Off-Road Truck Tires - The Truth

Whether you're sand-racing, rock-crawling, mud-plowing, or whatever other off-road activities conceivable, it's important to understand precisely why you need a set of off-road truck tires.

A common misconception with regard to offroad tires is that you need them for improved traction on rugged terrain, and naturally, the general consensus suggests that larger tires equate to more traction. While such an assumption makes sense, it is not entirely accurate. True, the right off-road tires can provide some additional traction in off-road conditions, but there are better, more efficient ways to improve traction than simply bulking up the rubber.

If traction is your primary concern, trucks parts like a traction differential (locker) with stock offroad tires are more beneficial for your rig than just adding a set of taller, more aggressive offroad tires. Or for that matter, a winch is probably a smart idea before anything else.

A locker or other 4x4-related truck parts could inspire excessive boldness, causing you to get caught in some real jams and then you’ll wish that you opted for the winch instead. The point is larger off-road tires are meant first and foremost for the purpose of raising the height and ground clearance of your rig to enable steeper ascent and descent in off-road terrain.

Simply put, when driving over boulders, slogging through mud, coasting across the desert, or even just making your way through the occasional forest trail, higher ground clearance facilitates negotiating certain obstacles.

Not to downplay the traction aspect of offroad tires, as a set of mud terrain bias offroad tires will most definitely perform better in the mud than a set of all-season radials.

Rather, improved traction is more of a secondary function that still bears importance, but should not the sole consideration when it comes to buying truck tires, as there are far better truck parts available for meeting that goal.