Buying 4wd mud & all terrain tyres

Four wheel drives seem made to forge their way through deep mud in places where nothing else can pass, so is it really necessary to fit mud tyres to your 4x4? The answer is an unequivocal maybe, depending on just how much mud the vehicle will be dealing with. Mud tyres are very specialised, and are really not at all suited to on road or even most other 4x4 applications.

What are mud tyres?

Mud tyres are modified four wheel drive tyres that have deep, wide treads and a wide profile. They are perfect for gripping in sliding thick mud, as the tread pattern offers the best traction. The trouble, though, is that mud tyres are very unsuitable for bitumen. The wide deep tread is very noisy on road, and offers little grip on anything other than mud, making braking on road dangerous.

Mud tyres on road can result in skids, rollovers and long braking distances. They are particularly dangerous in very wet or icy conditions, so don’t be fooled into thinking that they are all round safer and better gripping.

If you are considering mud tyres on your 4x4, it may be worth opting for a combination mud and onroad tyre instead.

Buying mud tyres

Most 4wd tyre brands offer a mud tyre. Looking at their website lists can be an excellent way of finding exactly what you want. Some examples of mud tyres are;

• Cooper offer several mud combination tyres. The Cooper STT is 80% dirt and mud, 20% sand, the Sure Trac is 40% dirt and mud, 60% road and sand. Their website is www.coopertires.com.au/
• BF Goodrich Tyres offers the All Terrain T/A which is claimed to be both a mud and on road tyre www.tyrepitstop.com.au/bf-goodrich-4x4-Tyres.asp
• The Goodyear Wrangler AT/R is a combination tyre that balances wet and mud performance with low on road noise and general performance http://www.goodyear.com.au/

All of these tyres and many more brands are available through order online, or through retailers. If you have not previously used mud tyres on your vehicle it is advisable to get expert advice from your local tyre retailer before getting these fitted

Mud tyres can be a useful option for a 4x4 which is used off road a lot, but consider a combination tyre to reduce the negative aspects of poor road handling and a noisy ride associated with mud tyres.

Mud tyres on your vehicle

If you are interested in fitting mud tyres to your 4wd, first be sure that this is the best option, considering the negatives associated with them. The profile of mud tyres makes them excellent for a very specific job, so if slogging through mud is mostly what you do with your vehicle, they could be just what you need.