Choosing the Right Dirt Bike Tires

Dirt biking can be a great way to not only have a fun and thrilling afternoon, but there are also a lot of opportunities to become part of a bigger community when you become a dirt biker. Whether you’re a serious competitor or you just like a little bit of excitement in your life, dirt biking is a great pastime to get into. But before you get too excited, make sure your tires are built for the kind of terrain you’ll be riding on. Despite what the name may suggest, you can ride a dirt bike on virtually any off-road terrain as long as you have the right tires to match. To help get you started, Cool Springs Powersports has provided you with some suggestions for narrowing down the tire field to the types you want for the kind of riding you’ll be doing. When it’s time to fit your dirt bike with these new tires, schedule a service appointment with our Franklin, Tennessee location. We welcome all riders from Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Dickson, and Hendersonville, Tennessee, as well as Huntsville, Alabama.

Components of Dirt Bike Tires

Firstly, there are some basic terms you’ll want to know before diving into the tire world. There are three components in particular that will matter. Firstly, you have knob size. Knob size is the rating that tells you how much of the tire’s surface area will make contact with the ground, which means the bigger the knob size, the more traction you’ll get.

Secondly, there’s tread depth, or how deeply your tires cut into the ground and how much soft material gets displaced in the process. If you need to displace more material, like when riding in areas with lots of loose debris, you’ll want a higher tread depth.

Finally, there’s pattern shape. This is what the grooves and channels in the tire tread look like. Differing pattern shapes are better for wet conditions and dry conditions.

Terrain

As you may have gathered at this point, the type of tire you need is completely dependent on where you spend most of your riding. More specifically, it’ll depend on the kind of terrain you mostly ride on.

Tires for Hard Terrain

Hard terrain is hard-packed dirt or rocks or other material that is relatively hard and contains not a lot of loose material. Because of this, you won’t want a very high tread depth and you won’t need extra traction, so smaller knobs placed close together will suffice. As an added note, hard-terrain tires also tend to have a softer, more flexible carcass to handle the bumps and rough points that come your way.

Tires for Soft Terrain

Soft terrain is the exact opposite: terrain with a lot of loose material and constantly shifts under pressure, like sand, mud, or gravel. You’ll need to be able to cut through this material with ease and without getting bogged down, so you’ll want a higher tread depth. They’ll also probably have additional, specialized knobs that have a “paddle” appearance on the rear tire and a “spikier” appearance on the front tire. These can get far more specific, so talk to an experienced professional about the kind of soft material you think you’ll encounter the most so you can get the best tires.

Intermediate Terrain

Intermediate terrain, as you might have guessed, is the in between. It can refer to terrain that is neither too hard nor too soft, or it can refer to trails that cover both hard and soft terrain. These tires generally have taller, longer, close together knobs for traction when you need it and a middle of the road kind of tread depth, so you can get through loose material without slowing down too much in other areas. Keep in mind, these kinds of tires generally perform better on firmer terrain, so you probably won’t be able to maintain the same speed on softer terrain.

Hopefully, this gives you a helpful starting place for choosing the right tires. No doubt, you’ll still have to look around a bit before making your final choice, but it’s good to have the basics going into your search. If you’re still looking for the perfect dirt bike as well, then stop by Cool Springs Powersports in Franklin, Tennessee to see what we have in stock right now. We welcome all riders from the areas of Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Dickson, and Hendersonville, Tennessee, as well as Huntsville, Alabama.