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For when you have to tackle the roughest terrain nature can come up with

When adventuring into the wilderness where paved roads cease to exist, there’s more to it than just making sure your vehicle has extra ground clearance, some sort of all-wheel or four-wheel drive, and long-travel suspension. While such features make for a capable vehicle, they’re essentially useless without proper tires.

Much like your footwear, tires are the points of surface contact that keep you and your vehicle planted to the ground. You wouldn’t go hiking in beach sandals rather than in a pair of sturdy and grippy Timberlands—the concept is analogous with tires. Ensuring you have suitable rubber is crucial to your vehicle’s off-road performance for the most optimal grip and traction.

You’ve probably heard of and seen all-terrain tires in action on the trails. While certainly capable of handling some tough surfaces compared to your average road-biased tires, all-terrain tires strike a more balanced compromise between road-going and off-road performance.

Dedicated off-road tires—also termed “maximum traction off-road tires”—on the other hand, are strictly engineered to tackle the roughest stuff nature can come up with, especially in competition events. Thus, their road-going performance is often compromised in favor of durability and maximum traction. Much like on the opposite side of the spectrum, dedicated racing slick tires will yield the most grip on a racetrack but sacrifice everyday usability from their lack of tread.

So if four-wheeling is your hobby, or you’re trying to break into the scene with competitive aspirations, we’ve created a handy buyer’s guide featuring the best and most popular dedicated off-road tires money can buy.

Note: Make sure to get the right size for your vehicle and rims. Not all tires will be available in all sizes. Supply chain issues may lead some tires to be temporarily unavailable.

The Best All-Around Off-Road Tires

The same company that brings us the industry’s best all-terrain tire naturally also produces one of the best dedicated off-road tires money can buy. Born from the same lineage and storied motorsports history of being the only tire designed and benchmarked specifically for world-famous Baja 1000 races, BFGoodrich’s off-road tires’ tried, tested, and proven formula is no mystery to the scene. Entering its third generation, the Mud-Terrain T/A KM3’s signature Traction-Armor reinforced sidewall construction, aggressive Terrain-Attack tread pattern, and versatile Krawl-Tek compound received several updates, making it the latest and greatest yet.

The Best Off-Road Tires You Can Buy

No off-road tire list is complete without an offering from one of the most innovative and award-winning tire manufacturers: Mickey Thompson. Since its establishment in 1953, after the famed motorsports icon himself, Mickey Thompson is one of the few companies that predates and tops BFGoodrich’s reputation in off-road motorsports. From being the first tire with tread on the sidewalls in 1977, to introducing the first light-truck radial in 1978, and numerous awards thereafter, the Mickey Thompson Baja embodies all qualities that made his offerings the flagship choice for dedicated off-road tires. So if cost is no object, these are the ones to get.

The Best Value Off-Road Tires

Getting a new set of tires is no light feat on the wallet. But that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to get a quality set. Enter, the Cooper Discoverer STT Pros. Cooper‘s reputation for offering incredible value in the tire world shines with its Discoverer STT Pros off-road tires. Like its top competitors, the Discoverer STT Pros offer a three-ply “Armor-Tek3” construction, making it just as tough against rocks and other debris. But like any other cost-conscious option, there’s always some compromise. In this case, it’s heightened levels of road noise when cruising on paved surfaces.

Safe and Affordable Off-Road Tires

Serving up one of the most versatile dedicated off-road tires is Toyo Tire’s Open Country M/T. A popular choice among off-road enthusiasts and even OEMs, the Open Country M/T offers more road-going performance than some of its top competitors. But it’s known to be much more capable on the trails than some of its similar all-terrain counterparts, making it a flexible and affordable option for trucks and off-road rigs of all sizes and shapes.

The Best Everday Off-Road Tires

Dedicated off-road tires can be challenging to live with every day, especially if your rig sees rough terrain only a few times out of the year. Their stiff and sturdy construction compromise on-road comfort, on-road maneuverability, and handling. Thankfully, Nitto comes to the rescue if you need a slightly more aggressive offering without having to make the jump to a full-fledged off-road tire but don’t want to step down to an all-terrain tire. Its staggered sidewall shoulder and variable yet aggressive tread pattern don’t compromise on grip when the going gets rough. But thanks to that unique tread pattern, it remains one of the quiet off-road tires on paved surfaces, making this one heckuva versatile option.

The Best Off-Road Tires for Snow and Mud

If you’re one to do most of your four-wheeling during the winter or live where it snows most days out of the year, then the Goodyear Wrangler Duratec is the off-road tire to spring for. Its TractiveGroove Technology (the in-house term for its aggressive and unique high-angle center tread pattern) and flanged rim protector make it ideal for deep snow and mud. To top it all off, it’s reinforced with Kevlar, making it impervious to even the sharpest of rocks and debris. That extra layer does add a bit of weight to the tire, however, and users have noted that getting them properly balanced for on-road use can be a challenge, depending on the vehicle they’re mounted to.

The Best Off-Road Tires for Full-Size SUVs, Trucks, and Jeeps

General is also a tire manufacturer known for offering tons of value and quality for a highly affordable price. Such is the case with its Grabber X3 off-road tires. Explicitly designed for full-size trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps, its reinforced sidewall protection and deflection ribs protect it from punctures, while its in-house DURAGEN three-ply construction makes it a formidable performer both on and off the road. Should you also be style-conscious, General offers red-colored sidewall lettering for some extra eye candy.

Underrated Off-Road Tires with Top Performance

Firestone’s Destination M/T2 off-road tire offers quite a lot of capability for not a lot of dough, thanks to its three-ply polyester casing, serrated upper sidewall lugs, and unique tread pattern, which incorporates mud and stone ejectors. In its own testing regiments, renowned tire outlet, TireRack, found that the Destination M/T2s had the workings to perform just as well as some of its top competitors. However, some users reported that these tires do wear down a bit quicker.

Best Off-Road Tires for Winter

Much like the Goodyear Wrangler MT/Rs, Yokohama’s Geolander M/T G003 is a solid off-road tire geared a little more towards deep and loose surfaces, such as snow, sand and mud. This capability comes from its proprietary Triple Polymer Blend compound, Geo-Shield Construction, and large snow-biting sidewall lugs. Worried about sharp rocks hiding under said loose surfaces? Its reinforced high-strength steel internal belts and hexagonal tire casing bead provide that extra protection for peace of mind on the trails.

Best Off-Road Tires for Smaller Vehicles

Plan on hitting the trails with a smaller, more compact vehicle? Then Kuhmo’s Road Venture MT KL71 is the tire for you. Its offerings are limited in size, available for only 14- and 16-inch wheels. But don’t let its dimensions fool you. These tires offer plenty of capability at a very affordable price. It may not be as tough as some of its more expensive offerings, featuring a two-ply polyester cord body rather than three-ply. But aggressive side lugs and tread pattern are still a part of the recipe. Should you need to also drive on the road to get yourself home, that two-ply cord makes these much more comfortable on paved surfaces.

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