Overlanding is all about exploring remote places with difficult to reach terrain. Often, camping plays a part as well. Whether you’re navigating gravel roads, rocky trails, desert sand or paved roads, your tires play a critical role in how safely and confidently you’ll reach your destination.
Choosing the right overlanding tires helps improve traction, durability, and vehicle control while carrying heavy gear over unpredictable obstacles. You will also need them to perform safely on paved surfaces as you journey to your trail.
This guide explains what makes a good overlanding tire, what tire type works best, and how to choose the right tires for your overland vehicle.
WHAT ARE OVERLANDING TIRES?
Overlanding tires are off-road capable tires designed for long-distance travel across multiple types of terrain, including sand, rock, gravel, and dirt.
Unlike extreme off-road tires designed only for trails, overlanding tires need to balance durability, traction, and highway comfort.
A good overlanding tire typically offers:
- Strong sidewalls to resist punctures
- Durable tread compounds
- Reliable traction on mixed terrain
- Good highway stability
- Load capacity for heavy gear
Because overlanding trips often involve both highway driving and remote trails, many drivers choose all-terrain tires that perform well in a variety of conditions.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD OVERLANDING TIRE?
Not every off-road tire is ideal for overlanding. Long-distance travel requires tires that can handle changing terrain and heavy loads without sacrificing reliability.
When choosing overlanding tires, look for the following features:
- Durability
- Sidewall strength
- Traction on multiple surfaces
- Load capacity
- Long tread life
Choose tires with strong tread compounds and reinforced construction to help prevent damage from rough terrain.
Thicker sidewalls offer puncture resistance in off-road situations.
Overland routes may include pavement, dirt, sand, mud, and rocks so tires need to maintain grip across a wide variety of surfaces.
Overlanding vehicles often carry rooftop tents, camping gear, water, and fuel so tires must be able to support the extra weight.
Overland trips can cover hundreds or even thousands of miles, making tire longevity a vital consideration.
BEST TIRE TYPES FOR OVERLANDING
Depending on where and how you travel, different tire types can work well for overlanding.
All-Terrain Tires
All-terrain tires are the most common choice for overlanding because they offer a balance of off-road capability with highway comfort.
Benefits include:
- Good traction in dirt and gravel
- Quiet highway driving (compared to mud terrain)
- Longer tread life (compared to mud terrain)
- Durability against mixed terrain
All-terrain tires offer the flexibility, off-road capability, and on-road manners that many overlanders prefer.
SHOP ALL TERRAIN TIRESMud Terrain Tires
Mud terrain tires deliver high performance and aggressive traction for deep mud and challenging obstacles such as off-roading trails.
They typically feature:
- Large tread blocks
- Deep voids to evacuate mud
- Reinforced construction
However, mud terrain tires can be noisier, more expensive, and may wear faster than other tire types, especially with long highway drives on the itinerary.
SHOP MUD TERRAIN TIRESHybrid/Rugged Terrain Tires
Hybrid terrain or Rugged-terrain tires combine features of both all-terrain and mud terrain tires.
These tires often offer:
- Stronger off-road traction than all-terrain tires
- Better road comfort than mud terrain tires
- Durable sidewall protection
These can be good options for overlanders who spend significant time on both trails and paved roads. This is a newer tire category and can be tricky to search for, so check out our list of the best rugged-terrain tires for some inspiration!
Best Tire Sizes for Overlanding
Many overlanding vehicles use slightly larger tires than stock to improve ground clearance, traction, and overall aesthetic look. This may require a lift or other modifications.
Common overlanding tire sizes include:
- 33-inch tires: popular upgrade for midsize trucks and SUVs
- 35-inch tires: offers improved clearance for more technical trails
- 37-inch tires: used for heavily modified off-road builds and serious off-roaders
Common overlanding tire fitments include:
Before upgrading your tire size, ensure that the tires will fit your vehicle properly and maintain safe handling characteristics.
Keep in mind that larger all-terrain and mud terrain tires tend to be more expensive than other tire types due to their robust construction and specialized performance. Check our promotions page regularly to find great deals!
SHOP TIRE DEALSRECOMMENDED TIRES FOR OVERLANDING
The best tire for overlanding depends on your vehicle, terrain, and driving style. The most common overlanding tire is an all-terrain tire because they balance off-road traction with long-distance comfort compared to more extreme options. However, our list includes various tire types for a complete shopping experience.
We recommend the following overlanding tires:
- BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3
- All-terrain construction and performance
- 50,000-mile warranty
- Three-peak mountain snowflake severe weather rated
- Robust construction
- Aggressive traction in a variety of conditions (sand, rock, mud, rain, and light snow)
- RFID traceable
- Falken Wildpeak A/T4W
- All-terrain and all-weather tire
- 60-65,000-mile warranty
- LT and non-LT sizes available
- Heavy-duty construction with increased load capacities
- Long-lasting on-road comfort
- Three-peak mountain snowflake rating
- Enhanced traction in wet or winter conditions
- Heat diffusing tech for stability when towing or increased load
- Toyo Open Country A/T III
- All-terrain tread and all-weather type
- 50-65,000-mile warranty
- Confident wet braking and handling
- Cut-and-chip resistance
- Quiet, comfortable on-road ride
- Three distinct tread and shoulder designs including outline white lettering (OWL)
- Stone ejecting blocks
- Reduced irregular treadwear
- Reliable all-terrain grip on rocks, mud, light snow, slush, and more
- Nitto Ridge Grappler
- Rugged-terrain design
- Mud terrain and all-terrain combo construction
- Rapid mud-cleaning tread
- Biting edges for aggressive grip
- Variable pitch tread pattern for quiet, smooth highway drive
- Stone ejectors for anti stone drilling
- Dual sidewall designs
- Reinforced block foundation for reduced flex
- Unyielding grip in soft and challenging terrain like sand and mud
- Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT
- Rugged-terrain tire
- 50,000-mile warranty
- Three-peak mountain snowflake and M+S rating
- DuPont™ Kevlar tread protection
- Three-ply Durawall® sidewall resists punctures and tears
- High levels of traction in off-road, wet, and snowy conditions
- Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T
- Mud terrain tire
- Updated PowerPly XD construction
- Four-pitch Sidebiter shoulder lugs protects from punctures, cuts, and tears
- Mud-clearing tread with forward propulsion
- Stone ejector ribs
- Improved weather traction
- Reduced road noise
- Silica-reinforced tread for strength and long-lived service
- Asymmetrical tread pattern for well-mannered on-road handling
The off-road king and one of our most popular tires with an enviable Baja winning pedigree and enthusiastic repeat customers. It features:
A rising star with fan-favorite features, the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W features impressive weather and terrain handling at a lower price point than other options. Other benefits include:
A firm contender in good standing among the best of the best, the Toyo Open Country A/T III delivers impressive levels of traction, capability, and weather handling for your crossover, SUV, or pickup. Other features include:
This larger than life tire delivers inspiring off-road performance with excellent on-road manners. This hybrid design tire comes complete with an arsenal of cool features, including:
Versatile, powerful, and with severe weather features, the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT is an ideal option when you’re looking for bulletproof off-road grit and on-road comfort. Features include:
If you want extreme performance with serious strength, the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T should be a serious consideration. You could roll over nearly anything with this tough-as-nails carcass. Benefits include:
Find the Best Overlanding Tires for Your Vehicle
The best tire for you depends on your vehicle type, travelling distance, terrain, and budget.
If you spend a considerable time on pavement, a durable all-terrain tire might be best as it offers on-road comfort and traction plus off-road prowess.
Take the guesswork out of tire shopping with Treadwell, our tire buying guide. In three easy steps, it will recommend the best tires for you, your vehicle, and your drive.
- Add your vehicle’s make, model, and trim (we help you find this)
- Select what kind of driver you are or what factors you value most
- Enter your zip code so we can recommend tires that make sense for your region
If you still need help, give us a ring or drop by for our expert recommendations!
TIRE PRESSURE AND AIRING DOWN FOR OVERLANDING
Tire pressure plays a major role in off-road traction.
Many overlanders air down their tires when travelling on loose terrain like sand, gravel, or rocks. Lower tire pressure increases the tire’s contact patch, improving grip and ride comfort.
Benefits of airing down include:
- Improved traction
- Smoother ride on rough terrain
- Reduced impact on suspension components
Always inflate your tires to their recommended air pressure for safe highway and paved surface driving.
Overlanding Tire Maintenance Tips
Overlanding is demanding on tires so proper maintenance is essential.
Keep your tires performing their best and regularly:
- Check your tire pressure
- Inspect sidewalls for damage
- Rotate tires according to manufacturer’s recommendations
- Monitor treadwear patterns
You should also carry a tire repair kit when travelling off-road for emergencies.
Routine maintenance helps extend tire tread life and reduce the risk of unexpected problems during remote travel.
America's Tire offers many of these services free of charge to customers. Make an appointment or stop by today!
FAQ
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about overlanding and tires.
The best tire for overlanding depends on your vehicle and your terrain. All-terrain tires are the most common choice because they offer balanced performance on both highways and off-road trails.
Yes, all-terrain tires offer durability, traction, and a longer tread life than other off-road tire types so they are well suited for mixed terrain travel.
The best size depends on your vehicle and your needs. Many overlanders upgrade to 33 or 35-inch tires to increase ground clearance and off-road capability. Check to make sure your vehicle can accommodate tire upsizing.
This is up to you, however airing down can improve traction and ride comfort on loose terrain like gravel or sand. Always inflate your tires to their proper psi before returning to paved roads.
Ready to roll?
If you have any questions or are unsure what tires work best for you, drop in or give us a ring. We’ll get you taken care of. Buy and book online and save time in-store!
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