The Best ATV Tires (Review)

When searching for ATV tires to install on your 4×4 quad bike, be on the lookout for durable models that stand the test of time. You need your tires to be suitable for the surfaces on which you will drive them. The more often you drive your ATV, the quicker your tires are going to wear down, but you want them to be as long-lasting as possible.

With a host of different options out there, making a decision can feel a little bit tricky, but our guide makes things just a little bit more straightforward. After all, you don’t want to risk causing yourself an injury because you opted for sub-standard tires. We look at the best ATV tires for sale in extensive detail.

The Best ATV Tires

ITP Mud Lite AT Mud Terrain ATV Tire

Kenda Bearclaw K299 ATV Tire

Designed for non-highway use, these 4-wheeler tires feature angled knobs that are designed to dig into the terrain and provide a high degree of traction. The casing is 6-ply rated and extra tough to resist punctures, so you are less likely to need to replace them regularly. At the center are lugs that offer an extra level of traction and increased control. Built-in rim guards offer your wheel further protection, while the treat compound is long-range.

SUNF ATV UTV all-terrain Tires

A complete set of tires for your ATV, the angled tread design offers a high performance on many types of trails including dirt tracks, deserts, and rocky surfaces. Premium rubber is used to withstand even the most intense of racing conditions.

To resist punctures and abrasions, a 6-ply rated construction has been used. Ultimately, these tires are supposed to give you a smooth ride no matter what type of surface you are taking on.

Carlisle All Trail ATV Tire

Available in a wide range of different sizes to suit a variety of vehicles, these ATV tires are best on flatter surfaces like pavement or dirt. Using a 4-ply rating and low-profile construction, they are lightweight while still offering a decent level of durability.

Designed to have a long tread life, you won’t need to keep replacing them time and time again. And, as you would expect, they offer a smooth ride which is an upgrade on a wide range of different machines.

WANDA Set of 4 ATV Tires

Whether you want to ride your vehicle on dirt tracks, mud trails, woods, or deserts, the handling offered by these all-terrain ATV tires is high-quality. Protecting the rim and sidewall are additional shoulder lugs.

To offer a longer lifespan to the Wanda ATV tires, the tread is as much as 36% deeper than the major competitors on the market. Punctures and abrasions are resisted thanks to the 6-ply rated construction.

Kenda Pathfinder K530 ATV Tire

Made from a puncture-resistant casing, this is the kind of tire that you can expect to stand the test of time. Using a long-range compound in construction, it is designed to offer both solid control and traction.

Essentially, it is a high-quality option for your ATV or UTV tires. The tread pattern is specifically designed to roll easily and ensure that you enjoy a smooth ride.

Carlisle HD Field Trax ATV Tire

 

Designed specifically for hard-packed surfaces, these ATV street tires are made for stability. The tread pattern is non-directional with a long-lasting construction firmly in mind.

At the same time, this is still a tire that is meant to give you a smooth ride. But it is also durable enough to resist all manner of chips, cuts, and abrasions.

WANDA Set of 4 ATV/UTV Tires

A complete set of tires for your ATV, the tread pattern is nice and deep to ensure that the lifespan is longer, and the performance is biting. As for the angle of the treads, they are a ‘V’ shape with wide gaps in the middle. Overall, the cleaning action is designed to offer good traction levels over rougher terrain. Shoulder lugs defend the rim and sidewall, while the heavy nylon construction protects against punctures.

Kenda K284 K284 ATV Tire

The ribbed design of this tire is made specifically to go on the front of your ATV. Essentially, it is made to offer improved steering precision ahead of OEM tires. Every single knob is reinforced to offer a high level of tracking and cornering.

As for the casing, it is designed to resist punctures and make it more likely that you can continue driving on it for a longer period of time.

Carlisle Knobby ATV Tire

Not only does this tire look good, but it performs well too. The deep tread design is meant for off-road riding and high levels of acceleration. Its durable design means that it is meant to continue functioning effectively for years. Since it is heavy-duty, it is designed to manage all sorts of difficult terrain. It is also designed to provide an extra level of protection against abrasions and punctures from sharp materials.

Features to Consider

Now that you know some of the specific products on the market, you can start to look closer at the positive features which are all worth taking into account.

Traction

The sense of touch on your tires is known as traction. ATV tires have the tough job of needing to adjust to the power and load, as well as ensuring that they keep moving forward. No matter where you are out riding your ATV, you need to make sure that the traction is high-quality. Ultimately, this has a large bearing on how well you are able to travel over the terrain. The better the traction on your tires, the more control you should have over your vehicle. Ultimately, you don’t want to feel like you are always going to skid or lose control of your ATV.

Tread Style

Depending on the terrain that needs to be traversed, tread styles can vary significantly. Good tire treads need to be balanced. Essentially, they should offer durability and high-level performance when you are going around corners. If you head into tough terrain such as mud, you need the type of tread design that will dig into the surface and keep hold. All-terrain tires give you the freedom to take on a variety of different surfaces. Whichever style of tread you select, you need to be confident that the tires will handle as well as the ones that you had before.

Tire Size

The size of your tires will also have a determining impact on how well the ATV will work. Just some of the areas in which tire size impacts include handling, horsepower, and gearing. But your tires also need to be based on what size of ATV you have, and how well they are going to fit on the vehicle. Ultimately, everything comes back to the turning radius and the amount of space you have around the fenders. Standard tire sizes are around 24 or 26 inches tall on a 12-inch rim. The majority of ATVs can take a size or two bigger than stock tires without issue. However, if you decide to go any bigger, you will need to lift the suspension of the machine. So, as a rule of thumb, you should stay as close to the stock tire size as you can. Whether you choose 25x8x12 ATV tires or 25x12x9 ATV tires, make sure that you have done your research in advance.

Durability

As mentioned at the start, ATV tires need to have the ability to deal with all sorts of different surfaces and obstacles such as rocks, logs, thorns, and loose branches. Hazards are part and parcel of riding an ATV. The best tires available offer a high level of durability, as well as being puncture and damage-resistant. Ultimately, you want them to be reliable to carry you through thick and thin.

Weight

The weight of each of your tires obviously increases the weight of your machine. As well as this, since heavier tires increase the engine load and components, you need to be sure that you select a tire that the engine of your ATV will easily turn. Some engines may struggle to pull the tire properly, and you don’t want to reduce the performance levels of your machine. An engine that is too small will strain when turning aggressively heavy treads.

Flat or Round

A factor that is often overlooked is the flatness or roundness of the tires. Most utility ATVs come with round-top tires while racing tires usually come with flat-top tires. It is worth knowing a little bit more about what the main differences are. Flat-top tires increase the amount of tread on the ground, while also offering a superior level of sidewall stability. As for round-top tires, they offer an increased level of versatility, rolling under themselves when you take corners particularly hard. For the most part, they also offer a smoother and more comfortable ride than their flat counterparts. While this doesn’t have to be a major issue, it is still one that is worth knowing about in a little more detail.

Price

Obviously, price shouldn’t be the sole issue when you are looking to buy ATV tires, but it is inevitably going to play a role in your decision-making process. Of course, your main aim is likely to be getting the best tires that your money can afford. The price that you pay should be a reflection of the brand, tire quality, performance, and lifespan.

Different Types of ATV Tires

Bias and radial tires are the two standard varieties. Let’s look at both of these in more detail to help make your mind up about which is best. Following on from this, we will look closer at all-purpose tires which provide the compromise between smooth highway riding and strong enough grip to deal with a variety of road surfaces.

Bias Tires

If you are planning on driving on particularly rough terrain or steep hillsides, bias tires may end up being your best option. The nubs are designed to powerfully ‘dig in’ and gain traction on difficult terrain such as gravel, mud, or water. However, when you are riding on flat surfaces such as tarmacked roads, these tires will feel bumpy. Also, they are likely to wear out quickly, so you will need to look at replacements more frequently. On the plus side, punctures are easier and cheaper to replace than with radial ATV tires. However, as well as being less stable, they are also inferior when it comes to fuel economy.

Radial Tires

As for radial tires, they are designed to be driven at higher speeds on flat surfaces and roads. As you would expect, they are supposed to provide a smoother ride than bias tires, and the fuel economy is better too. On the downside, they are easier to puncture or damage, and they are also often more difficult to repair. So, if you are planning on bumping along challenging surfaces, they may not be the best option for you. But if you take good care of them and ride on the appropriate surfaces, they should last longer than bias tires.

Off-Road Tires
First up in the all-purpose tire list is off-road tires. The tread is strong and durable enough to deal with unpaved roads, loose rocky terrain, sand, mud, and most other rough surfaces that you test them out on. However, they are also suitable for speeding over sand dunes, solid trails, and more conventional roads. Essentially, they give you the best of both worlds without being specialized like either of the two previous varieties.

Snow and Mud Tires

Some manufacturers center on making winter tires for ATVs. Generally tough and durable, ATV snow tires are designed to resist punctures. The best ATV mud tires have high knobs built into the traction patterns to shift the snow or mud in front of you. And although they work well within these conditions, they are not suitable for hard surfaces, and they can even end up being damaging, so take this into account if you are considering leaving them on.

Sand Tires

Perhaps racing over sand dunes is one of your main pastimes, which means that you will need the slickness and bulkiness of sand tires. While the straight paddles offer increased traction, the V-shaped paddle affords easy turning. The more paddles on the tire, the greater the level of traction you will generally have.

Racing or Motocross Tires

The most durable tires that you can buy are professional-standard racing or motocross tires. As well as withstanding the trials of a racing environment, they also need to have enough grip and traction to deal with loose dirt tracks. The solid strip at the center allows for an extra burst of speed. You are unlikely to need these tires unless you go racing on your ATV.

How to Change an ATV Tire

If you learn to replace an ATV tire on your own, this will help to save you a significant amount of time and money. And this is an invaluable skill if you drive your quadbike on a regular basis. Since you are riding your vehicle over rough surfaces, there is every chance that you will hit some debris out on the trail, and the tires will become weathered, or simply degrade over time. Changing your ATV wheels and tires shouldn’t be an overly complicated task, and here are the main steps that you will need to take.

Drain the Air and Break the Seal

In order to take off the old tires, you are going to need to drain their air. Remove the valve stem to allow the air to leave the tires. On some ATV rims and tires, a wire boundary sits around the lip of the tire to hold it in place and also keeps the air in place. All you need to do is push in the sidewall of the tire. Alternatively, there may be a small tab along the rim which you need to flip up in order to break the seal.

Take Off the Old Tires

After you have drained the air and the seal is broken, you can take off the tire from the rim. This may simply be a case of pressing on the sidewall to get it to pop over the edge. Otherwise, you could try using the flat part of a tire iron underneath the edge. Now, using a second tire iron, you can slide it all the way around the circumference over the edge of the rim. You will need to do this again for the second edge, entirely taking the tire off from the ridge.

Put in the New Tires

The final step that you need to take is to install the new tires. Essentially, you need to go through the same procedure of taking the tire off the rim, but in reverse. Take your tire iron and lever one edge onto the rim. Next, take your second tire iron and lever the next section onto the rim. Bit by bit, you should be able to position it onto the rim. If you are struggling to complete this task, a little water-based lubricant can make things easier. Once you have got it on, you should engage the seal tab if there is one. Finally, fill the tires with air and check for any leaks that are present.

Our Top Pick

ITP Mud Lite AT Mud Terrain ATV Tire

A highly-rated ATV tire, it has been specifically sized to work on the majority of late-model vehicles. The extended wear of the tire is designed to withstand the rigors of a range of different surfaces, and it is also crafted to be long-lasting enough to ensure that you don’t need continual replacements.

This all-condition tire still works well in muddy conditions, so you can be confident when you are tearing up the trails on them. In the middle is a unique center contact area that offers you a smooth ride.

Its range of high-quality features has put it in our number-one spot of the best ATV tires currently on the market.