What to Know Before Shopping Tires

Shopping for new tires typically goes hand and hand with new wheels. However just like wheel sizing & offsets there are some crucial insights you should evaluate first.

Height X Width X Rim Size (32X10R14)

Most often going to a larger tire size or selecting a new wheel/tire combo is one of the 1st things we all do with a new machine.

One of the most common questions we encounter first is how large and wide can we go before rubbing or needing a lift kit.

While a good portion of that may lay in the type of driving you do and the machine you own there are some other KEY factors everyone needs to know first before you hit the online shops in search of those new shoes!

#1 Answer

To get right down to it 1 size up on the the height and width from factory size or sizes was the most common answer found across the board for a purely stock vehicle. While many riders are squeezing that 2nd size growth in without issues there is still far more to consider before jumping right in based on a flexible industry guideline.

Tire Size Specs What To Know

Here is the real kicker most people never see coming. Not all tire sizes are equivalent in size from one manufacturer to the next as one would think.

For example one manufacturer of a 25x8x12 size tire could measure 25.7 tall & right at 8" wide but a completely different manufacturer of that exact same size 25x8x12 can have vastly different results sometimes up to 3/4 of a inch.

When detailed information is not readily available you may need to contact the manufacturer by phone or through email to determine exact specifics. Typically if available the mounted and inflated specs will be listed on the manufacturers website along with Recommended PSI.

Some people just may find they need to go up an additional size with certain brands to get something close to what they started out with and yet even another size larger if they wanted to actually get some additional height from switching.

Many aftermarket tires on the ATV-UTV scene 28 inches & under are less than there listed size when mounted and inflated. 28" and over seemed to be the mark where things would suddenly run more accurate to size listings on an average.

It's also important to remember the only way to reach the true listed spec size is installation & inflation! Tires will stretch some once installed and a bit more over time as the rubber breaks in. Some brands that happen to balloon out in the centers more can certainly have a deceiving appearance at first glance so be aware.

Basically do not expect tires to measure right on the money sitting by themselves in your garage not even on a rim. You will be left disappointed every time. But if you feel their is legitimate height or width concern we suggest contacting the tire manufacturer first to gather more information prior to installation.