UTV Vehicle Width Calculator

UTV FITMENT GUIDE

Own a UTV, SXS, or even an ATV, and you're trying to wrap your head around how custom wheels and tires will affect your overall vehicle width? Confused after reading countless forums posts or group chats about what backspacing or offset is, and how they factor into the equation? We built this handy fitment guide to take the mystery out of custom UTV wheels so you know exactly how wide your vehicle will be, no matter the wheel spec. Have additional questions outside of this handy guide? Give us a call during normal business hours, and we can help: (602) 935-0009.

FACT: WIDTHS ARE NOT ALL THE SAME. Vehicle manufacturers like to muddy the water and add to the confusion by measuring vehicle widths from the different locations, Polaris being the biggest culprit. When you see a vehicle width spec on the Polaris website for any model, Polaris is specifically measuring from the driver's side hub to the passenger's side hub, NOT the outer driver's side tire (sidewall) to outer passenger's side tire (sidewall). Unfortunately, by using this measurement, wheel thickness, wheel width, and, more importantly, tire width, are not taken into consideration. The good news is that Polaris is the only OEM manufacturer using the hub-to-hub width measurement. All other OEM manufacturers use the sidewall-to-sidewall measurement.

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 Polaris 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

Why specific measurement matters

Because 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/hauler, 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 over 2 inches.

STOCK WHEELS & TIRES

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

V16 WHEELS & TANGO TIRES

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

Vehicle Width Calculator

Change in +inches from stock

The Polaris Xpedition OEM (original equipment manufacturer) wheel specs are 15x7 +61.8mm (see below, column on far right). If you plan to swap your OEM wheels to a new width or offset, you can quickly see how decreasing offset by just +20mm can quickly add to overall vehicle width. 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 Width Calculator

Overall Vehicle width Change

All measurements below are factored using the Polaris Xpedition stock overall vehicle width of 67.0", which is drive-tire-sidewall to passenger-tire-sidewall, NOT hub-to-hub. Widths are calculated using the Xpedition OEM 15x7 wheel and +61.8mm offset (see far right column).

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.