Off-Road Riding Tires

It’s never too early to start thinking about how to improve your off-roading experience. One of the easiest ways to upgrade your vehicle, especially if it’s a bike that only has two points of contact with the ground, is to change out your tires. While the tires that your off-road vehicle came with are perfectly sufficient for general riding, there are more challenging terrain types that are better tackled using the right gear, including tires built specifically for that terrain. But figuring out which tires you should be looking at can be a bit of a challenge. That’s why America’s Motorsports Nashville has provided you with a breakdown of some basic tire knowledge and what you should expect to be looking for, depending on the kind of riding you regularly do.

If you need additional help, or if it’s time to change out your tires, stop by one of our locations in Nashville, Madison, and Dickson, Tennessee and let our experienced staff know how we can help you. We also serve the areas of Brentwood, Franklin, Columbia, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Components of Off-Road Tires

Firstly, you’ll want to know some essential terminology. These are three aspects of looking at tires that will greatly affect how they perform. Knob size is a rating that tells you how much of the tire’s surface area makes contact with the ground. This means that bigger knob sizes give you more contact with the ground and increased traction.

Tread depth is how deep your tires dig into the ground when they displace soft material on the surface. If you’re riding on terrain with layers of loose material, then you’ll want a higher tread depth.

Finally, pattern shape refers to how the treads and grooves are carved in the tire. It’s not as common to group pattern shapes to fit certain terrain, but there are some that are better for wet conditions and some that are better for dry conditions.

Terrain

With that in mind, you’ll want to start thinking about the kind of terrain you expect to encounter on a regular basis. We’ve provided some of the basics for the most common terrain you might be riding.

Hard Terrain

Hard terrain is usually comprised of hard-packed dirt and rock. This means you’ll already have a pretty easy time getting traction, so you’ll want shorter knobs placed close together. You probably also won’t need much tread depth as there usually isn’t a lot of loose material on these trails. In addition to the standard ways to look at tires, you’ll want a softer carcass with more flexibility to handle trails and roads with lots of bumps you can’t displace.

Soft Terrain

Soft terrain, on the other hand, is comprised of lots of loose material, like sand, mud, or gravel. This gives you less traction from the outset, so you’ll want to get the right kind of knobs to handle these trails. Soft terrain knobs are often more spread out and plentiful, with additional knobs on the edges so you’ll maintain traction even on hard corners. They also tend to take a paddle-like shape on the rear tire and a spiked-shape on the front tire, to displace material and increase tread depth, respectively. And that increased tread depth is going to come in handy when you’re trying to cut through the soft terrain and get to more solid ground underneath.

Intermediate Terrain

For trails that fall in between these extremes, you’ll want tires that can provide you with the best of both worlds. Or, they’re also handy for people who tend to deal with a variety of terrain and don’t want to have to switch out their tires every time. For these tires, you’ll want taller knobs that are long and close together to get enough traction, and enough tread depth to cut through a little bit of loose material. Keep in mind, though, that these tires will perform better when they’re on hard terrain, so if you hit soft terrain fairly often, it may be worth it to change your tires anyway.

Now that you know the basics, you’ll be able to start looking at tires with a little more confidence and having the right kind of information ready to go. If you’re still looking for the right off-road vehicle to make tire upgrades on, then stop by America’s Motorsports Nashville in Nashville, Madison, and Dickson, Tennessee. We also welcome all patrons from the regions of Brentwood, Franklin, Columbia, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.