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All Terrain Vehicle Product Tests ATV Technical Magazine

26" GBC Gator


Note: The tires that are featured in this review were provided by

http://www.greenball.com



SIZE PLY TREAD DEPTH 32NDS IN. WEIGHT LBS. MAX LOAD
26 X 10.00-12 6 39 26.8 460
26 X 12.00-12 6 39 33.3 560

 

Product Review
Product: - 26” GBC Gators
Review Date: - September 2006

Introduction:
      Greenball Corporation (GBC) lists the Gator as an all terrain tire as well as a mud tire on their website. I have been testing them in both conditions. Also, I chose to go with a larger than stock tire for added ground clearance and some of the issues with the larger tires do not exist with the smaller sizes.

Field Test:
      The Gators have a very aggressive tread that is spaced far apart in order to allow the mud and debris to clean out easily. I found that when I rode in mud, that the roost I was throwing was much larger than other all terrain tires were throwing, and I had much better traction. From what I can tell with the limited mud that I have access to, the Gator does very well in the mud.

    At low speeds (0 – 8 mph) in hard pack conditions, I can feel the tread hitting the trail in the form of vibration. At medium speeds (9 – 45 mph), the vibration feel is gone, and I can hear the tread hitting the trail. The noise is not very loud and it doesn’t irritate me at all. At high speeds (46 – 65 mph), the tires tend to wobble like a tire that is out of balance on a car. This can be corrected by having your local tire shop balance them; I have also heard of a product that you can insert through the stem that will balance larger tires dynamically. I have found that with the larger, biased tires, balance is a common issue.

    The lugs on the Gator are great for climbing sharp rocks because they wrap around the rock protrusions. On slick rocks, the tires slip a little more than some of the other all terrain tires because there is not as much tire touching the surface due to the spacing of the tread. I have run these tires all the way down to 2 psi for rock climbing with no problems.

    In loose dirt and gravel conditions, the Gators do a fine job of hooking up. Power-sliding through corners is achievable and controllable. The sidewall is stiff enough to stop the tires from rollover.

    When going with a larger than stock tire, you are going to add weight and circumference resulting in power loss. On a belt drive system, you can buy different clutch spring to compensate for the power loss. Also, anytime you choose to go with a larger tire, you are adding stress to your drive train and some items may wear faster than they normally would. Consult your dealer for size recommendations.


Pros:
    Very aggressive tread
    Durable 6 ply sidewalls
    Mud Tire that can be used for All Terrain

Cons:
    Balancing is needed for high speed riding

Bottom Line

  I recommend the GBC Gator for muddy and loose conditions such as gravel, sand, snow, and loose dirt.

Tires for this review were provided by Greenball Corporation

Contact:
 
Web Sites:
&
 
Address:
GBC Motorsports
2525 El Presido St.
Long Beach, CA 90810
USA
 
Phone:
800-946-9412
 
Fax:
866-878-3802
 
E-Mail: