Rock crawling asks a tire for the opposite of what mud asks. Mud wants tall, aggressive lugs that clear themselves. Rock wants a soft compound and a sidewall that will wrap around an edge instead of bouncing off it.
Buy a mud tire for rock and you will slide off ledges that a softer tire would have held. Buy a rock tire and take it into deep mud and it will pack solid. Most people ride both, which is why the picks below are not all the same shape.
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SuperATV XT Warrior, the rock crawling pick
Our Pick
SuperATV XT Warrior Off Road Tire – 34×10-14 – for Polaris, Can-Am, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat, Rock & All Terrain UTV/ATV – 34″ – Standard
- Eight-ply casing with a sidewall stiff enough to run low pressure
- Conforms to the obstacle instead of bouncing off it
- Available in 34 inch, which needs a clutch kit and probably a lift
- Compromise tread rather than a dedicated rock pattern
Eight-ply construction with a sidewall stiff enough to run low pressure without folding under, which is the whole game on rock. Aired down, this tire conforms to the obstacle and grips.
It is available in 34 inch, which is more tire than a stock machine can turn without a clutch kit and probably a lift. Going that big on a stock RZR will cost you low-end power and eat belts, which is the same belt problem covered elsewhere on this site.
The tread is a compromise pattern rather than a dedicated rock tread. That is deliberate and it is why it works for people who crawl on Saturday and trail ride on Sunday.
Maxxis Zilla, if there is mud between the rocks
Best For Mud
Full set of Maxxis Zilla 27×9-12 and 27×11-12 ATV Mud Tires (4)
- Full staggered set of four, front and rear
- Tall paddle lugs clear mud better than anything else here
- Noticeably worse than the XT Warrior on dry rock
- Light for their size, which keeps the belt penalty down
A full set of four, front and rear staggered. The Zilla is a mud tire, and it is on this page because most rock riding in the eastern half of the country involves getting to the rocks through mud.
Tall paddle-style lugs clear mud better than anything else here. On dry rock they are noticeably worse than the XT Warrior, because there is less rubber touching the stone at any moment.
Lightweight for their size, which is the reason people keep buying them.
MAXXIS Maxxzilla M60, the single-tire option
Best Single Replacement
MAXXIS Maxxzilla (M60) Tire 27×9-12
- Sold as one tire, so a single cut sidewall does not cost four
- Aggressive enough for mud, hard enough to last on rock
- Excels at neither, by design
- Match your existing size and tread or the machine changes under power
Sold as one tire rather than a set, which makes it the sensible way to replace a single casualty without buying four. Anyone who has cut a sidewall on a sharp ledge knows why that matters.
Aggressive enough for mud, hard enough to last on rock. It is a compromise in both directions and it does not excel at either.
Check your existing size before ordering. Mixing tread patterns front to rear changes how the machine behaves under power and not usually for the better.
ITP Mud Lite XXL, the budget set
Budget Pick
ITP Mud Lite XXL Mud Terrain ATV Tire 30×10-14
- Six-ply, light, and cheap enough that shredding one is survivable
- Long-running design that has outlasted trendier tires
- Harder compound slides where a soft tire grips
- Will not take the low pressure an eight-ply tolerates
The Mud Lite has been around long enough that people forget it is still good. Six-ply, light, and cheap enough that shredding one on rock does not ruin the month.
The compound is harder than the SuperATV, so it slides where a softer tire grips. On a machine that mostly trail rides and occasionally crawls, that is an acceptable trade for the price.
Do not air this one down as far as you would air down an eight-ply. The sidewall will not support it.
Which rock crawling tire should you buy?
Serious rock, buy the SuperATV XT Warrior and plan for the clutch work.
Rock with mud in between, buy the Maxxis Zilla set. Replacing one damaged tire, buy the single Maxxzilla in your existing size. Riding on a budget, the ITP Mud Lite XXL is honest value.
Tire pressure matters more than tread on rock
Almost everyone runs too much air. Dropping to 8 or 10 psi lets the tire deform around the obstacle and roughly doubles the contact patch. That is a bigger performance change than switching tread patterns.
Below about 8 psi on a stock rim you risk unseating the bead. Beadlock wheels exist for exactly this reason and they are the real upgrade if you crawl often.
Related guides
- Do you balance UTV tires
- Why are UTV tires smaller in the front
- Choosing the right ATV tire pressure for different terrains
FAQ
Are ATV tires and UTV tires interchangeable?
Sometimes physically, rarely wisely. A UTV is heavier and carries more load per tire, so an ATV-rated casing on a side by side runs hot and fails early. Match the load rating, not just the size.
Do I need beadlocks for rock crawling?
Not to start. You need them the first time you unseat a bead a mile from the truck.