The reasons why ATV tires are expensive can be summed up in the list below.
- Special and unique design.
- Types of materials needed.
- Production volume.
- Market size.
- Brand.
- Shipping costs.
The tires are more costly because of the market and their unique design. They’re built differently than regular car tires, since they go more places and do more things. Also, since fewer 4-wheeler wheels are produced compared to car wheels, their price tends to be higher. Plus, let’s face it, anything labeled as “fun” in the power sports world usually comes with a higher price tag.
Expensive Right Now – Crazy Market
During the lockdowns and still happening today, everything got more expensive.
There were supply chain issues, printing of money, and high demand for many items as people were stuck at home. Most of this still ripples today and will for years.
I don’t think prices will return to normal, and quad tires will for sure keep going up. You may run into some good deals every so often, but we’re never going to see cheap quad tires again.
General Tire Costs
4-wheeler tires can cost anywhere from $50 to $300 depending on the style, abilities, and tread you want for ONE tire.
You can often buy ATV-tires online (ad) and get them shipped to your home. There are special deals on tires every so often that allow you to buy multiple and sometimes save money.
You will need to get the tire installed on the rim and if you don’t have the right tools to install them, you need to take it to a tire shop. The cost to mount and balance a tire is not always included, learn more here.
Where To Go To Get Tires Installed
If you bought your wheels online or from another retailer, and they did not install them, then you can take them to any tire shop to get them installed.
Most tire shops can mount and balance tire for a fee. Some specialty ones may not be possible at many tire shops if they don’t fit on their machine.
You can also install the tire yourself with tire spoons (ad).
Shipping Cost Are High
When looking to buy new tires for your ATV, the price alone is high, but then when you get to shipping costs, it really goes up.
The reason why tires are so expensive to ship is because they big, heavy, and oddly shaped.
Most quad tires are shipped without a box, they slap a mailing address on the tire itself and send it off. Putting the tire in a box would mean you either compress the tire, which damages it, or you need a big box in a special size that is even more costly.
Since the tires are not in a box, they can’t be stacked with other items easily. The tires end up taking a lot of space in the delivery truck, and thus you pay more for shipping.
How ATV Tires Are Made
The process to make ATV tires is similar to car and truck tires, the video below goes into more details of the process.
Best Time To Buy Tires
The best time to buy ATV tires is when they go on sale, and that happens most often in the off-season.
Don’t expect to find good deals on off-road tires in the middle of the riding season for your area. When demand is high, cost always go up.
When it slows down is the time you should be looking for tire deals. Don’t be afraid to price shop other dealers and even check out your local tire ship for deals on ATV tires. Not many people know that the places that sell car tires can also get ATV tires shipped in, and they can install them, too.