What are the advantages / disadvantages of big / small tyres ? What are their different uses ?

I buggy on a mix of ground, all sand, some hard, some soft. I have a flexi bug, and am mostly into cruising etc. One of the guys I know swears by big tyres, i'm wondering what you guys think?

I'm asking as I know someone with a set of big tyres for sale, and I've been thinking about getting some.

Thanks,
Tim

The small tires are fine if you are able to roll through whatever you find when you ride. If you get bogged down often or often enough you want it to stop, then get the bigfoot lites so you can float over the soft stuff. You would need to convert your front end over to PL bigfoot parts or have a new fork and downtube made to accommodate the larger tire size. The PL bigfoot fork and downtube will bolt right onto your flexi bug. Been there done that.

It does come down to the terrain you are riding on. Out here in Vegas where the dry lake beds are hard pack and resemble paved parking lots, smaller tires work perfectly fine. The advantages - more solid ride, great grip, minimal cost when you burn through them.

Small tires on softer surfaces or bumpy surfaces tend to be much better. Larger tires will have less drag by not having to "plow" through sand and soft stuff/mud/water, larger tires will tend to ride on top of the sand better, giving less drag. You do slide around a lot more because you ride on top (less grip), but you don't have to work nearly as hard to keep moving, especially when the wind is lighter. Also, larger tires will give your backside a bit more clearance over rocks/twigs/mud etc...

Hope that helps.