High Lifter Outlaw
Our final tire to test, the Outlaw from High Lifter had very high expectations from us since it came from a company that has been in the mud market for over 14 years. Upon first sight, we noticed the Outlaw possessed a unique tread pattern with aggressive lugs. This tire features wide lug spacing of the cupped primary and secondary lugs that wrap up close to the center of the tire but never crossing over. The design leaves a very flat contact patch for maximum rubber on the road, which translates to better hardpack terrain performance and handling. Our riders felt stable at low and high speeds while on our test machine whether they were on hard surfaces or loose dirt-road-type trails. The flat contact patch also made climbing out of mud or up embankments easy since it allowed more use of the entire tire and not just the center tread, like the other two in our test.
Another feature of the Outlaw that we fell in love with was its light weight. While 38.8 pounds might sound heavy, it is still 13.6 pounds lighter than the Gorilla Silverback and a whopping 17.2 pounds lighter than the SuperATV.com Terminator. This feature makes for less stress on your drivetrain and quicker acceleration when you stab the throttle. A good portion of this weight savings can be attributed to its small size; since it measures in at 29.875 inches tall it still provides a great amount of performance while only sacrificing ground clearance. The flat tread pattern and cupping of the lugs make the Outlaw a great paddling tire in deep, watery mud. The tallest lug on the shoulder of the tire, 2.25 inches high, isn't as massive as the Silverback but still provides an earth-gripping surface area to propel our machine out of the pit or down the trail. The only area we thought the Outlaw was at a disadvantage was with its self-cleaning capabilities since its tread spacing was tighter than that on the Silverback, but to our surprise it cleaned itself very easily. Anywhere we took the Outlaw in the Southern Ridge ATV trail system, the tire seemed to shine and prove it was a top contender.
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Maximum traction without sacrifice of ride quality. Lug platform gives better contact patch to trail. |
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The tire compound is softer than most and wears easier. Can also be subject to flexing on hard off-camber trails, which has been known to allow the bead to break off the rim. |
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When you need a tire that is as good on dry land as it is in the bog, the Outlaw is our pick. |
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Company: High Lifter
Model/Size: Outlaw/31x9.5-14
Retail Price: $194.00
Actual Height: 297/8 in.
Circumference: 95.0 in.
Weight Without Wheel: 38.8 lb
Conclusion
After compiling all of the information, we found that each of these tires performed very well and possessed their own positive characteristics while also having their own slight drawbacks. The SuperATV.com Terminator is a good tire if you're in need of serious ground clearance and want an extremely aggressive look, but its tight lug spacing and poor self-cleaning ability leave much to be desired for those who need the most bite in the bog and can put a strain the machine with its weight. The Gorilla Silverback and High Lifter Outlaw are very close in their mud-trenching and cleaning ability, but the Silverback pulls through the bog with a little more bite. In an overall sense, the Outlaw might be the best option as it takes a step ahead in the ridability department with its flat contact patch and superior handling at all speeds and is by far the most trail-friendly. If you were to spend more time in the ATV swallowing marshes than hitting the trails, then the Silverback could be the tire of your choice since you have that extra ground clearance and earth-carving tread pattern. Either way, we think we have provided you with a solid comparison so you can figure out which tire suits your needs. Just make sure you let us know your thoughts after you make your purchase.