UTV Inc · Buying Guide
Side, rear view or both. Convex or flat. Clamp-on or bolt-on. Four decisions, and only one of them is about looks.
Most people want two side mirrors plus one panoramic rear view. Side mirrors cover your rear quarters; the panoramic fills the blind wedge straight behind you. If the mirror clamps to your cage, the number you need before anything else is your tube size.
Mirrors are the part we sell most of, and the part people replace most often — usually after the first one gets knocked off a tree or vibrated loose. The difference between a mirror you forget about and one you keep fighting comes down to a few specific choices.
Decision one
Side, rear view, or both
Side mirrors mount out on the A-pillar or the front cage bar and show you your own rear quarters — the lane you are about to move into, the car about to pass you, your own rear tire in a rocky line. If you only run one type, run these.
Rear view mirrors mount to the centre of the cage, usually on the front roof bar, and look straight back. Our panoramic versions are wide rather than tall, which is what you want when the thing you are trying to see is a car following you through dust.
Riding in a group is the case where both earn their keep. Side mirrors tell you who is beside you; the rear view tells you whether the guy behind you is still there.
Decision two
How it attaches
Clamp-on
A billet clamp that closes around a cage bar. Adjustable anywhere along the tube, moves between machines, and sized by tube diameter. This is most of what we build.
Bolt-on
Uses a factory mounting point, like our folding adjustable mirrors for the Can-Am X3. Cleanest look, but specific to that machine.
Model-specific bracket
Some cages have nowhere good to clamp. We cut dedicated rear view mounts for platforms like the Pro XP and Pro R for that reason.
Extended arm
When the mirror sits too close to the pillar to see past your own cage, an extended arm buys you a few inches of reach without changing the mount.
For anything clamp-on, measure before you order. Wrap a tape around the bar the mirror is going on and divide by 3.14 — 5.50 in around is a 1.75 in tube, 6.28 in is a 2 in tube. A clamp cut for one will not close on the other.
Decision three
Convex or flat, and break-away or fixed
Convex glass curves outward, which widens the field of view at the cost of making things look further away than they are. On a side-by-side that trade is usually worth it — you are looking for “is someone there,” not judging a merge at highway speed. Our round convex side mirrors are the ones most people end up with.
Break-away mirrors are built to fold or pivot when they hit something instead of snapping off or bending the mount. If you ride tight trees, brush or anywhere you scrape a wall, this is the feature that pays for itself. On wide open dunes it matters less.
Sizes are worth a thought too. A 5 in round head is the middle of our range and suits most machines. Larger gives you more to look at and more to get knocked; smaller stays out of the way.
Decision four
Finish
This is the one that is genuinely just preference. We machine mirrors in raw billet, black anodized, stainless and a few colours. Anodizing is a surface treatment, not a coating that chips, so a black anodized mirror stays black. Raw billet is the traditional look and will develop a patina over time.
One practical note: if your cage is powder coated, a coated tube reads slightly larger on a tape than bare tube. Order for the bare size and round down.
Avoid these
Mistakes we see most
Guessing the tube size
Far and away the most common return. Sixty seconds with a tape solves it.
Mounting too far inboard
If all you can see is your own cage, the mirror is too close to the pillar. Move it outboard or use an extended arm.
Under-tightening
A clamp that moves under vibration will keep moving. Snug it properly and check it after the first ride.
Buying one mirror
A single side mirror leaves one whole quarter uncovered. If budget is the constraint, a panoramic rear view on its own covers more than one side mirror does.
Next
Shop mirrors
All mirrors
Side, rear view and panoramic, every size and finish we make.
Side view mirrors
Clamp-on side mirrors sorted by cage tube diameter.
Mounts and clamps
Brackets, arms and clamps if you already have the glass.
Questions we get
Frequently asked
What size mirror mount do I need for my UTV?
Clamp-on mirrors are sized by the outside diameter of the cage bar they mount to, commonly 1.5 in, 1.75 in, 1.875 in or 2 in. Wrap a tape around the bar and divide the reading by 3.14 to get the size.
Are convex UTV mirrors better than flat?
For most side-by-side use, yes. Convex glass gives a wider field of view, which matters more off-road than precise distance judgement. The trade is that objects look further away than they are.
Do I need a rear view mirror if I already have side mirrors?
Side mirrors leave a blind wedge directly behind the machine that neither one covers. A panoramic rear view mirror fills it, which is why most people running in groups use both.
What is a break-away mirror?
One built to fold or pivot on impact rather than snap off or bend its mount. Worth it in trees and tight trails; less important in open dunes.
Will UTV mirrors fit my aftermarket cage?
If it clamps to a round bar, yes, as long as you order the right diameter. Aftermarket cage builders choose their own tube, so measure rather than going by what your machine came with.
Measure twice. Or just call us.
Tell us your machine and the number you got off the tape and we will tell you which mirror fits. Every billet piece is cut from 6061 on our own machines in Mesa, Arizona.
(480) 718-5511 · sales@utvinc.com · Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Arizona time