[nate.]

i see a lot of people runnin a slightly wider tire up front. why? i just switched from 2.1 nevegals (dtc) on the front and rear to 2.1 wtb weirwolfs with the dna rubber. the tires are insanely better than the nevegals. they corner better, dont slip on roots, rocks, sand, etc. i havent had em in wet conditions yet but im really impressed.

could i benefit more runnin a 2.5 front tire?

 

[Grip]

From what ive read people tend to like slightly wider tires up front for better cornering.

I run 2.1 front and rear.

 

[b-kul]

i like a 2.4 cuz its tall and slacks my bike a little. plus it grips good. generally people like to have a more aggressive front and a faster rear tire.

 

[1962]

when i used to do xc i would run the same size tires front and rear 2.1 then i tried 2.4 up front and wow that bigger casing tire saved my a** many times. you get a bigger foot print with a bigger tire and it adds to your travel. but remember you can't run the same psi on a 2.4 that you would run on a 2.1 if you do you'll just bounce all over the place off the rocks...ralph...edit. also a bigger tire up front helps with wash outs.

 

[bigbeck]

The benefits of a 2.4 or 2.5 high volume,low pressure front tire are huge if you ride a lot of rocks,roots and loose conditions. If you put one on the rear,expect the bike to feel slower on smooth hardpack. Sometimes, much slower. I use a Weirwolf 2.55 LT on the rear of one of my bikes. It's light and fast rolling for a 2.5 tire,with very low knobs. It's not as good on the front because of the lack of aggressive shoulder knobs. However, I'm perfectly content with a 2.5 on the front and a fast rolling 2.1 on the rear.

Most people that ride aggressive terrain, who try 2.5's , never go back to the skinny tires again. Best thing is to try one for a few of months to see if it suits your terrain.

Correct tire pressure for your weight is also very important for best performance.

Be aware that tire sizes are screwy. There are some 2.2 and 2.3 tires that are actually 2.5 tires.

.

 

[Bryank930]

I run a panaracer rampage 2.35 in front. It's a pretty burly tire, but seems to do well for me when paired with a FireXC pro 2.1 in the rear.

 

[S_Trek]

2.3 Michelin Wild Race-R up front. I can run low pressure and get lots of traction and don't get any pinches.

 

[mimi1885]

Jumping from 2.1 to 2.5 is a big step in weight, you may pay for it in terms of dragging and rolling weight. A lot of people do 2.35 front and 2.1 rear. As long as the front can track the rear would follow.

 

[bigbeck]

Jumping from 2.1 to 2.5 is a big step in weight, you may pay for it in terms of dragging and rolling weight. A lot of people do 2.35 front and 2.1 rear. As long as the front can track the rear would follow.

I agree. One should be cautious when buying 2.5 tires because a lot of them are Downhill tires with wire beads weighing between 1,000 and 1,400 grams.

I have found the 2.5" Continental Diesel Kevlar tire is a very fast rolling tire. It's light too, at about 850 grams. It's hard to find in Kevlar. Continental also has a little smaller tire with the exact same tread called Gravity. It's 2.3" but I've never tried it.

Bear in mind too, that you can buy 2.1 and 2.2 tires that are much lighter than something like the Diesel but they will feel heavier because they have more rolling resistance. It's not real common but it does happen. I've experienced it only twice.

I'm very picky on what goes up front but I'll use most anything on the back as long as it spins up fast. Which usually means skinny and low tread.

 

[stumpbumper]

I weigh 190 pounds, ride a full-squish bike with a 2.10 Kenda Nevegal on the back at 38 PSI and a Maxis Ardent 2.25 with EXO at 35 PSI up front. Really love that combination. Not perfect for all conditions but pretty darned close for the riding I do.

I'd love to say the combination is another of my many bright ideas but the truth is, I asked the "which tires?" question on this forum sometime back and Nevegal/Ardent was one of the more common recommendations.

 

[Gasp4Air]

While the rear tire pushes the bike, the front handles most of the braking and turning forces. A wider footprint and more tread help it do those things better.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

It's grip bias - lower-pressure higher-volume tires grip better, assuming a fairly similar tread to something narrower and higher-pressure. If a wheel's going to wash out, it's better for it to be the rear. While both kinds of washouts are sometimes recoverable, it's a lot easier to keep the rubber side down if it's just the rear that gives up.

I have a 2.2" Panaracer Dart SC on the front of my bike right now. It's awesome. Fast-rolling and corners really well. It might not brake too well for a larger person, but it stops well enough for me.

Anyway, tires are something mountain bikers accumulate. It's as personal as a saddle, really. See what other people in your area are using, try those, try other tires, experiment. Do you have a group to ride with yet? You can try more tires, faster, and more cheaply if you have people to swap with.

 

[eatdrinkride]

Larger front tire with lower pressure cushions the hack, provides better grip when braking on steeps and lets you float over the high speed chunk with more control. All of these traits are not necessarily an improvement for dedicated xc riders. Skinny tires have their place. It depends on your riding style and your terrain.

I'd suggest if going bigger, don't go 2.5 big. Not sure you'll like that. Just try something a little bigger than what you have.

 

[bigbeck]

Anyway, tires are something mountain bikers accumulate. It's as personal as a saddle, really. See what other people in your area are using, try those, try other tires, experiment. Do you have a group to ride with yet? You can try more tires, faster, and more cheaply if you have people to swap with.

That's most excellent advice! I was on a tire testing kick with two other riders from 2000 to 2006. I bought 35 sets of tires while my buds bought about 10, plus whatever came on the new bikes that we bought in this time period. I was the group wrench which meant I changed hundreds of tires in this time frame

I know this is a very small sampling of the hundreds of tires available but a lot of them felt similar in performance and we each had 2 or 3 favorites that we thought were excellent tires. There was only one tire that all 3 of us agreed upon as being excellent. In general, all the tires were good once you got the air pressure right.

There was also 1 extremely bad tire that came stock on a 2006 Specialized Enduro. It's the only tire that all three of us hated. It felt like it was made of concrete and in hard,fast turns, it felt like the rear tire was going to roll off the rim, regardless of pressure. Scary. Funny thing was, whoever was riding these Enduro tires was always at the back and always the most tired at the end of the ride. Yes, these were fat tires with aggressive tread but when changed out for equally fat tires that weighed even a little more, the bikes felt like a rocket. So it was the rolling resistance and not the weight that made these tires slow pigs. Probably squirmy tread.

One would think that a tire this bad would not be allowed to go into production. Especially from such a big brand.
The really funny thing about the Enduro tires is I met a stranger on the trail who was running them on his bike. When I asked him how he liked them, he told me they're ok, and he has no problem with them. I asked him if he tried any other tires and he said no,as long as they hold air, they're good enough for me.:lol:

Yes, tires ARE a very personal thing. Even a tire like the Enduro can be called "best" - especially if you've never ridden another tire to compare it to. Thank God there's not many tires out there that are this bad.