Selecting Off-Road Tires for Your Off-Road Truck or SUV
Taking a trip off-road with your truck or SUV can be a great adventure. Making sure the tires you have on your truck perform at their best can make a difference in how much you enjoy your time on the trail. Getting the most performance out of your off-road tires is not tricky; read this blog to learn some things that can help.
Pick the Right Tread Design
Choosing the right tire for your off-road trip starts with selecting tires with the right tread design. Off-road tires are available with different tread designs; some are more aggressive than others and may work better in various terrain types.
All-Terrain Tires
All-terrain tires have a more aggressive tread pattern than a street tire, with large lugs that have more open space between them. This tread pattern is effective at moving over the terrain and providing a better grip than a standard street tread.
Most all-terrain tires have a six or eight-ply tread and a four to six-ply sidewall to increase the durability of the tire.
Mud-Terrain Tires
Tires with a very aggressive tread design work well in many different types of terrain. Often people refer to these tires as mud-terrain tires because the design was first used to travel through water, mud, and loose material.
Mud tires have an open tread design that allows the lugs to grip the terrain and large void spaces between the lugs to clear water, mud, and other material out of the tread, so the traction remains high.
Specialty Tread Designs
Some tire tread designs are available in the off-road market that have incredibly aggressive tread patterns and are direction designs designed for gripping rocks and other surfaces. The tires use a softer rubber compound to increase the grip of the tire on the hard surface, and when running with low air pressures, the tires can wrap around the rocks and other obstacles.
Select the Right Rim or Wheel
The rims or wheels that hold the tires are essential for off-road vehicles. The tire needs to stay securely mounted to the rim, and the material used to make the rim can make a difference.
Soft aluminum rims might look good on your truck, but if you bend the rim, the tire may come off. A steel wheel is a better choice for off-road vehicles because of their durability and is often less expensive.
The width of the rim is also essential. If the rim is too narrow, the sidewalls may bulge, and damage can occur as a result. If the rim is too wide, the tire may not stay on the rim properly, and you could pop the bead loose, causing the tire to go flat.
Select the Best Tire Size
Off-road travel can present you with some extraordinarily rough or uneven terrain, and clearance under your truck can be a big concern. When you are selecting tires for your truck, increasing the size of the tires is an excellent way to increase the ground clearance under the vehicle.
Some trucks will allow you to fit a larger tire without having to modify the suspension, but if you want to increase the tire size a lot, you may need to install a lift kit on the truck to make room for the tires.
Air Down the Tires
One way to improve the traction of any off-road tire is to lower the air pressure once you are off the pavement. Lower the air pressure of the tire will allow the tread so spread out over the surface of the terrain and increase the contact patch of the tire.
The lower air pressure will also allow the tread to flex over things like rocks, stumps, and uneven surfaces.
At Extreme Wheels, we can help you select the right tire and wheel package for your truck or SUV. Give us a call or come by, and one of our knowledgeable representatives will help you choose a tire and wheel that works best for you.