Looking for the best tires in Mad Max?

Tires are an essential component when it comes to upgrading the Magnum Opus.

The different types of tires in Mad Max let you customize the way your vehicle handles both on sand and asphalt.

The weight of the Magnum Opus can also affect the way your tires allow your car to grip the road and take on sharp curves. Heavier components, such as ramming grills and boarding spikes, may cause your vehicle to slide and spin without equipping the proper tires.

So how do you know which tires are best for your Magnum Opus?

I’m going to break down the different types of tires and their handling abilities so you can make the best choice for whatever situation you may find yourself in, whether it’s winning Death Runs or running down Convoys.

7. Fray Hoops

Fray Hoops are the most basic tires in the game.

Fray Hoops are the default tires in Mad Max that are automatically equipped on your Magnum Opus. They don't offer anything special other than simply allowing you to drive through the Wastleand.

The Fray Hoops generally don’t give you the best handling. I strongly advise against adding any heavy ramming grills or boarding spikes to the Magnum Opus with these tires, as gaining traction will be very difficult, and you won't be able to handle turns very well.

Even Chumbucket is ashamed of these tires, but they will get you rolling long enough to find something better.

Tire Stats:

• Default tires when you unlock the Magnum Opus
• Poor handling
• Not suitable for heavy boarding spikes or ramming grills

Fray Hoops Pros and Cons:

• Pros: They’re free, and you need tires to roam the Wasteland
• Cons: Poor handling, and they are not made for heavy vehicles

6. Deep Treadies

Deep Treadies are the average way to get around.

Deep Treadies are the next level of tires that you can obtain for the Magnum Opus. 

While they are not a significant improvement to the Fray Hoops tires, Deep Treadies offer a 5% increase in overall tire traction.

These tires are also not free, as you must complete the story mission, "Into Madness," and pay 100 scrap.

Once again, even though these tires do offer increased traction on both sand and asphalt, they are still not able to handle well with heavy ramming grills or boarding spikes. It’s best to keep the Magnum Opus light for optimal results with these tires.

Tire Stats:

• 5% increase in overall tire traction
• Improved handling, even with light armor
• Must complete the story mission “Into Madness”
• Cost: 100 scrap

Deep Treadies Pros and Cons:

• Pros: 5% improvement in overall tire traction on sand and asphalt, slightly better handling than Fray Hoops
• Cons: Must complete a story mission and pay 100 scrap, does not handle well with heavy armor

5. Wide Treadies

Wide Treadies let you get a grip on asphalt.

Wide Treadies are the level 3 upgrade of tires for the Magnum Opus, and they offer slightly improved handling over the Deep Treadies.

Wide Treadies will give you improved tire traction on the asphalt by 15%, but they are not made for driving on sand, and the Magnum Opus could get bogged down by heavy ramming grills or boarding spikes.

To acquire the Wide Treadies tire upgrade, you will need to lower the threat in Gutgash’s territory to level 4 and pay 300 scrap.

Tire Stats:

• Improves tire traction on asphalt by 15%
• Improved overall handling
• Lower the threat in Gutgash’s territory to level 4
• Cost: 300 scrap

Wide Treadies Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Better traction on asphalt, improved handling overall
• Cons: Poor traction on sand, costs 300 scrap

4. Dual Groovies

Dual Groovies can take you anywhere.

Dual Groovies are a level 4 tire upgrade for the Magnum Opus that provides a moderate improvement in handling than the previous three tires.

These tires improve overall tire traction by 15%, making them a decent choice for driving on both sand and asphalt.

While Dual Groovies aren’t the best tire overall, they are definitely an improvement over the Deep Treadies and more versatile than the Wide Treadies, which only have improved traction on asphalt.

To unlock Dual Groovies, you will need to lower the threat in Gutgash’s territory to level 3, so be prepared to do some grinding by taking over camps and pulling down Scarecrows. You will also have to pay 600 scrap to equip them on the Magnum Opus.

Tire Stats:

• Improved overall tire traction by 15%
• Moderate improvement in handling
• Must lower threat in Gutgash’s territory to level 3
• Cost: 600 scrap

Dual Groovies Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Better traction on both sand and asphalt, improved handling
• Cons: Costs 600 scrap, having to grind to lower the threat in Gutgash’s territory

3. Sandsliders

Hit the dunes with some Sandsliders.

Sandsliders are the level 5 tire upgrade for the Magnum Opus and feature a 20% improvement of tire traction on sand.

The Sandsliders are an excellent tire for The Dunes Region because of the extra traction you will gain on the sand and the significant boost to handling.

The Sandsliders also allow you to equip heavier ramming grills and body frames for the Magnum Opus without spinning out in the sand. These tires also come in handy for Death Runs that have a sand track instead of an asphalt one. Sandsliders would not be ideal for chasing down convoy vehicles, as they mostly run on asphalt.

To unlock the Sandsliders as a tire option, you must first lower the threat in Gutgash’s territory to level 2 and then pay 900 scrap, so you will definitely have to put more effort into obtaining these.

Tire Stats:

• Improved tire traction on sand by 20%
• Significant handling boost
• Must reduce threat level in Gutgash’s territory to level 2
• Costs 900 scrap

Sandsliders Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Better traction on sand, better overall handling, a good choice for The Dunes Region
• Cons: Poor traction on asphalt, not ideal for convoy runs, a lot of grinding to reduce the threat level in order to unlock, high cost of scrap

2. Dune Cups

Dune Cups give you the freedom to go off-road.

Dune Cups tires are the best tires for driving on sand, with improved tire traction of 25%.

However, they are also the most expensive tire upgrade, costing a whopping 1400 scrap. They also require a lot of grinding to lower the threat level in Gutgash’s territory to level 1.

Dune Cups also offer an excellent handling boost, making it possible to equip heavy body frames and ramming grills, as well as more powerful V8 engines without sliding on curves when driving in the sand.

The Dune Cups' spiky appearance will also add a nice touch to the look of the Magnum Opus.

Tire Stats:

• Improve tire traction on sand by 25%
• Significant handling boost
• Can handle heavier car frames and armor without bogging down in the sand
• Must lower the threat level in Gutgash’s territory to level 1
• Costs 1400 scrap

Dune Cups Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Excellent traction on sand, significant handling boost, ability to equip heavier frames and armor without having to sacrifice too much power
• Cons: Will slide a bit on asphalt, most expensive tire upgrade at 1400 scrap, lots of grinding to lower the threat in Gutgash to level 1

1. Slick Rubs

Slick Rubs will satisfy your need for speed.

Slick Rubs are one of the best tires in the game, aside from the Dune Cups, and they cost significantly less at just 250 scrap.

They won’t be easy to obtain, however.

You must complete the mission titled “In Due Time," where Pink Eye will give you a photograph showing an old gas station where the tires are stashed. It is then up to you to figure out the location shown in the photograph, which has since been buried in the sand. From there, it is merely a matter of exploring the area until you find the tires.

These tires don’t require long hours of grinding to reduce territory threats and are relatively easy to acquire by doing story missions.

Slick Rubs improve tire traction on asphalt by 25%, and they offer superior handling overall.

These tires are the best for winning most Death Runs and chasing down convoy leaders, but the traction goes down a bit in the sand, so I do not recommend using them in The Dunes Region.

Since Slick Rubs are made for going fast anyway, it’s best to avoid any significantly heavy car frames or heavy armor that might bog you down in the sand.

Tire Stats:

• Improve tire traction on asphalt by 25%
• Superior handling
• Obtained by completing the story mission “In Due Time” and finding the location in the photograph that Pink Eye gives you
• Costs 250 scrap

Slick Rubs Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Better traction on asphalt, superior handling, the ability to turn corners on asphalt at high speeds, lower scrap cost
• Cons: Can bog down in the sand with too much weight on the vehicle, difficult to find their location based only on a photograph

For more great Mad Max articles, check these out:

• Mad Max Best Tires: Which Is Best?
• [Top 5] Mad Max Best Car Builds
• [Top 5] Mad Max Best Abilities
• [Top 5] Mad Max Best Ways to Get Scrap
• [Top 3] Mad Max Best Armor and How To Get Them
• Mad Max Gameplay: Top 5 Awesome Mechanics
• Mad Max Gameplay: 10 Interesting Facts About This Awesome Game
• Mad Max Game: Everything You Need To Know