UTV Tires

This "could" be the reason that the UTV manufacturers I deal with want DOT compliant tires. I doubt you will ever be challenged with non DOT on an antique Jeep on street or trail, but running a non dot tire on a UTV on the street you are more likely to be challenged.

DOT-APPROVED TIRES

In most places, the Department of Transportation has laws in place that restrict the types of UTV tires that can be used on the road. These restrictions help prevent damage to road surfaces and improve rider safety. Some off-road tires don’t have the appropriate tread to grip pavement, which can make handling and braking difficult on ATVs and UTVs.

There are many factors that contribute to DOT tire certification, but a big one is the tire’s tread. You can examine a tire’s sidewall to determine if a tire is DOT approved. Look for the letters “DOT” followed by a series of 10-12 characters. This code gives the date and location they were manufactured, the tire size, and a unique code for the company that manufactured them. It will be present on all DOT-approved tires.

Finding a good DOT-approved tire designed for street-legal ATVs and UTVs can be a real pain because most are designed to be road tires first and off-road tires second (or not at all). This is because it’s difficult to strike a balance between appropriate road tread and a tread that performs well on rocks or trails.

To get the best of both worlds, a great tire to consider is SuperATV’s AT Warrior Tire. The AT Warrior has a patent-pending tread pattern that maximizes grip on any terrain type. This pattern is what we call a tapered pyramid design. It’s different from a smooth lug because it’s able to gather, pack, and compress whatever material you’re riding on to create a hard, solid driving surface between each lug. This gives you a massive leg up when it comes to traction.

Every lug is also siped (meaning it has small slits in the rubber) to grab smooth surfaces more easily. Between each lug you will find small rubber ribs known as ejector ribs. These assist with cleanout on stickier terrain by flexing and vibrating as the tire rolls, ejecting whatever material has been packed in.