The best 4x4 tyres in Australia in 2024

If there’s one modification that can alter 4x4 performance and appearance more than any other, it's tyres.

Bolting on a fresh set of rubber has the ability to completely transform your 4x4, with nothing else than some credit card digits being swapped and a torque wrench doing a lap of your wheel nuts. There is a problem, though: how are you meant to choose the right tyres for your rig?

There are so many brands with various tread designs and price points on the market these days, and what may work for your mate’s HiLux will be absolutely awful on your Proton Jumbuck. Not to worry, we’re here to help. In this guide we’ve done most of the hard work for you, no matter what you’re after. ATs, HTs, MTs and Hybrid options are all listed below, so have a read and see if you can find your next set of 4x4 tyres.

To keep things fairly uniform on the cost side of things, we’ve set the tyre size to the commonly available 265/70R17 for all tyres, or as close to it as possible for those that don’t come in that size.

JUMP AHEAD

All-Terrain

• Falken Wildpeak AT3W
• Maxxis RAZR AT811
• Cooper Discoverer S/T MAXX
• Mickey Thompson Baja Boss
• Toyo Open Country ATII
• Dick Cepek Fun Country
• Federal Couragia
• Pirelli Scorpion ATR
• Continental CrossContact

Mud-Terrain

• BFGoodrich T/A KM3
• Kenda Klever KR29
• Kumho Road Venture KL71
• Hankook Dynapro MT2

Highway-Terrain

• Bridgestone Dueler 689

Hybrid-Terrain

• Goodyear Wrangler MTR
• Nitto Ridge Grappler
• Yokohama Geolandar X-AT

Rugged-Terrain

• Cooper Rugged Trek

Falken Wildpeak AT3W

One of the most technology-filled tyres on this list, the Wildpeak has proven to be a top choice for a lot of 4WDers over the past few years.

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It has nifty inclusions like heat-diffusing lower sidewalls to make it an excellent tyre for towing, and stepped tread blocks, which are offset to protect the sidewall for extra rigidity when finding off-road traction. Continuing the aggressive tread pattern, the upper sidewall is designed to mould over sharp rocks and aid traction in soft sand.

They’re also an extreme weather-rated tyre, so you’re ready for the next ice-age to kick off, or even if you’re a driver who needs to venture out in the rain. 3D Canyon sipe technology is also onboard, which essentially interlocks the sipes, providing excellent wet-weather grip without sacrificing tread lug deterioration in high torque applications.

Maxxis AT811 RAZR

Carrying on the aggressive tradition of the RAZR MT, the AT version looks just as gnarly and, if appearance equalled performance, these would be the tyre of choice for everybody.

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And frankly, “everybody” could do a lot worse. The Maxxis team threw a bunch of R&D at this tyre, and if things like three-ply sidewalls, high tensile fibres interwoven into the cap and 3D wave siping sounds like a bit of you, then you’ve found your tyre. With excellent on-road manners and off-road behaviour that’d rival a lot of well-known muddies in the soft stuff, this is a seriously top contender and should be on almost every 4WDer’s shortlist. Muddy looks with all-terrain performance and Maxxis reliability? Yes please.

Cooper Discoverer S/T MAXX

A tyre truly designed for Australian conditions – Cooper went into the Outback and spent three years testing this tyre to the absolute limit, the result being one undeniably tough piece of AT rubber… well, heavy-duty rubber and silica compound.

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The S/T MAXX features stone-ejector ribs and an enhanced buttress design on the sidewall for increased grip at low pressures, and they feature Micro Gauge siping for extra on-road grip in inclement weather. Underneath the Y-block treads with optimised draft angles sits the proprietary Armor-Tek 3 ply construction, which sees the third top ply laid down on an eight-degree angle, which provides a 250 per cent strength increase over the standard two-ply construction. Think of the old-school bias-ply strength and puncture resistance, but without any of the downsides. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense and ultra-tough AT tyre, don’t go past the Cooper S/T MAXX.

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss

The Baja Boss AT has a legions of fans. That’s probably due to things like the asymmetrical tread design that straddles the line between aggressive off- and on-road manners excellently.

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Mickey Thompson reckon it offers fantastic road-holding while minimising noise, which is pretty much the gold-standard for an AT tyre. The Extreme Sidebiters on the sidewall are 150 per cent deeper than on the previous Baja ATZ P3 tyres and guarantee low-pressure traction in the soft stuff, while the toughness department is managed by the PowerPly XD feature – essentially a 50 per cent increase in denier cord used in the plies, to provide a mammoth amount of puncture resistance. Also worth noting is the silica-infused compound for greater wear characteristics and longer life, rounding out what has to be a shortlist tyre for just about any serious 4WD owner.

Toyo Open Country ATII

The Toyo ATII is well and truly proven as a solid performer in Australian conditions. They’re built to last, with Toyo claiming they’re able to do five full laps of Australia on a single set of rubber.

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Off-road capabilities are enhanced with two cap plies that are built for puncture resistance, and the carcass incorporates sidewall protection for when you’re bagged out on the rocks. On-road performance is beefed-up with tie bars between the tread blocks have been added to offer better braking and corner stability – features not commonly seen in off-road rubber, but welcome additions nonetheless.

While they don’t necessarily have the sex appeal of some of the more aggressive tyres on this list, if you’re after a no-nonsense, long-lasting, reliable tyre that’ll go the distance and hold its own in a fistfight with nature, give the ATIIs a once over. There are a lot of good reasons so many folks are running them.

Dick Cepek Fun Country

One of the original crossover AT tyres that’s been around since before some of our readers were born, the Fun Country has been reinvented into a tough AT contender, and we are into it.

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The sidewall is made up of three plies that are angled to increase puncture-resistance, and the offset, siped sidewall tread is designed to resist lug-tearing by spreading the load across a greater section of the tyre instead of just the lug, further aided by the 360° scalloped rib section. The shoulder of the tyre is notched to decrease damage from rocks, while the Offset Circumferential Grooves ramp up water dispersion and traction, making this a solid choice for those chasing some functional and well-priced rubber.

Federal Couragia

At the budget end of town we find the Federal Couragia AT. It’s not aggressive nor does it provoke lust in the eye of the beholder, and there are precious few sizes available, but considering the price there’s quite a bit to like about this tyre.

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The compound features chemically coupled silica to the rubber, which should promote a decent lifespan from these things, and the wide-angle shoulder grooves and multi-directional siping should mean they offer adequate handling in the wet. It is worth mentioning that there have been a few instances of the tread lifting after a short amount of time on the vehicle, but most reports seem to be on heavier vehicles.

Lighter 4WD and SUV owners have largely reported great things from their Couragias. So if you’re looking to re-shoe your F-250, these may not be for you, but it you punt your Sierra to work every day and over the dirt for a camping weekend a few times a year, these could be perfect.

Pirelli Scorpion ATR

The Scorpion is designated as an AT tyre but its super-sleek tread design is way more slanted towards highway driving. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

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If you’re doing a lot of Outback touring where you’ll be spending 80-90 per cent of your journey on the black top or dirt roads, then these tyres start making more and more sense. The tread features all the usual HT acumen – low noise, excellent wet weather grip, long-life – however it also is somewhat good off-road, at least until you start getting into the deep bogholes or boulder gardens.

However, it’s not designed or advertised at excelling in those arenas. It’s a touring tyre, plain and simple. It really is hard to hate on an all-round performer like the Pirellis, and if you’re only an occasional off-road driver and spend a bunch of time on the bitumen, these really could be your next set of rubber.

Continental CrossContact AT

Another AT that’s really an HT, the Continental ticks all the usual boxes for this type of tyre. It’s excellent in both the wet and dry, it offers great treadwear, the noise levels may as well be non-existent, and when it comes to off-road ability they’re punching at the flyweight end of the spectrum.

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Except on sand that is, it’s not an overly well-known fact but once aired down, HT tyres absolutely dominate on the sand over the more aggressive MTs or ATs. If you’re a beach comber with little interest in driving mud or rocks, then these are actually a very good choice.

Designed for SUVs and light trucks, the sidewall, carcass and plies are all fairly strong and puncture-resistant. Sure, they’re not going to win any mud-bogging competitions; but when considered within the realms of what they’re designed for, there are impeccable reasons to lay down your cash on a set of these.

BFGoodrich T/A KM3

The previous iteration, the KM2, was a massive hit with the mud-driving public, so when the KM3 hit the market, it had some big shoes to fill. And fill them they did.

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The KM3 offers five-per-cent better mud traction than its predecessor thanks to the “mud-phobic bars” on the shoulder of the tyre that are designed to aid in self-clearing, allowing the rubber to bite deeper into the slop. The sidewalls have also been beefed up to the tune of 27 per cent more toughness, mainly due to the CoreGard Max technology, which is a special mix of compound and thicker rubber in the sidewall plies.

Kenda Klever KR29

Taiwan-based Kenda have been around for 60 years now, so it’d be fair to say they have the know-how.

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While they’re a fairly basic construction – double steel belts with three-ply sidewalls – they fit the budget mould perfectly and by all reports are pretty darn impressive off-road, making them a top contender in the bang-for-buck stakes. Noise is an issue, more so when they have a few kays on them, but a little bit of howling is to be expected. The Kendas could be a great entry-level mud-terrain for those who aren’t willing to cough up the coin for a more well-known brand. Even with the lack of refinement in some areas, they’re difficult to ignore and can’t be written off.

Kumho Road Venture KL71 MT

The KL71 has been around for a long time now, and the Korean-built tyre is a solid and capable performer on- and off-road.

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Despite the angry tread design, the KL71 is surprisingly quiet on-road and grippy in the wet, which comes down to the tightly packed centre lugs, which were developed using fluid mechanics to keep the noise levels on the lower and of the scale and resistant to any aqua-planing.

Off-road, the beefy shoulder lugs keep the traction on mud and rocks plentiful; although, we’d like to see some more sidewall tread on an updated tyre, which hopefully is not too far away. The Kumho is getting a little long in the tooth now, having been on the market since fuel was under a buck a litre, but its consistent performance, good looks and competitive pricing still make it a great choice for those looking for something a little different.

Hankook Dynapro MT2

The Dynapro MT2 has one of the strongest tyre carcasses we’ve see, featuring a reinforced under tread gauge, nylon reinforced belts, a high-tensile steel belt and jointless bead wire.

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It’s simply a beast of a tyre that’s nigh-on bulletproof when it comes to puncture resistance. The tread pattern is very much like an old-school mud-terrain, with chunky centre lugs and uneven shoulder blocks for fast and effective self-cleaning. However, they suffer from the same things of the muddies of yesteryear.

Wet-road driving and long-trip noisiness have to be taken into consideration, but if you’re confident in your abilities to deal with aquaplaning and are happy to just turn the stereo up to drown out the road noise, then these are right up your alley. A super-solid construction with fantastic off-road capabilities without any of the frills or fanciness? Sign right here.

Bridgestone Dueler 689 HT

When we get right down to it, HT tyres really only need to be measured by a few criteria: How they handle the wet, how long they last and how well they bag out in the sand, and the 689 HT is no exception.

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To be fair, based on those criteria alone, it’s really a pretty good tyre. While you wouldn’t buy these to do a run down the Gibb River Road, for a tow vehicle that’s only ever going to see an occasional dirt road and maybe do some beach camping a couple times next summer, you could do a lot worse.

The tread pattern is computer designed, the tread blocks are surprisingly deep at 11mm and the rounded shoulders ensure a smooth, long-wearing and practically noiseless driving experience. It’ll get you there and back, and at the end of the day, you have to chalk that up as a win.

Goodyear Wrangler MTR

Contrary to popular belief, the MTR stands for Maximum Traction Reinforced, not Mud Terrain, and the Goodyears are one of the originators (and still one of the best) of the hybrid tyre.

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Featuring Kevlar reinforcement and a silica-infused rubber compound, these are the tyres for you if you’re looking for more off-road performance while giving a decent account of themselves on the blacktop. The asymmetric tread design reportedly self-cleans incredibly well, while the stepped shoulder blocks and wraparound sidewall tread maximise traction on pretty much every surface you care to point your rig at.

Internally, the tyre has twin steel belts and the sidewalls are reinforced with Dupont Kevlar, a material that’s pound for pound stronger than steel – making them incredibly resistant to cuts and punctures; specifically, 35 per cent tougher than the previous MT/Rs, which were long a favourite of off-road drivers everywhere.

Nitto Ridge Grappler

The Ridge Grappler is a true one-tyre-does-it-all. Available in a huge range of sizes and well-suited to both heavy and light vehicles, it can handle the rigours of the daily commute as well as the weekend camping missions deep into the scrub.

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In fact, it’s even available in a two- or three-ply construction (although let’s be honest, there are few circumstances where two-ply would be the choice). Nitto calls the thread a “various pitch” design, which essentially means it has tighter lugs in the centre of the tyre for low noise and good handling on-road, while the alternating shoulder lugs and stepped tread blocks are designed to dig deep into slick surfaces and give you the grip you need. The sidewall patterns are different on each side of the tyre, one having a traditional look while the other features larger lugs for more grip off-road, which is pretty nifty in our opinion.

Yokohama Geolandar X-AT

The X-ATs are like the equivalent of your grandad’s axe – solid, dependable, great at what they’re designed for but won’t win any awards for being tough-looking.

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With that said, we know people who are on the third and fourth sets, so they’re hardly underwhelming in the performance categories. Built with a triple-polymer compound and a host of clever tread pattern design features, they’re aimed at people who spend a solid amount of time off the beaten track but are also meant to be able to hold the road as well as, or better than, a traditional AT tyre, so it really is a fantastic tyre for those looking for off-road capability and on-road manners. Dual sidewall treads and a wide flat profile mean that not only will the X-ATs get you there and back, you can expect some big kilometres out of them before you’ll need to swapping them out too.

Cooper Rugged Trek

The Cooper Rugged Trek is a 4x4 tyre designed for drivers who frequently tackle rough terrain.

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The tyres are built to provide superior traction on both wet and dry surfaces, and have a unique tread pattern that allows them to grip onto rocks, sand and mud. They're also designed to provide a comfortable ride, with reduced road noise and vibrations. The Rugged Trek range is available in a variety of sizes to suit different vehicles, and comes with a mileage warranty for added peace of mind.

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