MAMBA BEADLOCK WHEELS & AFTERSHOCK TIRES

PRODUCT EVALUATION:

On Dec 24, 2017

— A race-winning combo from Raceline & Arison —

**The Aftershock XD gave the YXZ1000R newfound traction. We did find that it rode a little stiffer than with the Bighorns, but it wasn’t noticeable after a few miles of drive time.**

Raceline Wheels is a product of the famous Allied Wheel Company. Allied started out building quality automotive wheels in Southern California, where they still operate. Wanting to build on its already stellar resume, Allied added another brand, and that’s when Raceline was born. Raceline wheels are produced for cars, trucks, and now ATVs and UTVs. We’ve tested many of their wheels on our machines through the years, and their quality is outstanding, and it keeps getting better.

Top teams in the UTV and truck categories trust Raceline to get them to the finish line unscathed each weekend. Raceline is also the importer of Arisun tires. Arisun USA and ZC Rubber Co. China, build some serious works of art from rubber. Arisun USA specs its tires to perform, protect and win races in unforgiving terrain across the world. They’ve been doing a very good job at that by also securing some very fast drivers in the UTV pro ranks. One of their most tried-and-tested UTV desert setups are the Raceline A71 Mamba beadlock wheels and the Arisun Aftershock XD tires.

14×7-INCH A71 MAMBA BEADLOCK WHEEL

MSRP: $169.95 per wheel

The Raceline A71 Mamba beadlock wheel comes in a black and machined finish for a great look. The forged billet-aluminum beadlock ring has a mirrored finish to give your UTV or ATV a custom look. The Mamba is a strong cast-aluminum wheel with a strengthened inner lip for maximum durability. The 14-inch Mamba beadlock wheel is lightweight at 15 pounds per wheel (including mounting bolts). If a 14-inch wheel isn’t your flavor, they also have 12- and 15-inch Mamba beadlock wheels available. Or, if you like the Mamba and don’t want a beadlock wheel, they have the standard Mamba with simulated beadlocks that start at $112.95 for a 12-inch size.

Arisun’s Aftershock XD tires are a radial eight-ply construction. Their unique K3D Armor-Aramid sidewall gives the Aftershock added puncture resistance. Raceline’s Mamba 14-inch beadlock wheel not only enhances the look of the YXZ, but you can safely run lower air pressure without knocking the tire off the bead.

28X10R-14 AFTERSHOCK XD TIRE

MSRP: $172.99 per tire

The “XD” in the Aftershock XD name stands for “Xtreme Duty,” and there’s a reason for it. Arisun’s Aramid-reinforced composite material is placed in the third cord and sandwiched between two layers of nylon that wraps around the shoulder and sidewall for added puncture protection. The Aftershock is constructed with an eight-ply radial design that has closely spaced tread blocks that provide a smooth ride on hardpack surfaces with siped knobs that are compliant while climbing over rocks. The specially formulated rubber compound is flexible yet durable for harsh conditions found in the desert and even in the grueling King of the Hammers event in Southern California. The 28-inch tires weigh in at 33.25 pounds with a tread depth of 19/32 inches. Larger sizes are also available from 30 inches to 32 inches and will fit 14-inch and 15-inch rims in all tire sizes.

XTREME DUTY

We’ve tested the Arisun Aftershock XDs on Lonestar Racing’s Can-Am X3 in our August 2017 issue, and we were blown away with how good they were. For this test we installed them on a stock 2016 Yamaha YXZ1000R. The 2016 YXZ1000R comes stock with 27-inch Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires and non-beadlock rims, but in measuring the Bighorns, they only came around to 26 inches or so. The Aftershock XDs, on the other hand, came in just a touch over 28 inches at 15 psi.

The YXZ did well with the heavier tire-and-wheel combo, and it didn’t seem to have a negative effect on the low-end power with a taller tire. Compared to the softer compound of the six-ply Bighorns, the Aftershocks felt stiffer on the rockier terrain, which would help us not get pinch flats. The Aftershocks help the already turn-on-a-dime YXZ find new traction it hadn’t seen before and performed incredibly in the larger rock-crawling sections. Having that extra 2 inches of tire height gave us more ground clearance for larger obstacles.

The Mamba beadlock wheels gave the YXZ a more aggressive look and a heck of a lot more protection. Using the Mambas allowed us to air down to 10 pounds in the Aftershocks to give us more traction on large rock sections. The added assurance that we couldn’t pop the wheel off the bead gave us all the confidence in the world to drive it hard into rocky corners.

This combo turned out to be a one-two punch to conquer desert terrain, and we looked good doing it! It gave new life to the YXZ that usually likes to spin the tires and gave it the much-needed traction it was yearning for. If you’re looking for a great all-terrain tire and wheel combo, we suggest you check out www.racelinewheels.com and www.arisuntireusa.com to find a dealer near you!