How To Choose The Right ATV Tire

Unless you had a specific purpose for your ATV when you bought it, chances are you gave little thought to the tires that came with it. If you’ve owned and used your ATV for any length of time, chances are you’re going to need some new tires soon.

The question now becomes, what type of tires do I need on my ATV? Keep these easy tips in mind when choosing the rubber that goes on your next ATV. Choosing the wrong tires can leave you high and dry out on the trail.

If your budget is tight, and who’s isn’t these days, you may want to consider buying used ATV tires. These can generally be found any place that carries used ATV parts. The biggest mistake many ATV owners make is buying any set of tires they can find because they’re cheap.

For starters, sit down and think about the type of riding you do. It should go without saying that if all your riding is done on the sand dunes, then the best choice for your ATV is sand tires. But this common sense approach is lost on some ATV owners. With today’s technology, an ATV owner can easily match tires to his or her type of riding for peak performance.

ATV sand tires are tires with paddles on them. Loose sand is not a problem for these wide slick paddled tires. The paddles scoop the sand as the wheel turns, giving excellent traction. These tires are wider than normal and offer good traction in all types of sand terrain, whether it’s the beach or in the middle of the desert. The all smooth ATV sand tires are designed for the front steering wheels of a two wheel drive ATV.

When looking to buy a used machine, such as a used Can Am ATV, it will more than likely come with a general use tire. General use ATV tires are geared more for the casual rider or those that ride over fairly hard soil types.

Mud tires have aggressive treads to displace lots of mud and to keep the tire clean as it goes round and round. This allows the tire to dig deep and grab firm ground for traction. Mud tires are great for nearly all soft soil and some rocky terrain as the lugs will grab the rocks you’re trying to move over. Some believe that mud tires work well in sand. They don’t. Mud tires are not a good trade off for sand tires. General purpose tires even work better in sand than the aggressive treaded mud tires.

High performance ATV tires are meant to be ridden on hard packed surfaces. You’ll also notice that many sport or performance tires have a lower profile and some will have taller and wider wheels. The tread is generally small knobs in an X pattern.

Deciding on what your ATV will be used for is the most important step in choosing the right ATV tires for your machine. Picking the right ATV tires isn’t rocket science. It just requires a little thought and research before laying your hard earned money down.