Best Off-Road Tires
The first thing most 4×4 owners think of when preparing to ride the earth is mud tires. However, there’s more than just mud and gravel out there.
Sand-ready tires are an often-overlooked necessity. For those who live/drive in the desert—it’s a whole different beast.
Some tires are designed specifically for the city/highway, some are made for off-roading, and others are a crossbreed between the two (at the expense of things like fuel efficiency). Littered among those categories are the perfect sand tires.
When heading out into the desert, you’re going to want to make sure you have the right off-road tires for sand driving. The best off road wheels and tires are made up of specific compounds, treads, and unique design.
Obviously, it can be hard to know where to begin. But don’t worry, we’re going to give you a quick rundown of some tires that will work for you.
You May Want To Consider All-Purpose/Terrain Tires Instead Of Off-Road Mud Tires
When choosing tires, it’s better to not get too specific. Some 4×4 experts recommend buying all-purpose tires with a subtle tread pattern.
The key to success with any tire comes down to size and inflation; when approaching sand, buy over-sized tires and slightly deflate them 10-20 PSI so that they float across the sand. With that in mind, the following list compiles some of the 10 best-reviewed off-road and all-purpose tires on the internet.
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 Tire
Some of the best-reviewed mud tires around; praised for their style, balance, and silent but deadly vibe (when driving on paved roads). The sidewall is made with a touch compound reinforced to withstand cuts and bruises.
They also have built-in flex zones allowing for better grip—the most important aspect of sand-ready tires. These tires are great for their price and overall diversity.
Mickey Thompson Baja Claw
Another tough set of tires; the Baja Claw is designed for top performance. SideBiters produce added traction in sand or deep mud and their tall design keep your vehicle from bottoming out.
These tires are an absolute beast when tackling gravel, snow, and sand; however, be prepared to hear a lot of noise when driving on paved roads.
Mickey Thompson Baja STZ
Another acclaimed tire from Mickey Thompson. These tires are not only affordable but come with one of the best warranties imaginable. They are designed for all-purpose performance and longevity.
BF Goodrich Baja TA
These could be considered the world’s first ultra-high-performance off-road tires. Proven to perform great in sand, these tires were designed to perform well at high speeds and have great soft-surface traction.
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro
One of Cooper’s most advanced tires: stylish and reliable. The stone-repelling-draft-angled tread gets rid of stones before they ever get a chance to hurt the tires.
On top of this, they’re quite. The design of the inner tread makes it a quite drive on the pavement while also being able to handle any type of terrain.
Maxxis Creepy Crawler Tire
These are great in the sand as well as in gravel or mud; an eight-ply build to avoid bruising and tearing. The tread design also boosts traction on slippery surfaces.
Nitto Dune Grappler
Nitto’s super-reinforced tires (with a 3-ply polyester sidewall) are made to handle everything from packed dirt to sand while also being comfortable on the highway.
Dick Cepek Fun Country
With a very aggressive tread pattern, many might find it surprising that these tires work as well on-road as they do off. Aside from that surprising fact, they also come at a very reasonable price.
Toyo Open Country R/T
This all-purpose off-road tire has great reviews and is durable/versatile enough to handle not only deep snow but also sand. They are designed specifically for a very long and adventurous life-span.
General Tire Grabber AT2 Tire
These are a good choice for beginners: backwoods trails and desert tracks. If you’re not looking to spend a bunch of money and just want to try a bit of off-roading, these tires are for you. However, they are quite noisy (on-road) but if that doesn’t bother you, you’re good.
Do Your Research and Be Safe
Before you ever go off-road make sure you have all of your safety and rescue-related material on hand. You also want to make sure you have the right off-road wheels, pack all of the necessities and tell people where you are going beforehand.
Sometimes having great tires isn’t enough—do your research on not only the type of tires you want for your vehicle what the are you wish to explore check sites like duneguide.com to make sure where your going is even legal.
The whole reason you want reliable off-road tires is to keep yourself from getting in trouble with your environment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best brand for off road tires?
It is very difficult to choose a single ‘best’ brand for off road tires. Most modern off-roading specialists are almost neck and neck as far as their capabilities, durability and price points are concerned. Still, if you are interested, these are the top 3 off-road capable tires that will be excellent all-round investments. They are:
- The Toyo A/T2 Off-Road
- Falken Wildpeak
- Kumho also makes excellent models for off-roading including the superb AT51
Are all season tires good on sand?
All-season or all-weather tires are not too good on sand and sandy surfaces. Their sidewall construction, the rounded blocks of the tread, the aspect ratios, their overall structures and functionalities do not make them perfect candidates for sandy surfaces. That said, they can still operate on sand and if you drive carefully and at a fair speed, you will still be able to extract value from these models. Always look for the M/S markings before you buy a set of all-season wheels.
Can I use off-road tires on the highway?
There is no law which prohibits the use of off-road capable tires on highways. So yes, you can drive them on highways and also on city roads. But these are not advisable practices. One, they will bring down your fuel mileage levels by a magnitude- a result of how these tires are developed in the first place. Two, you will find that braking becomes very sensitive and you might have to constantly switch between the clutch and brake mechanism. Three, you might notice that you are facing issues of acceleration on highways. When taken together, these are no laughing matter. It is thus advisable to only use summer tires for highway driving and enjoy the experience!
How do I choose off-road tires?
To choose high-end off-road tires, look for 3 things. These are the tread pattern, the depth of the tread blocks and the manner in which the sidewall has been constructed. Off-road tires must be durable at all times, and they have to be able to absorb shocks and vibrations during entire journeys at times. It is thus imperative that they are made of high-end rubber and also of high-quality metallic support systems which will be built in that will do 2 key functions. One is to provide real-time data to the various sensors in real-time. The other is to provide a leak during the most crucial junctures!
