8 vs. 9 inch rear

[jacobw]

you will experiece a little harsher ride with 18's on 9 instead of 8's you can always run itp rears they make a 19" that will make the ride better. I am sure you wont notice that much of a difference I have 9 in rear hipers and I am gonna run 18's on them

[MX Quad Dad]

I think the short tires for the 9" rims are 19" (not sure), and thats what I'm thinking about getting. Also I thought the 8" Hipers mounted on the splines on the axel, not the hubs.???

I was trying to help my son get his dale to corner like his banshee. he switch to turf tammers, which helped a lot, but his Holeshots suffered. I called a couple tire manufactures for help (there were no shorter tires for the 9" rims at that time), and they told me a shorter sidewall tire would slide easyer and more controled. I think they recomended a 20" tire on a 10" rim. but I do remember one of them saying they were working on a tire for the 9" rim.

[jacobw]

kenda and maxxis I know make a 18 for a 9 in rear wheel:)

[CDaleChick]

I run 8 only...of course im doing only MX. If you are serious about racing MX i would advise to invest into some 8s

[Exodus]

I run Kenda 18's on my Cannondale and the Kawi and use 8 and 9 inch wheel combinations. There is no difference in top speed using 8 or 9 inch wheels. The difference between the 8 and 9 inch rims are suspension feel, and cornering. On a rough whooped out track I use a 8 inch rim. The taller side wall helps take out the harsh hit from the bumps and actually adds an inch to the suspension travel. If you watch a quad come down in slow motion the tire will crush a little under impact. That crush helps the suspension in travel, but it will also dull the suspension feel to the rider. Its much harder to dial the suspension with 8" rims becuase of the crush of the and the bounce it creates. The drawback is in the corners. Because of the tall sidewall, the tire will roll alot in the corner and the handling will suffer. The bike will push a little more so the rider will need to get down on the bike to push the rear out and help turn the bike faster. If we are on a tight loamy track where the hookup is really good, the 9" rim is the only way to go. The tire wont flex and roll, in the corner it still keeps most of the knobs biting instead of rolling out. The bike wont push and theres better drive out of the corner. The downside, if your on a whooped out rough track, you'll notice more arm pump. Also, if you're hitting big jumps, the landing may be a little more harsh because the tire wont crush under impact.

Theres alot of people who run 9" all the time, nothing wrong with that, same with running 8" rims. I like both and they both have their place. I do alot of adjusting tire pressure, and rim size adjustment for the track conditons. After comparing lap times, and watching the vidoe footage of how the tire reacts to given conditions, I now take both full sets of tires and rims to the races we attend.

[jacobw]

You can also run a 19" rear on a 9 in rim which would be about the same as a 18 on a 8in rim