Best Pickup Truck Tires 2024: Expert Selection Guide

Tires, especially pickup truck tires, play a crucial role in your driving experience. They not only bear the weight of the vehicle and cargo but also directly contact the road surface, transmitting every vibration and affecting smoothness, handling, and safety. Choosing the best pickup truck tires for your vehicle is an important decision, especially when you want to upgrade or replace old tires.

The pickup truck tire market is currently very diverse with many types, brands, and price ranges. This can make you feel confused and find it difficult to make the most suitable choice. This article from Xe Tải Mỹ Đình experts will help you answer the question “what are the best pickup truck tires?”, while providing useful information and advice so you can confidently choose the set of tires you like, best meeting your usage needs and operating conditions of the vehicle.

Understand Your Pickup Truck Tire Needs to Choose the Best Type

To find the best pickup truck tires for you, first ask yourself: What do you use your pickup truck for? The answer will determine which type of tire is most suitable for you.

Do you often carry heavy loads? You need tires with high load capacity and good durability.
Do you mainly travel in the city and on highways? Smooth, fuel-efficient, and low-noise tires will be a priority.
Are you passionate about off-road driving and often go off-road? Specialized off-road tires with large tread blocks and superior traction on mud, gravel, and rocks are indispensable.
Do you need a versatile tire that can handle many different driving conditions? All-Terrain (A/T) tires will be the ideal balance.

In addition to the purpose of use, many other factors affect the decision to choose the best pickup truck tires:

Driving terrain: Asphalt roads, dirt roads, hilly roads, mud, sand…
Weather conditions: Dry, rain, snow, slippery roads…
Budget: The price you are willing to pay for a set of tires.
Personal preferences: Smoothness, durability, off-road capability, fuel economy, brand…

Once you have clearly defined your needs and related factors, you will find it easier to narrow down your choices and find the best pickup truck tires, most suitable for your vehicle and driving style.

Popular Types of Pickup Truck Tires and Advice on Choosing the Right Type

Below are popular types of pickup truck tires on the market, along with their characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and advice on when to choose each type:

1. Highway Terrain (H/T) Tires

Characteristics:

Small tread block design, shallow tread grooves, mainly longitudinal grooves.
Optimized for driving on asphalt roads and highways.
Focus on smoothness, noise reduction, and fuel economy.
Good grip on dry and normal wet road surfaces.

Advantages:

Smooth and quiet operation.
Fuel-efficient.
Longer tire life compared to other types of tires when driving on highways.
Price is usually softer than A/T or M/T tires.

Disadvantages:

Poor off-road capability, easily slipping on muddy, sandy, and gravelly terrain.
Significantly reduced grip in very bad road conditions or complex terrain.

When to choose H/T tires:

You mainly use your pickup truck for commuting in the city, on highways, and expressways.
Prioritize smoothness, fuel economy, and tire life.
Little or no need for off-road driving or terrain.

Highway Terrain HT tire for highway driving

2. All-Terrain (A/T) Tires

Characteristics:

Larger tread block design than H/T tires, deeper and wider tread grooves.
Balance between highway and off-road performance.
High durability, better impact resistance.
Good grip on many types of terrain, from asphalt roads to dirt roads, gravel, and sand.

Advantages:

Versatile, performs well on both highways and moderately rough terrain.
Good grip on many surfaces.
Thick sidewalls, increased resistance to impacts and cuts.
Quite good lifespan.

Disadvantages:

Louder noise than H/T tires when driving on asphalt roads.
Lower fuel economy than H/T tires.
Off-road capability is not as good as specialized M/T tires.

When to choose A/T tires:

You use your pickup truck for both daily city driving and occasional picnics and light off-roading.
Need a versatile tire that can handle many different driving conditions.
Prioritize the balance between highway and off-road performance.

All Terrain AT tire for versatile driving

3. Mud Terrain (M/T) Tires

Characteristics:

Extremely large and aggressive tread block design, super deep and wide tread grooves.
Optimized for off-road capability on muddy, rocky, and sandy terrain.
Extremely thick sidewalls, withstand strong impacts.
Superior grip on off-road terrain.

Advantages:

Top-notch off-road capability, surpassing all difficult terrains.
Excellent grip on mud, gravel, and sand.
Super durable sidewalls, good resistance to cuts and punctures.

Disadvantages:

Noisy and bumpy operation when driving on asphalt roads.
Highest fuel consumption among tire types.
Shorter tire life when used on highways.
Usually the most expensive.

When to choose M/T tires:

You are an off-road enthusiast, often driving on harsh terrain, mud, and rocks.
Prioritize off-road capability and maximum off-road grip.
Not too concerned about smoothness and fuel economy when driving on highways.

Mud Terrain MT tire for off-road driving

4. All-Season Tires

Characteristics:

Medium tread block design, combining characteristics of H/T and A/T tires.
Can be used in many different weather conditions, from dry, rain to light snow.
Balance between highway performance and weather adaptability.

Advantages:

Versatile, usable in many weather conditions.
Relatively smooth and more fuel-efficient than A/T tires.
Reasonable price.

Disadvantages:

Off-road capability and snow grip are not as good as specialized A/T or M/T tires.
Not optimized for any specific use condition.

When to choose All-Season tires:

You live in an area with diverse weather, want a tire that can be used year-round.
Mainly travel in the city and on highways, occasionally encountering rain or light snow.
Want a versatile and affordable tire option.

5. Premium Tires

Characteristics:

Focus on performance, safety, and the best driving experience.
Use advanced technology and high-quality materials.
Tread block design and tire structure are optimized for many factors: grip, smoothness, durability, fuel economy…
Usually produced by the world’s leading tire brands.

Advantages:

Superior operating performance in many aspects.
High safety, good driving control.
Smooth and comfortable driving experience.
Durability and tire life are usually long.

Disadvantages:

Significantly more expensive than conventional tires.
May not be necessary if you are not too concerned about high-end performance and driving experience.

When to choose Premium tires:

You want the best and safest driving experience.
Willing to pay to own a set of high-quality, superior performance tires.
Interested in advanced technologies and features on tires.

Quick Comparison Table of Pickup Truck Tire Types

Criteria	H/T (Highway Terrain)	A/T (All Terrain)	M/T (Mud Terrain)	All-Season
Noise Level	Very Low	Low – Medium	High	Low – Medium
Smoothness	Very Smooth	Smooth – Medium	Less Smooth	Smooth – Medium
Dry Grip	Good	Good	Good	Good
Wet Grip	Good	Good	Medium	Good
Off-road	Poor	Fairly Good	Very Good	Medium
Durability	High	Fairly High	Medium	Fairly High
Fuel Economy	Best	Medium	Poor	Medium
Price	Cheap – Medium	Medium – High	High	Medium
Suitable for	Highway, city	Versatile, mixed roads	Professional off-road	Diverse weather, city, highway

Important Pickup Truck Tire Specifications to Know (Ford Ranger Example)

To choose the right pickup truck tires, you need to understand the original tire specifications of your vehicle. This information is usually recorded in the vehicle’s owner’s manual, on the registration certificate, or pasted in locations such as the door frame next to the driver’s seat, glove compartment lid, or fuel tank cap. You can also check directly on the old tires.

Example of Ford Ranger tire specifications: 215/70R16

215: Tire width (mm).
70: Aspect ratio (sidewall height as a percentage of tire width) (%).
R: Radial construction.
16: Wheel diameter (inches).

Popular Ford Ranger tire sizes:

When replacing tires, you should choose tires with dimensions equivalent to the original tires to ensure vehicle handling and safety. However, in some cases, you can consider changing tire sizes (e.g., increasing tire width to increase grip) but you should consult with experts to ensure suitability and not affect the vehicle’s suspension and steering systems.

Suggested Best Pickup Truck Tire Choices by Brand

In the Vietnamese market, there are many reputable and quality pickup truck tire brands that users trust and choose. Below are some prominent brands and product suggestions for pickup trucks:

Michelin: The world’s leading tire brand, famous for superior quality, high durability, smooth operation, and fuel economy. Suggestions: Michelin LTX Trail, Michelin Primacy SUV, Michelin LTX Force.
Bridgestone: Renowned Japanese tire brand, highly rated for durability, stable handling, and good grip. Suggestions: Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684, Bridgestone Ecopia EP850, Bridgestone Dueler A/T 001.
Goodyear: American tire brand with a long history, famous for high-performance tires, strong off-road capability, and durability. Suggestions: Goodyear Wrangler AT Silenttrac, Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac, Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance SUV.
Kumho: Korean tire brand favored for stable quality, reasonable price, and diverse designs. Suggestions: Kumho Road Venture AT51, Kumho Crugen HT51, Kumho Road Venture MT51.
Hankook: Another very popular Korean tire brand in Vietnam, famous for tires with good performance, high durability, and competitive prices. Suggestions: Hankook Dynapro AT2 RF11, Hankook Dynapro HP2 RA33, Hankook Dynapro MT RT03.
BFGoodrich: American tire brand specializing in off-road tires, trusted by professional off-roaders for top-notch off-road capability and extremely impressive durability. Suggestions: BFGoodrich All Terrain KO2, BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM3.
Yokohama: Japanese tire brand known for smooth tires, precise handling, and fuel economy. Suggestions: Yokohama Geolandar H/T G056, Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015.
Continental: German tire brand famous for advanced technology, high operating performance, superior safety and smoothness. Suggestions: Continental ContiCrossContact LX2, Continental UltraContact UC6 SUV.

When choosing a pickup truck tire brand, you should prioritize reputable brands with proven quality and highly rated by many users.

Reference Price List for Popular Ford Ranger Tires

Below is a reference price list for some popular Ford Ranger tire models by size, from reputable brands. Note that prices may vary depending on the time and supplier:

(Price list kept from the original article, some less common models may be omitted if necessary to ensure appropriate length)