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Off-roading is one of the most fun things you can do with your vehicle. While not every car is built for it, some people spend all their free time figuring out how to make their vehicle faster and more fun to take off the beaten path. One of the first things you have to do as an off-roader is figure out what kind of tires you need. Your choices are all-terrain and mud-terrain tires. To help, we’ve compiled a few things you need to know.
One of the biggest advantages of mud-terrain tires is that they’re specifically designed to go off-roading. The tread on them is made to get a significantly better grip on the much less solid ground beneath it. The tires themselves are incredibly strong. They’re meant to resist sharp rocks and any broken glass on trails. When you use mud-terrain tires, you can be confident that a flat tire is going to be extremely rare, no matter where you are. Mud-terrain tires are incredibly reliable from spring until fall, which is when you’re going to be doing the bulk of your off-roading. If there are pros, though, there are also cons. For example, these tires aren’t meant for normal driving and can be quite loud on pavement. They also don’t handle very well in the rain. And while their tread may be strong, this means they burn brightly and burn out quickly.
All-terrain tires are a bit of a misnomer, but they still work quite well in a wide variety of terrains. The traction for these tires is very strong, so they have a much better grip in conditions like snow and rain when compared to mud-terrain tires. The tread will also last longer than mud tires, which, when coupled with the fact that they tend to be less expensive, means they’ll get you farther for less money. The downside of this is that they don’t handle as well as mud-terrain tires in extreme conditions. And while they aren’t as loud on pavement, they’re still noticeably louder than the tires of a standard car.
As far as what you need to know about all-terrain versus mud-terrain tires, we hope this has helped you figure out some of the most important differences. If you’re looking to get a little muddy and go off-roading out in the woods while it’s warm out, mud-terrain tires are your best option. For other conditions like rain or snow, throw on the all-terrains. All-terrain tires will be the better choice if you only go off-roading occasionally since they last longer than mud-terrains and generally cost less.
No matter which kind you decide on, if you need tires, stop into your local Commercial Tire and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have!
If people were reincarnated as objects, telemarketers would come back as off-road tires. The life of an all-terrain or mud tire isn't easy. You bear a ton of weight over the harshest driving conditions imaginable until you die. That's it; no birthday parties, no Christmas presents. Just you, a heap of hard-charging metal, and some yahoo in the cockpit who insists on running you roughshod. Luckily, we don't come back in tire form. Instead, Companies like Nitto make better and better all-terrain and mud tires using the latest R&D. Although tires like the Ridge Grappler and Mud Grappler can handle a lot of punishment, the better care you give them, the more life you get out of them. Let's delve into some of the things you can do to get the most out of those tires.
Tires eventually lose tread and get replaced. It's inevitable. What isn't set in stone is how long they last. Part of that comes from how well made they are, but you can maximize their lifespan with the right kind of care.
Selecting the right off-road tire is the first step. Sizes and tread patterns suitable to your driving are vital but so is the load range. That's usually a letter printed on the tire's sidewall. You don't want a tire designed for a lighter vehicle installed on a heavy truck that tows a trailer all the time. Airing down is also important for off-road running because doing so increases the traction patch it makes on the ground. Decreased tire pressure reduces slip in gravel and other terrain because of the increased traction, thereby reducing the rate of wear on the tread. If you have a full-size spare tire, rotating it into the mix helps too. Find out more on maximizing tire life here.
Clean Getaway
All-terrain and mud tires pack a higher profile than their low-profile street cousins. That means more rubber to clean. Not only that, they have a rougher life and the wrong cleaner can shorten their life in much the same way gargling Lysol would shorten yours. Yes, you'd kill all the germs but the cost is pretty steep.
The big question here is: are dedicated wheel and tire cleaners worth buying or do household cleaners work just as well? Yes and no. Bleach, dishwashing soap, and bathroom cleaner will remove mud and restore the black finish on your tires with varying degrees of success. The same can't necessarily be said of the wax-and-wash car cleaners used on street cars. There are plenty of wheel-and-tire cleaners on the market, though. What you have to watch out for are how cleaners affect your wheel finishes. You can get more insight from our tire cleaner test as well.
Regular tire inspection isn't a bad plan, either. Off-roading is a seasonal pastime for many of us and the perfect times to check your tires for damage is at the end or beginning of the season.
Know that cleaning we were just talking about? Not only does it look good, it also helps determine how well your tires are holding up under all of that mud and grime. So once you've finally gotten around to cleaning your all-terrain or mud tires at season's end, you're more likely to find things like sidewall cuts that can kill a tire over time. Tread depth is another thing to look at; while road tires are considered done once depth reaches 2/32-inch, all-terrain and mud tires need much more than that to be effective in mud or over rocks. You may also notice uneven wear on your tires. That means it's either time to rotate them, you have a suspension issue, or both. Find out more things to consider here.
Airing down your tires bears more discussion in detail. There's a little more to it than just whooshing some air out, recapping the valve stem, and hitting the trail.
I mean, you can just use a pen or a paper clip to vent air from the valve stems but that's about as fast and fun as watching paint dry. In Florida. In the humid summer. A valve core remover and a low-pressure tire gauge work much better. Plus, the gauge lets you know where you stand PSI-wise. That's important because setting PSI to the right numbers for your vehicle weight, tire diameter, and wheel size makes a difference. Plus, you don't want to go below 10 PSI when running non-beadlock wheels. Beadlock wheels lock the tire to the wheel which is what allows you to drop PSI into single digits. While airing down is free and easy, airing back up is a little more involved. You can't just wrap your mouth around all four valve stems and huff and puff them back up to full pressure. Having a good compressor is vital. We have more details on airing down for you here.
Mr Miyagi summed this up in The Karate Kid by telling Daniel that the best way to avoid a punch is not be where it lands. Being prepared beforehand and anticipating issues ahead of time avoids damage before it happens, thus extending the life of your tires and the rest of your vehicle, too.
In the case of tires, having the right tools on hand before you head out is a great plan. Make sure you have a jack, tire iron, and the above-mentioned tools for setting pressure beforehand. It's also good to have a Plan B (or even C and D) in anticipation of changing weather conditions, closed routes, and other common variables so you don't have to cut the trip short. Recognizing when a trail is too difficult for your rig also avoids a lot of problems. Scoping the route helps with that. Get more tips on avoiding damage off-road.
Check out our off-road survival checklist for a comprehensive of list of must-haves.
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