Best ATV Tires for Trail Riding
Are very popular and with good reason. Stock tires simply cannot handle the serious slop that some folks really like to ride through. Mud tires have big, deep tread that has plenty of space between the lugs to allow the mud to clear off the tire as you ride through it. For serious mud guys, the deeper and more aggressive the tread, the better. The downside to mud tires is what they’ll do to anything that isn’t mud. Don’t expect your lawn to look the same if you ride across it, unless you’re looking to reseed it or plant some flowers.
Sand
Ready to hit the dunes and scream out across the sand? are even more specialized than mud, and with good reason. Sand is hard stuff to keep traction on. Momentum is your friend, especially if you’re not running sand tires. Often referred to as paddle tires, the rear tire is just that: a smooth rubber tire with several deep paddles that dig in to find traction. Front sand tires are often smooth to glide across the sand, with only enough tread to help with steering.
You really can’t ride on anything but sand with sand tires as they will destroy anything else, including themselves.
All Terrain/Soft
Soft pack terrain is loose, loamy soil that may or may not have sand in it, but is not full-sand, like a dune. This type of terrain requires a tire that has deep, spaced-out knobby tread that digs into it, but cleans itself as you ride along. These types of usually work pretty well across a wide range of terrain and are quite often the choice the manufacturers put on the machines from the factory. One big thing to consider is tire thickness. A 6-ply tire will have more resistance to punctures than a 4-ply.
Hard Pack
Hard pack terrain is just as it sounds. It can range from really heavy, black-dirt type ground to solid rock. A will have closely spaced tread with an emphasis on tread in the center of the tire. This is to help spread as much of the tread on the ground to gain as much traction as possible. The tires on your truck and car are obviously hard-pack tread designs as they are designed to keep you finding traction on pavement, so think of hard-pack tires in that fashion.
Sport Tires
Sport ATVs require a different kind of tire. These ATVs are generally two-wheel drive and most sport-specific tires are variations on a theme. The rear tires are squared off with a flat surface with directional knobs that work to provide directional traction. The front tire designs work to optimize handling characteristics. Most are closest to a soft-terrain type with open, evenly spaced knobs.
