ATV Tires…Which Tire Is Right For Me?
Years ago when ATVs first hit the seen, all the tires were pretty similar in design. The treads were generally knobby, extreme knobby and directional cleat. Today, it seems like the sky’s the limit. There are lots of brands to choose from, a vast array of tread designs available and whether or not to use radial or bias tires. The introduction of all these different tires creates a lot of confusion in the marketplace. You need to do your homework and talk to a specialty tire expert.
Tread Design – When you compare ATV tires the most notable difference is the tread design. The easiest way to choose which tire is best for you is to ask, “how are your current tires performing”. Are they too aggressive, do you need more traction, are they stable at high speeds?
The treads can be broken down into four areas: Mud, All-Terrain, Sand (Goodyear Compass Knobby) and Racing. Mud tires offer deep directional self-cleaning cleats. Although great in the mud your going to sacrifice tread life as well as your back…not too comfortable to ride on hard surfaces. All-Terrain, such as the Carlisle Fast Trax, is always is popular choice, and offers the most overall bang for your buck. Sand and Racing should be self explanatory.
Tires Size – Sometimes it is easier to stay with what you have. Like car tires, ATV manufactures test the best tires for their machines and although you may think you know better, most likely you do not. Braking, speed, transmissions and other mechanical part’s performance will be affected…some good, some not so good.
Radial and Bias Ply – Without getting too boring with the technical stuff, remember this. Bias tires are gradually being replaced with radial tires. It happens in every industry – car, farm, trailer etc. Radial tires are supposed to ride better and last longer. Well, with ATV tires, some people prefer the old bias tires to the new radial. Someday you probably won’t have a choice as bias become obsolete.
Pricing – Pricing is usually determined by the above three characteristics. The more new and exotic the tire size the higher the price. Mud tires cost more than All-terrain…more rubber equals more money. It’s best to factor in what you want from a tire, compare what different tire brands offer, talk to a tire expert and you should be able to decide on the right tire. Most tire dealers will carry a couple brands such as Carlisle and Titan, and they will have access to other brands through their dealer network.
Happy Trails,
Brian
I have recently purchased new terra cross RT from ITP tire company. All of my tires have high spots on them. I took them to numerouse tire shops to get different opinions on why these tires shake the ATV something terrrible. It turns out they are out of round. Now I mailed them to california for ITP to honor their two year warranty. Just yesterday the same tires showed up on my doorstep. Later that day ITP customer service emailed me and said that nothing was wrong with them.
These are 14″ atv tires I have found five other ATVs with this same problem. ITP is doing nothing about it. If you are experinceing these issues pleas contact ITP customer service.
Extemely disappointed in how ITP (carlisle tire) standy behind their product. Glad to sell it but not taking the responsibility of standing behind a bad batch of tires
That is surprising that Carlisle has responded like this. I have sold Carlisle products for over 30 years and they have always taken care of us. Part of the problem is that the ITP brand is not available to us or any other authorized Carlisle tire dealer. I don’t understand their reason for this. The ITP division might as well be another company. They use a different distribution channel for ITP. Too bad because when you have strong relationships with vendors, these things don’t happen.
Brian
I have had a similar problem. The high spots are not the concern as they have withstood any type of puncture. However, I just recently sent the following email.
I bought four tires for my 800 sportsman and while the back tires have been great the front tires have over 30 plugs in them. They are the 6 ply tires (mud light) and have yet to have a puncture from a rock, branch, or pedestrian. The problem is that the outer tread has split on both of the fronts for no reason. I went to the dealer here in Las Vegas, Ride Now, and they were confused as to why the tires would do this but did not offer any help to my situation. Please respond with how we can make this right. Additionally, I spoke to a dealer in Duck Creek Utah, and they stated that these tires are extremely hard on bushings and bearing, which I had to have replaced. While I am not looking for restitution on the bushings and bearings, I do believe that a fine company like yours will be receptive to fixing the problem of paying a lot of money for tires that now have more plugs than rubber in the wings that are most external to the tire.
Hi Tim,
Sorry for your problems. As I responded to Jim in the first post, I cannot help you with the ITP products.
An “ITP authorized dealer” should be able to work with you. Call Carlisle (800-827-1001 customer service)
and ask them who the “ITP authorized dealer” is in your area. Carlisle sells ITP brand tires through a totally
different sales channel. I’m not Carlisle nor an “ITP authorized dealer”. Carlisle’s customer service is usually excellent,
and I’ve sold the Carlisle brand products for over 40 years. I’m surprised with their response so far.
They did contact me today and hopefully I will get some resolution. Problem now is that I sent pictures and the site would not allow the content.
I have to tell you, those guys at ITP have responded in a manner you don’t see everyday. About 2 hours ago, two brand new tires were dropped off at my door by UPS. Unbelievable in todays society that a company actually is standing behind their product. I believe I will hold onto the tires until my back tires are done and then replace them. The vibration with them on the front is too much for me and it seemed that the tires in the back held up much better. The dealer did say that a little extra psi is probably needed when I do mount them. Im still not sold on the design of the tire, but the CUSTOMER SERVICE is the best I have ever dealt with in any situation.
5 days after the initial blog and resolution is here.
Way to go ITP and thank you very much!
Thanks for the tips. I went to buy new tires the other day and the guy was just trying to hard-sell me some expensive tires without giving me much useful information. Now I’ll know what to look for.
I put the blackwaters on my ltz for some mud riding, but they made the bike really top heavy… BUT, didn’t get stuck! haha