ITP Blackwater Evolution 27" tire upgrade

[ovrszd]

After the 4th time I walked out of the timber to get the tractor to pull the RTV I decided I'd had enough of the factory tires......

So I bought a set of Blackwater Evolution tires. Last Fall I added an 1" lift kit to my RTV. With that I thought I could handle 27" tires.

The Blackwater tires are only available in 9" width or 11" width. I freaked out about clearance on the front. So I ordered two 9" and two 11". What I should have done was order two 11" and mount them on the front to check for clearance. If they rubbed I could then order two 9"...... But I didn't....

With 9" on the front and 11" on the back I have no rub issues whatsoever. I swapped the 11" tires to the front and took a timber lap. No rub issues.

Anyway,,,,, what an improvement. On even terrain, as in, no lifting a tire off the ground it will climb more in 2wd, open rear, than it would previously in 4wd, open rear. It will climb more in 2wd, locked rear than it would previously in 4wd, locked rear.

The additional 1" of clearance is readily noticeable!!! So now with the 1" lift and 2" tire size upgrade I have 2" of undercarriage clearance gain. Don't sound like much. But when you are this low to the ground it's like a 25% gain in clearance!!!! Makes me happy!!!!

Here's a pic of my stock tire sitting beside an ITP 27" 589.
And a pic of the 27" Blackwater sitting beside the same ITP 27" 589.

 

[ovrszd]

Sorry, I'm not smart enough to post pics behind text so have to add posts.....

Here's a pic of the ITP 27" 589, 27" Blackwater and my stock tire.

Disclaimer: The 589 is carrying the weight of the Rhino..... And I was too stupid to get a pic of my stock tire in this arrangement still mounted. but you get the idea. :

 

[ovrszd]

I'll try to get some pics of the RTV with the new tires tomorrow when I'm at the farm.

I bought these tires thru Chapparal Motorsports. Paid $568 delivered to my door. They are an 8 ply tire. Very durable. Very deep tread. Very good lateral traction. Don't slide sideways down the hill anymore.

Only power difference I noted was if I'm on a steep climb with good traction I can stall out in "M". A shift to "L" removes that problem. I'm still in "M" 90% of the time.

Very happy with the results. In my opinion, wayyyyyy better upgrade than buying a winch. But someday I'll add one anyway. Just saying, if on stock tires, replace the tires first, buy the winch second. :

 

[bordercollie]

I've been using the Blackwater Evolutions (26") for 3 years- They hold up great(at least 1800 hours on this set as of Jan 2016 (bought in January of 2013) and the stiff sidewalls are awesome for heavy loads. I had a loose stem insert and had only 5 lbs of air in this front tire I have pictured. (taken a few months ago). It was still sitting up for the most part. See this link for what they can do.. http://www.nettractortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15210&highlight=blackwater+evolution bordercollie

 

[ovrszd]

I'm running 15 psi. How much are you using?

 

[bordercollie]

I run 18-20 in rear and 15 in the front. The Blackwater Evolutions are a mighty fine tire in my humble opinion. Hard rubber that holds up to what ever I throw at it.I have never had tires last so long. Years and years ago with the 2005 RTV, I went through other brands of tires yearly - it seemed anyways. Most were just too meek for the abuse I threw at them, bordercollie

 

[ovrszd]

I first discovered these tires from Collie. I too am hard on tires. I wanted heavy load carrying ability. Durable resistance to sidewall and/or tread face puncture. Studied specs for quite awhile. Decided I liked the non-directional tread design and 8 ply rating. I have no doubt I'll get the same service Collie is referring to with hers.

I'm so happy how they perform in the traction department now that I can't see much past that. I wouldn't have considered going into the timber yesterday with the stock tires. 40 degrees, melting scattered snow, frozen and partially thawed ground, steep terrain. No problems.

 

[OrangeBuggy]

They look good and sure should do the trick.

 

[ovrszd]

They look good and sure should do the trick.

Thanks.

No comparison. Made an off road vehicle out of it.

I was thinking about the power difference the other day. I don't notice any less power when starting movement or anything like that. Sometimes notice a power difference when climbing a steep incline. I now think that's because I have no tire slip now. With the old tires it might climb something in M that now requires L. But it was spinning the tires all the way up.

 

[VA1100]

I'm looking for some advice on tires. I had my 2014 X1100C to the dealer last week to fix a hydraulic leak, ended up being a loose hose clamp at the power steering sector. While there I noticed another X1100C with larger tires. I want to gain some ground clearance, I run the machine on old logging roads in WV and have hit some rocks which have dented the skid plates. I asked the dealer and they sold the kit to put them on the X1100C. It was from Orange Aftermarket and was wheels, tires, and spacers behind the wheels, no lift kit on the machine. I looked and didn't see any evidence of tire rub on that machine, it had 27 x 11 - 12 tires on it all the way around. I like the comparison that OVRSZD did with the three tires, I am presently running the HDWS tire which says it is 25" but a tape measure beside it is more like 24". The 27" Blackwater evolution is available in a 12" or 14" wheel size, if I'm going to a 27" tire I would prefer the 14" wheel to make the side wall smaller, but that would limit me from going down to the 26" tire, it is only available for a 12" wheel, if I didn't like the 27" tire. I also am looking for a little more traction when plowing snow, the HDWS tire does not do a bad job, actually did better than I thought when Jonas dumped 24" on us a couple of weeks ago. Is anyone running a 27" tire on a X1100C without a lift, and if so what are your thoughts.
Thanks in advance and have a Blessed day,
Pete

 

[VA1100]

Just installed the new tires and wheels. Ended up going with a 14 x 8 wheel, it has a backspace of 4 and an offset of -10.2. This wheel is a Vision Wheel, Warrior and the tires are Kanati Mongrels 27x11R-14, it is an 8 ply radial. I gained just under 2" of ground clearance. The HDWS tire is a 25" tire, but measured closer to 24". Took it out for a test drive on some very uneven surfaces and had no rubbing issues, the true test will be in the mountain's. I ordered these through the dealer who got them from Orange Aftermarket. I believe you can get them cheaper, but I was concerned because some of the sites said they weren't compatible with my machine, figured if I got them from the dealer I should be covered.

Thanks,
Pete

 

[bczoom]

Sweet!!!

Heck of a difference in height, that's for sure.

 

[thunderdome]

Great looking wheels and tires!

 

[seery]

Great job.

That looks sharp!

 

[ovrszd]

Glad it worked out for you.

I'm very prejudiced against the HDWS tires. Anything with a mud terrain type tread will put them to shame.

I was in my timber today after a nice rain. Water running down the steep trails. Few spots required some tire spinning to climb but always happened.

On the HDWS tires I would have left it in the timber until it dried enough to retrieve it with the tractor.

Keep us posted on your likes/dislikes of your setup. Others will be interested to educate their purchase.

 

[VA1100]

OVRSZD,
I was very happy with the performance of the HDWS tire, but I didn't run in much mud, I mainly wanted more ground clearance. I was happy at how well they did in the snow, I plowed most of the time in just two wheel drive. I think I'm going to have to wait until next year to try the snow plow again, supposed to be 70 here today. I left it on to make sure I wasn't going to have change the angle after installing the new tires, took it off and put the brush guard back on after I took the pictures. I'll let you know how it goes after I have a chance to get it out in the woods on some old logging trails.
Thanks,
Pete

 

[rangerbob57]

I have just bought a 2016 Kubota x1140. I only have 30 miles on it but I am already thinking about bigger and more aggressive tires. I was wondering if 27" Blackwater Evolutions would fit on my machine. I already have a leak in one of the tires that came on it. I have looked for a 1" lift kit for it but cant find any specifically for it. I wonder if a lift kit for any of the Kubota X models would fit on it? Looking for answers.

 

[ovrszd]

I built my lift kit. All I could find were 2" kits.

I have no rubbing. Running 9" on front and 11" on rear. Wish I had went 11" on both ends.

Everyone I read said you can't run 27" without rubbing. Lot of comments about power loss as well. I've experienced neither. '08 900.

 

[rangerbob57]

Thanks for the info about the tires. I thought they would work alright.. I was looking at my suspension today. I shocks with springs front and back. All the XSeries have that now. Trying to figure out how to lift it about 1". I think your suspension is different than mine on the rear .

 

[VA1100]

rangerbob57,
I have a 2014 x1100, I believe it should have the same suspension you have. I wanted more ground clearance and could not find a lift kit, or come up with a good way to build one without messing with the angles on the suspension. I had my machine at the dealer for a recall and saw an x model with 27" tires. I decided to go this route as well, I don't think the tires will work without changing the wheels. The new wheels have a different backspace and the machine now has a wider stance which gives more clearance when turning. I bought my wheels through the dealer who bought them from Orange Aftermarket. I found them cheaper, but the site that had them said they weren't compatible with my machine. I have run them in the mountains a couple of times loaded with wood and have had no rubbing issues.
Pete