Tires, and the most specific advice any agency gives
The Park Service publishes the clearest tire guidance in the state for the Arizona Strip: for a full-size vehicle the ideal is a good E-range all-terrain, load range E being the equivalent of a ten-ply tire, with three-ply sidewalls, because the rock along those roads tears thin sidewalls open. Most of its rescues are vehicles with multiple flats on street-rated tires.
Carry two spares, a plug kit and a compressor. Toroweap asks you to air down and drive under 30 mph for exactly this reason. Winter adds one legal note: ADOT permits studded tires on Arizona highways from October 1 to May 1.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
How high is Arizona?
From Yuma at 141 feet to Humphreys Peak at 12,633.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
SpringervilleApache-Sitgreaves National Forests headquarters, in the White Mountains in the east of the state.6,966 ft
FlagstaffWhere I-40 meets I-17 below the San Francisco Peaks. Coconino National Forest headquarters, and the north end of Oak Creek Canyon and of Schnebly Hill Road.6,900 ft
PrescottPrescott National Forest headquarters. The USGS puts the geographic center of Arizona 55 miles east-southeast of here.5,371 ft
PaysonOn State Route 87 below the Mogollon Rim. The Forest Service describes the rim campgrounds looking down on the town from 2,000 feet up and 15 miles away.4,915 ft
FredoniaOn US 89A near the Utah line. The Sunshine Route to Tuweep leaves Arizona 389 eight miles west of town.4,675 ft
PageOn US 89 above Glen Canyon, at the eastern end of the Arizona Strip and the Vermilion Cliffs country.4,343 ft
SedonaIn Red Rock country on State Route 89A, at the Red Rock Ranger District. The Red Rocks and Sycamore Canyon loop and the lower end of Schnebly Hill Road start here.4,336 ft
GlobeOn US 60 at the southern edge of the Tonto National Forest. The forest’s Gila-Pinal Scenic Road runs west from here through Miami and Superior.3,511 ft
KingmanWhere I-40 meets US 93. BLM’s Kingman Field Office, in the Colorado River District.3,350 ft
SaffordOn US 70 in the Gila Valley. BLM’s Safford Field Office, and the foot of the Swift Trail Parkway up Mount Graham.2,917 ft
TucsonWhere I-10 meets I-19. Coronado National Forest headquarters and BLM’s Gila District. The Catalina Highway climbs from the northeast edge of the city.2,481 ft
AjoOn State Route 85 north of Organ Pipe Cactus. Darby Well Road, the eastern start of El Camino del Diablo, leaves 2.4 miles south of the plaza.1,756 ft
PhoenixState capital where I-10 meets I-17. BLM’s Arizona State Office and Phoenix District, and the Tonto National Forest supervisor’s office.1,088 ft
QuartzsiteOn I-10 where US 95 crosses. The four La Posa Long Term Visitor Areas begin about two miles south of town.879 ft
Lake Havasu CityOn the Colorado River. BLM’s Colorado River District office and its Lake Havasu Field Office. NOAA records the state high of 128°F here.739 ft
YumaOn I-8 at the Colorado River. BLM’s Yuma Field Office and the Kofa refuge headquarters. The western approaches to El Camino del Diablo leave I-8 to the east.141 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Humphreys PeakThe highest point in Arizona, in Coconino County. No road to the top12,633 ft
Mount GrahamTop of the Pinaleños, the tallest of the southeastern sky islands. The Swift Trail climbs its flank10,720 ft
Top of the highwayCatalina Highway: Tanque Verde Road in Tucson to the upper Santa Catalina Mountains9,000 ft
Mount TrumbullThe high ground of Grand Canyon-Parashant, which the Park Service puts at over 8,000 feet8,019 ft
From the Desert to the Tall Pines Scenic BywayThe Pleasant Valley Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest7,600 ft
Vulcans ThroneThe cinder cone due west of Toroweap Overlook, and the high point of the Tuweep map5,102 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
Free build quotes
Looking for tire shops in Arizona? Tell us about the project and get free quotes.
