Top 10 Polaris Ranger Tires for Reliable Traction and Strong Grip

UTV vehicles (side-by-side) and ATVs are becoming more popular each year, especially among people that want to spend more time in the wilderness. These vehicles are useful for driving over many different off-road terrains, which makes them the best option for folks that live in the mountain or on the beach.

And, right now, there is no better UTV than a Polaris Ranger. The American manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, and snowmobiles specializes in producing high-performance vehicles that provide their owners with go-anywhere capabilities, reliable mechanics, fun-to-drive dynamics, and excellent comfort.

There is no denying the fact that the Polaris Ranger is an incredible vehicle for almost every type of terrain. However, to get the most of the Polaris Ranger, you’ll need a great set of tires. Tires can really make or break a UTV vehicle, even one with the stature as the Ranger.

With bad tires, not even the best Polaris UTV can give you reliable traction and strong grip in the corners. Actually, bad tires can transform your Ranger from an outstandingly capable machine to just a middling vehicle that can’t do what you ask from it.

Suffice to say; it’s crucial to always look for high-quality tires for your Polaris Ranger. However, apart from finding excellent tires, you also need to think about what type of tires to get. Some Polaris tires are made for better traction over slippery off-road surfaces, while others are designed to give you better handling on the street.

There is no single tire on the market that will provide you with the best of both worlds. There will always be compromises. That’s why it is crucial to make an assessment of the type of terrain in your area and purchase tires that are designed to work for those surfaces.

The thing is, the market is flooded with various Polaris tire options, some from reputable and well-known manufacturers, others from lesser-known companies. This makes choosing the best tires for your Ranger a bit difficult, especially if this is the first time you are purchasing tires.

Fortunately, you arrived just in the right place to find about the best Ranger Polaris tires. In this article, we will give you a curated list of the best products on the market, including Polaris Ranger street tires, trail tires, and mud tires.

For those that don’t understand different types of tires, we also created a detailed buying guide about Ranger tires. In the buying guide, we will explain the differences between various tire types.

We recommend closely reading through that section to find the best option for your driving style and the type of terrain in your area. With the knowledge you acquired, it will be much easier to find suitable tires for your Polaris Ranger.

So, without further ado, let’s see the ten best tires for Polaris Ranger.

The 10 Polaris Ranger Tires Available in 2024

1. Maxxis Carnivore

Best All-Terrain Polaris Ranger Tires

From the super-tough 8-ply radial construction to the aggressive tread pattern with large tread blocks, the Maxxis Carnivore is everything a Polaris Ranger enthusiast could wish for.

The Maxxis Carnivore is a tire with many qualities and one that can truly satisfy the needs of Ranger drivers. Thanks to the aggressive tread pattern, this tire provides outstanding traction and stability over most off-road surfaces, including dirt and gravel, intermediate surfaces, grass, and sand.

Mud-terrain traction is also good, but far from a proper mud-terrain tire. Still, the Carnivore at least provides the driver with excellent responsiveness and handling on the street, something that very aggressive mud-terrain tires lack.

Finally, this is one of the toughest and durable tires for Polaris Ranger, especially when it comes to puncture resistance and treadlife.

2. EFX MotoClaw Radial

Best All-Terrain Polaris Ranger Tires

For those that want an all-terrain tire that will also work in deep mud, there is no better choice than the EFX MotoClaw radial tire.

Like the Carnivore, this tire is 8-ply rated and has radial internal construction. As a result of that, it provides excellent stability on hardpacked surfaces, while also being very durable and tough.

Moreover, the aggressive tread pattern with very deep, large, and strong tread lugs creates traction where few other tires could. The MotoClaw works excellently over hardpacked surfaces, rocky terrain, and even mud.

Despite the aggressive pattern, the MotoClaw provides a smooth ride on the street, even though overall performance lags behind the Maxxis Carnivore. The biggest issue potential buyers might have with this tire is the higher price than the closest competitors.

3. GBC Kanati Mongrel

Best All-Terrain Polaris Ranger Tires

The racing-derived GBC Kanati Mongrel is a champion for excellent drivability on hardpacked surfaces. This tire feels very responsive on dirt and gravel, while also being able to provide outstanding stability, grip, and traction.

Moreover, the tire has a 10-ply rated construction that can resist puncturing like no other. Also, this helps when driving over very rocky surfaces, giving the driver a lot of confidence. Surprisingly, this DOT-compliant tire also provides a smooth drive on the road.

Traction in mud is slightly worse than other all-terrain tires, but still usable for most people. That said, like the MotoClaw Radial, the Kanati Mongrel is also an expensive tire.

4. Carlisle All Trail ATV Tire

Best All-Terrain Polaris Ranger Tires

As a result of the carefully-designed tread pattern with many smaller blocks, the Carlisle ATV All Trail provides the driver with one of the best experiences for driving over hardpacked surfaces.

This tire is not only very stable at higher speeds, but it also has excellent traction for aggressive acceleration, and it provides excellent responsiveness and steering feel.

Moreover, the tire is available in up to an 8-ply rating, which is enough to keep it going for a few years. The treadlife is also superb here.

That being said, the Carlisle ATV All Trail doesn’t provide sufficient traction for deep mud. Also, the price is a tad higher than we would’ve liked.

5. Kenda Executioner

Best Mud-terrain Polaris Ranger Tires

If you are very serious about driving in deep mud, there is no better option than the Kenda Executioner. The deep and angled lugs on this tire are also hollow, which creates amazing traction in deep mud.

With a set of these tires, your Polaris Ranger will be transformed into a real mud-eating machine. Moreover, as a result of the strength of the lugs, the Executioner can also be used for driving over hardpacked surfaces and intermediate surfaces.

That said, due to the large lugs on the tire, the street driving experience isn’t very smooth, and there is not a lot of grip and traction.

6. BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 UTV

Best Mud-terrain Polaris Ranger Tires

BFGoodrich is perhaps the most popular tire manufacturer among SUV off-road enthusiasts, and we are happy to also see them in the UTV world.

Their Mud-Terrain KM3 tire is one of the best on the market for almost any surface. That’s surprising because BFGoodrich didn’t use a tread pattern with very large lugs. Instead, this tire has smaller tread blocks.

Still, traction in mud doesn’t disappoint, and it beats many established competitors, even though it isn’t outright best. Moreover, this tire will work outstandingly well over other surfaces, including sand, dirt and gravel, and intermediate surfaces.

7. ITP Mud Lite II ATV/UTV

Best Mud-terrain Polaris Ranger Tires

The ITP Mud Lite II is an excellent mud-terrain tire for driving in shallow and medium mud – it only really struggles in very deep mud.

Still, thanks to the refined tread pattern with large lugs, this tire is a very reliable option for off-roading. Apart from the excellent traction in mud, the ITP Mud Lite II works excellently over hardpacked surfaces, turf, and even the street.

Furthermore, thanks to the tough construction and 6-ply rating, this tire is able to give you outstanding performance for a long time.

8. Maxxis Liberty

Best Polaris Ranger Tires for Hardpacked Surfaces

If you want to drive fast on the street, but you don’t want to give up off-roading, this tire might be for you.

The high-performing Maxxis Liberty is perhaps the best tire for hardpacked surfaces. Thanks to the 8-ply construction, it can withstand a lot of beating, while the Specialized Rubber Compound promotes outstanding grip and traction.

This is a tire that you can use on very fast dirt sections without worrying about losing traction or grip. Moreover, the Liberty has an immensely resilient tread that will last for a long time.

That being said, due to the use of racing-derived materials, the Maxxis Liberty is expensive.

9. SunF A021 TT Sport ATV UTV Dirt & Flat Track Tires

Best Polaris Ranger Street Tires

On the outside, the SunF A021 TT Sport looks identical to a high-performance vehicle tire. The flat profile with a V-angle tread pattern not only look sporty, but they provide the driver with outstanding handling on the road.

With these tires, your Polaris Ranger will feel much nimbler on the road, especially in terms of responsiveness and steering feel. Moreover, the larger contact patch means that you will have much more grip and traction to work with, both over dry and wet surfaces.

That being said, while this tire is 6-ply rated, it doesn’t have enough tread depth for serious off-roading.

10. ITP Hard Surface Radial Tires

Best Polaris Ranger Street Tires

Like the SunF A021, the ITP Hard Surface also resembles a passenger vehicle tire on the outside. As a result of that, this tire is primarily focused on giving you better performance on pavement, rather than for off-roading.

On the road, this tire is super-responsive and offers excellent stability, grip, and traction. Plus, this is the quietest Polaris Ranger tire you can find, and also the smoothest. The ITP Hard Surface is also characterized by excellent treadlife.

That said, this tire is only usable over light hardpacked surfaces when it comes to off-roading.

What to Look for When Buying Polaris Ranger Tires?

There are many things to pay attention to when purchasing UTV tires. First, you need to find the right size for your Polaris ranger. Next, you should decide on the tread compound and tread pattern that will suit the surfaces in your area. Then, you need to decide on the type of construction – bias-ply or radial. Furthermore, you need to decide on the design of the tire – there are flat and round tires to choose from. Let’s have a more detailed look at all of these things.

1. Tire Size and Dimensions

Each Polaris Ranger model has a different size of wheels. So, if you want to keep the factory wheels, you should always purchase tires that suit those wheels. Moreover, if you want to install wider tires for better grip, be sure that the rims can support wide tires. 

Just a quick note here – wider tires will provide you with a better grip in the corners, but they will also be less responsive and make the driving less enjoyable. Installing new tires with the same width as the factory ones might be the best thing to do.

2. Types of Tread Compounds and Tread Patterns 

Several different types of UTV tires are available, each aimed at different types of terrain. Most of these tires are designed for off-road conditions, but there are some street-exclusive tires as well:

• Polaris Ranger street tires – these tires are designed mostly for use on the road. As a result of that, they will give you by far the most responsive ride on pavement, joined by high levels of grip and traction. That being said, street tires won’t work very well for off-roading. They might be fine for hardpacked surfaces, but only if you drive carefully. Furthermore, they won’t work over mud, rocks, and sand.
• All-Terrain Polaris Ranger tires – these tires will be the most common from the factory, simply because they aim to provide the driver with good traction over almost every surface. All-terrain tires will work excellently over hardpacked surfaces, such as dirt and gravel. Moreover, they should give you reliable traction over mud, and also work very well on the street. To sum it up, all-terrain tires are the all-round solution that will suit most people.
• Hardpacked terrain tires – these tires are specifically designed for driving over hardpacked terrains, such as dirt and gravel. Hardpacked tires provide the driver with excellent responsiveness and stability on these surfaces, as well as sufficient grip and traction. These tires can also work on the street almost as well as all-terrain tires. That said, hardpacked tires won’t work very well in mud or sand.
• Intermediate-terrain tires – these tires are designed for driving over rocky terrain, primarily with larger rocks. Compared to hardpacked tires, these products lose outstanding responsiveness and high-speed stability but provide much better traction and toughness for driving over sharp rocks.
• Sand tires – these tires are specifically designed for driving over deep sand. They have enough traction to get you out of trouble, but they are also designed not to introduce digging action, which can get you stuck. Also, these tires can be driven with very low pressures, which helps the vehicle to float over the sand.
• Mud-terrain tires – designed for driving in mud, these tires will give you by far the best traction when things get really slippery. You can recognize these tires by the large shovels on the tread pattern, which can dig into the mud. That being said, mud-terrain tires won’t provide you with the best possible stability on hardpacked surfaces, and they aren’t good for street driving.
• Racing Tires – designed for real Polaris Ranger enthusiasts, these tires will give you by far the best performance. Just be sure that you get the right set of tires for your needs – racing tires are also divided into all-terrain, mud-terrain, sand, hard-packed terrain, and intermediate terrain tires. Also, be prepared to pay more – racing tires are much more expensive than normal tires.

3. Radial or Bias-Ply

Most passenger car tires on offer today are radial. This technology came after bias-ply tires and proved to be better in almost every way. Radial tires offer better responsiveness and steering precision, much better highway stability, more grip in the corners, better braking, better performance, and improved fuel economy.

However, all of these things are important only if you drive on the road. For off-road vehicles, such as the Polaris Ranger, things are a bit different. See, while radial tires are great for overall performance, they aren’t as tough as bias-ply tires. In radial tires, the internal plies are positioned across the tread of the tire (radially), which makes them lighter, but also weaker.

For driving over very uneven surfaces, such as large and sharp rocks, some radial tires will suffer. That’s especially true if you put them on a larger and heavier Polaris Ranger. Due to their internal construction, radial tires won’t offer the same puncture resistance as bias-ply tires.

Bias-ply tires, on the other hand, have internal plies positioned at an angle. As a result of this, bias-ply tires are much heavier, which takes a toll on performance. For that reason, you won’t be seeing bias-ply tires on passenger cars anytime soon.

However, the overall construction of bias-ply tires is much stiffer and stronger. Because of that, bias-ply tires will work much better over uneven surfaces, such as large and sharp rocks. Bias-ply tires also have much better puncture resistance, and they can also be driven at much lower pressures, which helps for driving in sand.

With all that said, radial technology has really come far in recent years. Today you can find some very tough and durable radial tires for intermediate terrains, mud, and sand. Sure, bias-ply tires will still work better for hardcore off-roading, but for amateur drivers, radial tires will work completely fine. Moreover, radial tires will also have the ability to provide you with a stable ride on the street, something that bias-ply tires lack.

4. Flat or Round Tires?

You can find Polaris Ranger tires with flat or round tread profiles. The former is designed to give you a better grip on even ground, such as pavement and hardpacked surfaces, while the latter is much better for providing traction over uneven terrains, such as rocks, mud, and sand. 

With flat tires, you will have much better stability at higher speeds, including better responsiveness and higher levels of grip. With round tires, on the other hand, you will have much better traction for getting out of deep mud, and also driving over larger rocks.

Final Words

Owning a Polaris Ranger is truly a life-changing experience. With this vehicle, you can go everywhere you want, and even bring the family with you. 

However, for a genuinely safe driving experience, you should always choose tires according to the surface you’re driving your Polaris on.

In other words, the first few tires on the list might not be the best option for you, even though they are positioned higher.

In the end, be sure to properly take care of the tires. Cleaning them from mud and stones can prolong the lifetime of the tires and keep the tread from damage.