On tonight’s Speed UTV livestream, we got an up close look at the design of the chassis, we got an even closer look at the two piece Speed UTV beadlock wheels and had a number of questions answered by Robby Gordon.

Speed UTV Chassis

Let’s talk chassis design. If you have a bad day in the dunes, and your side by side ends up upside down, odds are a tube or three are tweaked, the frame is bent, your side by side is totaled (at least according to your insurance company). Time to call your insurance agent, file a claim and head right back to the dealership to pickup another UTV.

It doesn’t look like you’ll be dealing with your insurance agent too much when it comes to the Speed UTV.

Hope you like triangles, because you’re going to see a lot of them in the Speed UTV chassis. There are triangles everywhere. All the tubes and junctions intersect. This thing looks like something that you would feel safe in the event of a crash.

speed UTV 4 seater el jefe chassis triangulation 1

Up front, you have the billet bulkhead that holds the front end together, everything from steering, axle, suspension mounting points is right there in this one machined hunk of metal. The back of the the bulkhead will fit tongue and grove into the Speed UTV, preventing it from moving around.

You can put your hammers and pry bars away, servicing suspension components is going to be easier than ever because it’s machined and not welded together. There is a plate that attaches to the chassis on top of the bulkhead, from there there is a tube that runs towards the cab, and up the middle, into the spine which ties the front and back of the car together. All four corners of the car are tied in.

speed UTV 4 seater chassis el jefe from the side 1

In the back you have a sheet metal shock mount, that ties and supports the shock all the way up along the back of the car, it’s made of .120″ wall and 4130 steel. It’s about as structurally sound as you would want it, before the weight outweighs the benefits.

From the looks of it, you can put your welder away. The chassis is about as strong as you’d want it to be right from factory, you won’t be spending you free time reinforcing this design.

Speed UTV Two Piece Beadlock Wheels

The Speed UTV 2 piece beadlock wheel is a unique design to the off-road industry. It’s a 2 piece bead lock, the bead lock face is integrated right into the wheel base, the wheel is held together by 3/8″ bolts.

speed UTV beadlock 2 piece wheel design
speed UTV wheel and wheel bearing 1

Three eights of an inch may not seem like much, however the wheels utilizes a shouldered face that distributes the load from the barrel up into the hub meaning the fasteners are not loaded in shear.

The wheel has a flat face to keep as much weight of the stub axle as possible, and keep the proper kingpin inclination, scrub radius and steering geometry.

Design your Speed UTV

The official Speed UTV web site where you can choose the accessories and design the look of your pre-ordered side by side is not ready yet, but in the meantime head on over to OctaneInkLLC.com and design the look of El Jefe or Baja Bandit Speed UTV.

speed UTV builder octaneinkllc

Questions & Answers

Is the Speed UTV going to come with half doors or full doors? 

No, only full doors on all models. Anything less would not be up to Speed UTV’s safety standards.

Cars will also come with arm restrains, but Robby suggest you purchase window nets.

Is the raditor in the front?

No, on the open car, the raditor will be in the back of the cars. For the closed cab models next year, the radiator will be up front.

Is the low gear going to be a granny gear?

Yes, low gear will be more than plenty for rock crawling or mud crawling, very easy on the belt drive system. You also have the mid gear which will be like most gears, and cruise will be overdrive, it’s going to be easier on the drivetrain and engine at high speeds.

Will you be able to run 35” tires on the Speed UTV?

Yes. On the rear, 35″ tires will clear without trimming. On the front you’ll have to trim 3/4”, a template will be available online.

speed UTV el jefe seater suspension in action articulation 1

Will the drivetrain hold up on 35’s?

Depends on what tires you stick on it, if you put on 35” E rated truck tires that weight a 100lbs each you’ll have a lot of bad luck, but if you install a light weight UTV tire on it, it will be able to hold up.

How many stages of compression in the shock?

These shocks will have infinite progression all the way through, it’s very similar to what Robby Gordon runs on the trophy truck. It will come with 10 to 12 stages of compression from factory, and 6-7 stages on rebound. Keep in mind you’ll be able to control it right from the outside of the shock.

Is the Speed UTV going to come with a parking break?

Maybe. That will be left to figure out after testing, Robby thinks they have built up the gearbox significantly where it’ll stop the car in Park.

On the Closed Cab Speed UTV is there going to be sound deadening in the cab?

Yes, it will have rubber foam insulation, roof will be insulated, the doors and floorboards. Heat resisitenace and sound detending. It will make a big difference to keep cool it and at ambient temperature.

Things You Should Know

  • The front of the Speed UTV will have an aluminum skid plate to protect the bulkhead.
  • Pricing has increased on the 4 seat El Jefe Model, you can still pre-order the LE El Jefe for $35,000, price will go up to $37,000 once it’s at the dealers. RG Edition is available for pre-order for $37,000, MSRP is $39,999
  • Pre-order pricing on the 2 seat Baja Bandit and El Diablo LE models is available until July 15th at $30,000 for the LE model, or $32,500 for the RG edition model.

Stay up to date on our Speed UTV News Page, make sure you check out our Speed UTV article with all the details we’ve got. If you’ve got any question, get a hold of Speed UTV on Facebook and Instagram to have your questions answered.

You can still catch a recording of the livestream below:

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