I like to ride long and hard rides, I especially enjoy ATV technical riding. It soon became very obvious that the stock ATV tires and wheels that came on my ATV were not going to hold up to my style of riding. Soon I had multiple plugs in each of the tires and the rims of each wheel had some severe bends, dings and one wheel had a pretty good wobble.
So I found myself upgrading my ATV tires and wheels soon after I bought my ATV. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well it is if you understand how ATV tires and wheels are measured and what will fit on your ATV without major modifications. So I am going to explain how ATV tires and wheels are measured starting with the tires.
ATV Tire Size
Most ATV tires are available in traditional/standard sizes. My ATV came with a standard size tire of 25x8x12 on the front and 25x10x12 on the rear. As you can see standard ATV tire sizes have three numbers separated by an “x” or a “-”, so lets break down these numbers to find out what they mean.
- The first number is the overall height in inches of the tire when it’s mounted and inflated to the recommended amount of air pressure. This means my stock tires are 25 inches tall.
- The second number is the overall width in inches of the tire when it’s mounted and inflated to the recommended amount of air pressure. This means my stock front tires are 8” wide and the rear stock tires are 10” wide.
- The third number is the inside diameter in inches of the tire and the diameter of the wheel that the tire will mount to. This means my stock ATV tires fit on 12” diameter wheels.
ATV Wheels
For ATV wheels there are three sets of numbers you need to be familiar with in order to get the correct wheel for your application:
- ATV Wheel Size – Example: 12×7
- ATV Wheel Offset – Example: 4+3
- ATV Wheel Bolt Pattern – Example: 4/156mm
ATV Wheel Size
ATV Wheel Size
The wheel size consists of two numbers separated by a “x”, so lets break down these numbers to find out what they mean.
- The first number is the diameter in inches of the wheel from bead seat to bead seat not the diameter of the rim edge. In the wheel size example above “12×7” would have a diameter of 12”.
- The second number is the overall width in inches of the wheel from bead seat to bead seat not rim edge to rim edge. In the wheel size example above “12×7” would have a width of 7”.
ATV Wheel Offset
ATV Wheel Offset
The wheel offset consists of two numbers separated by a “+” or a “:”, so lets break down these numbers to find out what they mean.
- The first number is the inside offset of the rim from the hub of the wheel in inches. In the wheel offset example above “4+3” the inside rim of the wheel is offset from the wheel hub by 4”.
- The second number is the outside offset of the rim from the hub of the wheel in inches. In the wheel offset example above “4+3” the outside rim of the wheel is offset from the wheel hub by 3”.
- The two numbers should add up to equal the width of the wheel. In the wheel offset example above “4+3” the width of the wheel is 4 + 3 = 7”.
If the first number of the offset is larger than the second it is known as a positive offset, if the numbers are the same it is a neutral offset and if the first number is smaller than the second number it is a negative offset.
ATV Wheel Bolt Pattern
ATV Wheel Bolt Pattern
The wheel bolt pattern consists of two numbers separated by a “/”, so lets break down these numbers to find out what they mean.
- The first number is the number of bolt (lug) holes in the wheel. In the wheel bolt pattern example above “4/156mm”, this wheel has 4 bolt holes.
- The second number is the diagonal distance between the bolt (lug) holes on the wheel, for a 3-lug wheel it is the diameter of an imaginary circle that passes through the center of all three bolt holes. The number is followed by the unit of measurement. In the wheel bolt pattern example above “4/156mm”, the diagonal distance between the bolt holes is 156 millimeters.
ATV Tires and Wheels
With the understanding of how to measure ATV tires and wheels properly makes sizing new ATV tires and wheels for an ATV easy. Keep in mind that when adding a tire to a rim to take into account the width of the tire.
Using the rear tire and wheel examples above the tire has a size of 25x10x12 and the rim has a size of 12×7, 4+3, 4/156mm, so we know the tire will fit the wheel but the tire (10” wide) is wider than the wheel (7” wide). This extra width needs to be taken into account when trying to figure out if they will fit on your ATV. Since these were the stock ATV tires and wheels for my ATV I already know they will fit.
But if I want a larger tire like a 26x12x12 tire on a new 12×7, 4+3, 4/156mm wheel the tire will extend an extra 2.5” (12” – 7” = 5”, 5”/2 = 2.5”) on either side of the wheel compared to the extra 1.5” of the stock tires. I need to verify I have the space on my ATV for that extra width and height of the new tire.
If there was a clearance issue on the width but the height was OK, I could opt for a new 12×7, 3+4, 4/156mm wheel or a 1″ wheel spacer. With this negative offset (3+4) wheel or the 1 wheel spacer, the tire and wheel will will extend out an extra inch from the hub than the stock wheel which should take care of any clearance issue with the width. Keep in mind though that the overall width of the machine with the new ATV tires and wheels tires will be wider by 4” then the stock setup.
Changing wheel offsets is not recommended without a thorough understanding of the handling characteristics of the ATV, always consult a professional for advise. Understanding ATV tires and wheels measurements will help prevent costly mistakes in upgrading your ATV. For more information visit CampingATV.com
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What is the maximum safe tire width you can fit on a wheel. I see most OEM have a 2″ differential between tire and wheel widths. Is 3″ differential ok, or should you buy a new wheel. For example: I have 25×10-12 tires with 12×7.5 rims. I’m looking at replacing tires that are 25×11-12, will they fit those rims?
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