LAST UPDATED: August 16th, 2021
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A good mud tire is a gateway to the ultimate adventure. Every truck enthusiast dreams of a perfect set of tires that’ll endure the harshest terrain.
But choosing the perfect mud tires can be overwhelming. Mud tires offer more than regular all-terrain tires. The tires feature aggressive treads and patterns for better grip and traction.
There are so many things to consider, given that you’ll be paying a good price for it. Your set of tires will be a long term investment, and you want to make the right decision.
So you might be wondering how do I choose mud tires for my truck or SUV. We’ve got you covered.
And we’ll tell you everything that you need to know about choosing the perfect set of mud tires.
Table of Contents
How Do I Choose Mud Tires
Benefits of Mud Tires
To be able to make the correct choice, you need to know how they’re beneficial for you.
Safety
If you’re planning on driving through muddy and rough terrains, having a set of mud tires will not only make things easy, it’ll give you a sense of security and confidence.
And you won’t have to worry about ruining your vehicle or getting stuck without any help.
Related Guide: Top quality 18 Inch Mud Tires
Off-Road Adventures
Mud tires are specifically made for rough terrain that includes snow, mud, loose soil, rocky, or dirt roads.
So if you are an adventure seeker looking to get lost in the wilderness, mud tires will ensure that you’re able to go easily to places without the need to be towed.
Long-Lasting
The special patterns for treading and the sidewalls that are reinforced, protect the tires from excessive wear and tear despite the rough usage it goes through.
Types of Mud Tires
Here are the types of mud tires you need to know about before you make a decision.
Heavy-Duty Mud Tires
Even though the usual truck or SUV tires do have some features of off-road tires, but they are mainly designed, keeping in mind that the tires will spend more time on the streets. Heavy-duty mud tires have deep tread patterns to help hold onto the surface.
They include sidewall lugs, stone ejectors to clear away mud and stones, and are highly puncture resistant. These are perfect for rock climbing and mud crawling.
Mud Tires for the Street
You’ll find some mud tires that can perform well both on-road and off-road. If you want a set of tires that will allow smooth driving on the streets and provides good grip and traction off-road, then you need to look for mud tires that are made for the streets.
Things to Consider
Let’s get to know the things you need to consider before investing your money.
Purpose
Let’s be honest. How much are you planning on using your SUV to take it off-roading? If you’re going to be doing school runs most of the time, you can make some compromises when choosing a mud tire.
There’s obviously the possibility that you want a set of tires for the vehicle that you’ll use exclusively for off-road adventures. Then you need to pay attention to the type of terrain you’ll be driving on.
A rocky terrain will require a set of tires with good sidewall and long-lasting tread. For a primarily muddy area, you’ll need tires with tread voids to be able to clear muds. And for desert, you’ll have to see how well the tires fare on soft sand.
Or maybe for a mixed terrain area, you’ll want a set of moderate mud tires that runs well on all terrains.
Suggested Topic: Do All-Terrain Tires Ride Rough?
Budget
This is one of the biggest factors to consider before making a decision. Sure, you’ll be tempted to get the one with the best sidewall puncture resistance, best traction, and sipes, highest void ratio, longest durability, but you might be limited by the price on something like that unless of course, you have that in your budget.
You need to remember the additional costs that come with new tires. Some of these additional costs include new rims, spare tire, lift kit, taxes, TPM (tire pressure monitor) sensor transfer, and of course, the cost of shipping these heavy tires to your garage.
Rubber Compound
The rubber compound of mud tires tells you how it flexes to avoid obstacles and how well it grips to the surface.
A temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit and above is perfect for these tires. When it becomes colder, the soft rubber will become hard and start to lose grip.
So if you hope to see snow in your off-roading adventures, then look for a mud tire that has the rubber compound that allows flexibility in the cold.
Related Guide: Mud Tires for Jeep
Tread Pattern
The aggressive tread patterns also help in the overall grip-ability of your vehicle and the noise it makes. Mud terrain tires have treads that have large spaces in between.
This allows them to have big biting edges, which is the reason for their powerful grip over rough terrain.
However, this tread pattern will make your tires and vehicle noisy as it’s the smoothness of the tires that contribute towards its quietness.
It’s not a problem in the wilderness as you won’t be disturbing anybody, but on the streets, you might be a victim to some disapproving stares.
Stone and Mud Ejectors
These are placed inside the voids of the treads to make sure that stones and mud don’t get stuck to the tires.
They help maintain the good functioning of the biting edges and make sure that the tread is debris free.
There are also some mud tires that increase the voids or spaces between the treads so that space itself can clear away mud, dirt, or rock.
Sidewall Lugs
A special feature of a mud tire is the sidewall where the tread pattern has been extended to.
What this does is that it gives the tires extra traction. The biting edges of this sidewall lug help to laterally grip onto the surface.
Construction
To provide mud tires with added puncture protection, they are of 3-ply sidewall construction. This will allow low PSI run when you’re off-roading.
Not to mention the high ply rating or load range, which means it’ll have a significant amount of hauling and towing capacity.
Conclusion
There you have it! Your ultimate guide to choosing mud tires. All you have to do in just keep in mind the budget, features, and how you’re going to use your set of mud tires.
These will be a great addition to your off-roading equipment. They will ensure safety, protection, and will last you a long time.
