Can you give me a push w/ these tire choices?

[kincade]

Hey all; I have my 04 WR450 w/ the original tires, and I'm tired of the stocker front dang near putting me on my lid! I've read what seems like every thread in the archives on tires, and I've narrowed it down to a few choices.

I ride in mixed terrain, mostly in Utah. That goes from slickrock (moab), dirt trails, rocks, and the sand dunes (want to keep the front tire, but will run a paddle in the back). Not many MX tracks, but maybe hit one once in a while. I'll be hitting the Rubicon this summer also...

So; I've read about the following combinations:

Front | Rear

____________________

mich s12 | mich m12

mich m12 | mich s12

mich s12 | mich s12

dunlop 756 | maxxis it

maxxcross si | maxxcross si

dunlop 756 | terraflex

So; for the mixed riding, one tire do it all, what would you guys recommend? I don't want more than 1 set of tires, and I wanna run them till they're worn out.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

[vmxr]

I really like the M12 front/S12 rear combo. I finally tried the 12s after reading that Shane Watts and Mike Lafferty prefer them in all conditions. That said I hear that people are liking the SI/SI setup quite a bit. But I've never tried them.

[coktm]

I also prefer s12 rear m12 front... but the Maxis IT is also a good rear tire and wears quite well (and is less expensive). S12 is quite light, IT has stiffer sidewall.

[kincade]

So; how did you guys decide on the softer S12 for the rear and harder M12 for the front? I would think that the softer should go on the front to grip the turns better?

[RCannon]

You might also consider the brigestone 401a for the front. The tire is available in an oversized 90/100-21 size. I really like it at the s-hole jordan river track. It wears well and has excellent traction.

[vmxr]

I never liked the grip of the M12 rear, although it wears extremely well. But the S12 rear has great traction on all terrain and wears suprisingly well even in sharp-edged rocks. I've managed to break the carcass up in every S12 front I've tried (blame the rider) while the M12 has been solid. Traction with both fronts is above average.

A buddy of mine liked the Bstone 401. That 90/100 size sounds interesting. Maybe I'll try one when the current M12 is finished.

[PeakRider]

So; how did you guys decide on the softer S12 for the rear and harder M12 for the front? I would think that the softer should go on the front to grip the turns better?

The problem with the softer S12 on the front is that you can tear the side knobs off in hard rocky conditions. I've been running the S12 on the rear with great results. At first I was worried about chunking and longevity. I usually get 3 or 4 enduros and 200 to 400 miles of trail riding before needing a rear tire. Traction is very good.

[kincade]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I sincerely appreciate it! Unless I change my mind, I think I"m gonna go w/ the m12/s12 combo.

However, on the s12 rear, they offer 3 sizes in an 18"... What do you guys recommend for the WR? I've read that the 'larger' size wears better because it has taller knobs, but I'm not sure which one that is?

120/90x18

130/70x19

130/80x18

[doubledee]

I run the M12 Front / S12 Rear combo. It works great. Go with the biggest rear 18 size for the WR450. I run the "I think" it's a 140 something on my WR400 and the 130 on my WR250. Just make sure you have HD tubes because the M12 & S12 have very flexible carcass / sidewalls.

[un450azul]

Maxxis IT best all around IMHO.

Why Rubicon? not a very bike friendly trail but Beautiful non the less.

Ron

[GlocksRock]

I just ordered the Maxxis IT Deserts front and rear. They are relatively new but I've heard some good things about them. They are supposed to last longer then the normal IT and be better in the soft stuff.

[tp3dxf]

My favorite combo so far is the Dunlop 756 up front and Maxxis IT out back.

The Maxxis works good and last longer then anyother tire I've tried so far. The 756 front is just awesome and wears fairly well.

[Husky_Forever]

Maxxis Its all around best tire there. You mentioned the areas you ride in, so soft compound front tire wont do. Remember to run HD tubes too and 2 rim locks rear/ 1 rim lock front. Steny

[Bamster]

I just bought a Maxxis IT front. Havn't gone ridding since mounting it and was wondering if I shouldn't have got the Maxxis SI. How do you like the IT front?

The it was 73 $ Canadian and the michilen s12 m12 were 125 $

[mtrablue]

maxxis IT front is junk. not much better than stock. (by the way, the guys that race 739's, change 'em after about three races) the IT rear is a good tire because it wears so well and they're cheap. big bore four strokes eat rear tires. up front the m12 is a good tire but has a low profile and a light side wall. they tend to pinch flat in rocks. if you run the m12, get a heavy duty bridgstone tube. if you've never used them, you'll freak when you see just how heavy duty they are. the 756 dunlop and the 401 bridgstone are good front tires but the side knobs tend to tear off in the rocks. the 742 dunlop has worked very well for me and the side knobs have held up. not sure if any of that helps.

for me;

mud- m12's

all around- maxxisIT rear, dunlop742 front

bridgstone tubes

[kincade]

So; for you guys that run the maxxis IT rear, do you find the weight is a problem? I read it weighs about 16#, significantly more than the michelins...

So it's pretty much between the M12f/S12r and the 756f/ITr... I'll have to price both out and see where it ends up; I think the latter will be a little cheaper.

[kincade]

Maxxis IT best all around IMHO.

Why Rubicon? not a very bike friendly trail but Beautiful non the less.

Ron

I used to run the Rubicon in my '76 Early Bronco; there are a bunch of guys from the EB club this summer running it, and I thought it would be fun to run again with them. I don't think it's the BEST bike trail out there, but it'll be dang fun!

[radish150]

Any durn fool knows that Michelin makes the best dad-burn tars on god's green earth!

So there,

Mark Sheldon

[un450azul]

I used to run the Rubicon in my '76 Early Bronco; there are a bunch of guys from the EB club this summer running it, and I thought it would be fun to run again with them. I don't think it's the BEST bike trail out there, but it'll be dang fun!

done the 'con a few times myself.. awsome scenery. You just have to make sure you can out run the 'pirates of the rubicon', they've been know to run over anything they don't like

clarification: Maxxis IT rear fantastic... front so so, liked the Dunlop better.

Ron

[kincade]

LOL; yeah, I was a frequent poster at Pirate4x4 for a while; there's not too many sites like that around. Miss it actually.