How To Choose The Right Off Road Tires

Whether you are rock crawling, sand racing or mud plowing, it is very important to know why you need the perfect set of off road tires. The common misconception about off road truck tires is that you need them to offer improved traction on rough terrain. Therefore, people usually go for larger tires, thinking that it will offer more traction. This assumption makes sense but is not completely true always.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT OFF ROAD TIRES

It is correct that the right off road tires can offer some additional traction in off road conditions, but there are efficient and better ways to improve traction than bulking up rubber. If your primary concern is traction, you can make use of a traction differential. Traction differential with stock tires can offer good grip and traction than adding a set of taller, aggressive tires.

The point here is that large tires are meant to raise the height and ground clearance of the vehicle to enable steeper ascent and descent in off road areas. In simple terms, while driving over boulders or coasting across desert, increased ground clearance will help you negotiate the obstacles easily. However, you should not forget the traction aspect offered by off road truck tires, as a set of mud terrain tires will perform best in mud than a set of all terrain radials.

So, improved traction should be a secondary function while looking for off road tires.The first thing that you should understand while upgrading to taller tires is that you will also need to upgrade many other components of the vehicle. You will need additional inches of vehicle clearance to fit the tires without rubbing against the fenders of the vehicle. To get the required height, you may need to perform a suspension or body lift. A suspension lift is preferable for off road purposes, as it will improve the travel ability of the wheel.

Larger truck tires also mean more strain to the axles and shocks. In addition, the set gear ratio of the vehicle will be altered. To compensate these changes, it is recommended to change the ring pinions and shock absorbers.