Get The Right ATV Tire The First Time

By Roberto Q Gephelez

If it's one thing that new owners of ATVs fail to think about when purchasing their off road machines, it's the tires. They generally begin to think about them when they wear out or when they're stranded on a trail somewhere after their tire leaves them in a bind. ATV tires aren't cheap, so picking the right tires for the job becomes a bigger challenge than normal.

When finding yourself in need of new tires for your four wheeler, you should proceed in a thoughtful and decisive manner. Choosing the wrong type of ATV tire can leave you cursing your machine and may involve long walks out of the backcountry or riving from friends as they pass you by. Finding the best tires for the trail conditions you encounter isn't rocket science, but it will require you to give a little thought to picking the right ATV tire.

Choosing cheap ATV tires just because you don't want to spend the money on a good brand can come back to bite you. There's nothing wrong with saving a few bucks on ATV tires, so long as the quality is the same between the brands you're considering. Buying a set of ATV tires just because they're the cheapest can have negative consequences on your level of off road enjoyment. When buying used ATV tires it become more important to know what you're looking at before laying out your money.

When you begin your search for new or used ATV tires to replace the ones on your machine right now, start by deciding what kind of off road riding you do the most. This is one of the most important factors when considering the type of ATV tire to buy.

Let's start with ATV sand tires. These tires are basically slicks with rubber paddles on them. Loose sand is not a problem for these wide slick paddled tires. The paddles scoop the sand as the wheel turns, giving excellent traction. These tires are wider than normal and offer good traction in all types of sand terrain, whether it's the beach or in the middle of the desert. The all smooth ATV sand tires are designed for the front steering wheels of a two wheel drive ATV.

General purpose tires are designed to do as their name implies. Give adequate traction for general riding purposes. They can handle shallow mud, hard pact surfaces and hard packed sand rather well. It's when a rider gets into extreme riding conditions that the general purpose tire can fall short on performance.

Mud tires have aggressive treads to displace lots of mud and to keep the tire clean as it goes round and round. This allows the tire to dig deep and grab firm ground for traction. 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 believe that mud tires work well in sand. They don't. You'll dig youself a nice deep hole quickly if not careful when using a mud terrain tire in sand.

Sport performance tires are generally used on ATVs that are being raced. They are great for getting traction on hard packed surfaces. They don't do well in mud, loose sand or on the rocks, but on hard dirt and asphalt, they will outperform other ATV tires. You'll also notice that the treads are a little smaller and most will resemble an X as you look at it. The overall tire is also a lower profile tire. So they're not a good choices if you need ground clearance!

Picking the right tire to go on your ATV isn't hard but it does require some thought. For those that choose the right tires, they'll have many happy seasons out on the trail as their tires perform well. For those who don't choose wisely, they'll be kicking their self for scrimping on cheap tires as their friends blow past them. - 21396

About the Author:

Buying a used atv for sale can be difficult. There are a lot of factors that go into buying any ATV, especially a used one. Your local newspaper is only one place to look. Another place a lot of people find deals on four wheelers is ebay. For example, my friend just saved 4 thousand dollars on a used artic cat atv by buying it online.