Choosing The Best Tires For Off-Highway Travel And Heavy Vehicles

Any vehicle that travels off the asphalt road runs the risk of tire damage from rocks, sticks, and debris that you may encounter. Purchasing the best tire for these vehicles is not always as simple as buying car tires. Off-road tires use a different construction than regular tires, and there are some things you need to look for when selecting tires for your vehicle.

Tire Construction

When considering off-road tires for your camper or RV, you need to look closely at what the manufacturer recommends. These vehicles are heavy and need added support in the sidewalls and tread of the tire, so load-rated heavy-duty truck tires are often necessary.

Standard car tires will not withstand the weight of an RV, camper, or off-road truck, but load-rated tires often have several additional layers of rubber in the sidewalls and the tread to help reinforce them and spread the weight out over a larger area. When purchasing tires for a class A RV, you may need heavy-duty truck tires similar to those used on semi trucks, buses, and other large vehicles. 

Choosing A Tire Tread

The tread designs for heavy-duty tires can vary, and some configurations work well on the highway, but if you need off-road tires, you may need a more aggressive design that will offer more traction on dirt, sand, gravel, and even light mud or snow. RVs designed to travel to remote locations may even come equipped with four-wheel drive, so adding off-road tires to the front and rear will offer you the most control and the best chance to get where you are going. 

There are off-road tires designed for dump trucks and semis that use slightly less aggressive tread on the front, making steering easier. However, talk to the tire dealer about the options because you may need a specific size tire to fit inside the fender wells and allow enough room to turn the tires or allow for suspension travel as you are driving. If the tread is too aggressive and wide, the off-road tires may be fine on the highway but not work as well when bouncing along a dirt or gravel road. 

Tire Installation

Once you have selected the off-road tire style that you want on your RV, you need to have the tire shop mount and balance them for you. The balance is essential with larger off-road tires because if it is off, the vibration can be extremely unpleasant. This condition can cause damage to the tires, the suspension, and other parts of the RV, so having the tire shop install the tires is the best way to ensure it is done correctly. 

Contact a tire shop to learn more about off-road tires.