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Mud Tires
& Mud Driving
Mud
Tire, Mud Terrain and
All Terrain Tires Reviews,
Information
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 Driving through mud is a cross between ice skating
and walking through quicksand. Some types of mud have a greasy top layer
with a hard baked surface underneath, while other types can be a
bottomless quagmire of gooey mush.
Different types of mud require different driving techniques,
equipment and Mud Tires. Greasy mud with a hard bottom layer is best suited to
narrow mud tires to allow them to cut through the top layer to bite the hard
surface below. Wide mud tires in this situation tend to float on the greasy top
layer without reaching the hard surface underneath.
Tire Terminology
How to Pick the Right
Mud Tire
Making A Mud Tire
Mud Tire Reviews
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Mud Tire Reviews
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Read Mud Tire Reviews and
Post Your Own Review
of your Mud Tires Mud Terrain MT and AT (All Terrain) Tires.
Review Mud Tires
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Thick gooey mud tends to favor wide mud tires as they
give some flotation, similar to wide tires favoring sand driving.
Lowering your tire pressures can help just like when sand driving, though its best not to
lower tire pressures below 20-25psi for mud.
Regardless of what type of mud and what width
tires are fitted, the tread pattern needs to have large lugs to allow the tire to 'clean'
itself. If they don't, the lugs fill with mud and the tire becomes a 'slick' with little
chance of getting traction. Road orientated tread patterns tend to have closely spaced
lugs to put more rubber on the road and to reduce tire noise at highway speeds. When it
comes to mud, road tread tires are at a significant disadvantage, whereas in sand they
help avoid 'digging in'. Dedicated mud tires have large open spaced lugs to keep the tire
clean. However, they handle worse on bitumen as there is less rubber in contact with the
ground and in sand they tend to dig in. Also they can have an annoying drone at highway
speeds.
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Mud Driving Techniques Mud Tires
Unlike some other types of terrain, mud-driving techniques
vary on the type of mud. Reducing tire pressures can help in 'bottomless' mud
whereas it can make things worse when a hard surface is below the mud. Mud
usually tends to hide obstacles such as tree roots and sticks just waiting to
slash your sidewalls, so its best to avoid reducing tire pressures if you can
avoid it.
Driving on the peaks between tire tracks can provide
firmer ground, as water tends to collect in the wheel tracks. Though sometimes the
existing wheel tracks have cut through to the firmer surface underneath and provide the
best traction.
Moving the steering wheel left to right about 90°
from the center can help the front wheels bite into the mud in search of traction. Do not
turn the wheel too for as you can end up making things worse.
As you have probably gathered by now, mud driving is
unpredictable and you need to have a knowledge of different driving techniques to know
which one to apply in each situation. What doesn't change is the need to have good mud
tires with big self-cleaning lugs and good recovery equipment.
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Mud Tires |
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Tire Chains, an alternative
to Mud Tires
 A way to overcome the cost and audible discomfort of mud tires is to use tire chains
on your existing tires. They will dramatically improve your traction, but they do damage
the track surface. It is best if they are only used when you HAVE to traverse a muddy
track, as they can make it almost impassable when it dries out. If possible, it is best to
let a muddy track partially dry out so you con get through in 4WD without using chains, as
chains will deteriorate the track for future users.
There are two main types of tire chains, the bar
(ladder) pattern or the diamond pattern. The bar pattern is better for mud as it really
bites into the surface, whereas the diamond pattern is normally used for snow driving. It
provides a smoother ride as the chain is in constant contact with the surface and has
side-slip resistance, whereas the bar type has more of a digging action. Both types of
chains can be used in either situation so if you do purchase them, choose the sort for
your main type of driving.
Mud Tires -
Mud Tires -
Mud Tires -
Mud
Tires
Maintenance
Mud, especially clay and thick mud, tends to stick wherever it touches, It can build
up under the wheel arches to the point it acts as a brake on the tires. This type of
build-up is obvious and has to be cleared immediately, but other types of build-up that
are not so obvious but still need immediate removal is on the rims. Even a small amount
can throw your wheel balance out dramatically and can lead to uneven tire wear and a
vibrating steering wheel.
Once all visible mud has been removed, its necessary
to check items like diff and gearbox breathers to ensure they are clear, otherwise it con
lead to seal damage in the long term. Also check all drain holes on the chassis etc to
ensure they are not blocked. Its surprising how mud can even find it’s way to block
drain holes on the bottom of doors!
Tire Terminology
Wheel Terminology
How to Pick the Right
Tires for your Truck
Truck
Tire Info
Making A Tire
Maintaining a
Tire
OFFROAD PRODUCT
REVIEWS
Read user opinions and post your own.
It's what you think that counts. From Offroad Tires to Winches to
Offroad Lights and more.
Go to the reviews
 Northern
Exposure and My Mud Tires
"Sticks and Stones may break my Jeep but mud is
always funner". Mountain 4
Wheeling offroad at the peak of the fall season. A
weekend in the northeastern Appalachian Mountains with
incredibly colorful fall foliage. Mud Tires a
Must. |
Mud Tire Wheeling
We do a weekend worth of offroading kicking
it off on a Friday the 13th. Loads of fun in the
high hills of PA and some muddin' with the Mud
Tires down in the valleys.
Another awesome weekend. 13 pages worth of 4
wheeling fun and mud tires. |
 Paragon
Adventure Park Mud Tire Special
Wheeling the Park one last
time. Mud Tires get us through the snow on Paragon's Monthly Trail Ride attracts Hundreds
in support of the park and it's owners surrounding a battle to save
the park's future from extinction.
Benefit Trail Rides were on
Feb. 3 & 4th.
See the Report |
 Wheeling
in Rattlesnake Country
In this offroad report we have the opportunity to take a
2007 Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon equipped with Mud
Tires and a 2007 Toyota FJ
Cruiser (without Mud Tires) up into the Pennsylvania Mountain Trails for a
Weekend of Offroading. With this report we will
run down the pros and cons and our offroad impressions
of the FJ Cruiser and the JK Wrangler Rubicon.
Check it out here |
 RAIN
EVENT - Wheelin' with Tammy A rain soaked trip into the PA mountains.
New trails in familiar territory tamed with Mud Tires. Quads, Jeeps Toyotas
and more take to the trails under some of the most beautiful
foliage we've seen up on the PA mountains in
years. |
 Offroad
in the heart of
Anthracite Coal Region - Pennsylvania Coal
Regions are a playground for the adventurous 4 wheeler. All you need
is a rig with Mud tires. Check out the action from high atop a
mountain of slag. |
Browse over 30,000 trails and
unlimited topo maps for free. Sign up today!
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