General Tire Advice

Tire preferences are like religious or politcal debates. Therefore there really is no "best" tire for everybody. Some tires do better in some situations. Weight always slows your machine down. Increase tire diameter usually makes it accelerate slower and may or may not make the top speed faster. I have read a lot of oppinions and tire reviews (which are still oppinions). The tire advice I have written here is just another oppinion. Read as many oppinions as you can before buying a tire to avoid buying the wrong tire.

  • Mud - Mud tires usually do better with deeper tread. Mud tire tread is designed to dig and be self cleaning, that is why the angled knobs point the direction they do. If used backwards you would not get nearly as much pull. Mudzilla, Outlaw, Vampire. Mudzilla's are my favorite all around mudding tire. They bite excellent in mud and don't ride all that bad. Vamp EDL for all out mud performance.

  • Snow - Depends on the snow density and depth but a wider tire will help in deep snow. Aggressive mud lugs work against you, since digging is bad. Staying on top is best. A flat profile helps. If using a mud tire consider using the tread backwards. Bearclaw, Dirt Devil, Mudlite.

  • Dirt - A light weight tire is going to be more fun. Compound should not be softer. Sidewall needs to be stiff enough for good handling. If you get a radial, you must use more air pressure than your would with a bias ply tire. Holeshot ATR, Maxxis Alltrak, Maxxis Bighorn, Goodyear Rawhide Grip.

  • Rocks - A softer tire compound and smaller knob/tread pattern will work better. Durability is important here. Maxxis Bighorn.

  • Sand - Paddles! Go talk to someone else, I have never ridden in sand. Get a tire that bites the sand and throws it. You need to get the right size paddle for you machine so it can spin those paddles at the right speed. If you aren't using paddles, try to get a tire with as much horizontal tread as possible to fling the sand. Tires desinged for mud should be installed reversed in the sand.

  • Multi Purpose - Well, that is a toughy. Working well in many different types of conditions the hardest thing for a tire to do. ITP Mudlite, ITP 589, Goodyear mudrunner, Kenda Bearclaw are some favorites. The Kenda Bearclaw is weakest in the mud in that list. The Mudrunner is the best in mud that list. ITP 589's are good all around and bite dirt better than mudrunners. Other tires that are favored as multipurpose because they are light and are less aggressive are the Goodyear Rawhide grip and the Titan 489.

    Warning - Do not mix and match treads designed for different terrain front to back. You could wind up in the hospital if the front tires react differently in different conditions than the rear.