Every tyre has its purpose. When talking about 4x4 vehicles, it is important to install the appropriate set of tyres. This is because if you try to attach a tyre that’s not fit-for-purpose, it will increase the risk of puncture, damage and loss of traction.
4x4 tyres can be categorised into 4 groups: Highway Terrain (H/T), All-Terrain (A/T), Mud Terrain (M/T), and Light Truck (L/T) Construction. In this article, we’ll particularly give you an overview about all terrain tyres including their main attributes and purpose.
Generally speaking, All-Terrain refers to the fact that they can travel almost wherever your 4x4 or SUV can. This means that when it comes to both on and off-road use, all-terrain tyres are designed to be a jack-of-all-trades tyre.
Attributes of All-Terrain tyres
- They’re considered an all-rounder, providing a great balance for on-and off-road driving.
- They have a more open tread pattern in comparison to highway terrain tyres.
- They are more durable than highway terrain tyres and better with rocks and ruts.
- They offer excellent capabilities for rock-crawling jaunts and outback trips.
- Their thicker construction provides high rolling resistance and reduces fuel economy.
What’s your driving purpose?
When selecting all-terrain tyres, you should consider your intended driving purpose.
You could ask yourself the following questions:
- How much time are you planning to spend off-road?
- Will you be doing more travelling in the future?
- Will you be doing extreme 4WD tracks during the weekend?
Asking yourself these questions will help you to consider if the attributes of an All-Terrain tyre suit your intended driving purpose.
If dropping the kids off at school, running errands, and commuting to work all week before packing the car for a weekend of off-road camping and 4WDing sounds like you - then an AT may well be the right tyre for you! An AT tyre allows you to crawl those amazing routes without getting bogged while still providing quiet, safe, and dependable highway driving.
High Terrain (H/T) and Mud Terrain (M/T) tyres
When compared to a Highway Terrain (HT) tyre, All-Terrain tyres have a stronger sidewall and a somewhat aggressive and more open tread pattern. In comparison to Mud-terrain tyres, All-Terrains generally have a harder rubber compound. All-Terrain tyres are therefore the ideal choice for most conditions, including rock, snow, gravel, sand, dirt, and bitumen.
The tread patterns of the highway terrain tyres are typically similar to the ones on passenger vehicles and are designed more for on-road driving.
On the other hand, mud terrain tyres have a deep, blocky tread pattern and strong construction. They provide good grip, and their open tread pattern is manufactured to dig for traction on loose surfaces and at the same time to clean itself when the tyres are rotating. Due to their tread design, they are noisier on-road and can have reduced wet weather performance on-road.
Find your nearest Tyrepower store
Many of the brands supplied and fitted at your local Tyrepower offer a range of quality all-terrain tyres, including Falken, Cooper, Toyo, Kumho, Pirelli, Maxxis, BFGoodrich, and Mickey Thompson. To discuss your next set of tyres, contact your nearest Tyrepower store now.
