Choosing tires for your 4x4 can sometimes be a minefield and a daunting task for beginners, however there are so many good tools available to guide us in making the best choice for our vehicles. 

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The questions that need to be asked are:

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Do you want to lift the vehicle and increase ground clearances?

 

Do you want an all terrain, mud terrain or a hybrid tire?

 

Do you want to change your rim size?

 

What is my budget?

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Lift

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If you're looking to increase the ground clearance to your vehicle, suspension and tires go hand in hand. If you increase your tire size it will have a direct affect on your suspension components and how they perform both on and off road. Things you'll need to take into account is the general clearances available to you within the wheel arch, Component angle changes such as the CV's, diffs and upper control arms. 

 

To correct the component angles and keep them performing at their very best the suspension will need to be upgraded and re aligned correctly. To help with clearances. There are many good products available on the market that will give you the adjustability needed such as aftermarket upper control arms, Adjustable drop links for the sway bars and diff drop kits to bring your CV joints back into alignment. 

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Tire choice

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I personally like mud terrain tires, they look aggressive, offer superior traction in most of Europe's off road conditions but they are mostly out performed by their all terrain counter parts, from a longevity and economical point of view.

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All terrains are a fantastic choice for any vehicle and wont hurt the fuel economy as much as a mud terrain would as a daily driver. 

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Unfortunately not many hybrid tires are available in Europe due to the limited 4x4 market here compared to the likes of Africa, Australia and the USA.

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Rims

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We are so spoilt for choice on wheel selection these days that its harder to make a decision on design, but lets not forget we are focusing on the bigger picture of making the entire package IE tires, suspension and rims, all work collectively together. 

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General sizes for rims start at 15" and go all the way to ridiculous sizes depending on taste and budget. With each rim size comes a selection of different tire sizes and manufacturers, which may be different from the previous or next rim size. 

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The next thing will be the rim offset which will have a direct impact on how the tire and rim combination sits within the wheel arch. Positive offset tucks the wheel into the arch whereas a negative offset will kick the wheel out from the arch and where the rim will have a dish. Both offsets have their own pros and cons from a cosmetic and functionality point of view. 

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I personally run a 0 offset rim which keeps the wheel in the designed location of the arch and allows me to focus mainly on the tire sizes from a tall skinnier tire to a slightly wider tire with a matching height. Switching to a wider tire may mean rubbing on the extremeties of the wheel arches but by keeping the 0 offset rim I've managed to minimise this but adjust the height of my suspension slightly to compensate for the change in width. 

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A great tool to visualise both height and width on tire selection is:

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https://tiresize.com/calculator

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