GBC's Grim Reapers
GBC's Grim Reaper Tires
I got to say these tires look tough and with there deep aggressive tread pattern, their 8 ply rating, and a name like GRIM REAPER they got to be. Not to mention the first tire to ever complete the Baja 1000 on a UTV was GBC's Grim Reapers (the second was GBC's Dirt Commanders).
I live in northern Tennessee where we have some dangerously steep hills and mud that will swallow you whole so when I look for a tire I look for something that is universal for all our terrain. The side bite is something I really stress on a utv, because I don't know about you but as heavy as these utv's are and as much as they cost, I personal do not want to ride mine over a bluff nor do I want to spend half a day winching my way around a hill because the tires didn't have enough side bite to hold. These tires look to have it all, deep lugs to bite in the mud and a sideways v-shaped center tread pattern that looks to have plenty of side bite, but only time will tell...
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After mounting these tires (which are directional) I did a few measurements finding out these 26 inch tires at 15psi actually measured 26 and 3/8 inches tall. The stock 25 inch tires on my rhino only measured 24 and 1/4 inches tall (with about 400 miles on them) which yielded just over one inch more ground clearance from the stock setup.
My first test was hill climbing and I must say these tires did excellent. With all the rain we have had lately I would generally try to stay away from the steeper hills with new tires, but after some smaller hills and banks my confidence in these tires was strong enough to try something a little more aggressive. Then with very little trouble on a few steeper more technical hills I decided it was time for some high speed trail riding to see how the new Grim Reapers handled.
First I hit what we call the divide which is a pretty good high speed trail that has a little bit of everything from mud holes to rock ledges. I first hit it at steady cruising speeds, then I picked up the pace and I got to say these tires yielded a very good ride, no matter the speed and the handling was excellent with predictable slides and plenty of traction. Next I hit some mud holes and again these tires performed excellent, they cleaned out easily and keep pushing forward even in the deepest mud.
So far I see no down sides to these tires they are tough as nails, handle excellent, and have a tread pattern with a well balanced mixture of forward traction, reverse traction, and side bite. In my opinion if you like riding the trails, climbing hills, playing in the mud, and rock crawling like I do then I feel these tires will prove to be a sound investment.
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