Are you planning on driving off the trail with your car, truck or SUV? Then the tires on your wheels will have to tackle a whole new set of challenges. A proper grip on wet and dry roads is still necessary for off-road wheels, but additional factors like off-road grip, puncture resistance, and vehicle load ratings also come into play.
A good set of off-road tires can carry a vehicle over rocks, boulders, sand, dirt, snow, mud, and other uneven surfaces. The tires on the wheels will have specially designed tread patterns, and the grooves between the tread blocks will be broader. Off-road tires will also have reinforced sidewalls for higher resistance to punctures.
For pure performance on tarmac, however, off-road tires cannot compete with a good set of summer tires. That's because off-road tires have a reduced contact patch area, so there's less contact with the road surface while the wheel rotates. Used in urban or suburban terrain, they'll provide your truck with less grip and make more noise. Plus, there'll be a major dip in fuel efficiency.
Another thing to remember is that off-road tires have a shorter tread life. That's because of the softer rubber compound used to provide off-road tires with adequate performance on all surfaces and trails. The average is not lower than 40,000 miles, but some models can promise an average mileage as high as 70,000 miles.