All-Terrain Tires on a Work Pickup: What You Gain and Give Up

An all-terrain tire sits between a highway tire and a mud tire. Compared with a highway tread, the blocks are larger, the grooves between them are wider, and the edges are more open so the tread can bite into loose surfaces and clear stones and dirt as it turns. The rubber and the casing are usually built to take more abuse from rock and debris.

Compared with a mud tire, an all-terrain is quieter, smoother and more predictable on pavement, and it gives up some ability in deep mud. For most work pickups, which split their time between roads and rough ground, that middle position is the point.

Grip on loose surfaces. Gravel roads, farm lanes, dirt pads and unpaved yards are where an all-terrain earns its place. The open tread finds purchase where a highway tire skates.

Resistance to cuts and chips. A job site is full of things that damage tires: broken rock, rebar ends, scrap and sharp edges. Tougher tread compounds and stronger sidewalls take more of that before a tire is finished.

Confidence with a load on rough ground. A loaded bed on a rutted track asks a lot of the sidewall. A tire built for that work holds its shape better.

Fewer surprises off the road. A work truck that sometimes has to get to a site in bad conditions is less likely to need help getting back out.

Road noise. Larger tread blocks with open gaps between them make more sound on pavement. On a short commute it is barely noticeable. On a long highway day it can be tiring.

Ride comfort. A stiffer casing transmits more of the road into the cab.

Fuel economy. A heavier tire with more rolling resistance generally uses slightly more fuel than a highway tire. The difference varies by tire and truck, and it adds up over a year of heavy mileage.

Tread life on pavement. Softer, more aggressive tread can wear faster when most miles are highway miles. A tire bought for durability can end up replaced sooner than the highway tire it replaced.

Wet and cold pavement behavior. Tread designed to dig into dirt does not always handle wet or icy pavement the way a tread designed for it does. Check the specific tire's ratings rather than assuming.

Estimate honestly how the truck's miles split. Then use these rules of thumb:

• Mostly highway, rarely off pavement. A highway tire is usually the better fit. The all-terrain's strengths go unused while its costs show up every day.
• Regular gravel, dirt or job sites, plus highway travel. This is the work an all-terrain is built for.
• Deep mud, heavy rock or serious off-road work. You may need something more aggressive than an all-terrain, and you should accept more noise and wear to get it.
• Heavy towing on the highway. Load capacity and heat matter more than tread pattern. Choose for the load first, then the surface.

Most people underestimate their highway share and overestimate their off-road share. The truck is usually parked on a site rather than working through it.

A work pickup's tires have a job before they have a style. The load rating on the sidewall has to match or exceed what the truck carries, including the payload in the bed and the tongue weight of anything it tows. A tough-looking tread on a tire with too little load capacity is the wrong tire.

When you call for a quote, give the store:

• The size from the sidewall, including the load range if you can read it.
• The truck by year, make and model.
• What it carries and tows, and roughly how often.
• The split between highway, gravel and job site.
• How the current tires wore, and what ended them.

The light truck tires page covers the wider choice between light truck and passenger construction.

A set of all-terrains fitted to a truck that is out of alignment will wear unevenly, and the aggressive tread makes uneven wear show up as noise sooner than a highway tire would. Have the alignment checked when the tires go on, particularly on a truck that spends time on rutted ground or has had a hard hit. Car and light truck alignment covers what the check involves.

Regular rotation matters even more with large tread blocks, which tend to wear into uneven patterns if they stay in one position too long. The tire rotation guide sets out the patterns for pickups.

Fitting larger all-terrain tires to a lifted truck changes more than the look. The speedometer can read differently, the truck's gearing works harder, braking and steering parts take more load, and the alignment changes with the lift. If the truck has been lifted or you are considering a size change, tell the store before choosing a tire.

If the pickup tows, the trailer's tires are part of the same decision. They are usually the forgotten ones, and they fail differently. The RV and trailer tires guide covers age, load and storage for the tires behind the truck.