Buyers Guides

-- Testing for grip and strength -- By the Dirt Wheels test crew: Manufacturers of UTV tires are in a constant battle to build the best tires. Some tires are specific to the terrain you love to ride, while others offer a broad range of traction for multiple types of terrain. One thing stays consistent—these companies are struggling to make a tire that is light yet strong enough to withstand the harsh abuse drivers put their favorite toys through. Fuel Off-Road came out with its Gripper R/T 32-inch tire and Anza D918…

Darin McGuffin just wanted something different than what everyone else had, and after changing a few things on his General 4 he now absolutely loves it.

-- Front & rear kits for more ground clearance -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels    High Lifter is well-known in the industry for doing what the name implies—lifting ATVs and UTVs through suspension and steering products that they create. However, they know that not everyone wants to jack up their ride to tackle mud holes. Many want to keep their machines low but gain more ground clearance. We have a 2018 Scrambler 850 that we are upgrading, and we picked up sets of High Lifter’s Max Clearance front and rear control…

-- Testing the new XC V1 tires & G3 beadlocks -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Wheels and tires are ever-changing in our industry, and currently the biggest changes are in the UTV market. The machines are new and the technology is improving. Fortunately, the sport ATV market doesn’t need much more innovation and improvement, because companies like Douglas Wheel and Tire (DWT) already know what works. Its beadlock wheels are championship-proven many times over the years, and their tires have sat on top of many…

-- Evaluating a new tread design -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels There are times where we receive products that we scrutinize intensely. Other times it is a “judge a book by its cover” standpoint, and that is what we did with the all-new AMS Evil SBR tire. The tread design is interesting, with flat and wide lugs that wouldn’t seem like they would track well in desert terrain. AMS claims they are designed with truck tire technology in mind. Of course, we sent a set of 32s through some intense desert testing to see how…

-- 50 Caliber CNC Billet Aluminum Grill evaluation -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels If you have a 2017–2018 Polaris RZR XP Turbo, you probably look like the rest of the UTV crowd. One of the things that sets the look of the Turbo apart is a larger grill opening. 50 Caliber Racing capitalizes on that feature and pushes it to the next level. It has a CNC-made 6061 billet-aluminum grill that transforms the look of your RZR’s nose. FEATURES The grill is formed from CNC-machined billet aluminum, and it is something…

-- TESTING THE NEW DUAL TREAD PATTERN TIRE --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels When we first saw the GBC Motorsports Kanati Terra Master tire, we were intrigued with the unique tread pattern that GBC calls “asymmetrical non-directional.” For those of us who like smaller words, the tire has two different tread patterns. It is essentially divided along the center with tread for harder surfaces on one side and more sideway lugs and open space on the other. The sides of the tire are labeled “side A” and “side B.” We ordered…

-- 4x4 ATV comparison -- Not everyone wants to spend 10 grand or more for a big 4x4 quad. For the more economy minded they automatically look at the lower-priced 500 - 550 4x4 quads in a manufacturer's line up. But then Yamaha said, "Hey, it costs us just about the same to make a 550 engine as a 700 engine, so why not just offer a basic 700 with no bells and whistles for the price of a 550." And so, the Kodiak 700 was born. It sells for $6,999. The guys at Textron and Arctic Cat saw the logic in that approach, so…

-- Testing DOT-rated desert treads -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels We are stationed in Southern California, which means we have a ton of desert trails to ride. Mud and tight, wooded terrain is a lot more difficult to come by, so we do a lot of testing in rocks and wide-open desert. We test what matches that terrain, like the Maxxis Liberty UTV tire. This well-designed piece of rubber has been out for a while, but we wanted to get some hard miles on a 30-inch set before we wrote down our thoughts. THE TREAD…

-- Testing a low-cost way to install your new tires -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels We obviously change more tires than the average guy with an ATV or UTV. Many owners do find themselves needing to change tires, and it isn’t like you can drive your machine to the tire store, or at least not where we live. That means taking the wheels off, driving to a tire shop or ATV/UTV dealer, then paying to have the tires changed. Instead, we decided to try Harbor Freight Tools’ Manual Tire Changer. FEATURES Our latest…

-- New technology for comfort & protection --   Product Evaluation by the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Fly Racing is known for creating bright and uniquely designed gear, and the 2018 Lite Hydrogen gear line is no different. Other than being eye-catching, this gear line upped its design level by featuring lightweight and breathable material, as well as revolutionary qualities that redefine the market. LITE HYDROGEN JERSEY, $49.95 This jersey is known as the first true lightweight race wear to hit the market,…

-- Treat your brain to excellence --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels There are many different philosophies when it comes to helmets. Arai is a Japanese, family-owned helmet company responsible for many helmet innovations. Arai doesn’t believe that helmets are like tear-offs, but instead are vital and valuable safety equipment. Aside from a core belief in absolute quality, Arai believes in a smooth, rounded shell shape, both for intrinsic strength but also so the helmet doesn’t have edges that catch during a crash. The…