Automotive

BUYING GUIDE FOR BEST ATV TIRES

The best ATV tires on the market are rugged, durable, and make light work of even the roughest terrain. They should be able to handle chores such as pulling stumps or hauling a trailer filled with brush in addition to recreational activities such as hunting or camping..

The best tires also should be able to withstand a mix of weather and leave the user equally at ease in snow, mud, or sand. That’s asking a lot of tire, and the following models achieve top marks in each of these departments.

CONSIDERATIONS

TRACTION

Grip. Dig. Bite. Call it what you will – the tires on an ATV need to be able to simultaneously negotiate the terrain and handle the power supplied by the motor while they haul your load, facilitate your fun, or get you out of trouble. The tread pattern on the tire is a significant consideration in determining the traction that it is able to provide in different terrain conditions such as gravel, dirt, rock, and mud.

RIDE

How a tire rides is key indicator of user satisfaction. The tire should increase the user’s confidence in the vehicle’s handling and control, and it should adapt to road conditions. You’re not always going to be crossing rivers or pulling rocks out of the ground with an ATV - you may merely be riding down the driveway to get the mail and don’t want to feel as though you are driving through the Grand Canyon to do so.

DURABILITY

It’s hard to imagine how much an ATV tire will go through when put into good use. Sticks, twigs, logs, thorns, brambles, briars, rocks, peaks, cliffs, glass – all of these hazards and more await the tires on an ATV. The tire cannot fail at a key moment and leave you in the lurch. It needs to shrug off punishment and be able to keep taking more.

PRICE

An ATV tire is a specialty item. Unlike tires on a car or truck, ATV tires might not be used every day. A fine balancing act needs to occur between the amount the tire will be used, the applications in which it will be used, and the amount of money you want to invest on it.

KENDA BEARCLAW K299 ATV TIRE

The Kenda Bearclaw K299 offers plenty of traction for tough jobs. It can pull logs from a swamp, and it will not tear up the grass while moving around the yard. The tires also work well on two-wheel drive ATVs, in addition to four-wheelers. Overall, the Kenda is a well-rounded tire for all-around use that operates well on dirt, gravel, rock, mud, water, and any other slop that the vehicle may encounter.

ITP 56A304 MUD LITE

The ITP 56A304 Mud Lite is famous for its ability to handle and never get stuck in mud. It features excellent traction across a range of applications, providing plenty of grip in simple home applications as well as heavier duty use cases such as farming or off-road recreation. One owner who we surveyed proclaimed that the ITP opens up new terrain, enabling him to explore areas he dared not to on a previous set of tires.

KENDA K290 SCOPRION TIRE

The Kenda K290 Scorpion features excellent traction, albeit in certain contexts. Where it differs from the Kenda Bearclaw is that it is intended to be used primarily in ligher-duty applications on lighter-duty machines, providing plenty of traction for tasks such as yard chores and mowing the lawn. It performs exceptionally well on golf carts, and is the tire of choice on the green.

KENDA K538 EXECUTIONER FRONT TIRE

Traction with the Kenda K538 Executioner is a bit of a slippery slope (no pun intended). It offers enough grip to get you in trouble but seemingly not enough to extract you out of it. That being said, the tire excels in the mud, offering excellent traction in wet climates. Its tread is deep and vast - similar to what might be found on an off-road work truck or tractor. We found farmers to be especially big fans of this tire.

CARLISLE HD FIELD TRAX ATV TIRE

The Carlisle HD Field Trax handles mud, muck, snow and manure quite well. While it is not as lauded as some of the other tires in terms of traction, it does grip well on a multitude of surfaces including blacktop, stone, and gravel. One substantial point in the Carlisle’s favor is that it provides solid traction without damaging the turf or grass underneath the vehicle - an important consideration if you plan on using it in your own yard.

RIDE

KENDA BEARCLAW K299 ATV TIRE

The Kenda Bearclaw K299 is regaled by owners for offering a solid ride across a multitude of applications. The tires are especially known for being super quiet. (Remember – the tires on an ATV feature a wider tread pattern. The less a tire touches surface, the more noise it produces). One owner told us that his Bearclaws ride so well, he sometimes feels like he’s riding in a car on the highway instead of on an ATV in his yard.

ITP 56A304 MUD LITE​

Owners seem to be largely indifferent about the ride offered by the ITP 56A304 Mud Lite. There are some positive and some negative reviews on this point, and enthusiasm is reserved for other selling points of the tire. We did get feedback from owners that it is able to adequately handle almost all road and weather conditions indiscriminately, so its versatility is something to consider.

KENDA K290 SCOPRION TIRE

The Kenda K290 Scorpion is another super quiet tire. It rides smoothly and responsively, making the user feel like they have increased control of the machine. Bear in mind the Scorpion is a tire for lighter-duty applications, and it is meant to be used on smoother surfaces. As is obvious by the tread design, it will not perform well splashing through the mud or moving snow.

KENDA K538 EXECUTIONER FRONT TIRE

The Kenda K5389 Executioner is not the tire to buy if a smooth ride is your top priority. Its tractor-like tread design makes the tire decidedly rough. The Executioner is the definition of utilitarian and is built to work in harsh, sloppy conditions. If you do choose to go with this tire and still care for a comfortable ride, you can try putting in less air in the tires and forcing more contact with the road. This might compromise the tire’s durability if done repeatedly, but it will certainly help give smoothen out your ride.

CARLISLE HD FIELD TRAX ATV TIRE

Of the tires in this review, the tread design of the Carlisle HD Field Trax is the most conducive to a quiet and comfortable ride. The tire is intentionally oversized for many applications, so plenty of the tire touches the surface, making noise a non-issue. The Carlisle does equally well on grass, asphalt, gravel, and sand, and is able to handle bumps with ease.

DURABILITY

KENDA BEARCLAW K299 ATV TIRE

“Rugged” might as well be included in the Kenda Bearclaw K299 name. The upgrade in durability in this tire offers is especially noticeable when replacing stock ATV tires, as owners find it to be a major upgrade from the original equipment tires. All in all, the Bearclaws can withstand a beating from thorns and heavy brush, pull 600-lb. hay bales and assorted trailers, and negotiate rocks and mud from Alaska to Texas.

ITP 56A304 MUD LITE

The superlatives and examples that owners give about the ITP 56A304 Mud Lite’s durability almost border on the stuff of legend. One owned proclaimed it to be the Chuck Norris of ATV tires, commenting that it wears like steel and is the single most durable tire he has ever ridden. We found the ITP to show little sign of dry rot, which is worth considering if the vehicle is used infrequently and is going to sit without being moved.

The ITP is also praised for its ability to be plugged numerous times after being punctured, giving it a second life in the rare case that it does sustain a hole the first time around. It goes without saying that this tire is able to withstand the rigors of plowing snow, moving manure, and hauling brush without any complications - if you are looking for a rugged, dependable tire for such applications, this is the tire for you.

KENDA K290 SCOPRION TIRE

The durability of the Kenda K290 Scorpion largely depends on the application for which it is being used. This is not a tire for a vehicle that is going to tow logs and rip stumps from the ground. If mistakenly used for that application, its durability will suffer, but when it is properly used in lighter-duty applications, the Scorpion shines and delivers.

Like the Bearclaw, the Scorpion is a far more durable tire than any of the original equipment options it replaces and is an extremely solid purchase if you are planning on using it on the road.

KENDA K538 EXECUTIONER FRONT TIRE

The Kenda K5389 Executioner is another tire that offers excellent durability. It shrugs off rough terrain and makes light work of heavily wooded areas, snow, mud, muck and slop. The Executioner also comes with a bead protector, adding to the tire’s durability. It goes without saying that the tire is heavy, thick, and strong, and as one owner pointed out, “looks great weathering whatever is thrown its way.”

CARLISLE HD FIELD TRAX ATV TIRE

The Carlisle HD Field Trax is a heavy tire with a thick sidewall, making its durability something you can take for granted. A few owners we surveyed said that it is the best tire that they’ve ever owned and is decidedly more durable than the original equipment it replaces.

We found its durability to be better than that of the Scorpion and on par with that of the Bearclaw and ITP. It is not uncommon for users to see more life than expected from the Carlisle, with a few owners even pointing out that they’ve never once had to replace it.

PRICE

KENDA BEARCLAW K299 ATV TIRE

At $59.99 plus shipping and handling, the Kenda Bearclaw K299 is one of the cheapest tires one our shortlist, making it an incredible deal considering what you get for your money. The tire’s traction, ride, and durability are among the best on the entire market, despite the fact that some other tires sell for a quite a bit more. Overall, the tire offers world-class performance at a very manageable price.

Last update on 2019-12-07 PST - Details

ITP 56A304 MUD LITE

At $70.99, the ITP 56A304 Mud Lite is a bargain on many levels, although it doesn’t quite match the Bearclaw in terms of bang for the buck. The ITP excels across a number of uses – at home, on the farm, in the woods, on the trail, or in the mountains. It works well on two-wheel and four-wheel applications, and it is a very aesthetically pleasing tire. One could do far worse when purchasing ATV tires but would be hard-pressed to do better.

Last update on 2019-12-07 PST - Details

KENDA K290 SCOPRION TIRE

The Kenda K590 Scorpion, on sale for $65.68, is also on the cheaper end of the spectrum. While it doesn’t quite match the ITP 56A304 Mud Lite or Bearclaw in terms of durability off-road, the Scorpion is the ideal tire for lighter-duty applications on small ATVs, yard equipment, and golf carts.

Last update on 2019-12-08 PST - Details

KENDA K538 EXECUTIONER FRONT TIRE

The price tag of the Kenda K5389 Executioner is $87.88 per tire plus shipping and handling. It might not seem like much, but remember to multiply the different by the number of tires purchased. We didn’t find the Executioner to be that much better than the Bearclaw or ITP, each of which offer more traction, durability, and a better ride. Overall, the Executioner is a fine tire, but it is certainly not the best tire for the money.

Last update on 2019-12-08 PST - Details

CARLISLE HD FIELD TRAX ATV TIRE

The Carlisle HD Field Trax is a bargain at $93.12 plus shipping and handling. It is an original equipment replacement for many John Deere and Cub Cadet products, and most owners who purchased the tire were pleased at being able to purchase such a quality tire for less than what a dealer charges. Even with that considered, there is almost no reason to buy the Carlisle over the ITP and Bearclaw which are better all-around tires and go for a considerably lower price.

Last update on 2019-12-08 PST - Details

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