The primary purpose of tires is to generate traction between the road and the vehicle for propulsion. Standard highway tires are designed to perform on a smooth surface. While for rough and rigid terrains, the manufacturers have designed off-road tires.
Off-road tires help in providing a firm grip on terrains with boulders, rocks, mud, sand, and even snow. Not only this, but off-road tires can come with some pretty sweet aesthetics making your vehicle look more impressive. If you love off-roading, make sure you get yourself a set of some rugged off-road tires designed for the sole purpose of off-roading.
Off-Road Tires
When driving on irregular surfaces and terrains, a vehicle needs higher traction and a stronger grip. That is the purpose off-road tires serve. Off-road tires are also known as mud-terrain tires & all-terrain tires.
The structure of these tires is typically more rigid and robust as compared to street-tires. These tires are an excellent choice for off-the-beaten tracks, where no other tires can provide the required traction. The tread blocks of these tires are aggressive-looking which are designed to grip firmly on terrains with sand, mud, and rocks. As compared to other tires, this type uses a softer rubber which offers better grip on rough surfaces. The design of these tires bestows them with a feature of “self-clean” as the space between the tread blocks is greater than normal street tires.
Types of Off-Road Tires
There are various types of off-road tires which are perfect for different driving conditions. You may choose the off-road tires for your ride according to your needs.
All-Terrain Tires
Off-road tires are manufactured to perform efficiently on rough terrains, but the all-terrain tires perform perfectly in all conditions. They do not only perform phenomenally over rough-terrains but even on smooth road conditions. The All-Terrain tread blocks are designed to be versatile and provide an amazing grip along with the required traction in all conditions, including wet surfaces, smooth roads, rough terrains, and tight turns. Moreover, these tires make it easy for drivers to back up out of light mud. The grooves on these tires create a pattern that disperses rain and provides a strong grip even on loose sand. These tires offer extra traction and an enhanced grip in extreme conditions. There are sipes in the treads of these tires, which are thinly cut slits, sipes that provide additional grip and traction. All of TreadWright All-Terrain tires also come equipped with the mountain snowflake sidewall meaning the rubber will not freeze at 40 below F.
If you need additional traction TreadWright has a kedge grip solution which adds additional siping to the tire to enhance traction.
Mud Terrain Tires
Mud-Terrain or MT tires feature extremely aggressive tread patterns with larger tread blocks and even more voids than AT tires. This pattern allows for more traction in soft terrains like deep mud and sand while giving the tire a more rugged appearance.
The sidewalls are reinforced to resist punctures, abrasions, and tears that commonly occur when driving off-road. Mud-terrain tires are generally less comfortable on roads and tend to be noisier than less aggressive tires due to the space between the lugs (which are designed to clean out debris quickly). They are best for vehicles that see regular off-road driving, off-road enthusiasts, or those looking for an off-road appearance.
All TreadWright Mud Terrain Tires comes with the M+S symbol which stands for Mud & Snow.
How to Choose the Perfect Off-Road Tires for your Ride?
Are you considering to purchase off-road tires for your vehicle? Now that you know about the types of tires, here is a step-by-step guide which will help you choose the right kind of off-road tires for your ride.
Step 1: Choose the Type of Terrain
The first and foremost step to choose the perfect off-road tires is to know the terrain you are most likely to drive in. The tires manufactured to perform on majority highway are not the same as driving on rocks in Moab. Every irregular and rough terrain type requires a different kind of off-road tires. Before you choose the type of tire, you must understand the type of terrain you expect to drive your vehicle in.
Step 2: Determining the Tire Size
To determine your tire size, you can look at the sidewall of your current tires to see the current OE size. After identifying your size, you can go to TreadWright.com and search by tire size. If you don't have your vehicle close, you can also search by the vehicle at TreadWright.com to get the variety of sizes that will fit your vehicle. Typically, the bigger the tire size, the better it will perform in off-road conditions due to more surface area. If you go for a bigger tire size, you will be able to protect your vehicle's bottom from the rough and rocky terrains. If you are looking to get a bigger size than what is the original equipment, you may need to get a lift to avoid rub.
Step 3: Determining the Tread Type
TreadWright All Terrain Wardens - Are great for highway and light Off-Road. If you add kedge, these tires are perfect for snow plowers.
TreadWright All Terrain Axioms - These tires are an excellent fit for highway and light Off-Road drivers who want the performance of the wardens, but better cosmetic features. Axioms come equipped with an superb sidewall design that distinguishes from many other tires.
TreadWright Mud Terrain Guard Dog - These tires are our truest hybrid of highway driving and off-road exposure. Perfect for someone who needs to get around on the road during the week and off-road on the weekend, we highly recommend getting this tread.
TreadWright Mud Terrain Claw - These tires are perfect for our hardcore off-roaders. If you need traction more than anything, we recommend you getting the TreadWright Claws.
