Best Tires for Gravel Roads

Gravel roads can put stress on your tires and your vehicle. That’s why it’s important to use the right tires if you’ve been driving on this type of terrain, as it can have long-term effects. The modern tires included in this guide are made to provide more accurate handling, durability and overall performance on gravel.

Each gravel tire included here has been driven and tested by a panel of industry experts who understand the key characteristics to look for. All of the research and data has been put together in this easy-to-read guide to help drivers find better tires for their vehicles. Read on to learn all about the best gravel tires.

1.Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor

Goodyear’s premium products are designed to provide frequent cargo haulers with the ability to navigate through tough conditions. The Wrangler Silent Armor provides essential traction on dry and wet roads for a comfortable and stable ride.

Featuring a layer of Kevlar and dual high-strength steel belts, the Wrangler Silent Armor is rugged enough to resist punctures and damage caused by driving over rocks and gravel. It also helps extend tread life, and Goodyear supports 50K miles.

2.Continental TerrainContact

We’re not talking about harsh off-road conditions here, but just on gravel roads. Given that even on-road all-season tires can confidently drive on gravel roads, you really don’t need an all-terrain tire with a very aggressive tread pattern to get good traction and grip.

Compared to other all-terrain tires, the Continental TerrainContact has a slightly less aggressive tread pattern, which can be beneficial when you are driving on the road. Let’s be honest, pickup truck and SUV owners who use their vehicles in the countryside still put most of their miles on paved roads. That’s where TerrainContact excels.

Thanks to the +Silane enhanced all-weather compound molded into a mild all-terrain tread pattern, road handling is very responsive without the softness that other all-terrain tires have. Traction and grip levels are also very high, almost at the level of road tires, while braking power is comparable to that of road-specific tires. Traction in wet conditions is also at a very high level thanks to the full-depth knife-groove tread pattern and the traction grooves on the edges of the tread blocks.

As if great performance wasn’t enough, the Continental is also very quiet and comfortable for an all-terrain tire, especially on the highway. Put a set of TerrainContact tires on your pickup truck and you’ll forget you’re driving on all-terrain tires.

But you came to see the show on gravel roads, and I have more good news for you. The same responsiveness I mentioned in the handling category also applies to gravel roads, making your ride more precise and enjoyable. The lightweight all-terrain tread design is also perfect for gravel roads, providing drivers with the grip and traction they really need on these roads. Don’t worry, the Continental TerrainContact works just fine in the rain, even in light snow.

3.General Grabber HTS60

The General Grabber HTS60 is one of the most popular road tires in North America, partly because it is made by an American manufacturer, but also because it is an excellent truck and SUV tire. It fully qualifies as the best truck tire for gravel roads due to the following factors: the tire is designed to provide a comfortable and safe driving experience, even on larger trucks and trailers. We also like its price, which is lower than that of its high-end competitors.

Best of all, for gravel roads, the General Grabber HTS60 is made of a compound that resists cutting and shredding. This means the tires can resist even long drives on gravel roads. The 65,000-mile treadwear warranty on the S and T speed models, and the 50,000-mile treadwear warranty on the LT size and H speed models are just a testament to the quality of the tire’s build. You should expect years of reliable service.

Despite the rugged casing, from the outside the Grabber HTS60 looks like a passenger car tire. The vehicle-tuned tread pattern improves traction and grip, while the strong continuous center rib is responsible for high-speed stability. Wet traction on the light version is very good and almost on par with more expensive tires. However, the heavier version has a less dense knife-groove tread pattern, which loses some points in wet conditions.

On the positive side, the General Grabber HTS60 is very quiet on the highway, providing a comfortable ride for passengers.

4.Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 Winter/Snow Passenger Tire

This is one of the best tires for dirt roads and the perfect tire for winter cars or minivans. You can rely on the WS80 even in the toughest driving conditions.

This thing provides excellent traction on ice or deep snow. Its elements have a hydrophilic coating that gives you better braking power even on slippery surfaces.

To keep the tires flexible even in cold conditions, the manufacturers of these products use an advanced multi-cellular compound made by Nano Pro-Tech.

The tire has a cross-sectional width of 195 mm and a rim width of 6 inches. With a load capacity of 1356 pounds and a load index rating of 91.0, it can safely handle considerable load volumes.

The tire also features a new cavity shape that helps distribute contact pressure evenly throughout the area for optimal performance in all weather conditions.

This is designed to have a firm grip, giving you great control in winter conditions. It offers comfort and driving safety, making it a very reliable tire. One area where the tire can show some improvement is tread life. However, other than that, this is really one of the best gravel road car tires.

5.Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Love gravel adventures, but still spend most of your time on the highway? All-season road tires like the Defender LTX M/S would be the way to go.

While Michelin doesn’t focus on enhancing the road performance of the Defender LTX M/S, it is extremely durable and handles well on gravel.

The power comes from the durable tire compound and exclusive Max Touch Construction technology. To this day, after more than 15,000 miles, these proprietary technologies are still doing a great job of keeping the tread wear even.

Plus, I usually change them every 5,000 miles, so tread wear is still very good.

But beyond the durability, the impressive performance is what allows this road tire model to conquer rough gravel terrain.

On dry roads, the tires support steering control very well. Thanks to the relatively evenly distributed tire forces, I could also accelerate and brake immediately and effortlessly.

On wet pavement, the tire continued to impress me. It provides very good grip in wet conditions. Even when driving at the speed limit in heavy rain, there was no slipping.

Unfortunately, in the winter, it could not maintain its impressive performance. After using the tire for two winters, I found that the tire still had good grip in light snow.

Conclusion

Our list of the best tires for gravel roads is designed to give you the grip and acceleration you need to get through challenging terrain without blowouts or other damage to your car. These tires work well all year round and provide excellent traction in wet and icy conditions, making them a smart investment.