FIVE OF THE BEST TYPES OF TIRES FOR YOUR UTV
Whether you’re riding trails, hauling or towing heavy loads, or simply scouting hunting property, having the right tires can help you ride further, tow more, or get the job done with confidence. It starts with understanding how you will be using your side-by-side and what types of terrain you will most likely encounter. Will you be riding over severe terrain where you need a tough, puncture-resistant tire? Will you be using your UTV during the winter and require additional grip on ice or snow? Or do you love the challenge of mud riding and crave a tire designed to give additional bite in sticky and slippery situations? To help you choose the right tire for your Landmaster UTV for these scenarios and others, here are five tire types and the areas where they excel.
1. Mud Tires
If you love to drive your UTV through sticky, gooey and sloppy mud, then tires designed specifically for mud are for you. Often designed with taller and longer lateral lugs, mud tires often look similar to a tractor tire and give your UTV added grip in soft, muddy terrain. The deep lugs allow the tires to find better traction beneath the slippery surface, and the greater space between the lugs allows for self-cleaning. For those who want to take their side-by-side into extreme mud pits, there are mud tires designed for that as well with an even taller and firmer lug design.
2. All-Terrain Tires
As the name implies, this tire category is often the type of tire found on most UTVs when new. Designed to work well in a wide variety of terrain types, they are often the best choice for most side-by-side owners. Most feature an off-road tread type and are great all-around performers with excellent wear capabilities. You can also choose all-terrain tires that are DOT approved for on-road use. There are even all-terrain tires featuring more durable compounds and sidewall designs that resist puncture, making them perfect for extreme terrain conditions like jagged rocks. Many Landmaster UTVs come equipped with general purpose all-terrain off-road tires.
3. Snow Tires
If winter weather is in your UTV riding forecast, then snow tires might be your best option. In general, there are two types of snow tires. One is similar to a mud tire but with shallower lugs and often a softer rubber compound for colder temperatures. The lugs allow the tire to “paddle” snow and are great for UTV snow plowing applications where additional grip and pushing power is required. The other snow tire type is very similar to an on-road snow tire. Featuring a softer compound and additional sipes (tiny slits in the lugs that optimize grip in snow and ice) in the tread pattern. This type of snow tire is a great choice for UTV owners who often drive on packed snow or ice.
4. Turf Tires
Often used on golf courses, in municipalities, or industrial applications, turf tires are designed for smooth surfaces including grass, packed dirt or gravel, pavement, and even indoors. One of the biggest attributes of turf tires is they are less likely to tear-up the surfaces they are driven on, which is why golf courses use this tire type almost exclusively. Models like the Landmaster L5 RVR and AMP RVR use turf-type tires.
