Every ATV mud rider needs a good lightweight mud tire that will pull them through those deep bounty holes which is why I have listed below the weights of the most popular ATV mud tires of 2020.
What is the lightest ATV mud tire? The lightest ATV mud tire in 2020 is the Maxxis Mudzilla. Their standard 28” tire weighs in at only 35.7lbs. This is 14.3lbs lighter than a 28” SuperATV Assassinator which weighs in at a whopping 50lbs. When hitting the mud with your four wheeler, you need it to be as light as possible. The heavier your ATV is, the faster it will sink. Having a lighter tire also means that your four wheeler will not have as much strain on the axles, driveshafts and most importantly the engine. The Maxxis Mudzilla may not be the best mud tire on the market, but with it being the lightest, I would definitely be satisfied having a set on my ATV.
I researched the most popular mud tires on the market and compared their 28” class of tires to determine which tire was the lightest and put the weights in a table below. The weight differences were huge.
| Tire | Size (inches) | Weight (pounds) |
| Maxxis Mudzilla | 28-10-12 | 35.7 |
| ITP Mud Lite II | 28-11-14 | 36.9 |
| High Lifter Outlaw 2 | 28-9.5-14 | 39.0 |
| ITP Cryptid | 28-10-14 | 40.2 |
| SuperATV Terminators | 28-10-14 | 46.0 |
| SuperATV Assassinators | 28-10-14 | 50.0 |
Should You Purchase a Light ATV Mud Tire?
A light ATV mud tire will perform its best on softer terrain. These tires will typically be made of a softer compound and will flex more when pushing through the mud or sand. If you find yourself driving on hard terrain such as rock roads and pavement, then you may want a more heavy duty mud tire. The Maxxis Mudzilla can most definitely take on some rough terrain but I would limit that type of riding with these tires.
Also, if your ATV is stock with no aftermarket upgrades such as axles, a clutch kit or gear reduction and you do not plan on adding these features in the near future, then a lighter mud tire would be your best option.
Maxxis Mudzilla
- Size: 28-10-12
- Weight: 35.7lbs
- Tread Depth: 1.5"
ITP Mud Lite II
- Size: 28-11-14
- Weight: 36.9lbs
- Tread Depth: 1.13"
High Lifter Outlaw 2
- Size: 28-9.5-14
- Weight: 39.0lbs
- Tread Depth: 1.625"
ITP Cryptid
- Size: 28-10-14
- Weight: 40.2lbs
- Tread Depth: 2"
SuperATV Terminators
- Size: 28-10-14
- Weight: 46.0lbs
- Tread Depth: 2"
SuperATV Assassinators
- Size: 28-10-14
- Weight: 50.0lbs
- Tread Depth: 3"
Why use a lighter mud tire?
A lighter mud tire will give you multiple advantages over a heavy tire. Here are the facts.
1. Less Stress on your Axles, Driveshafts and Engine
The standard ATV is typically built and designed from the factory to only handle an all-terrain tire that is approximately 26” tall and weighs only 15lbs. When you add a 28” tire that is 35lbs heavier, something will break soon or later. Most people who purchase heavier, more aggressive tires, will also upgrade their axles, clutches and/or gears to accommodate for the larger tire.
2. More Overall Speed
For bottom end speed you can expect your ATV to accelerate faster with a lighter mud tire because it is easier for your engine to turn the tire. If you choose a taller and lighter tire than what you currently have, you will also see higher speeds on the top end. Your axle will spin at the same rate but your tire covers more ground per rotation causing you to go faster.
3. Less Likely To Sink
Every now and then, you will see a little 2 wheel drive ATV go through a mud hole that a larger 4 wheel drive ATV just got stuck in. Why is that? Weight. The 4 wheel drive ATV weighs more and is more prone to sinking deeper in the mud which takes a lot more power to pull the ATV through.
This concept is the same for ATV tires. If the tire is light and aggressive (Maxxis Mudzilla), then it will have a better chance of making it to the other side. Lets think about the weight difference. A set of 4 Maxxis Mudzilla mud tires will weigh about 143lbs. A set of 4 SuperATV Assassinators weighs about 200lbs. That is a 57lb difference, which could determine whether or not you get stuck.
4. Spins Faster In The Mud
This is how the larger ATV’s make it so far in the mud. They have the power to spin their tires so fast to where the heavy weight of the ATV almost doesn’t matter anymore. Especially the big Can-Am Renegades or Outlander 1000’s that have so much power it seems like they float across the mud. On-the-other-hand, a less powerful ATV like my Yamaha Big Bear 400 needs lighter tires so it doesn’t bog my engine down resulting in the tires not spinning like they should. The faster you can get your tires to spin, the further you will make it in the mud.
When Can You Use a Heavier Mud Tire on your ATV?
I would only recommend going with a heavier mud tire whenever you are sticking with the same size tire (typically around 26”) or if you plan to install some beefier axles. I would also recommend installing a clutch kit and/or gear reduction to reduce the stress on your engine. If you have a complete stock four wheeler from the factory and you plan to get larger tires, then definitely check out the Maxxis Mudzillas.
How to understand the numbers on an ATV tire?
When you look at the side of your ATV tire, you will see three numbers with hyphens in-between. For example, 28-10-14. This tire is 28 inches tall, 10 inches wide and will accommodate a 14 inch rim.
Notice the chart at the beginning of this post, the Maxxis Mudzilla size 28-10-12 weighs only 35.7lbs. All of the other comparisons are for a 14 inch rim. This means that if Maxxis produced a size 28-10-14 that it would actually weigh even less than 35.7lbs, because a smaller rim but same height would require more rubber to produce. This goes to show that the Maxxis Mudzilla ATV mud tire is the lightest mud tires on the market.