I think people running CushCore in the rear only are missing the point of CushCore. Other than Flat Tire Defender (IIRC), CC was the first protection solution to people denting or blowing up rear wheels, so when it came out people started running it rear only but avoided running it in the front, because they only focused on the protection aspect. There is more to it than that in my experience.
IMO what they missed is that CC does a lot more than just protect your rims, it provides the ability to run lower pressure, support the side of the tire, and helps damp some impacts, reducing fatigue. You miss a lot of these benefits running it rear only. If your only goal is protection, there are lighter, cheaper, and easier to install solutions that you can use. The majority of the weight penalty will also be felt in the rear, so running it in the front shouldn't be too much of a performance problem and the traction you feel might be a huge difference. If you are lighter, maybe not. If you ride smoother terrain, maybe not. Where I'm at, running it in the front made a huge difference for me.
I'm sure some will scoff at this, but I have major hand problems in my left hand due to nerve compression and arm to the point I almost had to quit riding entirely. I experimenting with CC running it front only, rear only, and as a full system. I felt the performance improvement riding it front only was a huge benefit, both in reducing my hand problems but also in supporting the tire in corners, as well as riding on the awkward wet roots we have here. It wasn't a solution for me, but it held immensely, more than most other things I had tried. That said, when you have to get the bike rolling on smoother terrain, it's harder and I don't think the benefit on flowier trails is really there, it only really helped me on rougher trails that aggravated my arm/hand, but I also noticed the bike tracked better, was easier to hold on a line, and carried speed better through rocky/rooty stuff. Running it rear only, you will feel some improvement there, but IMO the front is where most of the performance improvement comes from. YMMV.
I can't compare riding with a thicker casing, though. I have some sitting here, I just haven't had a chance to throw them on and experiment.
