Buyers Guides

-- 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…

-- Testing the reserve-boost system --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels The days of carrying jumper cables or having to bump-start your quad could finally be over! Antigravity Batteries recently released their Re-Start lithium-ion battery that has a built-in jump-start feature. We have one editor who religiously leaves his keys turned on, and that is not only frustrating, but he has come close to being left stranded on the trail. You can’t bump-start ATVs and UTVs that have CV transmissions like you can with our favorite…

-- TOP CHOICES FOR ALL TERRAINS -- If you own a 4x4 quad or UTV you want a tire that will work for multiple terrains, an all-terrain tire with the capability to tackle the wet season would be ideal. We’re not talking large-lugged mud tires; rather, smaller lugs with enough channels to push water aside and keep the traction moving in the right direction—tires that can deal with soft conditions but cross over to hard dirt as well. There are many ATV and UTV tire brands to choose from. Tires that range from basic tread…

-- PRODUCT TEST: Helmet, goggles, gloves, jersey & pants --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels Thor has been serving great riding gear to the off-road community since the 1970s, and it continues to produce high-quality products today. The gear lineup is extensive and has flavors for any rider and at reasonable price tags too. We picked up the Pulse gear set, Sector helmet and gloves, and the Sniper goggle to test. SECTOR HELMET The Sector helmet has remained in the Thor lineup as a price-point helmet for a long…

-- PRODUCT TEST of the WPS version with roll-off system -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Riding gear technology never ceases to improve. Helmets get more protective, jerseys become more comfortable and ventilate better, and goggles improve. One goggle that we have been patiently waiting to get our gear-greedy hands on is the Scott Prospect. It has been out for a while, but we wanted to spend some time in them before writing a test. We got the $89.95 Prospect goggle and the $99.95 WFS version, which is perfect for the…