Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs) are designed to help you drive, haul, tow, and transport people and things across a wide variety of different terrain types. A good UTV will have a chassis and suspension system designed to handle all types of terrain—but when it comes to tires, things can get a little trickier.
This guide will help. We’re going to go over some of the different types of tires you might use on your UTV, tell you about the tires we offer with our UTVs, and help you decide on the best tires for your off-road electric vehicles.
Selecting The Correct Tire Size
Bigger isn’t always better, even on UTVs. There’s a temptation to opt for bigger tires to help you get over sand, rocks, snow, and ice. Larger tires can help improve traction, and the greater height they offer improves clearance. These are good things—so why would you opt for smaller tires?
The reason is simple—bigger tires can reduce fuel efficiency, provide slower acceleration, and change the center of gravity of your UTV, making it more prone to tipping.
When you know you’re going to be traveling on rough terrain, opting for larger tires can be the perfect play—but if you’re mostly riding on roads, stock tires are a better idea. You can also adjust the tread pattern, tire ply, and rubber of your tire before changing the size—and don’t worry, we’ll touch on all of that more.
Getting bigger tires can be a great play. The size of your tires is measured in height, width, and rim diameter. You can generally increase the height of your tires by about an inch—more than that might require a lift kit. You might be able to increase the width of your tires, but it depends on the width of the stock wheels, and whether or not an increase is going to rub against shocks, the frame, or other components.
Don’t increase the rim diameter—it means your tires won’t fit unless you get a whole new set of wheels.
Tire Ply And Rubber Compound
Tire ply tells you how many layers of rubber are used to manufacture your tires. We wouldn’t normally compare tires to toilet paper, but it’s the perfect analogy—2-ply toilet paper is thinner, while 3-ply is thicker.
The idea is the same for tires. The more ply, the thicker the wheels. Four-ply, six-ply, and eight-ply tires are all commonly seen on UTVs; four-ply tires are often used as stock tires and for easier terrain, six-ply is used for more rugged off-roading, and eight-ply is used when there’s a high risk of puncture, like on rocky mountain terrain.
Like bigger tires, higher ply isn’t always better; high-ply tires can reduce energy efficiency and deliver a less comfortable ride.
Tire ply can also be broken down into how the layers of rubber are arranged; there are bias tires and radial tires. Both offer advantages for UTVs:
- Bias tires may offer better grip on irregular surfaces—they’re also less expensive than radial tires.
- Radial tires are more fuel efficient, more resistant to punctures, and are better for high-speed driving.
Another thing to consider is the rubber compound you use. Softer compounds offer more grip, while harder compounds are more durable. There are also dual-compound designs.
Tread Pattern And Depth
Finally, we have to talk about tire treads. Shallower treads are usually used on stock tires and sand tires; deeper treads are used on tires that are likely to get stuck in the mud and snow.
The pattern on your treads matters, too—symmetrical treads are best for smooth driving, directional treads are best for snow and mud, and asymmetric treads offer better grip in wet conditions.
UTV Tires Are Built For Different Types Of Terrain
Now that you know all of the different options that are available for UTV tires (and there are a lot), we can talk about how those different options affect the types of tires you should consider on your UTV.
Stock Tires
Stock tires are built for general terrain—they tend to be designed for better handling, durability, and a smoother ride. Stock UTV tires usually have:
- Lower tire ply (4 to 6)
- Symmetrical tire treads
- Shallow treads
- Harder or dual-compound rubber
Mud Tires
Mud tires are designed to get you through and out of the mud. They’re designed for better grip, and to move mud away from the tire’s surface. UTV mud tires tend to have:
- Lower tire ply (4 to 6)
- Directional treads
- Deep treads
- Harder rubber compounds
The rubber compound on mud tires needs to be harder in order to improve durability—it can take a lot of torque to get your UTV out of the mud, and the last thing you want is tire treads that wear or deform from the effort.
Snow Tires
Snow tires are designed to get you through deep snow; like mud tires, they’re made to have excellent grip. They’re also designed to bite into snow and ice. Snow tires tend to have:
- Lower tire ply (4 to 6)
- Directional treads
- Deep treads
- Softer rubber compounds
Notably, snow tires often have micro sipes, which are small cuts in the treads that allow them to bite into snow and ice more easily. The rubber compound on snow tires is soft because cold weather hardens rubber; softer compounds allow the tire to maintain flexibility and conform to surfaces covered in snow and ice.
All-Terrain Tires
All-terrain tires are designed to be used on more rugged surfaces; they are often utilized for rock crawling. An all-terrain tire is a puncture-resistant tire; they tend to have:
- High ply (6 to 8)
- Asymmetrical treads
- High tread depth
- Harder rubber compounds
When all-terrain tires are being used as rock tires, it’s common to opt for larger tires—the extra clearance bigger tires provide is perfect for rugged, rocky terrain.
Turf Tires
Turf tires are used on soft grass; the goal is to provide enough grip to be used on turf, without damaging the turf you drive on. Turf tires tend to feature:
- Lower ply (4 or sometimes 6)
- Symmetrical treads
- Low tread depth
- Soft compounds
Westward Industries Vehicles Are Built For All Scenarios
Here at Westward Industries, we build UTVs that you can customize for the work that you need them to do. We have EVs for delivery and so much more! As such, we offer a variety of different UTV tires with our vehicles, including:
- On-road radial standard tires – 165/65 R14
- On-road radial heavy duty suspension tires (optional) – 175/70 R14
- Wide body on-road radials – 195-75 R14
- Wide body off-road (knobby) – 23” x 10” R14
Our standard and heavy suspension tires are both excellent for a mix of on-road and off-road use, with the heavy suspension tires being better for rougher terrain and heavier loads. The off-road tires are best for mud, sand, and rocks; the on-road tires are best for use on the road.
This list is accurate as of March, 2025. We’re constantly improving our vehicles, so these tire specs may change from time to time; please inquire at time of ordering.
