All-Terrain vs Mud Terrain Tires

For an off-road enthusiast with a four-wheel-drive equipped truck, Jeep, or SUV, this can be a tough decision: all-terrain or mud-terrain tires? If you’re serious about going off the pavement, the right choice in a tire can be the difference between a fun afternoon and fond memories, or an absolute nightmare. But then again, the wrong tire choice can make highway and around-town driving a headache too.

So which is going to be best for your truck? That depends on how you split your time between around-town daily driver duties on pavement, and your time off-road. More than that, though, it will depend on what you get up to off the pavement and down in the dirt. Things like road noise, ride quality, road manners, handling, tire balancing, vibration/harshness, rock crawling, and mud will all come into play here, and those are terms you’re going to hear a lot as we break this down.

The difference between mud-terrain and all-terrain tires

To put not too fine a point on it, all-terrain tires are designed for the pavement as much as they are for off-road use. They’re made to be durable and dependable in rough use, which might include mud, sand, gravel, snow, rocks, roots, or snow/slush, while still being the kind of tire that delivers good handling and road manners, with the kind of ride quality and noise level you wouldn’t mind on a long interstate trip.

Mud-terrain tires are what the name implies. They feature aggressive, deep tread patterns with a high void ratio so they can easily throw mud and debris out from the grooves between tread blocks so there’s always a clear section of tire to dig in. Mud-terrain tires also feature tough tread compounds and reinforced construction that can stand up to the most severe use, including rock crawling with the tire partially deflated (“aired-down”) so it can conform to rough, irregular terrain. Mud-terrain tires also tend to be oversized for extra ground clearance, making them a good choice for trucks with lifted suspensions.

Mud Terrain vs all-terrain tires fuel economy

This one is a pretty easy call. Modern all-terrain tires are designed for lighter weight and lower rolling resistance, for a bump in fuel economy. Mud-terrain tires, on the other hand, are bigger and heavier, which means that it takes more energy to get them rolling, more energy to keep them going down the highway, and more friction to stop them. When you look at it that way, all-terrain tires are the hands-down winner when it comes to fuel economy.

ADVANTAGE: All-terrain tires

Mud Terrain vs all-terrain tires off-road

So what are you planning on doing off-road? Because mud is the Great Equalizer for tires. Light, sticky mud isn’t so bad, but wet, soupy mud has been the downfall of many an off-roader. Once any tire’s tread gets so clogged up with mud that it can’t dig in anymore, it’s just going to spin and your truck is going to sink down in the muck and not go anywhere…and then it’s get-out-and-push time, or use your truck’s winch if you’re lucky enough to have one.

Mud-terrain tires are designed with stone ejectors in the tread grooves that protect the casing from being poked and drilled by rocks, as well as stepped “kick-out bars” toward the tread base that helps eject mud. A tire that has a tighter groove between tread blocks can still eject mud, but it’s probably going to have to spin faster before centrifugal force can break that mud loose and send it flying, and that’s hard on a truck’s drivetrain.

Mud-terrain tires also excel at rock crawling, like we mentioned above, and tend to be more durable in construction than all-terrain tires. Aired-down inflation is also used for sand sometimes, as you want flotation and a wide footprint that won’t sink a tire down in loose sand quickly. But these are all pretty extreme scenarios – if you don’t plan on rock crawling, mud-bogging, or climbing 60-degree grades, your all-terrain tires will probably be all you need. All-terrain tires are designed more for loose dirt, sand, gravel, snow and light mud, and are more than capable for any of those surfaces.

ADVANTAGE: Mud terrain tires

Mud Terrain vs all-terrain tires on-road

Here’s a big contrast. All-terrain tires are really designed for a good compromise between off-road traction on rough terrain and low noise, good road manners, long, even wear, and a quiet ride on the pavement. The best all-terrain tires do a remarkable job of splitting the difference between the two, and are perfectly civilized for around-town or interstate drives.

Mud-terrain tires, on the other hand, are designed primarily for off-road use. Yes, they’re hard to beat in deep mud or while rock crawling over boulders, but they also tend to be noisy, clumsy and rough-riding on the highway. No contest, all-terrain tires are a better choice for pavement.

ADVANTAGE: All-terrain tires

Mud Terrain vs all-terrain tires in snow

Seems like an aggressive mud-terrain tire’s tread would do great in snow, doesn’t it? Not necessarily. Snow isn’t mud, and the properties of snow and slush are a lot different from mud. The wider void and grooves of a mud-terrain tire can get packed with snow that doesn’t easily eject from the tread, meaning lost traction.

All-terrain tires, on the other hand, have narrower grooves and voids that don’t get packed so easily, and can channel away slush and water from the tire’s contact patch. All-terrain tires are usually designed with a dense pattern of sipes, hair-thin slits that provide thousands of extra biting edges to dig into snow and slush for improved traction. The truth is, though, that for heavy, deep snow you need a dedicated winter tire that can outperform either all-terrain or mud-terrain designs. For ice, about the only thing that can get the job done is a studded tire. If snow performance is a concern, look for an all-terrain tire that has an M+S rating for mud/snow traction or a Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service.

ADVANTAGE: All-terrain tires

Mud Terrain vs all-terrain tires tread life

This is another one where all-terrain tires are usually going to have the edge. The tread pattern, construction, and rubber compound of all-terrain tires are all designed for long, even wear. Mud-terrain tires, on the other hand, often don’t even come from the factory with treadwear coverage, which is understandable since they can see some pretty hard use offroad.

ADVANTAGE: All-terrain tires

Problems with Mud Terrain Tires

Since mud-terrain tires are so specialized, it’s worth pointing out that they can come with their own unique problems:

• The weight and mass of mud-terrain tires can make it difficult for a tire shop to balance them properly, and to keep them in balance as they wear
• The weight and mass of mud-terrain tires means more unsprung weight (weight that isn’t supported by the vehicle’s suspension). More unsprung weight means longer stopping distances and premature brake wear.
• The extra ground clearance that goes with a lifted suspension and oversize tires can also mean reinventing the truck’s suspension and drivetrain geometry. If it’s not done right, that can mean premature wear to the truck’s transmission, U-joints, and 4WD half-shafts, as well as inconsistent handling on- or off-pavement. Lifted trucks with oversize tires are often fitted with a steering damper that limits side-to-side movement and vibration of the front wheels for improved handling on pavement.
• Tire manufacturers put huge amounts of time and resources into designing tread patterns that are computer-tuned to cancel out certain resonances and frequencies, to keep road noise low. Those giant tread blocks of mud-terrain tires are hard to tune this way, resulting in a tire that (oftentimes) has a loud roar on pavement.

When to use each

So, now you should have a pretty good understanding of the design and performance of mud-terrain vs all-terrain tires. If you aren’t going to be putting your truck through the paces in deep mud or rock crawling, chances are you’re going to be perfectly happy with all-terrain tires. If you’ve got a lifted truck and love to boldly go where no driver has gone before (okay, few drivers), mud-terrain tires are going to give you the traction and durability you need to confidently navigate through those places and then home again.

Which one should you choose?

First off, what are you driving? A smaller crossover might not even have a mud-tire fitment, whereas a full-size truck would have several mud-terrain tires to choose from. In the end, though, it comes down to your expectations and what you’re gonna do with your truck. If you regularly go deep off-road and don’t mind a noisy, harsh ride on the pavement, go with a mud-terrain tire. If you like automotive-tire ride quality, handling, and road manners on the highway, along with reliable off-road traction (and a generous treadwear warranty), then consider all-terrain tires.

It’s up to you, and regardless of the decision you come to you can find the tires you’re looking for at SimpleTire!