Mud tires: types, photos

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

Despite the abundance of crossovers, real SUVs have always been, are and will be relevant in Russia. Some people buy them for everyday use. But the majority buys to have an "evil" off-road jeep, for which they equip it with a winch and power bumpers. And, of course, an integral attribute of every "jeeper" is mud tires. What does she represent? What does mud tires look like? Photos, varieties and features - later in our article.

Characteristic

Mud tire is a special type of car tire. The main task of such rubber is to increase patency. A car with such wheels ideally overcomes fords and country dirt roads. However, it is worth noting that on smooth asph alt, mud tires significantly change their characteristics.

It makes the car noisy and unstable at speed. Therefore, such wheels are not installed on ordinary civilian SUVs. As for the application season, the rubber may bedesigned for a certain type of coating or be universal. We will consider the types of such tires for SUVs below.

Varieties

There are several types of such tires in total:

• NT.
• AT.
• MT.

What are their features, pros and cons? We will consider each of them separately.

NT

This is a universal type of car tires. It can be used both on the ground and on flat asph alt. This rubber is a tire with a standard pattern and is suitable not only for SUVs, but also for crossovers. On such wheels, you can move at speeds up to 180 kilometers per hour.

Among the features worth noting:

• High speed index.
• Good grip.
• Resistant to hydroplaning.

But as experience shows, this rubber does not give such characteristics of patency as its counterparts. Therefore, this tire is not suitable for off-road enthusiasts. It can be used if you need to cover a long distance on the track.

AT

This is already a rubber with a rough tread and more suitable for off-road. The speed index of such a tire is less. You can move at speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour. On the road, it is noisier than the previous one, but copes well with sand and other loose surfaces.

The wheels of the AT series correspond to the type of tires 50 x 50, that is, they are universal and fitfor both asph alt and dirt. Among the quality manufacturers it is worth noting:

• Hankuk.
• Bridgestone.
• Dunlop.
• Yokohama

However, there are also AT tires with an emphasis on off-road (60 to 40). Such tires are made by Goodyear, Goodrich, Maxus and Mickey Thompson. They have slightly better mud grip characteristics than the former.

MT

This is a car tire with a strong tread and pronounced lugs. Such rubber is ideal not only for mud, but also for clay, as well as sand. Among the distinctive features of the tires are wide and deep grooves on the tread.

However, this rubber is not intended for driving on asph alt at all. On such a coating, it quickly wears out and becomes unusable. Along with that, it makes a huge noise.

Varieties by purpose

It is worth noting that MT tires are not always universal and can be specifically designed for:

• clay surface;
• different soil;
• Ride on stone surface.

On some models there are holes for spikes. This solution is aimed at increasing the grip and patency of the car in difficult areas in general.

Disadvantages of MT tires

Of course, such mud tires significantly increase the cross-country performance compared to AT. But it should be understood that MT wheels have almost a tractor tread. Because of this, rubber cannotboast rigidity and emits strong vibrations at speeds over 50 kilometers per hour on asph alt. Also, due to the rigidity, the wheels wear out quickly on a flat surface. This rubber is also afraid of cuts on sharp stones.

Subtleties of choice

When purchasing mud tires for UAZ "Patriot" or any other SUV, it is important to choose the right size for it. AT and MT wheels have a high profile, so with an illiterate selection, the tire will touch the arch and self-destruct.

Choosing mud tires for Niva

Domestic cars of the Lada 4 x 4 series already have good cross-country ability from the factory. There are many examples when the Niva on standard tires drives where American fancy SUVs get dirty up to their ears. But this is not enough for the owners of the Niv, and many are finalizing the design of the factory Lada. So, the first in the list of tuning is rubber. By installing the correct tires on the VAZ, you can significantly increase the already good cross-country ability of the car.

When choosing, you first need to decide on the type of wheels. So, if off-road trips are not frequent, and you wind up more than half of the mileage on asph alt, you should consider AT tires. But in the case of professional off-road training of a jeep, it is worth focusing on MT wheels. With this profile and lugs, the machine will excel in mud and other obstacles.

Now about the sizes. The standard wheel sizes for the Niva are 15 and 16 inches. In the first case, the mud tires should have a width of 235millimeters and the 75th profile. If the 16-inch model is chosen, the dimensions are slightly different here. So, the mud tires on the Chevrolet Niva have a size of 225/75.

Producers of off-road tires for "Niva"

As for manufacturers and models, they may vary:

• I-569 Bear.
• "Offroad Coordinant".
• Hankook Danpro RT03.
• Federal Kougaria.

The first option is the most budgetary. This tire has a size of 235/75 and is installed on 15-inch wheels without a suspension lift. However, the front arches need to be finalized. Rubber "Bear" can be installed both on the Chevrolet Niva and on the classic VAZ-2121. We also note that such tires are all-weather and perform well not only in mud, but also on snowy surfaces.

Cordiant Off Road is a good alternative to the more expensive Goodrich tires. This mud tire fits 16-inch wheels and increases ground clearance by 30 millimeters.

Hankook RT03 is also a good model of mud tires. However, if previous models get up without alterations, then here you can’t do without a suspension lift. The owners say that for installation it is necessary to make at least a 50 mm lift for the Niva. But at the same time, such a tire significantly increases patency. Also, this off-road mud tire does not wear out much on asph alt like its counterparts.

"Federal Kougaria" are the most "passable" among others, as they sayreviews. The wheels are distinguished by a large tread pattern and powerful mud lugs. The rubber itself is quite elastic and soft. Wheel size - 205/80 R16. When installing, it is not required to produce an elevator, but you need to “cut” the arches. We also note that such a tire is of little use for asph alt - its resource is no more than 30 thousand kilometers.

UAZ Tires

Mud tires on UAZ should also be chosen correctly. What type of tires will be installed depends on the behavior of the car on the road in the future. Similar to the previous case, you first need to decide on the type: AT or MT. Next, you need to build on the size. On the "Patriot" discs are installed in size 16 or 18 inches. Experts say that it is better to put a mud tire on small discs, since as a result the size of the wheel itself will increase significantly (due to the high profile). You can try to install mud tires on 18-inch wheels. But in this case, it is necessary to produce a suspension lift and cut the arches.

As for the size, it can be different in the range from 235/75 to 265/70. These are 16 tires. If you decide to use 18-inch wheels, you need to look for tires in the range from 245/65 to 275/60.

If you cannot decide on the diameter, experienced drivers advise you to do the following: have two sets. For summer, install 18-inch tires on UAZ, and 16-inch tires for winter. In this case, the cross-country ability of the car will always be maximum. But also note that for ice you do not need to take too muchwide tire. Its size should not exceed 255, and better - 245.

Conclusion

So, we found out what mud rubber is and what types it comes in. It is difficult to say which kind will be the best. After all, each variety has its own characteristics and was created for different purposes. If most of the run is carried out on asph alt terrain, you should pay attention to off-road AT tires. If you are thoroughly preparing the car for off-road driving, of course, you should purchase an MT. But in this case, driving on an asph alt road will be uncomfortable.