Front Tyres/tires for hardpack

Craig_Whitfield
Edited Date/Time 4/27/2021 10:50am
Little confused on tyres and I think in the UK we might be doing it all wrong

I’m currently using a mx33 that came with my 21 FC250 but according the the charts that’s for soft - medium terrain ?

Should I be running a hard front tyre? I’m mainly riding hardpack, starts off loose but quickly becomes rutty but very firm and hardpack ?

Reason I’d like to change is the MX33 is fine but seems to loose grip on the hard ground.
1
|
whitechapel44 4/26/2021 2:25pm
4/26/2021 2:25pm
I tried the new dunlop mx53 front and rear and they seems to do very good on all conditions from mud to blue groove. Have you tried experimenting with air pressures at all? I've been happy with the 33s on hard pack too they just wear faster outside of the soft/intermediate range
3
Mega Racing 4/26/2021 2:26pm
4/26/2021 2:26pm
Iv tested quit a lot of different tyre makes for different tracks over the years (one of the perks of being sponsored by a tyre dealer).

The biggest problem with hardpack here in Ireland is that they will soak the track with water in the morning. So for practice & first race it is skitery & mucky. Hard pack tyres have more nobbys or larger contact patch so tend to pack up with muck more & you lose traction. Once the track has dried out & is down to a more consistent hard clay surface i will switch rims & run a pirelli MX32 mid hard on the front. I have found this to be very good on hard ground.


2
chump6784
Profile picture for user chump6784
Posts
1770
Joined
5/9/2011
Location
AU
chump6784 4/26/2021 2:31pm
4/26/2021 2:31pm
I've run a Bridgestone x30 which is an intermediate tyre and a Maxxis MX ST which is a soft tyre on the same hard pack tracks and I prefer the Maxxis. I've also run the mx33 on a hard pack track as it came stock on my yz450f and found it was good until it wasn't. It would grip and grip and grip and then just let go.
2
Craig_Whitfield 4/26/2021 2:39pm
4/26/2021 2:39pm
chump6784 wrote:
I've run a Bridgestone x30 which is an intermediate tyre and a Maxxis MX ST which is a soft tyre on the same hard pack tracks...
I've run a Bridgestone x30 which is an intermediate tyre and a Maxxis MX ST which is a soft tyre on the same hard pack tracks and I prefer the Maxxis. I've also run the mx33 on a hard pack track as it came stock on my yz450f and found it was good until it wasn't. It would grip and grip and grip and then just let go.
That’s exactly what mine does,

The Shop

See All »
Craig_Whitfield 4/26/2021 2:40pm
4/26/2021 2:40pm
Mega Racing wrote:
Iv tested quit a lot of different tyre makes for different tracks over the years (one of the perks of being sponsored by a tyre dealer)...
Iv tested quit a lot of different tyre makes for different tracks over the years (one of the perks of being sponsored by a tyre dealer).

The biggest problem with hardpack here in Ireland is that they will soak the track with water in the morning. So for practice & first race it is skitery & mucky. Hard pack tyres have more nobbys or larger contact patch so tend to pack up with muck more & you lose traction. Once the track has dried out & is down to a more consistent hard clay surface i will switch rims & run a pirelli MX32 mid hard on the front. I have found this to be very good on hard ground.


I might give the front a go, my rear isn’t to bad at the moment but the front I really want to change out.
Brent
Profile picture for user Brent
Posts
5803
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Party in Temecula, CA US
Brent 4/26/2021 2:44pm
4/26/2021 2:44pm Edited Date/Time 4/26/2021 2:45pm
Do you guys even have hard pack clay in the UK? I’m talking dirt that gets a blue groove when you ride on it and looks like brown concrete.

If you do, then the Dunlop Mx 53 is your tyre- but don't expect it to last very long. 13 psi max.
2
Craig_Whitfield 4/26/2021 2:52pm
4/26/2021 2:52pm
Brent wrote:
Do you guys even have hard pack clay in the UK? I’m talking dirt that gets a blue groove when you ride on it and looks...
Do you guys even have hard pack clay in the UK? I’m talking dirt that gets a blue groove when you ride on it and looks like brown concrete.

If you do, then the Dunlop Mx 53 is your tyre- but don't expect it to last very long. 13 psi max.
We might get rain a lot in the UK but a lot of the tracks become very hardpack when it dries out and it happens often.
mtl
Profile picture for user mtl
Posts
1240
Joined
9/26/2011
Location
CA US
mtl 4/26/2021 4:22pm
4/26/2021 4:22pm
Dunlop MX53 rear + MX33 front is the combo I find to work well for me for mud in the morning, harder in the afternoon.

Disagree with poster above on lifespan. The front will last at least 20hrs and is even god at 25. The rear also wears very well, especially if you flip it after the first 5 hours.
1
ElliotB16
Profile picture for user ElliotB16
Posts
1122
Joined
6/10/2019
Location
Cairo, GA US
ElliotB16 4/26/2021 4:28pm
4/26/2021 4:28pm
Anybody having a problem getting tires? Rocky Mountain is out of stock on most brands
Mega Racing 4/26/2021 11:34pm
4/26/2021 11:34pm
Brent wrote:
Do you guys even have hard pack clay in the UK? I’m talking dirt that gets a blue groove when you ride on it and looks...
Do you guys even have hard pack clay in the UK? I’m talking dirt that gets a blue groove when you ride on it and looks like brown concrete.

If you do, then the Dunlop Mx 53 is your tyre- but don't expect it to last very long. 13 psi max.
Any soil tracks here that allow quads are bluegroove. As the quads slide around the corners they push all the soil outside the track. Just leaving the hard clay base. A lot of track owners are to chesp to buy any soil or do any maintenance work so they just leave it. They see having no soil as a lot less maintenance & levelling because there isnt any ruts or berms to level.

I hate quads!!!
3
FGR01
Profile picture for user FGR01
Posts
6032
Joined
10/1/2006
Location
AZ US
Fantasy
1170th
FGR01 4/27/2021 7:07am
4/27/2021 7:07am
The MX53 front has quite wide knob spacing and tall skinny knobs for a hard pack tire. So it doesn't pack too badly and crosses over to soft conditions pretty well. On the flip side, the MX33 has pretty wide knobs and does a good job crossing over to hard pack when needed. To me, it really just comes down to "feel" between the 2.

You said you are on a new FC250. The front tire feel and cornering on these bikes is very sensitive to setup. Play with your sag and don't get hung up on having to be at a certain number. Start at 105mm of sag or wherever you are now and try 3/4 of a turn on the preload in each direction and check the front end feel. Also use the HC adjuster to affect rear hold up and the attitude of the bike. It is very sensitive and has a big influence. 1/8 - 1/4 of a turn is very noticeable. And then fork height. Changing between lines 1-2-3 on the fork height also makes a noticeable change. By changing and balancing these 3 adjustments you can really affect the front end feel of the bike and find what works. Also, if you're close to 180 lbs, consider trying a 45N/mm spring. I found with he stock 42 spring I was having to run too much preload and HC to get the attitude of the bike right and then that negatively affected the small bump/chop absorption.
1
Craig_Whitfield 4/27/2021 8:26am
4/27/2021 8:26am
FGR01 wrote:
The MX53 front has quite wide knob spacing and tall skinny knobs for a hard pack tire. So it doesn't pack too badly and crosses over...
The MX53 front has quite wide knob spacing and tall skinny knobs for a hard pack tire. So it doesn't pack too badly and crosses over to soft conditions pretty well. On the flip side, the MX33 has pretty wide knobs and does a good job crossing over to hard pack when needed. To me, it really just comes down to "feel" between the 2.

You said you are on a new FC250. The front tire feel and cornering on these bikes is very sensitive to setup. Play with your sag and don't get hung up on having to be at a certain number. Start at 105mm of sag or wherever you are now and try 3/4 of a turn on the preload in each direction and check the front end feel. Also use the HC adjuster to affect rear hold up and the attitude of the bike. It is very sensitive and has a big influence. 1/8 - 1/4 of a turn is very noticeable. And then fork height. Changing between lines 1-2-3 on the fork height also makes a noticeable change. By changing and balancing these 3 adjustments you can really affect the front end feel of the bike and find what works. Also, if you're close to 180 lbs, consider trying a 45N/mm spring. I found with he stock 42 spring I was having to run too much preload and HC to get the attitude of the bike right and then that negatively affected the small bump/chop absorption.
That was a interesting read thank you for those suggestions I’ll certainly try them all out.

I personally like a good grippy front end feel, planted and this gives me good confidence to really try and push myself. I’m currently needing a new front tire so probably give the MX53 a try and maybe the rear to.

I’m 172 - 176lbs normally but I need to weigh myself again and double check.
wrc777
Profile picture for user wrc777
Posts
3150
Joined
5/21/2020
Location
Greenwood, IN US
Fantasy
129th
wrc777 4/27/2021 10:39am
4/27/2021 10:39am
MX53 front breaks loose more predictably than the 33 so it is easier to save it when it slides. MX3S is still the super star of the Dunlop front tires. Pure hard pack will probably rip side lugs off pretty quickly though.
LungButter
Profile picture for user LungButter
Posts
8684
Joined
1/9/2016
Location
Yellow Pine, ID US
LungButter 4/27/2021 10:43am
4/27/2021 10:43am
ElliotB16 wrote:
Anybody having a problem getting tires? Rocky Mountain is out of stock on most brands
Yep, my dealer doesn't have much either and they normally have a great selection.

I read on another forum that Rubber is going to be in short supply for some time to come due to all the bullshit in the world.

If you need tires, I'd buy 'em when you find 'em in stock.
wrc777
Profile picture for user wrc777
Posts
3150
Joined
5/21/2020
Location
Greenwood, IN US
Fantasy
129th
wrc777 4/27/2021 10:50am
4/27/2021 10:50am
Rocky Mountain sore’s most of the Dunlop’s coming back in stock May 3 so they must be stuck in the same container ship.
flatspin
Profile picture for user flatspin
Posts
96
Joined
1/6/2024
Location
Washington D.C. , WA US
flatspin 2/29/2024 10:02pm
2/29/2024 10:02pm Edited Date/Time 2/29/2024 10:04pm

When I was racing (6 years ago) I ran the Dunlop mx3s, which was formerly mx32. 13-14psi. Might not have had the most traction on the hard stuff necessarily, but it was the most predictable and most versatile. Starts ripping knobs after a day on hard pack but it was the best front tire I could get at the time so it was a trade off I was willing to accept. Not sure if there’s something better now..

Post a reply to: Front Tyres/tires for hardpack