How To Choose The Best ATV Tire
Unless you had a specific purpose for your ATV when you bought it, chances are you gave little thought to the tires that came with it. On the other hand, if you bought a used ATV or have owned and used one for quite a while now, then it may be getting to that time when you need a new set of ATV tires.
The question now becomes, what type of tires do I need on my ATV? There are some simple rules to remember when picking your next ATV tires. Pick the wrong tires and you can be left alone out in the backcountry.
Obviously your budget has to be figured into the mix. Will you be buying new or used atv tires? The biggest mistake many ATV owners make is buying any set of tires they can find because they’re cheap.
Start off by giving some serious thought about where and how you use your ATV. It should go without saying that if all your riding is done on the sand dunes, then the best choice for your ATV is sand tires. But this common sense approach is lost on some ATV owners. With today’s technology, an ATV owner can easily match tires to his or her type of riding for peak performance.
ATV sand tires are tires with paddles on them. These tires are designed to grip sand by scooping the sand with the paddles. If all your riding is done in the sand, then there is no other type of tire you should have on your ATV. The front tires on a 2 wheel drive ATV will have smooth tires to aid in steering in soft sand.
More than likely your used Kawasaki ATV came with general purpose tires. The manufacturers put these on new machines because they meet the needs of most riders. Although they do not exceed in any one type of terrain, they do offer the best all around performance for the casual off road ATV rider.
Next come the ATV mud tires. These tires are designed to dig deep into mud for traction while throwing chunks of mud off the tires as it turns – so it can displace more mud. Mud tires are great for nearly all soft soil and some rocky terrain as the lugs will grab the rocks you’re trying to move over. Some owners think mud tires will work good in sand do their diggin action. They’re wrong. Using aggressive tread mud tires in soft sand will leave you digging holes while your friends with sand tires pass you by.
Now we get to the Sport and High Performance ATV Tires. These tires are meant for fast riding on hard surfaces. You’ll also notice that many sport or performance tires have a lower profile and some will have taller and wider wheels. The tread is generally small knobs in an X pattern.
As you can see, just choosing any old set of ATV tires won’t do. So before you run out and plunk your money down for any old set of tires, give it a little thought and get the right ones for the job.
