Are you an off-road, all-terrain nutcase? Good.
Off-roading is messy, and driving over unpredictable surfaces is dangerous—and so much fun!
Your UTV, SUV, or truck will be built to handle tough conditions, but they need to be coupled with high-quality, well-made tires to provide enough traction to deal with these rough environments.
Fuel produces some pretty incredible tires; whether you’re driving in sand, mud, or rugged-terrain, Fuel will have a tire to fit your needs. Read our Fuel tire review to find out more.
If you’re in a rush to get the best tires on your vehicle, our top pick is the 35X12.50R20LT Fuel Gripper X/T Radial Tire.
Our Fuel tire review includes:
Fuel Tire Review
Let’s take a look at five of the top Fuel off-road tires. We feature three Gripper truck tires and two Gripper UTV tires.
Our Overview
The Fuel Gripper X/T is a beast.
We’re showcasing the 20-inch X/T, but it’s also available for 22, 28, and 30-inch rims.
This tire’s three-layer shell design improves durability, stability, and impact-resistance. It has a high-strength, double-layer steel wire belt to boost performance and a double seamless tape wrap to enhance handling at speed.
A large blocky tread pattern with huge deep groves significantly improves grip off-road while reducing wear-resistance. Small sipes further grip capabilities and decrease heat generation.
The thick rubber challenges any potential punctures and laughs in their faces, and a special rubber compound dares air to try and escape.
Large and small protruding sidewall patterns with a shoulder-block design increase traction in harsh conditions, like deep snow, and amplifies lateral grip.
It has a steel wire rim protector to guard your rims against shock damage and keep the tire secure.
These tires can produce quite a bit of noise, but if you’re off-roading, who cares.
This monster is an end-of-days tire; move over Mad Max!
Pros:
- High-quality and well made.
- Hard to puncture.
- Three-layer design.
- Thick rubber with beefy tread.
- Rim protector.
Cons:
- Quite pricey.
- Can be noisy.
Our Overview
For daily off-roading or driving in general, the Fuel Gripper A/T is a smart choice for your truck or SUV.
Again, we’re looking at the 20-inch A/T, but you can also purchase them for 17,18,22, and 28-inch rim sizes.
The Fuel Gripper A/T has a tornado-style box pattern, which looks stunning and turns heads; it also improves tire grip, protects against side impacts, and is tear-resistant on most terrains. The shoulder design provides excellent lateral grip and maximum control in sand and mud.
Small sipes allow heat release and are meant to reduce noise, though some customers disagree.
A thick rubber case with deep grooves enhances wear-resistance and makes it hard to puncture; this houses a double seamless tape wrap and a tough, double-layer steel wire belt, which boost durability and speed performance.
It has the standard rim protector with a high-strength steel wire seam, securely clamping together the tire and rim.
This tire has been created with a unique airtight formula reducing air loss, and the reinforced, double-layer polyester matrix material provides stability at high speeds.
Neo should’ve taken the blue pill because the Fuel Gripper A/T is a dream.
Pros:
- Various rim sizes available.
- Beautiful tornado-style pattern.
- Tear-resistant.
Cons:
- Reports of a humming noise at high speeds.
- Wet road performance could be improved.
Our Overview
Time to get muddy.
The Fuel Gripper M/T goes through mud and rocky surfaces like a knife through butter.
They feature a large block tread pattern with deep grooves and a shoulder-block design, giving you brilliant lateral grip, high-wear-resistance, and side-impact protection.
Like the other two tires, they include small sipes for heat reduction and the two-layer seamless tape wrap for enhanced high-speed durability. The robust, double-layer steel wire belt and Fuel’s special airtight formula keep air captive like a prisoner.
Fuel Gripper M/T tires have the three-ply polyester shell—like the Gripper X/T—to improve stability at higher speeds and increase longevity and impact-resistance.
Tires will grip your rims tightly and defend them from harm with the standard rim protector, and like all Fuel tires, they’re not easily punctured.
These tires are slightly heavier than the X/T model, at 74 pounds, but they have a higher load index rating, and four tires have a 1764-pound higher load carrying capacity, making them excellent for larger trucks and SUVs.
Plus, they’re slightly cheaper than the X/T and are available in many more sizes; for 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28-inch-diameter rims.
Pros:
- Ideal for muddy and rocky terrains.
- High-wear-resistant.
- Multiple rim sizes available.
- High-load carrying capacity.
Cons:
- Hard to balance.
- Can get loud as they wear.
Our Overview
This is the first UTV tire on our list.
Available in four sizes, the Fuel Trail Gripper UTV tire has large “F” blocks on the tread pattern, which increases the tire’s grip off-road. The large block pattern extends to the sidewall, improving impact-resistance.
The shoulder blocks provide lateral grip, the huge grooves fight against wear and tear, and the small sipes considerably reduce heat generation. The rim protector defends the rim from shock damage.
A 4-Ply nylon carcass design improves the tire’s stability and durability and further ensures high-strength impact-resistance.
Fuel has tested these tires in the most challenging conditions; they’re durable enough to explode across the open desert, and their tread is capable of cutting through loam and mud with ease.
Pros:
- Excellent off-road grip.
- Durable, 4-ply shell.
- Sidewall impact-resistance.
Cons:
- Sizes run big.
- Quite heavy.
Our Overview
Another Fuel Gripper off-roader, the T/R/K UTV tire is the younger, more handsome brother of the Fuel Gripper R/T.
It has blocky tread patterns (extended to the sidewall), deep grooves, and shoulder blocks that all improve grip, lateral grip, off-road grip—basically all the grips—and increase impact-resistance while reducing wear.
Thick, durable rubber invites you to attempt to pierce it, the double seamless wrap tape tightens the tire and enhances high-speed performance, and Fuel’s unique airtight formula adds to that tightness.
Fuel added its new proprietary Aramid fiber to reinforce the sidewall, to add unparalleled strength without piling on the pounds.
I’m not saying it will stop bullets, but Aramid fiber is used in bulletproof vests, so what chance has a sharp rock got?
Pros:
- Aggressive, blocky tread.
- Ultimate grip and great traction in sand.
- Aramid fiber reinforced strength.
Cons:
- Very expensive.
Why Buy the Best Tires for Your Vehicle
Whether you need tires for your truck or UTV, you should always aim for the highest quality available. The best tires:
- Last longer: Truck and UTV tires are extremely durable and designed to resist damage and wear, even on the harshest of roads. Most of these types of tires should come with a 60,000-mile warranty.
- Improve off-road performance: Tires of this variety are created to handle all types of terrain. Truck and UTV tires have tread, grooves, sidewalls that will improve stability and traction on uneven roads, rocky trails, and even sand.
- Save money: You may spend more money initially, but high-quality tires will need replacing less often. We’re not saying that if a tire costs a fortune, it must mean it’s the best; you can purchase decent tires for half the price of the top brands. But high-quality usually comes with a high price tag.
- Look good: I know, it shouldn’t matter, but you know it does. Tires should look impressive and aggressive and make your vehicle stand out.
When Should You Replace Your Off-Road Tires
When your tires have 2/32-inch tread depth left, consider them worn out. Some tires have wear-indicator bars built into the tread, which let you know when the tire is nearing the end of its life.
They say you should rotate your tires every 6 months to distribute wear evenly and increase longevity, but if you’re regularly giving your tires a beating on the trail, rotate them more often.
Carry out regular checks; grooves, cuts, and cracks in the sidewall could indicate a potential blow-out, as can bulges and blisters. If you’re experiencing any usual noise or vibrations when driving, have your tires checked out.
Type of Tires
The type of tire you need depends on what you’ll be using them for.
All-Season
All-season tires offer decent performance on-road; they’re the all-rounder of the tire world and can handle a little bit of everything, whether it be sun, rain, snow, or ice. They provide decent tire mileage, give you a comfortable, smooth ride, and are normally designed to improve fuel consumption.
But they’re not heavy-duty, and they’re not for off-road.
All-Terrain
The best of both worlds; these tires can handle on-road and off-road. All-terrain tires are heavy-duty and provide high performance on all surfaces. However, they’re noisy and consume more fuel.
Sand Tires
Rear sand tires are wide and have flexible sidewalls with low air pressure; this prevents your UTV from sinking in the sand and allows you to float over the surface. The front tires have paddles that scoop the sand, propelling you forward. These are only for sand terrains and don’t do well on hard surfaces.
Rock Tires
These tires are durable and flexible; they have silica blended with rubber to reduce potential damage from sharp rocks. Some are reinforced with Kevlar to strengthen and protect the tire carcass and sidewall.
Snow Tires
Why would you want to be driving around in snow? It’s cold!
However, if you’re that special kind of bearded, red suit-wearing, ho-ho-ho crazy—snow tires will get your sleigh from A to B.
These tires are covered with sipes to provide maximum traction in snow and are made of a special rubber compound that allows them to remain flexible, even in subzero temperatures.
Mud Tires
In our opinion, the ultimate all-round UTV tire. Mud tires have tough sidewalls and widely spaced tread to ride through the mud. They include aggressive, claw-like blocks that scoop up mud and fling it away—handy when you’re stuck in a rut or a deep pit.
You can use mud tires on-road occasionally, but they thrive on most off-road terrains. The tread on these tires takes a thrashing, so don’t expect them to last long.
What is Fuel Off-Road?
Fuel Off-Road was established in 2009 by one of the most trusted names in the wheel game, MHT Luxury Alloys. Its tires have been catching the eye of off-road lunatics like you and me with its technological advancements, fitments, and cutting-edge designs. Fuel offers engineering innovations and the most advanced off-road wheels available.
A devoted team of engineers and designers push the limits daily to provide the future of off-roading, leaving no rock unturned.
Where Can I Buy Fuel Off-Road Tires?
Fuel tires have an extensive network of authorized retailers through the US, Canada, and Australia; they also provide tires worldwide.
Check its website to find your nearest dealer; alternatively, if you know what you’re looking for, you can purchase Fuel tires online.
Off-Road Ready
Fuel has created some incredible heavy-duty tires, suitable for all types of terrain. The tires all improve grip, enhance control over your vehicle, and boost overall performance.
Our top pick from our Fuel tire review is the one they call the beast: the Fuel Gripper X/T 35X12.50R20LT Radial Tire.
The X/T is a bit pricey but well worth it. Its three-layer carcass with a double-layer steel belt provides durability, impact-resistance and improves stability. The grip is second to none, and nothing is getting in or out of this tire.
Yes, it may be slightly noisy, but when the apocalypse comes and a group of bandits is chasing you and your truck across the wastelands, who cares. The Fuel Gripper X/T 35X12.50R20LT Radial Tire will get you where you’re going in one piece.
