Quad Bike Tyres 101: When to Upgrade and How to Choose

While ATVs and UTVs are decently kitted straight from the factory, the truth is, quad bikes can be upgraded with hundreds of parts and accessories that improve handling, performance, protection and practicality. Tyres are some of the more common additions, enabling proper traction on hard-packed trails, sand, rocks or mud. And with more attention to designs and tread compounds, new tyres will also outlast the factory rubber, while providing more stability, control and comfort. 

Why Upgrade? 

If you’ve outgrown your factory tyres and found their limitations, time to consider the wide selection of quad bike tyres. Besides everyday wear and tear, upgrading improves control and traction on a variety of surfaces, ensures more stability in turns and uneven ground, and with bigger diameters and matching wheels, more clearance to tackle bigger obstacles. Often overlooked are the improved durability and puncture résistance with varied tread patterns and tougher rubber compounds. 

Selecting the right tyres is where most ATV and UTV owners get things wrong. Choose the rubber that best suits the terrain and your riding style, tyres that match the wheel size, and features and construction specifics that ensure a balanced mix of performance and longevity. 

Design Features 

Treads

Tread patterns determine traction. General tread patterns can be directional and be arrow or V-shaped, symmetric (or non-directional with uniform tread across the entire surface, and asymmetric with different designs on the inner and outer tyre halves. 

Choose directional treads for good traction and excellent water dispersion on high-speed runs, when mudding and in wet weather. Symmetric treads work best on compacted soil and quiet rolling for increased riding comfort. Asymmetric treads do well in a variety of conditions, with decent water dispersion on wet surfaces and the necessary rigidity for improved traction and stability on drier ground. 

Lugs 

These are the blocks that “bite” into the surface. They differ in depth, shape and spacing. Choose longer and thicker lugs for maximum grip in mud and snow; shallow lugs for medium to hard surfaces; paddle lugs for powdery snow or sand, and tyres with pronounced side lugs for cornering stability. 

Ply Rating

This tells riders about tyre strength, maximum weight loading and puncture resistance. Low ply ratings of 2 to 4 are good in everyday riding with lower tyre weight and decent traction. 4 to 6 ply tyres are built on overall durability, weight loading and ride comfort, making these good all-rounders. 

Tyres with ply ratings of 6 or more have the highest strength, can withstand considerable loads, and do well against larger (and sharper) obstacles and debris with enhanced puncture resistance. These do better on rocky terrain and when hauling heavy gear. 

Common ATV Tyre Types 

All-Terrain Quad Bike Tyres 

If you’re riding in a mix of mud, harder soil and looser sand, consider all-terrain tyres. Also known as all-weather types, these have medium to thick lugs, more pronounced treads and the required pressure ratings for all-round versatility. Besides being a jack-of-all-trades, all-terrain tyres also work well in different weather conditions. They’re the common setup when buying your quad bike new. 

Mud  

With specialised, and more aggressive treads, mud tyres also have bigger lugs to dig deeper into mud and loose ground. They provide the most grip in muddy and wet conditions, and often come with higher ply ratings for improved durability and puncture resistance. 

Sand 

These have paddle-like treads to glide over loose sand or snow. They usually come with lower ply ratings for reduced weight. 

Performance Off-roading 

With flatter profiles and medium-sized lugs that increase contact with the road, performance ATV tyres are ideal on compacted soils. They’re known for their reinforced side walls for cornering stability, lower weight (to reduce sprung mass) and the high speeds they reach.  

Hard-Surface/ Rock Tyres 

These take reinforcement further, with even thicker side walls, higher ply count and tight tread patterns for maximum stability and puncture resistance in rock crawling, traversing larger obstacles and hard-packed surfaces. 

Sizing Them Right

Upsizing is one reason to change from your standard tyres. This allows for tyre and wheel combos with higher traction and larger contact surfaces for varied terrain. It also provides extra clearance if you regularly ride over rocks and larger obstacles. With that said, the side walls provide all the data you need to make an informed choice. 

Three numbers is all it takes for a perfect fit. Side walls state overall tyre height and width when inflated, and the rim diameters, all in inches. For instance, a 33X10 -R15 states a tyre in radial design with a total height of 33″ and 10″ in width, fitting a 15″ rim. Additional data, such as optimal operating pressure, the load index and speed rating ensure ATV tyres are used as they should and last for the duration of warranty periods.