michelin wild enduro vs maxxis dhf/dhr2 combo

so after many many many many years on the above combo for 6 months of the year, im thinking about trying something new tyre wise, ive been hearing/seeing good reports of the michelins, can anyone report/compare to the dhr2/dhf combo?

ive been running the dhf/dhr2 combo, and i do like the consistency and i (touch wood) never seem to puncture them, but tyres are startign to wear out and need replacing soon so thought about trying something new!

current tyres are 2.4 DHR2 WT 3c maxx terra EXo+ and front is a dhf 2.5 WT 3c maxx terra

I ran the dhf/dhr combo for a long time then tried the wild enduros, they lasted two rides before I swapped them back. Just felt they lost traction before the minions and weren’t as predictable. However a mate loves them that always ran minions. He reckons a certain combo of compounds is the trick but I was too put off to try again!
Obviously can’t comment on wild enduro longevity or puncture resistance!

If you like Maxxis, how about a 2.5 or 2.6 Assegai up front? good few mates of mine are running them now and seem to really rate them. I’d like to give them a go, but I’m really attached to my 2.6 Mary!

I know that itch, but having settled on the same pairing as you (except I run MaxxGrip on the front) they boss around in pretty much all conditions, except a proper xc slog. Maybe give that a whirl if you need to change something.

Much prefer 2.4 WE Front Gum-X over 2.6 DHF 3c Maxx Terra up front.
Happy with the WE Rear, too.

wild enduros aren’t as good. same experience for my pals here as well. basically there are a set of nearly new wild enduros  in my garage which have had approx 5 owners as we have all swapped back to maxxis

marksnook
Full Member
I ran the dhf/dhr combo for a long time then tried the wild enduros, they lasted two rides before I swapped them back. Just felt they lost traction before the minions and weren’t as predictable. However a mate loves them that always ran minions. He reckons a certain combo of compounds is the trick but I was too put off to try again!
Obviously can’t comment on wild enduro longevity or puncture resistance!

wow that got off to a bad start! but appreciate the hoensty! damn, yes thats what worries me i have used the dhf/dhr2 so many years now i know exactly what im getting – ive always reverted back to maxxis as they just work for me, but really fancied trying something new and the michelins are cheaper

hmmmmm!! guess if i dislike them id always be able to sell them for not much of a loss

Nobeerinthefridge
Free Member
If you like Maxxis, how about a 2.5 or 2.6 Assegai up front? good few mates of mine are running them now and seem to really rate them. I’d like to give them a go, but I’m really attached to my 2.6 Mary!

ive been running the assegai up front all spring/summer and its excellent in those conditions, but its not as good as a dhf once it gets slippy/sloppy/muddy it doesnt clear mud as quick and not got the same confidence on it, but for 6 months of the year up front its been awesome

Left field choice, and designed by the same bloke who did the Minion DHF – Vittoria Mazza? Trail casing is equivalent to EXO+, with the enduro casing being same as doubledown.

wow that looks just like a dhf, pricey mind, cant see one anywhere near as cheap as the michelin enduro in the uk

Yeah it’s fairly new so still close to full price. They wear really well though, I’ve got a year and 700 miles on my Martello rear tyre and the middle block sipes (the little grooves in each block) have only just worn down, zero ripped side knobs.

I have heard reports that the wild enduros are very fast wearing.

Martello rear Mazza front is a good combo if you’re not doing anything really muddy.

interesting, they sound promising! if i see them cheaper in the future will defo take a look – i kinda like the idea of the michelin being front and back specific, similarly to the dhr2/dhf combo

Are you set on matching brands front and rear?

i was looking at a pair of mazzas but am reading some worrying stuff about them slipping on the front when pushed.

Funnily enough a mate just got a set of Vitoria something, he loves them. Incidentally the guy I sold the wild enduros to has gone back to maxxis now as well!
It’s nearly shorty time on the front if we get a load of rain anyway!

How about WTB? Verdict or Verdict Wet on the front, Judge on the rear.

Just put a Verdict Wet on the front of my bike heading into winter and really impressed so far. Prices are decent too.

i was looking at a pair of mazzas but am reading some worrying stuff about them slipping on the front when pushed.

I read that too (MTBR forums I’m guessing) but from personal experience, in 330 miles of riding I’ve not had a single loss of grip on mine.

Also just realised you can add components to a bike on Strava after the fact and it calculates the miles completed if you give a date they were fitted!

chakaping
Full Member
Are you set on matching brands front and rear?

yes, absolutely a must ha!

I have wild Enduros and rate them above my old 2.3 exo dhr front and rear combo. For my local terrain (Scotland woods, moors and rock – Golfie, Dunkeld, Ballo, etc) they are ace and real 3.5 season tyres. Wearing well, seal easily and are tougher than exo.

But….. I run them on 25mm internal rims, people I know who run them on 30mm internal don’t seem to get on with them and prefer the 2.4/2.5 maxxis. This may explain the apparent polarised opinions!

Yeah Shackleton, I thought they were better on a 30mm rather than 25mm.
Just took off my second pair. Used last years front on the back this winter, works good.
Only swapped back to Maxxis due to availability. Went with 2.5 Assegai Maxgrip front & 2.4 Dissector Maxterra rear, both Exo+. Wonder if I should have gone DD on the rear.
Would have been happy back on Wild Enduros.

yes, absolutely a must ha!

I had a feeling it might be.

Not used the Wild Enduros myself but they are very popular round here and friends rate them fairly well for loamy off-piste & rocky riding.

To clarify, the wild enduros are good. Maxxis are bettererererer .IMHO

Of course, lots of this depends massively on compound, ID of rim , psi, terrain, temp and so on.

Have a few mates who have gone from DHF/DHR2 combo to Wild Enduro’s

All swapped back within weeks as they said the grip just isn’t as good

I used to run DHF/DHR2 combo for years but this year decided to give the Maxxis Assegai’s a go on the front and rear (both Double Down casing in maxx grip)

Very impressed with them and wont be going back to the DHF/DHR2 combo, winter is coming so ill be running Maxxis Shorty’s through the sloppy months

Tryes are very much a personal choice. I was running Wild Enduro Front & Vittoria Martello Trail rear until recently, it’s the best Combo I’ve ever had. The Martello is getting a bit worn now (I do skids!) & I’ve taken it off for winter,and put on a half worn 2.4 maxx Terra DHR II I have kicking around. It’s not a grippy but it’s a little bit lighter. They roll about the same, Martello is little quicker. I replaced the DHR with the Martello as I kept puncturing it on flints. I’m really just using it up.

At the weekend I demo’d a bike with WTB Verdict front and Judge rear. Liked the judge but the verdict I couldnt get on with. I don’t get on with DHF style tyres, that uncertain gap between the centre and edge knobs unsettles me even though once it’s leant over it’s great.

Im switching from we back to the minions for 2 reasons

the main one is a complete lack of read and grip especially under breaking. The back tire just lets go unless it’s bone dry.

secondly this pair haven’t lasted very long. They were new in august and already worn. My wife’s minions are a year old and look in better shape and we have ridden the same trails

oh dear reading this thread, ive just fitted new wild enduro to my 29er 28mm rims.
when i had a set of DHF / DHR .

i like the wild enduro’s not great on wet moorland grass but otherwise good

some very very very mixed responses, not that i’d expect much difference as they are so widely variable with conditions/area/rims etc, but it doesnt sound overly promising from maxxis to michelin, seems to be the general consensus!

ive got a bit more life in the tyres yet, so ill see whats avaialbe when i do swap over, still tempted to try them as im sure ill be able to sell them should i not get on, and they are a fair bit cheaper than maxxis at the mo

interesting hearing so many different views on it though, nothing has majorly swayed me away from my combo of dhr2/dhf so i really must get on with them quite well

I prefer Michelins front and rear for spring to autumn riding (NE Scotland steep loamy rooty trails) but I fit a DHR2 on the rear for winter. Lots of fans of them around here as well.

To me the wild enduro looks like a winter tyre…large widely spaced nobs like a Mary.

I just swapped to these from minions like yourself but not as an upgrade…I put them on for the mud. Expect to take them off next Summer. In the mud we have had thus far im happy with them. Better than the minions in slop and cheaper than a Mary.

Front enduro is brilliant in the soft, rear clogs a bit and isn’t quite as good.

But I’m on my 2nd set. Much better than the dhr dhf for me

Wild Enduro blows up too square on anything wider than about 25mm. Had them last year and they were the worst front tyre I’ve used – not because they didn’t grip, but because they gripped well then suddenly broke away with no warning.

Assegais in DD are the best tyres I’ve used – they grip better than anything else, and work in almost every condition. They are heavy, and clog a bit in very thick mud, but only something like a Shorty would be better in those conditions.

I went from a 2.5wt/2.3 dhf maxxterra exo pairing to wild enduros. For loose, muddy, slippery conditions (ie 3/4 of the year) the WEs are better and more confidence inspiring. But they roll more slowly. For dry firm stuff, the dhfs feel faster/ more lively.

Another plus vote from me on 25mm rims. The front is definitely a step up from the dhf in terms of that aggressive tread and near vertical side knobs. Still took a bit of getting used to initially
The rear tyre is a bit slower than a dhr, but more than makes up for it on the cornering. There doesn’t seem to be any signs of excessive wear compared to anything else I’ve recently owned.
Fwiw I’ve found that running both front and back with a little less pressure than on the well proven Maxxis combo helps loads.

I went from a 2.5wt/2.3 dhf maxxterra exo pairing to wild enduros.

See this is kind of my point, no criticism, but what compound wild enduros?  Maxterra is not the grippiest compound maxxis offer.   I didnt state compound either but it makes it super hard to judge like for like with all these variables

Sorry – gum-x compound.

Yeah it’s not exactly the same. Wild enduro casing is a bit heavier too.
There isn’t much choice with compound though. Gum-x for punters. Magi-x for racers. Seemed clear to me which one to go for.

I quite like my Wild Enduros on my 30mm rims. I haven’t ridden much this year but they were great in the Alps last summer and we had the full range of weather conditions and rode all the bikeparks and natural steep stuff. Apart from that they’ve been around Hamsterley a couple of times in the rain and they were fine.

They’re not mind blowing but I can’t think of anything really wrong with them.

I’ve just gone back to DhF/R2 combo after a summer on WEs.  I’ve found the WEs pretty good but slower rolling and higher wearing.  I did have them on 30mm rims and the profile was big and square (reminded me of MX tyres). Feel more comfortable back on the Maxxis. My riding is southern based so hard pack / Sandy / loamy soil most of the time.  Not much in the way of rocks. Also trying out rimpacts for the first time.

I had originally bought the WEs for Morzine this year, which never happened. May chuck them back on next year assuming we make it.

I can only think of a couple of things the Wild Enduros do better than Maxxis. Being cheap & puncture more easily.

The Assegai/DHR combo is better in every way.

I’ve been on WE front (Gum-X) and rear since late July or early August, on 30mm rims. This after years of several Maxxis combos, from Exo to DD.

I ride 2/3 times per week and tend to kill tyres quickly.

First of all, they do have a weird wear rate. On the first couple of weeks they suddenly look knackered but then wear stabilizes and they stay that way for a long time. Mine are wearing fine, front is great, rear is ok missing a couple of knobs.

In terms of casing resistance, they are way tougher than Exos. Vs DD, WEs seem to be stiffer and protect the rim better, but, in my experience, not as slash resistance. Zero punctures so far, but a couple of superficial slashes on the rear.

Performance wise:
Front – coming from a series of DHFs, the front we feels very different at first. At least with 30mm rims, you need to learn to lean the bike differently. Once one gets used to it, IMO, the only situation the DHF is better is on very dry hardpack. Otherwise, I feel better and more confident on the WE, particularly on looser ground.

Rear – it rolls slightly better than a DHR2, not as good as an Aggressor or DHF. It seems to climb and corner as good as a DHR2, but it’s more sensitive to breaking mid corner. Still brakes nicely on steep natural trails, but not as good as the DHR2.

All in all, I’m happy with mine and don’t feel compelled to go back to Maxxis. The only thing I’d like would be an even tougher casing, but it seems Michelin is about to release a stronger WE version, maybe with DH casing

I had some WE’s Gumi-X that went on in March, just as lock-down happened, and an increase in my weekly riding, they lasted OK in the dry early spring, I agree with zezaskar in that they seem to wear initially really quickly but then settle down, but the rear was pretty much finished by August for me. lost a bunch of side-knobs and was losing air over-night (something I’ve heard other folk complaining of) then the front started to loose air as well, and frankly I haven’t got time for that, so went back to a DHR II front and rear combo which I’ve been kicking myself as to why I haven’t tried it earlier.