When most people think about buying a new ATV, tires are not high on the list of features to look at. Older ATV’s that have been used for a while are more than likely going to need some new rubber in the near future.

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.

The amount of money you have to spend on new or used ATV tires will affect the quality of tire you’re able to purchase. The old saying that you get what you pay for is as true for ATV tires as it is for anything else. Used ATV tires can be a real bargain, just be sure you check them out thoroughly so you’re not buying someone elses problem.

Start off by giving some serious thought about where and how you use your ATV. If you’re riding the backwood trails and searching out the muddiest places you can find, then obviously you’re not going to by sand tires. With today’s technology, an ATV owner can easily match tires to his or her type of riding for peak performance.

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.

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.

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!

As you can see, just choosing any old set of ATV tires won’t do. Choose wisely and your ATV will give you years of enjoyable riding with just the right amount of performance and value.

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