After buying a 4×4 vehicle, one of the most important purchases you will be faced with is deciding which type of off road tire will best fit your needs. This can be a difficult and confusing process because of the wide range of choices out there. Unfortunately there is not an all-inclusive guide available to help make the choice for you. Here are a few words of advice that will help simplify the process.
Where will you be doing most of your driving? Will you be doing a lot of driving on hard road surfaces? Will you be on off road terrain often? Will you drive through tough terrain conditions such as deep mud, excessive rain, large boulders, or snow? All of these factors will determine what type of tire will be best for your truck. All Season Tires perform well on wet and dry pavement and have great longevity but they are not designed to take an off road beating. All Terrain Tires are more versatile and can handle moderate off road conditions, while still offering descent street performance; and are considered a compromise between the street and off road worlds. Extreme Terrain Truck Tires are designed for exactly one singular purpose, extreme terrain conditions.
You will also have to know the capabilities and limitations of your 4×4 truck. Many tire stores will be able to input the year and make of your truck and know what options are available. You can also contact the manufacturer of your 4×4 truck.
The size tire you can put on your truck will be dependent upon a few factors. The first being the capability and limitations of your truck. There are other factors to consider as well, such as the modifications that will be required to have the offroad tires you want. Some modifications would include adding a lift kit or body kit, improved performance shocks, custom intakes and exhausts etc. You will also want to think about if you want Radial Truck Tires or Bias Truck Tires. Bias Truck Tires are excellent for extreme off road situations because of their tread and reinforced rubber compound design but perform poorly on the road. Radial tires perform well on most surfaces and can hold their weight even on the rugged terrain.
It is not recommended that you just go out and buy the first set of cheap off road tires you can find. Quality is certainly a factor to be considered if you are going to spend some time off road. There are many popular tire manufactures to choose from like Interco tires, Cooper tires and Hankook Tires. A few manufacturers that consistently receive high customer and performance reviews include BF Goodrich, Pirelli, Pro Comp, Goodyear, Firestone, Interco, Cooper, Dunlop, Nitto and Michelin.
The durability and longevity of the tire is an important factor to consider. You will most likely want to go with a tire that is going to give you the most miles for your buck. If you will be doing a lot of street driving you will also want to think about comfort and ride expectations. The heftier off road tires will not make for a smooth ride on the street and will be quite noisy, especially at higher speeds.
All of this information might seem a bit overwhelming but you will thank yourself for taking the time to carefully weigh your options before buying a set of off road tires that you will have to live with for many thousands of miles.
