Tire Size vs Power Loss

[Off Road G2]

Hello All, I recently purchased a stock Yamaha G2a and plan to use it in the hills/gravel roads. I'm building a cargo basket for the front, and want a seat/cargo bed for the back.
First it needs tires, and the knoby pattern is supposed to work well on gravel roads etc, but look soft like they'd puncture easily. ATV V pattern look a little tougher. I'd like to get 10'' offset rims (to allow for a future lift) with 20'' tires, but can't afford to lose any power in the hills. I'm wondering if the 10'' offset wheels with 18'' tires will be a safer bet or really make a difference.

Also, how much difference if any, will a 4''-6'' lift make as far as power/ torque in the hills.

I've already done a complete tuneup, carb rebuild, new belt, and installed a stronger spring in the clutch, and changed the setting to C-4.

Thanks!

[scottyb]

Welcome to BGW!

The lift kit will not effect your torque at all, tire size will. Taller tires increase the final gear drive. Basically if you put a 10% taller tire on the cart, you will lose 10% of your torque.

[JcXtreme72]

I have 24" tires on my G2 and I put the CPP torque spring in and it has more torque then stock.

[sho305]

A cut secondary sheave can help, but it only gives you a lower 1st gear more or less....as you still only have 9.5hp you had before. Often once you get the cvt working better it works well as it did before the large tires, but since it goes faster it feels like it has less power. I mean it should drag the cart up a steep hill at the same 10mph or whatever with large tires or not. If the clutches are not working right rpm will drop down and you lose power, that is what the kits and all are to fix. It is because the higher gearing of the tires make the clutches turn at a lower rpm at low speeds.

Also check your tension cable and motor mounts, it will bog at low speeds and high loads if the engine can move closer to the trans. If the engine rpm stays higher when you floor it up a hill then that is all you get, until you put a larger engine in. The only other factor is tire friction, if you run 5lb in the atv tires you will notice a lot of power loss on a stock cart you need to run more.

Some stock carts will not fit 20" atv tires, though most will fit 20" lawn traction tires. I would say try to find some used lawn tractor tires to put on at least the rears for now. The lift does nothing its the tire diameter. Just make sure you get the CVT working right and it should do as well as it did stock. Nobody cleans and lubes them either, and the sheaves do wear out after many years they get dished from the belt. That makes them shift poorly. You can run a HD kevlar belt that helps it is 1 1/4 wide instead of 1 3/16, so the extra width can help make up for the wear a little.