Going to replace my High Roller 2.1 (xc version) soon as it feels a bit sketchy on anything wet or rooty. I've read that as I'm on a hardtail I should get a high volume rear tyre as it'll offer a bit more comfort.

I'm running a Minion DHF 60a on the front so ideally it'll be either the same or a little less grippy than that. Also my frame doesn't have amazing tyre clearance – it's an older Trailstar LT and the 2.35 minion just about fits on – much wider and the mud clearance would be awful. The riding I do is a bit of a mixture – xc/singletrack, dirt jumping and increasingly more downhill/freeridey style. High Roller 2.35 seems a standard choice but are they high volume?

Whilst I'm making a tyres thread, I also need some 700×23 tyres suitable for riding on wet roads. My current ones are Specialized somethings which are completely slick and I don't really feel very safe on them at speed in the rain.

Hi buddy if you wanna stick with maxxis go advantage or ardent's both high vol and great all round tyres.
The advantage gives you 5mm approx more wall hight so i used to ride a 2.1 and that came in way bigger than a high roller, and im now on ardent exo very please'd high sidewall again and the 2.25 comes up large in width but not massive so fit's great in my bfe.
Both grip/stick way more that a high roller but still pick up speed with nbo issue what so ever.
Hope this helps a bit.

Bats.

Which do you prefer of the two? And what is the difference between a standard Ardent and EXO?

Don't worry re slicks on the road. It's well established that tread is not needed in the wet on tyres so narrow (unlike cars etc).

+1 advantage ……. 2.4

What's the actual inflated width of the Advantage 2.4 in mm? I'll be running it on an xc717 for now which is quite narrow, but will eventually upgrade to a 721.

Also it seems more suitable for xc than downhill, would an Ardent not be better?

The 2.4 Advantage is gigantic but I'm not sure of an exact measurement. I wouldn't put it on a 717 rim. A 2.25 Advantage was also just too big for my rear stays (Titus Motolite).

A 2.1 Advantage comes up much bigger than a 2.1 High Roller as I gather Maxxis size them differently.

2.35 big earl (wet). Big volume and loads of grip. I'm loving them on my Soul. Not too heavy either.

Another vote for advantage or ardent. I run them both as rear tyres on 2 bikes. Prefer the ardent but would be happy to run either. I also pair them with a minion up front. Great combos. Could probably get away with a 2.1 advantage if clearance is an issue as all the advantage tyres come up big for their stated size. 2.4's are Huuuuge!

i've used a Swamp Thing 2.3 as a rear tyre and found it to be superb over wet stuff. as a 2.3 it doesnt have a wide profile so you should have no probs fitting it into your frame. the other option would be to go for a Maxxis Wetscream.

Tyre sizes are a pain, there seems to be no consistency, even across the same manufacturer's ranges.

I'm currently running a 2.1 Maxxis Advantage on the back of my 456ti. IMO its not that big a tyre; no bigger than the 2.1 Nevegal on my other bike. I guess it depends on your weight and riding style but I find it too small, so I've just ordered a 2.4 Advantage in the hope it'll fit!

Other Maxxis tyres I'd recommend are the 2.25 Crossmark and 2.25 Ardent, which are both fairly big but not extreme. They should just about fit a 717 rim, but you'll def. get better results with a wider one.

As for road tyres, there are loads to choose from. For commuting the Conti Gatorskins are great – grippy but very hard-wearing and puncture resistant. For quicker riding the Conti Attack/Force tyres are good and not 'too' expensive. I've also read good reviews about Vittoria Rubinos and Michelin Krylions, but not used them.

Hope that helps.

Conti RQ 2.2 (or 2.4 if you want something mahoosive)

As has been said, slicks are what you want in the wet on the road, unless you're going 200mph you won't aqua-plane on a bike (the only reason cars have tread) so you want as much rubber in contact with the ground as possible for grip and that means using slicks. You want a soft compound though so using a cheap winter training tyre can often be a mistake as they'll usually be a hard rubber to protect against punctures and cuts as well as last longer. Conti Black Chilli rubber is a good compromise (quite hard wearing but grippy in the wet), otherwise use a normal soft compound tyre (personally I use Schwalbe Ultremo DD's)

I also run a minion 2.35 front and was thinking of getting an ardent 2.25 for the rear but will the ardent come up bigger than the minion which i don't want

also wondering whats the advantages of folding tyres over wire versions

I've got a pair of brand new ADvantage 2.4 that I was hoping to put on my Trailstar. They are too big for the rear, i.e. fag paper's worth between tyre and chainstays. They will be up for sale when I replace them with High Rollers after the weekend. Shame really.

@minzo – weight

for volume and grip / all round good tyre-ness, a conti 2.2 rubber queen is great. much bigger than most 2.35's in volume. tread isn't ott but the casing is almost huge.