polaris sportsman 500 tires

nickster · #1 (**permalink**) 09-06-2010, 06:21 PM

I am new to the list and to Polaris ATV's also. Can someone tell me what the size of the wheels are on my 2010 Sportsman 500. I know they're 12" tall but how do you measure the width and offset? I'm looking for Polaris aluminum wheels to replace the stock steel wheels but the pickins are pretty thin on Polaris' sight. I did see a picture of a "Crusher" wheel I could live with but they're out of stock. Most places on the web seem to want to sell me a 12x7 for front and rear and I know the rear is wider than the front so at least one of them is not 12x7. I also have concerns about the offset. If someone has wheels that will fit, I'd certainly consider them. The front is nearly 48" with the factory wheels and I don't want to go wider. All help is appreciated. Thanks.

Nick

PolarMud · #2 (**permalink**) 09-07-2010, 07:52 PM

Most aftermarket 12" rims have a 4+3 offset for Polaris. The stock rim has a 5+2 offset. Meaning that if you get an aftermarket rim with a 4+3 offset it is going to stick out an inch further. I think the reason why manufacturers such as ITP do the 4+3 offset is to keep the front tire off of the tie-rod ends. Because most 26" and above tires are usually 9 inches wide or more. Where as the stock front tires on a 500/800 are 8 inches wide, which is suitable with a 5+2 offset.

**Bruce!** · #3 (**permalink**) 09-07-2010, 07:54 PM

Welcome to the board!

nickster · #4 (**permalink**) 09-08-2010, 07:06 PM

Thanks Polarmud. I have been able to determine that the front is a 12x7" wheel with 5+2 offset and the rear is a 12x8 with a 5+3 offset. It seems that no one makes an aluminum wheel the size of the originals. I cannot find a set of wheels that will not widen the front so I think I'm stuck with the steel wheels. The only reason I need to keep the stock width in front is because the gate at the off-road park I frequent is a little less that 48". Thanks again.

Nick

PolarMud · #5 (**permalink**) 09-09-2010, 05:38 PM

Hey Nickster, there's another option you may want to consider. ITP 14" rims have an offset of 4+2 for the fronts and 5+3 for the rear. HOWEVER!... Your ride quality will be much stiffer due to less sidewall. I had this combination on my 500 last year with 26" Big Horns on 14" ITP SS212 rims. It looked killer and it added a much sportier ride, however, it was a much stiffer ride.

bronco · #6 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 11:23 AM

PolarMud, thanks for the clarification on the rim offset. I was wondering what I would need to put a set of 26" bighorns on without rubbing.

As for the 14" rim part, your last years set up is one of the options I was thinking. May I ask why it was last year's set up, did you change it this year?

Also, is the sporty ride worth the additional stiffness?
I'm still on the fence if I want to go with 12" or 14" rims for 26" horns.

PolarMud · #7 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 02:58 PM

For this year I ran 26" ITP Bajacross on 12" ITP SS312 rims. This setup rode a lot better than the Big Horns on 14" rims. Now their some that don't notice the ride difference between 12"s and 14"s. I have 2 ridding buddies that went from 12 to 14 and they regret it. I do ride 80 to 100 miles in a days time in the mountains of WV. My butt starts noticing things a little more after about 50 to 60 miles. So your riding style maybe different than mine. If your just riding an hour or two on each ride, then I say go for the 14" rims. I'm not trashing Big Horns at all. I think they are the best all terrain tire out their. Its just I did not like the ride of em on a 14" on my 500. If I had the 12" version, I know for a fact that I would have kept them on my 500. I think running a Big Horn on a stock rim shouldn't cause any rubbing issues. I'm not really sure though because all of my aftermarket tires have been mounted on aftermarket rims. Hope this helps you!

bronco · #8 (**permalink**) 11-22-2010, 07:57 PM

The inside sidewall of the stock 7" wide tire just clears, I really think an 8 or 9 inch wide front tire will rub with the stock offest rims. But I'm not a mechanic, so don't quote me on it.

I'm leaning towards a 12" rim for the little more sidewall to absorb some bumps.

ALSO, I'm now undecided on the horns or not. After a buddy of mine kept getting stuck in the same mudholes I was with my stockers, I'm tempted to get a little more mud use tire.

PolarMud · #9 (**permalink**) 11-22-2010, 08:10 PM

Sounds like you might want to go to something on the lines of a Mudlite, Mudlite XTR, Maxxis Zillas or Outlaw MST's. They all good. You'll get 20 different people on here with 20 different sets of tires all claiming their's is the best.

bronco · #10 (**permalink**) 11-22-2010, 09:15 PM

My first set of mudlites, the treads actually chunked off. I don't know if it was a bad batch or what, but I am hesitant to try again. The XTR's I looked at, don't think they should carry the mudLITE name because they aren't really that light anymore. They are the same weight as the rest of the mud tires out there on the market.

I have read many posts in many forums claiming the bighorns to be the tires to get for general trail and a little bit of everything else. From what I saw though, in the almost frozen mud, was that they don't self clean very well and I don't want to get stuck in every mudhole I come across.

Decisions, decisions...