everything in which Pit Bull claims. We have tested a lot of tires in the past; some have been impressive performers while others have been average in performance. The Growler tires are one if not the top tire on our list. While the price of the Pit Bull Growler is only slightly higher than most ATV / UTV tires competing in the same category, you get the piece of mind of “Made in the USA” quality and a guarantee from defects with a promise of top level performance.
Contact Information
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber11" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="53%"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="50%"> Pit Bull Tire Company
A Division of Tire Mart, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
[email protected]
314.621.8954
314.621.5396 Fax
800-645-2006
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