Polaris Xpedition Wheel Fitment Guide

Polaris Xpedition Fitment Guide

HOW POLARIS MEASURES "VEHICLE WIDTH"

Own a Polaris Xpedition or thinking about picking one up soon, and you're trying to wrap your head around stock width vs adding custom wheels and tires? We put together this fitment guide to ensure you know exactly what your stock Polaris Xpedition wheels are, and what you can expect if you increase or decrease your OEM offset/backspacing. Have additional questions? Give us a call, and we can help: (602) 935-0009.

FACT: When you see a vehicle width measurement on the Polaris website for any model, it is crucial to understand where that measurement is taken. When you see a width of 64" for the Polaris Xpedition, Polaris is specifically measuring from the driver's side hub to the passenger's side hub, NOT tire sidewall to tire sidewall. This measurement does not account for wheel thickness/width, and, more importantly, tire width. All added up, your stock wheels and tires actually increase the total width by over three inches compared to Polaris' hub-to-hub measurement, making your overall Xpedition vehicle width 67" straight from the factory.

OFFROAD 101

WHAT IS A WHEEL HUB

A wheel hub is the central component connecting your vehicle's wheel to the axle and suspension, allowing the wheel to rotate freely while supporting the vehicle's weight. The hub features studs for attaching the wheel. The Xpedition has a 5x114.3 bolt pattern (PCD), meaning the hub has five studs that correspond to the five lug holes on your wheels.

Learn how to perform a tire rotation correctly on your Xpedition

Why specific measurement matters

Factoring overall vehicle width is a decades-old battle. Polaris measures hub-to-hub for stock vehicle width, while other manufacturers measure the actual overall vehicle width (sidewall to sidewall). This confuses plenty of people in the offroad industry, particularly those who already own a toy trailer or plan to store their UTV in a garage with limited space.

Let's dive into the factors, variables, and scenarios that make measuring overall vehicle width a mess:

Measuring vehicle width under load compresses the suspension, pushing the wheels and tires outward, away from the vehicle. Consider your width measurement before and after lifting the UTV off the ground with a shop lift. Ever notice how tall your vehicle is after a tire rotation? That's because the suspension is not compressed to real-world operation.
Modifying your suspension or hub assembly can drastically affect your overall width.
Adding sprung weight to your vehicle can affect the width measurement. (lightbars, armor, skid plates, etc)
Increasing or decreasing wheel offset/backspacing will affect your vehicle's width.

OFFROAD 101

What is OFFSET VS BACKSPACING?

Wheel offset measures the distance from the wheel's centerline to its mounting surface, while backspacing measures the distance from the mounting surface to the back edge of the wheel. Both determine how a wheel fits on a vehicle, but offset is more precise because it is measured in millimeters (mm). Offset can be positive or negative. In contrast, backspacing is measured in inches and is always a positive number. A positive offset, or greater backspacing, pushes the wheel further inward, closer to the suspension, while a negative offset, or smaller backspacing, pushes the wheel outward, away from the vehicle.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE

Let's compare the stock Xpedition wheel-and-tire kit with the Valor Offroad V16 and Tango kits. The V16 beadlock UTV wheel is available in two widths/offsets; however, in this example, we'll be comparing the 15x7 +35mm option. You quickly see that by adding mid-offset wheels and new tires, your overall width can increase by 2 inches.

XPEDITION STOCK WHEELS & TIRES

SIZE: 15x7
OFFSET: +61.8mm
Sidewall to Sidewall Width = 67.0"

VALOR OFFROAD V16 WHEELS & TANGO TIRES

SIZE: 15x7
OFFSET: +35mm
Sidewall to Sidewall Width = 69.0"

Wheel Width Change in +INCHES from stock

The chart below compares Polaris Xpedition OEM (original equipment manufacturer) wheel specs (15x7 +61.8mm) with those of other popular custom wheels. Please note: measurements shown are factoring both driver side AND passenger side, so a measurement of +1.0" is actually +0.5" on each side with a total of +1.0".

Wheel Size	-10mm	+0mm	+10mm	+20mm	+30mm	+40mm	+50mm	OEM Offset: +61.8mm
15x6.5	+5.2"	+4.4"	+3.6"	+2.8"	+2.0"	+1.2"	+0.4"	-0.5"
15x7	+5.7"	+4.9"	+4.1"	+3.3"	+2.5"	+1.7"	+0.9"	+0mm (64")
15x8	+6.7"	+5.9"	+5.1"	+4.3"	+3.5"	+2.7"	+1.9"	+1.0"
15x9	+7.6"	+6.9"	+6.1"	+5.3	+4.5"	N/A	N/A	N/A
15x10	+8.7"	+7.9"	+7.1"	+6.3"	+5.5"	N/A	N/A	N/A

Vehicle Overall width Change

All measurements below are factored using the Polaris Xpedition stock overall vehicle width of 67.0", which is driver tire sidewall to passenger tire sidewall, NOT hub-to-hub.

Wheel Size	-10mm	+0mm	+10mm	+20mm	+30mm	+40mm	+50mm	OEM Offset: +61.8mm
15x6.5	+72.2"	+71.4"	+70.6"	+69.8"	+69.0"	+68.2"	+67.4"	+66.5"
15x7	+72.7"	+71.9"	+71.1"	+70.3	+69.5"	+68.7"	+67.9"	+67.0"
15x8	+73.7"	+72.9"	+72.1"	+71.3"	+70.5"	+70.0"	+68.9"	+68.0"
15x9	+73.6"	+73.9"	+73.1"	+72.3"	+71.5"	N/A	N/A	N/A
15x10	+75.7"	+74.9"	+74.1"	+73.3"	+72.5"	N/A	N/A	N/A

WHEEL OFFSET COMPARISON

The background image illustrates how changing your wheel's offset can significantly affect your UTV's width. The Xpedition on the left features the V16 15x7 +35mm. The Xpedition on the right features the V16 15x8 -12mm (4+4) wheel. Notice how much more of the hub is sucked into the wheel on the left in comparison to the wheel on the right. A low or even negative offset pushes your wheels out from your vehicle, giving you an aggressive, wide stance.