May 8, 2009

Used ATV Tires Are A Bargain But Choose Wisely


When most people think about buying a new ATV, tires are not high on the list of features to look at. Older ATV’s that have been used for a while are more than likely going to need some new rubber in the near future.

When finding yourself in need of new tires for your four wheeler, you should proceed in a thoughtful and decisive manner. Choosing the wrong type of ATV tire can leave you cursing your machine and may involve long walks out of the backcountry or riving from friends as they pass you by. Finding the best tires for the trail conditions you encounter isn’t rocket science, but it will require you to give a little thought to picking the right ATV tire.

The amount of money you have to spend on new or used ATV tires will affect the quality of tire you’re able to purchase. The old saying that you get what you pay for is as true for ATV tires as it is for anything else. Used ATV tires can be a real bargain, just be sure you check them out thoroughly so you’re not buying someone elses problem.

For many ATV owners, the set of tires that came with their ATV will perform well. It’s the hardcore off road rider that will see the most performance with high quality ATV rubber. Picking a cheap general purpose tire for your high speed desert riding will yield poor results as the tires fight to gain traction in loose sand. This is why it’s important to choose the right tire for your riding condition. Someone who goes off roading in Colorado mountains will have different needs than someone who spends their weekends in the Mojave desert!

Sand tires designed for ATVs do one thing and they do it well. They get a grip on loose sand. ATV sand tires are slick tires with rubber paddles on them. As the tire turns, these paddles grab and scoop the loose sand, giving the ATV super traction. However, these tires are poor choices for mud or general all terrain riding.

More than likely your used ATV came with general purpose tires. The manufacturers put these on new machines because they meet the needs of the average weekend warrior. Even though general use ATV tires get the job done in most cases, they’re not the best bet in places with deep soft sand or deep mud.

For those of you who don’t consider it a fun ride if you don’t come back covered with mud, the aggressive tread Mud ATV tire is right down your alley. These tires have aggressive treads designed to get a bite in deep mud. The treads are made in a way that it is easy for the tire to clean itself by slinging the mud out of the low spots in the tire so it can get a better bite on its way around.

Now we get to the Sport and High Performance ATV Tires. These tires are meant for fast riding on hard surfaces. You can tell these tires apart from other types because they generally have a lower profile and a smaller tread. The tread is generally small knobs in an X pattern.

Picking the right tire to go on your ATV isn’t hard but it does require some thought. For those that choose the right tires, they’ll have many happy seasons out on the trail as their tires perform well. For those who don’t choose wisely, they’ll be kicking their self for scrimping on cheap tires as their friends blow past them.

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May 1, 2009

How to Check Tires Before Riding ATV

We are going to be talking about our tire pressure now and basic ATV riding. We are going to go ahead and start with finding the tire pressure on your tire. It will be listed somewhere along the side around here, all's you have to do is look for it.

ATV tires are very important because that is what is going to keep you rolling or going. And if you maintain your tires pretty well you will not have to worry about any flat tires or anything like that. So, now when we look for our tire pressure we are going to go ahead and run it at thirty six psi that is what it is recommended for.

We will go ahead and run it at thirty-six psi on the cement or the street or when we are riding around town. When we are riding on sand or on some other type of surface we are going to have to adjust tire pressure, so in sand we will have to run it about four pounds under recommended pressure.

On dirt where it is going to be rocky and bumpy and there is going to be stuff underneath you, you want to make sure you run it in between their. Somewhere between two below or four below and that will keep you running pretty smooth. So now we are going to go ahead and look at our ATV tires and see if their is any cracks along the sides on the walls of the tires or on the front of the tires if their is any crack or nails or anything like that which could possibly give us troubles later on.

Right now this looks like a pretty clean tire, not too much wear on the tread. Their is no cracks on the walls or the top. When you guy's are riding you want to make sure that you keep on your ATV tires and anything else on your ATV so that you have a nice smooth ride. If you take care of your ATV it will take care of you.