Here some of the best mountain bike Mud Tires:
- Michelin Wild Mud
- Continental Mud King
- WTB Vigilante
- Mavic Crossmax Charge
- Schwalbe Dirty Dan 2.35in
When buying a mud tire for your mountain bike there are 3 things to consider:
1) Width of the Tire:: the fattest mud tires are around 2.5 inches thick and the smallest tires are around a 1.5 to 1.8 inches
- For sticky clay riding, you'll want a 1.5 to 1.8 inch thick tire because tire will collect less mud and allow better clearance. The thinner tire profile will also dig into the soft clay surface.
- For rocky riding, you'll want a fatter tire that's between 2.1 to 2.35 inches thick. It will have more cushioning and better pinch flat protection
2) Tread pattern of the tire:: most mud tires will have square knobs, in rows with big channels between them for mud to escape. To increase traction bite, most of the square knobs will have a uniform height and won't have chamfered edges that reduce rolling resistance (common on regular trail tires).
3) Rubber compound of the tire:: if you have a choice between SOFT vs. HARD, go with a tire with a soft rubber compound because it will grip between on wet roots and rocks. A good tire combination would be a SOFT front tire, paired with Harder rear tire, which would give you grip on the front, but also a faster rolling rear.
As for tire pressure, experiment a little as some riders recommend increasign the pressure so the tire deforms less, while other riders recommend decreasing pressure so you have more grip.
Also note, you'll be better off with tubeless mud tires.