UTV Clutching 101: Everything You Need to Know and More!

Unlike most road-going vehicles, most UTVs use a continuously variable transmission (CVT). This means there are gears like a standard automatic transmission and no clutch and shifter like a manual transmission car. The CVT is great because it’s a simple design which is ideal for a UTV which is designed to be relatively simple, but there are some downfalls to the CVT system which is where aftermarket clutch kits come into play. But, how do you know what kind of clutch you need? Well, it all depends on your modifications and driving style.

What Does a CVT Clutch do?

The basic idea behind a CVT clutch is to control what RPM the engine and transmission are fully engaged at. Below that certain RPM, the clutch will allow some slippage which will help get your UTV moving off the line. If the clutch was fully engaged at low speed, the engine would end up bogging down and struggling to push the vehicle. The problem is, the clutch is designed around a specific tire size and power level. This means your power adding mods such as a tune, intake, and exhaust, could be going to waste without proper clutching.

Limitations of the Stock Clutch

The problem with the stock clutch, as mentioned above, is how it’s designed for a one tire size and one power level, plus the clutch needs to be suitable for towing/hauling, mud bogging, trail riding, and dunes. This effectively makes the stock clutch a one size fits all design, making it decent at everything but not good at one particular type of driving.

With an OEM clutch in the mud bogs, your engine can end up bogging down and burning up the clutch. In the dunes, you need the RPMs to stay high, so you have the power to keep the paddles spinning. These are areas where the stock clutch will not keep up with your demands, and an aftermarket clutch kit is needed.

What an Aftermarket UTV Clutch Kit can do for you:

Improved acceleration
Faster shifting and backshifts
Much better throttle response
Improved reliability (especially for modified UTVs)
No more belt issues!
What Kind of Clutch do you Need?

The aftermarket clutch you need depends solely on tire size, driving style, and power mods. But here’s a brief overview of what style clutching will work best for you:

Mud bogging requires a low of low-end torque to turn those big tires through the thick mud. Without proper clutching, you can end up stuck with your engine revving up but the tires not moving, resulting in a clutch and belt smoke – yikes!
Dune driving requires more top-end power to keep the paddles turning at high speed. Without proper clutching, you will slowly lose speed while climbing a big dune and eventually the wheels will stop moving.
Trail riding requires really good throttle response. When you’re exiting a corner, you want to be able to punch the throttle and have the RPMs jump right up where they need to be.

[supergmx]

I an a snowmobiler not an ATV or UTV rider. Seeing this I took a chance and finally found a SIMPLE explanation of clutch basics where most videos were jumping into more advanced tuning. Thank you!

[chaosad]

"Everything you need to know" was just an AD for... send it to them and they'll do it for a price. 😂

[collunellis]

This was a very well put together video. I ride snowmobiles mostly, so this info is still relevant. Thank you very much!

[sandslinger]

Exceptionally informative and helped me make a decision to get a clutch kit for my PRO XP because we go to the dunes a lot and i want more performance.

[Dan.a.k.a.bradpitt]

this is the info I needed. Canam Ryker needs, and options are non existent for 600 engine. But we gonna change that

[freddyw]

On my Canam 570 I put on heavy black water 27” tires to replace the 25” light tires and did not replace the clutch. Still works good on Colorado trails

[bobbymullens]

Hey brother I have a 2016 kymco 450i it has 3000 miles on this machine. The belt is in peices, half is tangled up behind the pully. On the smaller clutch there is some loose round peices about the size of half inch nuts looks like there's 3 or 4 just rattling around, don't know what they are. It looks like a small groove 1/8inch teeth 1/8 apart and 1/8 tall teeth. The other belt is an inch wide, 3/8 tall and 1/8 gap between teeth. Why would there be 2 belts? How would I get a new belt on, what's the best way? I need help, this is my first time doing this

[mitchellkalina]

If you're the tuner type, this drive system is pretty fun to tinker with. Snowmobiles have used them for years so there's plenty of different parts available. While it's definitely recommended for beginners to not stray far from the factory settings, once you understand how they work and the power curve of whatever engine they're attached to you can REALLY change the way a machine feels. I mean like radically. I could have a newbie ride a certain machine and then make nothing but clutching changes and not touch the engine and have them ride it again. They will have a hard time believing its the same engine because the machine just doesn't behave in the same way.

[Loompius]

Alright, I'm stumped on this one. Have a UTV that pops out of gear every so often, not pulling anything just normal driving. Unhooked the shift cable and manually put it in gear and it still does the same thing. When it comes out of gear it makes a clicking noise that's matched to the rpm of the engine, when the engine RPM slows down so does the clicking and it will engage back into gear. Any ideas at what parts I should be looking at replacing??? ANY help is greatly appreciated.

[davidfarmerracing]

what is the difference between High and Low range on my Teryx4? Is it just less aggressive spring/weight engagement, or is there actually a gear change before the primary OR is the secondary disabled etc??

[Tuxzito]

I bought a maverick max 1000r xrs used from dealer. Dealer had to put new tires on before sale and they ended up putting oversized tired on it. First trip out I blew the belt apart. 😒 I got a new belt put on and currently breaking it in. Just worried that with the oversized tires that it will break again. What would you recommend? 🤔. Tia

[arlynspencer]

It think it would greatly Enhance your tutorial - if the "function of the Helix" was explained in stronger detail. Thanks nice Video.

[MADDOGful]

I have a 2015 Mahindra impact XTV 750s I need a secondary clutch The two little roller bearings Looks like a plastic PVC pipe Mahindraus tell me I can only get him by buying the whole clutch assembly for 500 the secondary clutch assembly They're two little plastic bearings basically our rollers Do you have any suggestions Thank you

[jamesbrock]

I have a 2013 Arctic cat Wildcat 1000...The previous owner install a racing clutch which jerks when you give it gas, we checked the belt and it is fine but I think the spring set up is to strong which if I understand your video is the reason for the jerk and this is especially noticeable when you go to take off slow be it in reverse or forward. I think I need different springs. The past owner was kind of a rock crawler but I am a Desert Runner most of the time and would like to know I am not hurting the belt and trans. which feels like it now.
Thanks
Jim

[robertofernandezlazaro]

Using a different belt.. can afect the secondary clutch ? Polaris shop made a mistake and put an other belt, and the bearing of my secondary clutch got messed up… does it has anything to do with the belt? Thanks

[jimh.]

Awesome. Thanks for explaining all that.👍

[markg]

We are trying the tune yourself method our only problem is we have no idea what does what.. I.e what weight added to what position does what to start with. What specifically does adding/subtracting weight to the heel or tip do?

[stormtwincam]

thanks for the info. I have a wildcat trail with a speedwerx header pipe and muffler, performance secondary clutch sheaves (with performance spring), primary weights and spring as well. I installed the header and muffler first ( I haven't installed the supplied power commander yet) and tested it with my stock clutch system. I had the performance secondary spring already installed and the wildcat performed awesome! so I next installed the rest of the clutch parts without adding adjusting weights to the new weights and it feels like it is binding at slow take off. I had also lost some of my downhill backshifting ( I had trouble holding it going downhill). I then took emery cloth to the ramps to clean up any machining defects? and added the "medium weight" to the weights and reinstalled. Now my back shifting is almost all gone! WTF am I missing? All of these parts are sold as a performance kit designed to work with each other and now I just want to put my clutch back to stock. I imagine I need to remove the extra weight from the weights first but one thing that I am unsure about is I used the existing shims from the stock clutch and wonder if that needs to be corrected? could I be out of alignment? thanks for your consideration.

[donaldnagel]

I can get the motor to run, idles ok, but when I try and shift into any gear, it grinds and stalls out. With the motor off, it wont shift other than into the first forward detent, not the second. No change with the new belt I put on. Any suggestions?

[milogreen]

I'll be watching for sure. Great job on the video layout