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Wheel/Stance Question

7K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  Blackwolf 
#1 ·
Hello from Charlotte, NC!

This is my first post as I just purchased a 2007 Honda Rancher 420 ES 2WD. TRX420TE. I purchased the ATV this past November as a toy for my son and I. He's 4 years old and we live on about 6 acres so right now the primary use is to ride him around our property on it. However, he is currently on a 24V electric 4 wheeler learning the ropes and as he ages we will eventually transition him into a little 50cc/80cc when the time comes.

I didn't intend to buy an ATV this nice because I really don't use it to its full potential at the moment and I didn't want to sink a bunch of money into a "toy".

Then the more I thought about the situation I decided it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and buy a nice used ATV now, instead of an abused pile of junk, or someone else's project, that I would be able to use long term and not have to replace later on down the road as my son comes through the ranks.

I also have quite a few coworkers that ride, so I will also go ride with them in the near future, but for now I'm just riding on our property that we live on.

I purchased my 07 Rancher with 55 hours and 195 miles on it. All original, non modified, female riden. The guy I bought it from purchased it for his wife to ride while he rode his Rubicon. He has since gone through a divorce and was trying to get his finances in order to purchase a house.

Long story short, he needed some quick cash and I gave him $2800 for it. Even had the bill of origin where he bought it, manual, spare keys, etc. I wasn't looking to spend more than $2000 at the time but for what I was getting I couldn't pass it up.

I've had 0 issues out of it, nothing at all wrong with it other than some scuffs and scratches in the plastics, no big deal.

The only thing that I HATED about it was the silver steel wheels. So I ordered ITP Hurricanes with Kenda Bearclaws. 12" wheels with 26x11s in the rear and 26x9s up front. I really like the wheels and tires. They fill up the wheel wells nicely. BUT, the front is wider than I expected it to be. I got the 5x2 offset up front and 2x5 offset in the rear. I measured the width of the front vs rear, and they are within 1/4" of being equivalent, but the front was obviously narrower than the rear from the factory.

I have no problems with the way it steers, handles, etc. It actually feels more stable to me. I haven't really noticed any power loss but I also don't ride it hard, but it seems to accelerate and pull the same as it did with the factory wheels and tires. If there is power loss it's negligible, especially with my riding style.

Just wondering what yalls opinions are on the stance and width of the ATV. I didn't necessarily want the stance wider, but it seemed like most aftermarket wheels had this offset. It rides and drives fine, it doesn't feel as wide as it looks, it just surprised me how much wider the front was after the wheels, but the offset of before vs after the wheels everything adds up. It may just be the narrower fenders in the front throwing me for a loop.

Does the front look too wide to you guys? Is it desirable for the front to be as wide as the rear?
 

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#4 ·
The simple answer to your question is, would you have bought it if those wheels had been on when you viewed it? If yes, then it's just fine !!
 
#5 ·
I think it looks just right if I'm honest, I think utility ATV's look to narrow in standard form anyway. If I handles fine and doesn't pull when accelerating or decelerating then I'd say stick with it, the extra width will increase stability to a certain degree.
 
#6 ·
It has an optical illusion because of how the front fenders are shaped..


I can tell you one thing, being 2wd... You will want narrower front tires if you get into anything soft... Even sand.. Your pushing a FAT tire there..

Looks pretty cool though, I do like it.
 
#7 ·
OK first off welcome to the site
next a few things to think about MAYBE,
one, NO one makes OEM off set wheels for a HONDA< ONLY HONDA makes them with factory off set, all others will be MORE off set, thus making a wider front stance

next a wider stance is actually more stable,look at any race ATV, and they are all wider up front for this reason

BUT the draw back to a wider front stance/wheel off set is, them tires will NOT throw more things at the driver, from dirt to mud to rocks and sticks

as said before, wider front tires rob some momentum when in soft ground, I doubt you will have any issue's , but it is there, just need to react faster , before needing more in put from the throttle to compensate would be MY suggestion
don't wait till your loosing too much forward momentum before going for more throttle!
simple rule of thumb when driving a 2x4 as to a 4x4
a 2x4 rely's more on speed to get thru up and over things
where a 4x4 can crawl thru up and over things due to more traction!!
if your happy with the set up, that' all that matters, I would just always be wearing eye protection if it was me, due to more things a flying off them tires( and I always wear eye protection when I ride period so , no big deal for me at all LOL)
 
#9 ·
OK first off welcome to the site
next a few things to think about MAYBE,
one, NO one makes OEM off set wheels for a HONDA< ONLY HONDA makes them with factory off set, all others will be MORE off set, thus making a wider front stance

next a wider stance is actually more stable,look at any race ATV, and they are all wider up front for this reason

BUT the draw back to a wider front stance/wheel off set is, them tires will NOT throw more things at the driver, from dirt to mud to rocks and sticks

as said before, wider front tires rob some momentum when in soft ground, I doubt you will have any issue's , but it is there, just need to react faster , before needing more in put from the throttle to compensate would be MY suggestion
don't wait till your loosing too much forward momentum before going for more throttle!
simple rule of thumb when driving a 2x4 as to a 4x4
a 2x4 rely's more on speed to get thru up and over things
where a 4x4 can crawl thru up and over things due to more traction!!
if your happy with the set up, that' all that matters, I would just always be wearing eye protection if it was me, due to more things a flying off them tires( and I always wear eye protection when I ride period so , no big deal for me at all LOL)

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the advice guys. I appreciate it. I'm pretty happy with the setup I just wanted a few other opinions to see what you guys thought. I've had 4 wheelers and dirt bikes in the past but haven't had anything in the last 10-12 years. I don't see myself getting into anything too extreme, right now it's used mainly in the yard with my son and there's a creek that runs along the back side of our property that I play around in from time to time. Don't plan on hitting any mud holes or anything, mainly just trail riding and general use around the house. I got it mainly for my son and I to ride together, although with the ES being so easy to use I have come home from work to my wife and son riding it! Either way we're getting a lot of use out of it.

I've been using this site since November or December of last year to check everything over and do routine maintenance. It's a great resource! I Ike to work on my own stuff so the dealership would be a last resort.

Hopefully this post helps someone else out that may be considering this wheel and tire set up.

Thanks again!
 
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