For the UTV racer and aggressive sport rider, the guys over at Method Race Wheels and Tensor Tire have come up with the perfect wheel/tire combo.

It all started with the evolution of UTVs and the increasingly popular 72" wide machines.

Whether it's a Can-Am Maverick X3 X R or a Polaris RZR XP Turbo S, enthusiasts are trying to keep the weight of their machines down as well as keep them as true as possible to the stock machines width.  Especially on the east coast, there are a lot of off road parks where there is a maximum width restriction, typically based on trail clearance.  Other than physical width restrictions, a reason that is becoming more popular to go with aftermarket high offset wheels is to avoid a high "scrub radius".

Up close look at the 32" Tensor DS on a Method 401-R wheel

Up close look at the 32" Tensor DS on a Method 401-R wheel

Method Race Wheels has the perfect wheel to accomplish both.  Method took their popular 401 wheel and made a narrower race version - the 401-R. This is available in 15x5 for both 4x137 and 4x156 bolt patterns.

This 15" beadlock wheel comes in weighing only 17 lbs!  By only being 5" wide, with a 5+0 offset, along with a taller riding MTS spring upgrade, this took our X3 X rs from 72" stock to 70.5" wide in the front and 69.5" in the rear.  Unlike many aftermarket wheels, these high offset wheels keep you close to stock overall width.

It's important to remember that there are several other factors that could influence the overall width of your machine such as stiffening/loosening your suspension and the tire pressure you are running at. In this particular example, the combination of the MTS spring upgrade and taller tires, the ride height increased from 13.5" to 17", thus contributing to a narrower overall width.

Another reason to equip your machine with these high offset wheels is to avoid high scrub radius.  Typically, a high scrub radius is caused by changing the front end geometry, usually from going with wide offset aftermarket wheels and taller tires.  The most common symptoms of a high scrub radius include an overall stiff and rough ride, excessive steering wheel feedback and premature wear on all front end and steering components.  In the case of our shop build, we were able to go to a 32" tire (from 30" stock) and limit scrub radius with the high offset Method 401-R wheels with a 5+0 wheel offset.

Our 2018 Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs build featuring 32" Tensor DS tires on Method 401-R wheels

Our 2018 Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs build featuring 32" Tensor DS tires on Method 401-R wheels

The 32x10-15 Tensor DS is the perfect tire for this wheel.  This tire comes in at 34.50 lbs which is extremely light for a 32" tire.  The tread design has a high land contact pattern but still has enough spacing between the lugs to get the bite needed for superior traction.  We've ran this tire through ATV parks in the Appalachian Mountains in a mixture of hard packed and loose rock trails and have nothing but good things to report.

At the end of the day, when you couple the Method 401-R wheel and 32" Tensor DS together you end up with a wheel and tire package that keeps your machine close to the stock width and limiting scrub radius, and doing so while keeping it lightweight.