Outlaw II Tires

High Lifter Outlaw 2 tires are built primarily for deep mud, water-filled ruts, soft ground, and heavily churned off-road terrain. Their large cupped lugs act more like paddles than conventional trail-tire blocks, and the tread continues far down the shoulder so the tire can still find traction when the center is buried in a rut. They can be driven across ordinary trails and hardpack, but that is not their main purpose. Riders who spend most of their time on firm trails usually get better ride quality and lower rotating weight from a less aggressive tire.

Outlaw 2 is now a legacy High Lifter tire line, so availability depends heavily on the specific size and sales channel. Some historical aftermarket sizes have become difficult to find, although remaining dealer stock and OEM replacement tires can still appear for sale. High Lifter's current tire range includes newer designs such as Outlaw Max and Outlaw M/T. An older Outlaw 2 machine does not necessarily need to switch models, however. Exact replacement tires may still be available under the original High Lifter or Polaris part number.

The main aftermarket Outlaw 2 range included 28x9.5-14, 28x11-14, 29.5x9.5-14, 29.5x11-14, 32.5x10.5-14, and 34.5x10.5-16 configurations. The first number represents nominal tire diameter, the second represents nominal width, and the final number is the required wheel diameter. A 29.5x11-14 tire, for example, is approximately 29.5 inches tall, 11 inches wide, and mounts on a 14-inch wheel.

The principal Outlaw 2 sizes use a 6-ply-rated carcass. Ply rating describes the tire's strength category rather than guaranteeing that the casing contains six identical physical fabric layers. Outlaw 2 also uses bias-ply construction rather than the radial construction found on several newer High Lifter tires. That construction suits its mud-focused design, but it gives the tire different ride characteristics from a modern 8-ply or 10-ply radial trail tire.

Tread depth varies by size and by location across the tire. Several Outlaw 2 versions use roughly 1 5/8 inches of tread through the center, with shoulder lugs reaching well beyond 2 inches. The shoulder is intentionally more aggressive because it becomes important once the tire drops into a rut. On some versions, usable tread continues around the side of the casing toward the rim rather than ending at a conventional smooth sidewall.

They can handle trail sections, but Outlaw 2 is not a general-purpose trail tire. The deep, widely spaced lugs that work well in mud also create more tread movement on hard surfaces and add considerably more weight than many stock or trail-oriented tires. For a machine that repeatedly switches between mud and ordinary trail, High Lifter Outlaw M/T may be a more balanced option. For a machine built around deep mud first, Outlaw 2 remains the more specialized design.

Deep ruts are one of the conditions the Outlaw 2 tread was specifically designed to handle. Tread extends down the shoulder and along the side of the casing, giving the tire additional biting edges when the normal contact patch is buried. That does not eliminate the limits imposed by ground clearance. If the chassis, differential, suspension, or skid plate becomes supported by the mud, adding more tire traction may no longer move the vehicle forward.

Outlaw 2 tires can work effectively in deep, loose snow because their tall open tread can dig and clear material rather than packing immediately. Packed snow and ice are different. Outlaw 2 does not have the dense siping or large number of small biting edges normally associated with a winter-specific tire, so extreme tread depth should not be treated as a substitute for dedicated ice traction.

Weight increases considerably with tire size. Approximate published weights include 39 pounds for the 28x9.5-14, 44.5 pounds for the 28x11-14, 47 pounds for the 29.5x9.5-14, 52 pounds for the 29.5x11-14, and about 56 pounds for the 32.5x10.5-14. That mass affects more than total vehicle weight. Tires are both unsprung and rotating mass, so a substantial size increase can change acceleration, braking, steering response, suspension behavior, and CVT load.

Not automatically. Fitment depends on the ATV or UTV, its factory tire size, wheel offset, suspension geometry, steering clearance, and the diameter being installed. A relatively small increase may fit without major modification. Moving into 32.5-inch or 34.5-inch tires can require substantially more work, including a lift, forward A-arms, different wheels, clutch changes, gearing modifications, or portal gear lifts. Physical clearance alone does not guarantee that the drivetrain is properly matched to the larger tire.

There is no single correct operating pressure for every Outlaw 2 application. Some versions list a maximum pressure around 18 psi, but maximum pressure is not the same as the pressure a particular ATV or UTV should use on the trail. Correct pressure depends on vehicle weight, load, tire size, wheel, speed, and terrain. Lower pressure can increase the footprint in soft conditions, but excessive pressure reduction raises the chance of debeading, rim impact, and sidewall damage. Tire, wheel, and vehicle limits should all be considered.

Yes. A traditional setup uses narrower tires at the front and wider tires at the rear. The 29.5-inch range, for example, has commonly been configured with 29.5x9.5-14 fronts and 29.5x11-14 rears. A square setup with the same tire size at all four corners is also possible on machines designed for it. The decision should come from steering clearance, wheel offset, suspension layout, and vehicle specifications rather than assuming one configuration is universally better.

Yes. Polaris used Outlaw 2 tires on multiple High Lifter Edition machines, including Sportsman and RZR applications. That makes Outlaw 2 relevant for two different types of buyers. Some are building a modified mud machine from standard equipment, and others simply need an OEM-style replacement for a vehicle that originally left the factory with Outlaw tires. Matching the original tire size and vehicle-specific part number is particularly important in the second case.

Both are aggressive High Lifter mud tires, but they come from different generations and use different constructions. Outlaw 2 uses a 6-ply-rated bias carcass and is recognized for its deep cupped paddles and extensive sidewall tread. Outlaw Max uses a newer 8-ply carcass, a broad approximately 10-inch tread footprint, and roughly 2.0 to 2.5 inches of dual-stage tread. It preserves the extreme-mud concept but uses a different footprint and carcass design.

Outlaw 2 was developed by High Lifter Products, a Louisiana company whose history is closely tied to modified four-wheel-drive ATVs, UTVs, mud riding, lift kits, and oversized tires. High Lifter traces its origins to 1996, when Scott Smith developed a lift for a Honda Foreman to create clearance for larger tires. The original Outlaw tire became one of the company's best-known mud products, and Outlaw 2 followed as a second-generation design after years of development around extreme mud riding. High Lifter later expanded its tire range into modern mud, trail, and rock-oriented designs, but the Outlaw name remains closely associated with purpose-built mud machines.