Dirt Wheels

Rock and roll, and rolling rocks By the staff of Dirt Wheels When we first saw the GBC Kanati Mongrel tires in action, we wondered if they were an automotive tire adapted to UTV use. Nope, they are designed for ATVs and UTVs. When a tire company is building a tire for original equipment, they have a lot of demands to meet. It must offer traction in an extremely wide range of terrain. The tread should clean well in mud yet not be destroyed easily in rocks. The suspension department will want the tire to be as light…

-- EFI is here to stay. Deal with it. The curmudgeons who claimed it was a passing fad have all changed their story and now claim they knew all along that dirt-going vehicles would go digital. In theory, the advantages are huge. EFI can give you more adjustability, it can be more economical, more reliable and mechanically simpler. But now that most high-end quads are injected, we’ve found that theory and reality don’t always mesh. The most troubling part is that we have seen quads that are somewhat tamper-resistant, making…

Not necessarily in order of importance By the staff of Dirt Wheels DON’T DO DOUGHNUTS We aren’t sure what it is about a UTV, but everyone who gets in one wants to start doing doughnuts. That isn’t a good idea in a tall machine with active long-travel suspension. It is a very good way to land your machine on its side. If you absolutely can’t resist, don’t let off, but don’t say we said it was okay. The same is true of deep-rutted turns. You can’t repeal the laws of physics. You can only slam into…

-- Close-to-perfect UTV/4x4 quad sand tires --  Tire test by the staff of Dirt Wheels. The ITP Dune Star tire breaks new ground for us. Here is a tire that has a sharply narrow focus limited primarily to sand, but could also be effective in snow or mud. Keep it away from hard dirt, but when used in the sand it was designed for, the performance is flawless. The single fault we can find is that it currently fits only 12-inch wheels. End of complaints. FEATURES Most sand tires are designed…

A great setup for your utility quad By the staff of Dirt Wheels Arisun Tires and Raceline Wheels are one in the same. Arisun Tires is known for making some gnarly six-ply and eight-ply ATV and UTV tires. Some are specific to certain terrains, while others are awesome all-terrain tires. Raceline Wheels makes wheels for trucks, UTVs and ATVs. Their UTV and ATV wheels are built tough and can be purchased in simulated beadlocks, double beadlocks or standard beadlocks. Two of their products that caught…

-- BUYER'S GUIDE TO THE BEST CHOICES -- Like all of you, we drive UTVs for fun, sport and adventure, but safety is our number-one priority, especially in today’s powerful UTVs. The stock seat belts are easy and convenient, and they encourage drivers to use them at all times and will help keep riders in their seats in the result of a roll-over. OE seat belts do allow the riders to shift around in the cab. That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it can become a nuisance during a long ride or those times when we feel like…

SWAMP THANG Dear Dirt Wheels, Here’s “Dirty Dan” of the Mudslingers-Manitoulin coming out of a deep hole with his kitty cat. Andy Recollet Ontario, Canada SPECTACULAR SNOW EXPLOSIONS Dear Dirt Wheels, This is me busting through some snow drifts on my 400EX in the woods of Tennessee. Kevin Turbyfill Roan Mountain, TN ATTRACTING ATTENTION Dear Dirt Wheels, This is my 1985 Yamaha Tri-Z 250 with an extended swingarm. It always gets the looks at Little Sahara in Oklahoma. Seth Young Marlow, OK…

Almost anyone who loves riding quads enjoys taking them out to the dunes. Sand is one of the safest, most fun and enjoyable surfaces for an ATV. That being said, we want you and your buddies to be able to go out and enjoy the wide world of sand-slinging to your heart’s content. If you have friends who are new to duning, then take the time to show them the ropes, and what it takes to enjoy this unique form of off-road adventuring. Being prepared, and knowing a few rules of the dunes, will go a long way in making your…

-- STRONGER THAN STOCK AND TWICE AS AFFORDABLE -- When you buy a new sport quad, there’s a fairly common order of aftermarket parts that you buy for it. More aggressive tires, a performance exhaust and handlebars are all common bolt-ons. However, one of the most common failures a new sport quad suffers is a bent or broken axle. The amount of aftermarket axle companies making axles is rather small compared to other components people buy for their ATV. Tusk, the in house brand of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC, offers one of the…

-- TIRE TESTING,  By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Now that we’re in fall and winter is fast approaching, we’re starting to get the itch to get a little mud on the tires. But, there’s nothing worse than going into battle with mud without the proper weapon. I’m sure we’ve all been in some mucky situations on our quads or UTVs without the proper tread installed, and we ended up losing some of those gooey battles. But, that doesn’t mean we must lose the war! Our 2017 Polaris Scrambler XP 1000 has been put…

Practically bulletproof By the staff of Dirt Wheels The desert is a relentless land of insanely rough terrain—from deep silt that will swallow a quad whole to mountains covered in boulders and coarse sand. The woods mixes mud, tree roots and big rocks on the trails and requires a good tire. Whenever we ride or race in the desert or woods on a sport quad, oftentimes we choose a tire and wheel combination that will stand the test of the terrain. GMZ Race Products came out with a new set of beadlock…

A match for sand, mud or snow By the staff of Dirt Wheels Stock UTV tires are a necessary compromise. A company can’t very well supply different tires for machines heading to different parts of the country. Most brands sell the same machine in California, Washington, Maine and Florida, even though the terrain and tire needs are wildly different. Most production UTVs have tires that offer very good traction in our area, but they may not be the best at preventing flats in the relatively fast and…