How Long Do Off Road Tires Last?

How long do off road tires last? To give you an immediate and short answer: between 20,000 and 50,000 miles or between 32,000 and 80,000 kilometers. However, it’s not that simple, a lot depends on what type of off road tires you are running (Mud Terrain or All Terrain), as well as where you’re usually driving, speed, etc.

As you can see, what seems like a simple answer isn’t. There are a bunch of factors to consider. In this article we will cover the different questions related to off road tire durability and longevity. At the end of this read you’ll know what factors affect durability, and which are the best off road tires to have!

 

Do All Terrain Tires Last Longer?

When compared to mud tires or MT tires, yes they do. All Terrain tires (also known as AT), are designed mostly for rougher roads, paths and conditions. They can handle mud, dirt, gravel, snow or just your regular highway. As a matter of fact, if you’re buying them to just do your weekend overlanding trips and mostly use them for driving in the city, then they should and will last longer.

Another factor depends on breaking, speed of driving and quality of the road/street you drive on. Clearly, as you may imagine, it doesn’t matter what tire you run, if you’re constantly having to break at high speeds, then the lifespan will be shorter.

That said, All Terrain tires tend to have a lifespan ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 miles, and perhaps even 60,000 if used mostly driving on reliable streets or the city.

 

How Long Do Mud Terrain (MT) Tires Last?

These last a bit less, from 20,000 to 40,000 maybe 45,000 miles. They aren’t really designed for street or city use, MT tires are literally made for off road conditions. Sure, AT tires are also sued for off roading and overlanding, but for those who have a real passion for mud, dirt and water, Mud-Terrain tires are the best choice. They offer your vehicle a much better traction.

However, that traction comes with a trade-off: the tread life. They have a shorter tread life, due to the friction caused by the traction. Once again, if used for driving in the city or going to the mall (looking at all of you mall crawlers), these can last around 40,000 to even 45,000 miles.

 

Can I Use Off Road Tires On The Highway?

Yes. 100%. 

Off road tires aren’t really designed for highway or regular street use. They will have an impact on many other factors of your journeys. For example, they are lot louder, especially mud tires. All terrain tires are more inconspicuous with the sound, but still make a noise.

These tires are wider, thicker, with a lot more traction and grip, both AT and MT, which means you’ll drive slower. Even if you accelerate more, they will slow you down and impact your mpg. If you own MTs, then the impact will be bigger.

That said, all off road tires can be used on highways, but they also wear faster than a regular street tire, and here’s why:

Tread: all tires built for the off road need more grip, with more traction for the harsh conditions, hence more aggressive tread patters which run deeper logs. These same patters wear the tire a lot more.

Softer Tires: off-road tires are designed to be softer, the rubber is softer in order to offer a far better traction and grip. Why? Softer rubber can bend easily, adapt to a rock, sand, pebbles, gravel, mud, wood, you name it. Harder rubber will be bouncier, and as a result slide. The trade-off here is that softer rubber, when breaking, with friction, heat, and constant traction at higher speeds, ten to wear a lot faster.

Conditions: Off road tires, being softer, more aggressive, wider, often bigger are much more susceptible to any condition, both of the road and the driver. If you’re constantly changing surfaces, it’ll impact the tires, maybe even wear them differently each tire, forcing you to rotate more often. If you drive slow, then fast, then take drastic turns and do certain maneuvers that an average tire wouldn’t be doing, it stresses the tire, taking a toll on its lifespan.

 

Mud Tires Vs All Terrain MPG

Mud tires have a lot more impact, negatively, on the miles per gallon (MPG) of any vehicle when compared to All terrain tires. Some all terrain tires are not as thick or aggressive as they even should, having a lower impact. If you were to choose a type of tire for an occasional off road trip and mostly driving in the city, go AT, it’s better in lifespan and less fuel consumption. 

If you need to drive over rougher roads all the time, go MT, it’s safer. Period.

 

When To Replace Off Road Tires?

Safety is the most important factor. As you drive more and more miles and your tires begin to wear, then the less effective they are for gripping, breaking, etc. Trust me, from personal experience, I was once in an accident where our car slid over a slippery road where it had just rained and we ended up colliding against a wall. We were on a rental with worn tires. It was a turn, it had rained a few minutes ago, there was no grip, we slid and hit the side wall of the road in Europe. Not nice.

How to check when to replace them? First thing is to know when you bought them and how many miles you’ve used them for. That way you can keep track of the mileage. 

However, there are other ways, and looking at them is a better indication. Use a penny and insert it into the tire’s tread grooves. The best way is to have the Lincoln head facing downwards, and if the head is visible, then it’s a good moment to replace them. Remember, the legal tread depth requirement in USA is 2/32 of an inch. Do remember, safety come first, try not to change them at the legal minimum, but earlier.

  

Best Off Road Tire For Daily Driving? 

Goodyear Wrangler AT

Our personal favorite is the Goodyear Wrangler AT. We consider it to be the best off road tire for daily driving. It heavily competes with the BF Goodrich AT KO2, but we prefer the Goodyear Wrangler.

From personal experience, it has lasted a tad longer, it is quieter, and as such we can confidently say it’s literally the best off road tire for daily driving on a highway or cities. It also translates very, very well to off roading.

In second place comes the BF Goodrich KO2 AT.

If you want to see the Goodyear Wrangler AT tires, CLICK HERE.

 

Longest Lasting Off Road Tires?

The longest lasting off road tires are hard to choose or decide, as we said above, many factors come into play. Are you using them just for off road purposes? Are you using hem only on the city streets? How aggressively do you drive? What weather conditions?

 

Falken Wildpeak A/T3W

The Falken Wildpeak tires aren’t as long lasting for just city driving, but when it comes to driving on winter roads, city roads, and rougher terrains, these bad dogs bark the loudest. These are my favorite Ats for rougher terrains if I’m not using MTs.

Let me repeat that. If I’m constantly doing muddy roads or dirt roads, I’ll go MTs, they are safer. However, if I have to change terrains a lot, then the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W are just what you want and need. They will last more around the 50,000 mile mark.

 If you want to see the Falken Wildpeaks, CLICK HERE.

Let’s Wrap It Up

We hope this article helped you understand which are the best tires for off roading, how long they last, when you might want to change them or check them, and factors to consider before getting them. 

If you’re after off road tires, you can save a lot of money on good tires with the following sale:

Goodyear Tire Rebate @PriorityTire Up to $100 BACK on sets of 4 select tires