[Scoundrel]

Rocky Mountain ATV does not yet have the Ace in its product selector, and if I buy an Ace today, the first thing I'm going to want to to is remove the flimsy stock wheels/tires and put on some aftermarket ones.

If anyone knows the bolt pattern and offset, please let me know.
I saw that someone says it's the same as the RZR, but I want some actual numbers to be sure, and I'd really appreciate it if whoever posts the numbers also lists the source.
For example, "it's these numbers and I know it because those are the numbers for my RZR" isn't really good enough.

Not trying to be a PITA, but if I make a $700 wheel/tire purchase, I want it to be based on accurate, verified numbers.
I'll post them up myself if the dealer is able to provide them when I buy it.

 

[extremegsxr]

I do know that the bolt pattern is 4/156 and I just bought a set of rims for our Ace in which the offset is 4+3. The offset and bolt pattern is the same as on my 2013 Sportsman 500HO.

 

[Scoundrel]

I try, as a general rule, not to pick fights on a brand new forum, even though it's great for driving up the post count quickly.
But, this is exactly what I asked people NOT to say.

You told me that the bolt pattern is 4/156, but you did not say where you got that number.
You told me you bought a set of rims with a 4+3 offset, but not whether you've installed them successfully.
You told me that it is the same as your Sportman 500, but not how you determined that.
So really, I have no confirmed information to go on.

But I bought an Ace today, and although the dealer was unable to provide that information on a timely basis, I took some wheels off and measured.

As illustrated by the photos below:
Bolt pattern is 4/156.
Wheel width looks like 7", give or take. That's a little tricky to get an exact measurement on.
Front wheel offset looks like 4.5+2.5.
Rear wheel offset looks like 5+2.

The good news: As the photos show, there're not a lot of wiggle room on the front, but 4+3 is pretty close, so it will probably be OK.
The bad news: Most of the aftermarket wheels are 4+3. That would add 2" to the wheel width. The only set of 5+2 wheels I found so far on RMATV are crazy expensive.

I just did a bit more measuring.
Polaris lists the overall width at 48", but they're lying a little. From sidewall to sidewall in the rear, it measures 49" at the rear and 47" at the front. The widest points are the tire sidewalls.
To get this measurement I put a tape measure on the ground as close to under the tire as I could get, put a yardstick up against the sidewalls, and nudged the tape measure until it lined up with the yardstick on one side.
Then I went to the other side, put the yardstick against the sidewalls, and lined it up with the tape measure again to get the measurement.

I also measured how far the sidewall sticks out from the wheel. It's 0.75" per side.
I noticed that the front sidewalls are roughly flush with the wheels. So if I go with 8" tires in the back instead of the stock 10", I might narrow it by 1.5".
But if I widen it by 2" by putting a 4+3 offset on there, that's a net widening of 0.5".

Maybe I'm being too anal retentive at this point, and maybe 0.5" is good enough.
But the bridges at Tahuya ORV Park are VERY tight. I have enough trouble getting my Grizzly over them at 46.5" wide. But I don't go there very often.

But, does anyone know where I see a decent selection of 5+2 wheels for reasonable prices?


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[extremegsxr]

I have had a lot of Polaris quads in my life time so it was very easy to take the aftermarket rims off my Sportsman 500 and try them out on my Ace for fit and clearance and then order the same bolt pattern and offset as them and yes I did install them successfully!!!

 

[Scoundrel]

Did you measure your vehicle width at the widest point (the sidewall bulge on the rear tires) before and after?
I'd be interested to know those numbers. After only is fine, actually. I know the "before" now.

 

[extremegsxr]

If you are trying to get the width of yours narrower then stock then don't go with the 4+3 offset because it will make it a few inches wider....I don't have an exact measurement for you right now but it did give me a wider stance!

 

[Scoundrel]

I don't have a realistic choice in the matter. Aftermarket wheel sizes are pretty limited. The only 5+2 wheels I could find were way expensive.
According to my measurements, by going with the wider offset but using skinnier tires, I should be pretty close to stock. I won't be narrower.

 

[extremegsxr]

Good luck ....The trails we ride in are for up to 50" width ORV's so hopefully they won't say anything to me on being over by a few inches! The front is ok but the back is wider!

 

[Scoundrel]

Normally I would not be so anal about it - but there is a trail system nearby that has VERY narrow bridges.
If I don't approach it just right and pay close attention, I scrape my fenders on the high metal sides of the bridge - on my 46.5" Grizzly 700.
I don't know if the ACE will make it.

 

[Scoundrel]

OK, the new wheels and tires are on.
The result is not as good as I had hoped, but better than I feared.

My new width is 52.5" in the rear, and 51" exactly in front, with barely any sidewall bulge.
It looks like I might have been able to manage a 5+2 in the front, but it might have rubbed on the strut when the tires flex during cornering.

One of these days, I might try to find a pair of these wheels in 5+2, swap two tires out, and try them on both front and rear to see how that worked out before buying another pair.
I guess it depends on how much trouble I have on 50" trails, and gates/bridges that are 50" wide.

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[Scoundrel]

Just checked ITP's chart.
They don't have SS312s that are 12x7, 4/156, and 5+2.

So if this becomes more important, I will have to replace all four wheels, and begin my search.
But I have a feeling it would be really hard to find this combination, and selection would be VERY limited so I might not find ones that I liked the look of with those specs.

Instead, I'm just going to hope this works out well enough.

 

[extremegsxr]

It looks great!!!

 

[utvgiant]

HAve you guys seen these new STI wheels that are 4/156 6+1? Avail in 12" and 14"

STI's Polaris RZR 50-Inch Trail Legal Wheel Solution

 

[Scoundrel]

I'm not sure they'll work for the ACE though. Not much clearance in the front with those struts. Might need spacers which would blow the whole thing.

This is a 4+3 offset wheel (below). A 5+2 MIGHT fit. A 6+1? I doubt it.

View attachment 462

 

[Scoundrel]

I decided to play around a bit, and I can now say with reasonable certainty that 6+1 offset will NOT work.
I put one of the stock rears on the front. It's a 5+2 offset with a 25x10x12 tire on it.
The wheel is, in my opinion, uncomfortably close to the strut. It's hard to see it in this photo, but there is about 3/16" of clearance in there. Any flexing or bending, and you're scraping.
The tire is actually touching the spike they put on the strut at the base of the spring. Of course it's a 10" tire. An 8" would not touch, but it would be close, and I bet under stress, flexing around corners, it would rub.

In my opinion, the best aftermarket setup for the ACE would be 4+2 offset and 8" tires all around.
Maybe 5+2 in the back if you want a tiny bit of sidewall bulge to protect your wheels.

Oh, I also compared a stock wheel/tire with roughly the same size STI/BigHorn.
This is a 4.5+2.5 wheel with a 25x8x12 Dunlop on it, next to a 4+3 wheel with a 25x8x12 BigHorn on it.

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[utvgiant]

Scoundrel thank you so much for your groundbreaking work. Your presentation of the facts, with pictures, is outstanding. This thread will surely save people time and money on the Ace wheel and tire setups. Thanks!


Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[robloescobar]

I have a question about wheels and you seem like the guy to ask. I also have an ACE and I am looking at buying some aftermarket rims and I cannot seem to get any specs for this thing. I am looking at buying a set of ITP SS212 (12x7) rims with a 4+3 back space and 28" Silverback Mudders. Polaris told me the largest tire I can get is 26" what is your take on this?

 

[Scoundrel]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't have any direct experience with going with larger tires.
My suspicion is that anything larger than 26" will rub on the front while turning. They crammed things in there pretty tightly to make this machine trail-narrow.

 

[fjen]

OK, the new wheels and tires are on.
The result is not as good as I had hoped, but better than I feared.

My new width is 52.5" in the rear, and 51" exactly in front, with barely any sidewall bulge.
It looks like I might have been able to manage a 5+2 in the front, but it might have rubbed on the strut when the tires flex during cornering.

One of these days, I might try to find a pair of these wheels in 5+2, swap two tires out, and try them on both front and rear to see how that worked out before buying another pair.
I guess it depends on how much trouble I have on 50" trails, and gates/bridges that are 50" wide.

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I really like those tires. Keep noticing them everywhere. I'm not crazy about the look of the hub showing on the stock wheel, but not sure which one is suitable to use on the Ace. How are you liking the shoes so far?

 

[Scoundrel]

There's a reason you see them everywhere. They're awesome.
Those are Maxxis Bighorn tires. I LOVE the Bighorn tires.
NOT the 2.0, the originals. The 2.0 version is thinner and lighter, made because some people didn't like how heavy the originals are.

Are they the best for every terrain? Nope.
Paddles are better for sand, huge ITP MudLites are better for mud, PitBulls are better for extreme riding in razor-sharp coal rocks on the east coast.
But if you don't want to change out your tires depending on where you will be riding, you want an excellent all-around tire that will perform pretty well in every terrain type and will last a very long time, then you get Maxxis Bighorns.

The sidewalls are stiffer than stock tires so they do less knuckling under on sidehills and sharp corners.
That also helps avoid sidewall rips, especially if you're a few PSI low and didn't notice.

The edges of the tread blocks round off just like any other tire, but because of how big the tread blocks are, they continue to provide excellent traction well after they're rounded off.