Downhill Minnion DHf or High Roller 3C for rear?

Tires - one of the most arguable and personal of all performance items in mt. biking.

My Yeti 303r came with Maxxis Minion DHf (2.5 Super Tacky) on the front and rear. They are getting worn out, and I need to replace at least the rear. They seemed to work well at Whistler and in my backyard (Laguna) and seem OK at Fontana. Problem is - I have no comparison. I've never ridden anything else. Are they the greatest or could I be missing out on something that works better for me? I don't have unlimited access to $70 bills to find out.

Primary Question: Should I order a re-load of the same (DHf ST), or try the High Roller 3C (2.5) in the back? :-k:?:

I do race at Fontana in Sport class (43-50), and I know a lot of Fontana racers use single-ply, folding bead Small-Block 8s or similar - but those are guys who change out their tires for every race. I don't want to buy a Fontana-specific tire that blows everywhere else.

My riding style? I'm pretty good in fast chunky stuff, but not great in flat corners, and I don't do huge air or big drops. BTW, I have never flatted my Minnions.

Secondary Question:
I know Schwalbes and Continentals are getting some favorable reviews, and a lot of local riders use a variety of Kendas. I don't really want to get a sh***storm started, but your thoughts here might be appreciated. I read the Sticky post on tires, and it's really just a year-old review on some Schwalbes.

Thanks for helping.

 

High rollers have better grip for sure....but i would stay away from the super tack, and 3c compounds for the rear. Both reasons being they wont last very long for how much your dropping on a tire. I would say order up some high rollers in a 60a compound...you'll get better traction/cornering in the rear for sure and will last much longer than a 3c or a ST.

DHF's in a 60a would be fine also but when cornering they seem to grip to a certain point then they just break loose...

hope this helps

 

Thanks Q. I didn't have any complaints about the ST wearing out too fast. I don't ride my DH bike all that much and got them in August of '09. If the ST or 3Cs work better than the 60a, I will "stick" with them. When you say High Rollers have better grip - are you talking about cornering? In SoCal conditions?

 

my personal experience> High Rollers suck balls...period! because it is already somewhat 'rounded' to begin with, the main (center) tread pattern wears down way too quickly, and once it does, you can kiss even the slightest of braking goodbye. the cornering knobs on the High Roller and DHF seemed pretty close to me....i couldn't tell much of a difference between the two in fast and low corners.
regardless, i've had much better luck with the DHF as a rear tire. (i believe its due to the 'thicker/square' center knob pattern). i run the 3C version...it definitely lasts A LOT longer.
although to be completely honest, Maxxis in general has not left a lasting impression on me...if it wasn't for how light and fast rolling they can be, i would probably use them to wipe my cat's a$$ instead of using them for bike tires...

when it comes to mtb tires, i have yet to find a tire that has exceptional grip and is fast rolling at the same time....it seems to me that all the tires that grip like glue consequently roll like bricks....and all the tires that roll good grip like sh!t.

 

I ride DH quite a bit and found the 3c and ST to loose grip after 5-7 rides on them (3c goes the fastest)....Ive had a much better outcome with the 60a running the same psi (35lbs)...i get 4x the life out of each tire.

Well, I think they corner better... i like my tire to stick and roll instead of and sliding when you turn them over at speed.

As the previous post implied once the middle knobs start to go you do loose a bit of braking bite....however its best to use a front brake most of the time anyway.

 

That's it? Two responses? I thought I'd have a storm of tire advice by now. You all must be busy with AJ's Valentine thread.

 

I've ridden both as a rear tire, with much more time on the High Roller in the rear than the DHF.
I find the High Roller to be a bit more drifty in the back until you really lean hard into the corner, then it seems to go from drifty to death grip in an instant. I've also found that I don't seem to have as much braking traction with the high rollers. Either Tire will get the job done. I would probably get the minion out of those two.

If you are looking for something new in the tire department, I highly recommend either the Continental Rain King or the Continental Der Kaiser. The weight is similar to the Maxxis but with a bit burlier sidewalls. The Conti's seem to hook up better for me than the Maxxxis too.

 

I like the highrollers as well. drifty until you lean them hard, then gobs of cornering grip. compound-wise, I've only ever used the 3C. they tend to last awhile for me though, usually a few months.

I'm one of those weird people in socal that's never ridden a minion DHF, so I can't comment too much. I just hear they grip like hell.

I've also used the Minion DHR to pretty good effect. grips good all-around, but it does have meatier center knobs than a highroller, so it should last longer (mine last a long time in the 60a compound). not as drifty as a highroller too, depending on whether you like drifty tires or not.

Also, in addition to the tires mark mentioned, take a look at speshy stuff. I've really been liking their recent stuff. a Chunder DH in back would be nice. its not a fast-rolling tire, but it does grip really well in a lot of conditions/dirt types, and is very predictable no matter the lean angle. well built tires too, in my experience. Clutch DH 2.5's make great front tires, not sure on the back though.

 

You might want to try the fairly new Minion DHF 2.5 singleply with EXO casing. It's available in 3C or 60 compound. I've heard a lot people are stoked on this tire. It's light weight (I think < 900 grams) and tough. Not available in UST though.

Edit: I should add that I've never run a DHF as a rear tire so I'm only passing along what I've heard from others. I'm running a Hutchinson Barracuda 2.5 UST currently. Not a super-fast roller but gobs of braking and predictable cornering traction.

 

I like high roller in rear when its wet/mud/soft conditions.. and DHF rear when its dry, and hard. I ran high rollers at fontucky for last weekend race, it hold up pretty good, lets you slide rear a little bit into corner which helps on most tight corners, helps point out my front direction towards where i want it to go and has great bite exiting the corners. As for DHF, it does same thing in dry conditions, but in wet conditions, its too grippy for me. and mud tend to stick on the middle part of tire which sucks, makes it harder to pedal. So, I run the DHF when dry, and High Rollers when its mud/wet/a little soft.

 

Thanks. I just ordered one in 3C. 840gms vs. 1270. nice trade if the sidewall and bead hold. Meanwhile, I'm gonna try a High Roller 3C in back.

 

9 successful runs at Fontana on the new DHf ST in front and High Roller 3c in rear. Loose over hardpack with off-camber turns - typical Fontana conditions. I really liked the tire combo and was trusting them more and more every run. Lots of folks were getting caught in the loose dirt outside the turns - but I don't think any tire can help that. The more I pushed it, the better the tires felt. Brain fart on my race run and I fell for no apparent reason, then got my foot caught in my bike trying to re-mount. Must've been the tires. Probably wouldn't have happened with Schwalbes. ;-)