Unless you had a specific purpose for your ATV when you bought it, chances are you gave little thought to the tires that came with it. If you’ve owned and used your ATV for any length of time, chances are you’re going to need some new tires soon.

Now a person has to stop and think about what type of ATV tires they will buy. Keep these easy tips in mind when choosing the rubber that goes on your next ATV. Pick the wrong tires and you can be left alone out in the backcountry.

If your budget is tight, and who’s isn’t these days, you may want to consider buying used ATV tires. These can generally be found any place that carries used ATV parts. The biggest mistake many ATV owners make is buying any set of tires they can find because they’re cheap.

For starters, sit down and think about the type of riding you do. It should go without saying that if all your riding is done on the sand dunes, then the best choice for your ATV is sand tires. But this common sense approach is lost on some ATV owners. Just because your ATV came with a certain set of tires doesn’t make them perfect for all types of riding.

Let’s start with ATV sand tires. These tires are basically slicks with rubber paddles on them. Loose sand is not a problem for these wide slick paddled tires. The paddles scoop the sand as the wheel turns, giving excellent traction. These types of tires excel in all types of sandy terrain, but don’t think you can use them anywhere because you can’t. If you have a 2 wheel drive ATV, you should buy smooth front tires for sand riding.

If you find yourself riding down high mountain trails one weekend and riding over sand dunes the next, then a general purpose tire may be what the doctor ordered. More than likely it’s what came with your new or used atv. General use ATV tires are geared more for the casual rider or those that ride over fairly hard soil types.

ATV mud tires come with a very deep and aggressive tread for displacing large amounts of mud. These tires should be your first pick if you find yourself and your machine covered with mud each time you go out riding. Some believe that mud tires work well in sand. They don’t. Using aggressive tread mud tires in soft sand will leave you digging holes while your friends with sand tires pass you by.

Now we get to the Sport and High Performance ATV Tires. These tires are meant for fast riding on hard surfaces. You’ll also notice that many sport or performance tires have a lower profile and some will have taller and wider wheels. The tread is generally small knobs in an X pattern.

Knowing where you’ll be using your ATV is the most critical step in picking the right tire. So before you run out and plunk your money down for any old set of tires, give it a little thought and get the right ones for the job.