Choosing the right dirt bike tires can be downright confusing. Between the different tread types, appropriate pressures, vast selection of brands and learning when and why to replace them, you have your hands full.
That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to dirt bike and motocross tires to help you out.
This guide will explain:
Soft, intermediate and hard tire compounds
Specialized tires for places like sand and trials
How to spot when your dirt bike tires need replaced
Advanced techniques like proper inflation
How to choose the best wheels, tubes, and accessories
Feel free to skip to your favorite section using the links below.
QUICK LINKS:
Why Do Your Dirt Bike Tires Need to Be Fresh?
When Does Your Dirt Bikes Need New Tires?
Dirt Bike Tires Come in Many Styles
Hard Compound vs. Soft Compound Tires
Specialized Dirt Bike Tires
What Do The Size Numbers on Dirt Bike Tires Mean?
Proper Inflation of Your Dirt Bike Tires
How to Store Your Dirt Bike Tires
How to Choose the Right Wheels, Tubes, and Accessories
Parts and Tools Needed to Change a Dirt Bike Tire
We have a wide selection of dirt bike tires and accessories on our sister site, GritShift.
Why Do Your Dirt Bike Tires Need to Be Fresh?
Before we go any further, let’s look at how important a good set of tires is to your bike’s handling and performance. If you’ve ever had a set of worn out tires on your bike and replaced them with new ones, you will remember quickly realizing there was a big difference.
The tread pattern itself is critical. There’s a reason most dirt bikes run knobby tires. Knobbies offer:
better cornering
better braking
better acceleration
Knobby tires increase your traction across the board. This improves acceleration, cornering, and braking instead of just making you quicker around the bends. Keeping your rubber fresh with a new set gives you the best advantage. That’s why the pros change their tires out for every race!
When Does Your Dirt Bikes Need New Tires?
Most people aren’t sure what they are looking at when they examine a pair of old dirt bike tires. What seems fine to you might have needed replacement a long time ago.
First, look at the knobs. If they are rounded down or short compared to fresh ones, you need new tires. The worst case scenario is that your knobs are completely chunked off leading to gaps. Obviously, you need new tires.
Inspect the tire rubber as well. If you find any of the following, replace your tires:
cuts or cracks on the sidewall
cracks between the knobs
discoloration or fading
A new set of dirt bike tires should look fresh and have a dark, deep black color. Older tires will appear weathered.
Age is More Than Just a Number
Technically speaking, the shelf life of a dirt bike tire is about four to five years. Even with low miles, tires will start to become unsafe around that time.
The knobs will be firmer on old tires than new ones. As their flexibility goes away due to age, so does their ability to grip. Your dirt bike’s tires should be replaced if they are more than five years old, even if the knobs look square and intact.
If you don’t ride your bike but the tires are that old, you need to replace them before riding again. Be sure to store your tires correctly to get the longest lifespan.
Dirt Bike Tires Come in Many Styles
To pick the right tires, you need to first assess your style of riding. There are various types of tires and you need to choose the proper set for your needs.
Dual Sport
This phrase refers to a mix of street legal riding and off-road riding. Dual sports must have equipment making them legal for road use. This includes lights, mirrors, a speedometer, horn and license plate mount.
The tire designs for dual sports range from knobby Motocross-style tires to sportbike-inspired designs. If you use a knobby dual-sport tire, you plan to drive on the streets to get to the next trail. If you pick slicker sport tires, you’ll likely spend most of your time on the roads but you should still be able to handle some gravel and dirt paths as well.
Mmm, fresh knobbies | source
Motocross
Motocross bikes are designed to ride on closed dirt courses that feature jumps and other obstacles. They typically won’t encounter large rocks, water crossings, tree roots or other natural barriers since their riding sticks to the track.
Because of this, a different type of tread exists for motocross tires: the knobby tire.
Knobby tires come in various forms. The wider-spaced and taller knobs create a sort of paddle effect, keeping the mud from getting packed between the knobs and ensuring your grip stays consistent for lap after lap.
Trail and Woods Riding
This category covers a wide range of track types. You might ride in the mountains, deserts and anything in between. This level of diverse riding requires adaptability to many terrains and plenty of natural obstacles.
Off-road tires require a durable construction. They look similar to a motocross tire with their knobby layout but are designed to withstand sticks, rocks, and sharp objects.
Hard compound tires are the way to go if you encounter lots of mud and soft ground. The tall, wide knobs keep mud at bay. If you plan to ride harder terrain, you’ll need a softer type of dirt bike tire to improve traction and grip.
If you ride in the desert, you have some challenges that other rides don’t face. Some desert terrains feature deep silt while others have a hard base and abundance of rocks. You will need to choose the tires that best suit your environment, and there’s no harm in bringing multiple sets to get the feeling just right.
What’s the Difference Between Hard Terrain and Soft Terrain Tires?
Because dirt bike tires come in various sizes, shapes, tread patterns and rubber compounds, you must know what you are looking at when making a purchase. Various tires work better in certain environments. Basically, this breaks down to a hard terrain tire and soft terrain tire.
Dirt bike tires are available in three broad categories:
Soft Compound: Hard terrain calls for a softer compound
Hard Compound: Soft terrain calls for a harder compound
Intermediate Compound: Offers the best of both worlds (usually best for racing)
Harder compounds prevent the knobs from flexing, while soft compounds with softer knobs are designed to grip better on hard surfaces similar to pavement.
These various levels of hardness ensure that the tire’s knobs tire will grip the ground as effectively as possible.
Remember, many pros bring several sets of tires so they can find the best combination for their needs.
Let’s compare these more specialized tires.
Dirt Bike Tires: Hard Terrain
Soft compound tires are designed for use on dry, hard terrains. They are constructed with a soft outer rubber compound that provides an additional grip on a hard surface. The knobs, or tread blocks, are spaced close together.
Most likely, you won’t want to ride on a Supercross or Motocross track with these tires. It’s mainly geared toward trail riding or a dry desert floor.
The stiff carcass and durable compound are capable of weathering tough ground that is filled with jutting roots, jagged rocks, water holes and sharp sticks.
Bottom Line: If the ground you’re riding on feels about like pavement, you’ll do best with soft compound tires.
Dirt Bike Tires: Soft Terrain
Any time you plan to ride on soft, muddy, loamy or sandy ground, you will want hard compound tires.
Hard compound tires have strong knobs which are taller and shaped like a scoop. Between the knobs, there are large spaces that allow mud to fly away from the tire so there are no clogs. Your front tire should contain spiky knobs to help the front end punch through the soft terrain.
Bottom Line: Hard compound tires help you achieve superior traction in soft conditions.
Dirt Bike Tires: Intermediate Terrain
You don’t just have soft or hard terrain tires to choose from, but there is also an intermediate option. This is ideal if you plan to ride in a variety of conditions, on a mixture of different land types without changing your tires.
If you don’t know the track conditions or you spend a lot of time riding on your dirt bike, this is probably your go-to tire. It’s the ideal way to ride on a variety of surfaces without altering your setup. The tire tread sits closer than on a soft terrain design. This prevents dirt pack but also provides added durability.
Bottom Line: Intermediate compound tires are a top choice for mixed use. Remember, dedicated riders often bring several sets of tires so they can find the best combination for their needs.
Specialized Dirt Bike Tires
You have additional options with your dirt bike tires that you might not have heard of before. While these specialized tires aren’t commonly used, you might find a reason to install them on your bike.
Desert knobby tires
This is designed explicitly for rocky, hard desert terrain riding. It features taller lugs evenly spaced apart. Riding on a desert knobby will remind you of an intermediate tire because of the way it digs into the dirt and loose rock.
The rubber compound on these tires provides a stiffer sidewall to cope with unique hazards in the desert such as loose shale, sharp edges and jagged rocks. With this style of tire, you won’t have to worry about easily ripping your tire apart.
TL;DR: Desert knobbies are like stronger intermediates.
Trials tires
Trials tires deliver the traction needed to conquer slick, hard surfaces. It’s a popular option for enduro, single-track or technical terrains.
The uniform tread is tightly packed, has flexible sidewalls and a flat crown. The soft compound feels sticky which allows the tire to deform and flex as needed for optimal grip.
TL;DR: You won’t beat the top levels on Trials Rising without trials tires.
Hybrid tires
Hybrid dirt bike tires are a cross between trials and knobbies. The main purpose of this tire is to deliver top-notch traction and cornering at the same time. This option works well for trail riding, high-speed turns and technical terrain.
TL;DR: Hybrids are good mixed-use tires.
Paddle tires
There’s not much paddle tires are good for except riding on sand. This tire features large paddles or scoops that operate like shovels. These propel the bike forward by grabbing sand.
If you attempt to use a paddle dirt bike tire on any other type of terrain, you’ll end up with an uncontrollable, bumpy ride instead.
TL;DR: Use a paddle wheel anywhere but on sand and you’re gonna have a bad time.
Sand hybrid tires
This style combines a paddle tire and knobby design in one.
You’ll still notice the distinct paddle shape on the tread, but each one has individual lugs instead of a one-piece paddle. This allows you to scoop the sand like a paddle tire but offers more aggressive and closely spaced shoulder lugs so riding on a hard surface isn’t an issue. This design works best on the sand and loose tracks with wide-open dunes.
TL;DR: Sand hybrids are paddles that can go on dry land, too.
What Do The Size Numbers on Dirt Bike Tires Mean?
If you look at the diagram above, you’ll find there are a bunch of letters and numbers you need to understand if you want to get the right tires.
You’ll first see a model number on your tires. Then, you’ll notice a number that looks like this: 110/90-18. Here’s how this number breaks down:
110 = tire width in millimeters
90 = aspect ratio (aka sidewall height)
18 = rim diameter
Other letters and numbers may include a load and speed rating and the date of manufacture. The manufacture date should be listed with four numbers such as 1415. This tire would have been manufactured the 14th week of 2015.
Different aspect ratios and widths will result in varying levels of performance based on the terrain.
Proper Inflation of Your Dirt Bike Tires
Just like you check your car tires, you must regularly maintain your dirt bike tires by checking their PSI.
Proper inflation is key if you want your tires to last and ride right. Your tire pressure also depends on your riding conditions, the type of tire you are using and the terrain type. You always want to reference the information on the tire for proper inflation specs.
Most of the time, you will run your tires between 10 and 20 PSI. Being off by a few PSI could cause problems ranging from small to large, including:
Tire or tube failure
Irregular tread wear
Decreased grip, sliding, or washing out
Extreme over-inflation could result in:
Tires may become unseated from the wheel
Tires could bow in the middle, reducing cornering grip
Tires could explode when landing a jump
For the best results, you should check your tire pressures every time you ride.
What’s the best inflation?
As a general rule, you’ll use less air pressure when riding in mud or sand. This allows the tire to deform more, providing more tire area to grip and contact the surface. In harder conditions such as trail riding or motocross, you’ll inflate them further. Hitting branches and rocks with the air pressure too low will cause a puncture or damage to your rims, but air them too high and you will bounce off every obstacle.
Mind the valve stem nut
Another mistake riders make is over-tightening the valve stem nut to the rim. This isn’t meant to be tightened too much. Instead, once you have the air pressure correct, you’ll want to back it off slightly.
How to Store Your Dirt Bike Tires
While you aren’t riding, it’s essential that you store your dirt bike tires properly. Otherwise, they will age and weather and you will need new tires prematurely. Nobody likes premature tire deflation.
Ideally, you want to store your tires in a dark, dry and cool area.
Anywhere that has high temperatures, humidity, direct sunlight or varying temperatures affects the rubber compound of your tires. This causes them to age faster than they should.
It should be obvious, but don’t store your tires near oil, gas or anything else that is corrosive or explosive. If you are putting the tires in your shed or garage, make sure you remove these potentially harmful items first.
Take a load off, Annie
In addition, you want to rest your bike on a stand with the wheels off the ground when you aren’t using it. This removes the excess weight from your tire and helps prevent flat spots from developing.
Is There a Break-in Period for New Dirt Bike Tires?
Not exactly. While there isn’t a break-in period that you must follow, it also isn’t wise to throw on a new set of tires and take off running. You should always get a feel for them first. Just take it easy for a few minutes until you learn how the new dirt bike tires will respond to your terrain.
How to Choose the Right Wheels, Tubes, and Accessories
Now that we’ve covered all the basics regarding your dirt bike and motocross tires, it’s time to talk about all the things that go with them. After all, tires are just one aspect of the equipment you will to ride your best.
We have a wide selection of dirt bike tires and accessories on our sister site, GritShift.
Dirt bike wheels
If you have a great set of tires, but you don’t invest in wheels, you are missing out. The wheel and tire work together in harmony to create the perfect ride. If you spend money to get top of the line tires and you cheap out on the wheels, you are doing an injustice to your bike.
For the ultimate ride, you want to get a superior set of wheels. You’ll notice a dramatic difference in the smoothness of your ride and how the bike handles.
While the wheels are going to vary in size slightly between the front and back, they have largely the same features. Your front wheel should be larger than the back to offer a more comfortable ride while driving over the rough terrain. Most front wheels range from 18 to 21-inches while rear wheels tend to be between 17 to 19-inches.
A smaller rear wheel is going to maximize acceleration and help handling in a million ways. That’s why it’s the standard for most bikes that encounter rough terrain.
Parts of a dirt bike wheel
Your dirt bike wheel has many parts that are often customizable. This includes:
Wheel hub
Axle
Wheel rim
Nipples
Spokes
Bearings
The construction of the wheel is typically either a steel or aluminum outer rim. This features steel spokes that connect into the center hub. These spokes allow for some flexibility to tackle big jumps, hard landings, ruts and bumps. That’s why you must also consider spoke maintenance as you take care of your bike.
Maintaining dirt bike wheels
Regularly check the spokes and adjust them as needed. When you face loose spokes, you have a wheel that won’t spin straight and has inherent weak points. This leads to damage and creates massive handling issues. In addition, loose spokes bend or break easier, causing your wheels and hubs to break and bend or even puncture tubes and tires.
If you have tight spokes, you could break the hub, strip the nipple or even damage your wheel.
Nobody wants to strip the nipple.
Parts and Tools Needed to Change a Dirt Bike Tire
Spoke wrench
Now that we’ve finished talking about adjusting the spokes, you might be wondering what tool is needed to do that. Adjusting the spoke tension should be just as important as monitoring air pressures. You should do it every time you ride, but you need a spoke wrench. Using your fingers is not acceptable.
It rarely is.
Rim locks
A rim lock helps to secure your tire and keep it from spinning around on your rim. Your tire is especially susceptible to this during accelerating and braking. The majority of dirt bikes utilize one rim lock for each wheel, but a few will require two on a rear wheel.
Make sure you size the rim lock based on the rim width.
Rim strips
Rim strips are responsible for ensuring your spoke nipples don’t puncture the tube. The rubber strips run inside the tire and keep the nipples from rubbing against the tube. That would end badly for everyone involved.
Contrary to what you might have been taught, duct tape is not an acceptable solution for replacing rim strips. This dirty and cheap method could lead to a damaged tube and punctured tire. Get the correct rim strips for your bike instead.
Tire irons
Sometimes you really need a third arm.
With a tire iron, you have the leverage you require to work the wheel without the worry of pinching your fingers. It also prevents damage to the tire which relieves a lot of frustration. Tire irons are available in a standard size, but many mechanics prefer the use of an oversize tire iron which offers more versatility.
Rim protectors
These do exactly what the name says: protect your wheel rim from damage while performing tire changes. For the minimal cost, it’s a no-brainer and saves you a lot of headaches while you work on your dirt bike.
Bead tool
With a bead tool, you effectively keep the tire bead down while you use other tools. The bead is the tire edge that rests on the bike wheel. With this tool, you keep your tire from coming off the rim during your work, saving you time and stamina.
Tire changing stands
We can’t tell you enough: don’t work on your dirt bike on the garage floor!
With a good tire changing stand, you’ll alleviate a lot of frustration. Changing the tires doesn’t have to be so aggravating. Instead, perform your work at the level that feels comfortable. In doing so, you will protect your back and knees while you maintain your dirt bike.
Air pump
With all these tools in your bag, you are set to hit the dusty trail. Oh wait – there’s one more thing you didn’t think about.
Air.
You have the new set of wheels and tires ready for your dirt bike, but you must do one more thing first. Of course, you need air in the tires.
With today’s selection of air pumps, it makes sense for you to have your own inflator. If you have mountain bikes or kid’s bikes in your garage, it’s likely you already have some sort of compressor at home. If not, now is the time to invest and avoid paying money at the local convenience store.
Don’t use gas station air!
Gas station air machines are notoriously inaccurate. Not to mention, they’re broken 95% of the time and 98% of the time they cost silly amounts of money. Don’t pay money for air, fill your tires right in your garage.
Have more questions?
This comprehensive guide to dirt bike tires was meant to cover anything you might have been wondering about. With that said, it’s likely that we missed something you were curious about or left out a detail you think might be important. If that’s the case, be sure to leave us a comment so we can add it to the guide and help more readers!
Be sure to check out the dirt bike wheels, parts, and accessories at our sister site, GritShift.
We can make dirt bikes street legal! Click here to learn more.
Until next time, protect your dirt bike tires and wheels for the ultimate ride.
About the Author
Brian Jones is an ASE Certified Master Tech that lives outside of Dallas, TX with his wife and children. He has a passion for old muscle cars, big pickup trucks and anything motorsport related. In his spare time, he does a lot of traveling and writing for dealerships across the country through CarBlogWriters.com.