Mud terrain tires

Mud tires are used on trucks, SUVs and Jeeps to get maximum possible off-road traction, especially in mud. They offer a unique tread design with rugged “tread blocks” or “lugs” and a greater amount of space between each block/lug than in regular tires. The space between the blocks eject mud and prevent it from becoming compacted. This ensures optimal traction. Mud tires come in a wide range of sizes for 15-24" wheel diameters and as tall as 44".

As long as your tires have a DOT rating on the sidewall, you can drive them on the highway. However, don’t expect similar performance, handling and braking characteristics from your mud tires that a typical all season or all terrain tire will have.

You can expect a decline in miles per gallon when switching to a mud tire. Its tread/lug design and heavier tire weight increases rolling resistance, requiring more power to keep the tires going.

Yes, you can, but it’s not recommended on the highway. Mud tires typically have a hard tread compound that will get harder in colder temperatures and have little to no siping or biting edges in the lugs to help you stop in compact snow and ice.

First of all, mud tires just look cool. And they come in bigger sizes for lifted trucks and Jeeps. If you’re in serious need of maximum traction for mud bogging or rock crawling, a mud tire is typically the best choice. However, for fresh untracked snow and sand dunes, mud tires dig rather than float in these conditions.

The biggest drawback of a mud tire will be the decrease in fuel mileage and lack of performance and handling on the street and compact snow and ice. Even though you may have increased the tire size, a mud tire will still have much less tread-to-street contact than your all season or all terrain tire causing increased braking distances and less steering response.