Choosing Tires for an SUV
Off-road tires are the most important component, in which a large part of the success of passing a particular section is hidden. Of course, if you don't plan to conquer off-road, then there's no point in choosing tires with the most "aggressive" tread pattern, because you'll have to pay for it with comfort and fuel consumption.
Most car owners who choose off-road tires stop at the A/T class. It is more versatile and has a 50/50 ratio. At the same time, in urban conditions, it already significantly loses in comfort to "road" tires.
What should you pay attention to when choosing?
First of all, it's the tread pattern, of course. Off-road tires should have a tread pattern of at least 6 mm. This is roughly half of the new tread pattern. If the residual tread depth on the tires is less, then they will not be able to provide traction and self-cleaning from mud and sand.
In addition, you should choose tires with a reinforced carcass structure to withstand extreme conditions. Tires of this class usually have thicker sidewalls and several layers of carcass to protect the tires from damage when passing through unevenness, stones, and other sharp objects. If there is a DOT marking on the tires, then the number of layers on it is also indicated. Pay attention to this.
In addition, tires with multiple layers of carcass should have the ability to pass complex road sections at low pressure.
It's also worth not forgetting about puncture resistance. Of course, the tread pattern plays a special role here, but it's also important that there are additional elements in the longitudinal grooves that prevent damage from stones.
Taking into account modern realities of the tire industry and the availability of tires, one should not rely on uninterrupted supplies of BFGoodrich, Mickey Thompson, and Cooper tires. Nevertheless, there is something to choose from. Eastern tires have long been established in our market and are gaining the favor of car owners. It is worth paying attention to Maxxis tires, which have long occupied leading positions in the "all-terrain" tire segment. Windforce tires, namely Windforce Catchfors A/T II and Windforce Catchfors M/T II models, are also worthy of attention.