UTV Tires are smaller in the front to allow for easier steering for the driver. The small narrow width of tire in front aids in turning to navigate obstacles on the trail.
You might have noticed a difference in your side-by-side tires between the front and rear tires. The difference will make you wonder why UTV’s tires are smaller in the front. However, after a good check on its front and rear tires, you will notice the diameter may be the same but different in width. So what would be the reason that UTV’s have front and rear tires of different widths or sizes?
The smaller width of the front tires is associated with the ease of maneuverability of UTV’s by reducing its tire surface that comes into contact with the ground. The smaller width will affect steering, traction, handling, cleanliness, and design. I will discuss why UTV’s are smaller in the front in the next part of this article.
Reasons why UTV tire sizes are different?
Smaller UTV front tires make it easy to steer
Front tires of UTV’s are smaller in width, making them easy to steer compared to tires with a bigger width. The small width of the tires ensures less contact between the tires and the surface. You might have realized how easy it is to steer a UTV than a regular car. Most UTVs did not have power steering initially; hence they had a way to make it easy to steer by use of smaller front tires.
The smaller front side-by-side tires will also incredibly decrease the weight of the tires. The less weight of the front tires makes it easy to steer with less effort.
Handling of your UTV
We all know UTVs need that quick response since they are meant for off-road driving. The smaller front tires will make it easy for you to respond to numerous off-road challenges, such as rocks or trees. UTV tires are smaller in front to give you an instant and quick response due to reduced friction compared to tires with a bigger width.
The small tires will also ensure it is easy to handle small tires in corners. They will support the bigger rear tires and lose stability quickly on muddy roads.
Traction of your Side by Side
UTV tires are smaller in front, making them good with traction. Handling the UTVs due to the smaller tires is easy as they can dig into the ground, making them stable and improving traction. The smaller side-by-side front tires are essential on mild muddy roads or loose grounds.
The smaller front tires provide traction, particularly when cutting sharp corners at high speed. The tires also provide two-dimensional traction; as the front tires offer high traction, the rear tires balance the traction by staying afloat.
Maneuverability of your side by side
It is easy to maneuver challenging off-road driving with its ability to evade obstacles easily. It will be challenging for off-road driving with bigger side by side tires as you are not sure what is ahead of you. Smaller front tires quickly respond to steering and handling, making them ideal for tackling harsh and brutal off-road driving and racing.
Cleanliness and design
It seems minor as it sounds that cleanliness can be a reason for UTV tires being small in front. UTV is designed with less protection from dust, water, rocks, or mud splash, but with the small side-by-side front tires, they will keep the amount of all sorts of off-road dirt reaching you in check.
Apart from the crucial benefits, the design is also purely for aesthetics, giving it a unique look or as an identity of UTVs to other regular vehicles.
What size tire do I need on my UTV?
We trail riders are the ones who rack up the most miles on all different types of terrain. We aren’t pushing our machines to the same limits as the extreme riders, but it is completely up to us what we run – we can run staggered or same size tires all the way around, depending on our preferences. The main point is that we need to be able to go anywhere, and do anything. We don’t have a set track or trail where we ride, so we need our machines to be able handle any terrain – whether it’s mud or sand.
Find out if you need to balance UTV tires?
Balance your tires with balancing beads