Tires we deal with on a daily basis in our material handling and manufacturing operations are nothing compared to the tires on this list when it comes to size.
Listed below are the biggest tires in the world, compiled based on their history, mass, and cost.
The Biggest Tires In The World
1. BKT Monster Truck Tires
Monster Jam, the world’s leading organizer of monster truck spectator events, chose BKT as its sole tire supplier.
All of Monster Jam’s monster trucks, from Gravedigger to El Toro Loco, are outfitted with BKT’s larger-than-life monster truck tires.
To withstand the high-flying acrobatics and pounding imparted by a fleet of 10,000-pound trucks every night, these tires must be extremely durable.
These giants are bigger than anything you’re likely to see on your local roadways, standing over five feet tall and over four feet wide.
2. Group 49 And Group 50 Farm Tires
Until around 2007 or 2008, the largest farm tire available for a tractor or combine was a 6.8-foot-tall Group 48 tire.
Tire manufacturers are now creating even higher tires with tire diameters of 7.2 ft. and 7.6 ft. (2.2 to 2.3 meters), known as Group 49 and Group 50 respectively.
These tires can cover up to 22 feet (about 6.7 meters) in a single roll. 4-wheel-drive tractors, grain carts, huge combines, and, most recently, high-HP row-crop tractors all use these extra-tall tires.
Case IH, New Holland, and John Deere all released high-hp row-crop tractors this year that can accommodate a Group 49 tire, while other makes and models are also compatible with the tires.
These larger-diameter tires, according to tire manufacturers, can transfer more power to the ground and give a greater grip than the next size down without increasing soil compaction as machines get bigger. This shift in classes occurs every four to five years on average.
3. Firestone Alaska Tundra Tires (Bigfoot 5 Tires)
These massive Firestone tires were originally designed for use with a specialty vehicle known as a “snow train.”
However, they made their way onto the Bigfoot 5, which holds the world’s heaviest, tallest, and widest pickup truck records.
This truck started as a Ford F-250, which was built particularly to accommodate these 10-foot-tall, 2,400-pound tires (3 meters, 1,089 kg).
4. Titan Tire 63-Inch Off-Road
Titan Tire, an American tire company, delivered the first of its massive 63-inch tires to a mining site in Canada in 2008, along with its special wheel assembly.
Even though the mining and quarrying sector has long been known for its massive machinery with enormous wheels, this was a first.
The massive tires tower over 13 feet tall (4 meters) and weigh 12,345 pounds (5,600 kg), the equivalent of five Ford Fiestas!
5. Goodyear 63-Inch RM4B+
When it launched in 2016, the Goodyear 63-Inch RM4B+ made a big entrance into the world stage. This 13-foot-tall tire was designed for gigantic earthmover machines by Goodyear in Topeka, Kansas.
Mining trucks that use these tires have three 500 horsepower engines and can carry large weights of up to 760,000 pounds (345,000 kg).
When the tire was first presented, Goodyear was keen to highlight the technologies that had gone into its creation.
These tires have extra-deep shred patterns to ensure a longer lifespan. They also feature a more breathable substance than prior Goodyear tires.
Because these tires are designed for mining trucks, the latest technology employed in these vehicles has increased the durability of these tires.
6. Michelin XDR 59/80R63
This radial tire, designed for open-pit mining trucks, has a diameter of over 13 feet and a width of about 5 feet, weighs more than 11,000 pounds and can bear a weight of more than 220,000 pounds per tire.
It has 1,900 pounds (862 kg) of steel, which is enough to make two compact sedans, and 8,400 pounds (3810 kg) of rubber, which is enough to make almost 600 car tires.
Large mining operations have been scaling up in recent years to carry bigger volumes of ore faster and in more difficult conditions.
These larger workloads may be carried using the Michelin XDR 59/80R63 tires.
Furthermore, because the tire lasts more than 25% longer, it helps save operational costs and boosts productivity.
7. Firestone 707057SRG
This 13-foot diameter, 8-ton giant is made specifically for the LeTourneau L2350 Loader, the world’s largest loader.
Firestone also claims the title of “world’s largest tire” with this 13-foot diameter, 8-ton monster, costing $135,000 each.
8. Bridgestone 59/80R63
Bridgestone’s 59/80R63 V-Steel E-Lug S tire was the biggest manufacturing tire before the Titan’s debut.
It is 4.8 feet wide and stands at 13.2 feet tall, barely 4 inches shorter than the Titan.
It has a nominal load rating of 222,000 pounds (about 101,000 kg). These tires, which were designed for use on Caterpillar heavy machinery, namely the CAT 797 dump truck, are still in use today and cost under $40,000 each.
Each one contains enough rubber to produce 600 normal car tires!
9. Hester Tire
Located at Bladenboro, North Carolina, the Michelin tire that Reynold Hester bought for his Bladenboro business, spanning 59 inches by 80 inches with a radius of 63 inches, is among the world’s largest tires at 14 feet.
It needed an 18-wheeler and a flatbed to just deliver it to Bladen County. It took a 2-foot hole, 35 cubic yards of cement, and special permission to install.
This tire is permanently mounted to advertise the Hester Tire business.
Today, the Michelin at Hester Tire soars three times taller than the “Welcome to Bladenboro” sign as you drive into town on N.C. 131.
10. Uniroyal Giant Tire
Although the previous two monster tires can claim to be the world’s largest manufacturing tires, they are not the world’s largest tires.
This tire, which was built by the Uniroyal Tire Company for the 1964 New York World’s Fair and served as a Ferris wheel, has that title.
If you’re interested in taking a tire-inspired tour across the country, this tire is still on display along Interstate 94 in Allen Park, Michigan, between the Southfield Freeway junction and the Outer Drive flyover.
Its precise height is unknown, although it’s estimated to be between 78 and 85 feet, and is a little around 24,000 pounds in weight.
With an internal capacity of 3,414.3 cubic meters, the external tire tread is about 6 inches.
It’s not made of rubber, but of a flame-resistant polyester resin manufactured by Uniroyal and reinforced with glass fiber.
The Uniroyal Giant is the largest non-production tire scale model ever constructed, as well as one of the world’s largest roadside attractions.
Michelin purchased the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company in 1990, including ownership of this huge tire.
To learn more about tires, you can also read our posts on whether or not bigger tires affect speedometers, American tire companies, and how much do monster truck tires weigh.