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Friday, February 4, 2011

Four Wheeler Tires 101

By Roberto Q Gephelez


One of the most overlooked aspects of buying a new or used ORV is the type of tires that it comes with. If you've owned your off road 4 wheeler for any length of time, or you just bought an older machine, you may be looking at having to replace the tires in the near future. Depending on the type of tire they already have on them, and how hard they were used, some ATV tires can wear out rather quickly.

If that is the case with you, then choosing your new ATV tires is very important Keep these easy tips in mind when choosing the rubber that goes on your next 4 Wheeler. Pick the wrong tires and you can be left alone out in the backcountry.

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.

For starters, sit down and think about the type of riding you do. There are tires designed to do one thing really well - like riding in sand, then there are tires that try and be all things to all riders - which means they won't excel at one thing very good - like mud bogging. Just because your ATV came with a certain set of tires doesn't make them perfect for all types of riding.

Sand tires designed for ATVs do one thing and they do it well. They get a grip on loose sand. ATV sand tires are slick tires with rubber paddles on them. As the tire turns, these paddles grab and scoop the loose sand, giving the ATV super traction. However, these tires are poor choices for mud or general all terrain riding.

If you're just a casual rider that doesn't take your four wheeler to extremes, then a general purpose type of tire may be all that you need. These tires perform well under a variety of conditions. Just don't expect them to handle deep much or deep and loose sand well. For your average ATV owner, they are more than enough for average conditions.

For those of you who don't consider it a fun ride if you don't come back covered with mud, the aggressive tread Mud ATV tire is right down your alley. These tires have aggressive treads designed to get a bite in deep mud. The treads are made in a way that it is easy for the tire to clean itself by slinging the mud out of the low spots in the tire so it can get a better bite on its way around.

The little X shaped tread on a High Performance ATV tire is just what the doctored ordered for hard packed surfaces when you need to go fast. These tires generally are a little wider and have a lower profile than other types of ATV tires. You'll usually see these tires on ATV racing machines. Also, seeing how they are high performance tires, many will come with a high performance price!

The right tire for your ATV isn't hard to find with all the choices on the market today. All it requires is some thought about where you'll be riding your ATV the most and what you want your tire to do. Then simply search for the manufacturer who has tires that match your requirements. Then you can decide if you want to buy new atv tires or used atv tires. Once you have them mounted on your machine, it's now time to get it out on the trail and have some off road fun!




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