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What rear tires (make and size) are you guys running? The kid is on a 2002 KDX220 conversion. Mostly woods and some hard trails so I've always bought the intermediate terrain compounds. Does everyone stay with the stock size (mine is 100/100-18) or do you go larger? What sizes fit or works best on these?

The smaller sizes work better on allot of different levels. Better resistance to pinch flats and more torque to the rear wheel. Less mass to spin equals better efficiency.

4.00 x 18 trials tire, FTW.

110/100 Pirelli MT16. All around good tire.

Indawoods wrote:The smaller sizes work better on allot of different levels. Better resistance to pinch flats and more torque to the rear wheel. Less mass to spin equals better efficiency.

I prefer as big a tire as will fit

Little taller/wider tire = less wheel spin = traction

With a thinner tire there is more weight per inch on the ground than on a wide tire. If at 300# you are having traction issues.... I think you are using the wrong tire. Try a Trials tire yet Wibby?

For no good reason other than I've had good results with them on my Husqvarna 410 I was thinking of throwing a Maxxis IT on for him. I was really more curious about size change pros and cons over stock.

Indawoods wrote:With a thinner tire there is more weight per inch on the ground than on a wide tire. If at 300# you are having traction issues.... I think you are using the wrong tire. Try a Trials tire yet Wibby?

No I don't have the $$

I like the Michellin S-12, front and rear

Tire type depends on your area, for WA I like Dunlop 756's and Michelin MS3. I also like the D952 for the rear.
On my KDX I went with 100/100-18 (same as 4.00x18) in Dunlop MX51's, these are the 756 replacements. No opinion as the bike is not done.

I'm tellin you, try a trials tire. You'll never look back. MT43 is a good one to break you in to them. Performs a bit more like a knobby than the radial trials tires do. Lasts 3 times as long as any knobby tire, easily.

They don't work on everything though

Member that video of Carvr in some slimey roots?

Quite true. However, there is no tire that works best in everything. The trials tire works better than a knobby in the vast majority of conditions.

As for carvr's video, I'm not sure what was going on there. Slimy wet roots pose no problem for me with the trials tire. Much less than they would with a knobby tire anyway. Those are the sort of conditions I ride in most of the time. Wet, soft, muddy, and a bit of dry and rocky stuff.

Seems to me if they were all that

Why don't the pro's run em?

I know lots of people that have tried em, but they always go back to a knobby sooner or later

Check some enduro's. Many of those guys are on TT's. Taddy almost always runs one. They'd be used in endurocross too, except Maxxis sponsors the events and made them illegal to use. Presumably since they don't make one. I don't know anyone who has tried a trials tire and ever wanted to run a knobby again. Of course, they suck for MX, I will concede that. Not enough side knobs, and they don't perform so well while spinning wildly.

None of the pro's that I know around here run them

Even trials riders I know run a knobby on their dirtbikes

Ive heard of some riders even on here that have run them before, but are now back to running a knobby

I won't be one of them! Instant wheelies on demand are too much fun. Many of the A riders in the NCHSA are running them now. I know Taddy Blazusiak prefers a trials tire. Can't really think of a better enduro rider than Taddy.


Honestly I don't really care what the pro's use anyway. Nobody is paying me to run their products! If I was into what the "pro's use" I'd be on a POS 450f.


One of the biggest benefits of the tire IMO is getting 3 times the use out of it than I can from a knobby tire. Instead of 2 rear tires a year, I can run one tire for 2 or 3 years. Nifty.


Last time out my neighbor went with us for the first time. He's on a 99 ktm300 with a mich s12 out back. I had the kdx with mt43, and my buddy on his ktm 200 with D803. We all swapped bikes around for a good bit of the day. My neighbor ordered a trials tire when he got home.

You should try one if you ever get a roundtoit, I think you'll be impressed.

I'm running a "cheap" Sedona 110/100 that I originally put on the squirrel's 300. She didn't like the increase in seat height so I swapped it onto my 200 and think it's great for desert stuff. It's wearing very well in our nasty terrain an hooks up well everywhere except maybe cornering in deep sand. My big thumpers tear Dunlops an Maxxis ITs to shreads in our rocks. The Sedona is terrible on the pavement though, way out of balance which is not noticible off road.

You know I been hearing great feedback from these Motoz Tractionator tires. Been thinking about trying one.

Anyway, as for size on a knobby, 110/100 or 100/100 will work fine.

KDX has a 2.15" rim, so a 110/100 will work along with a 100/100.
I use a D803 4.00-18 trials tire, and second everything Juliend says about them. Bubble gum they are. The greasier the roots and rocks, the better they work.
Wibbens doesn't like 'em apparently, and I don't know what Carvr's problem was there with the wet roots ( I watched the video). I can do wheelies through that kind of stuff on a trials tire, front traction is the problem then.
As for the pros not using them, that's more of a high speed cornering/stability thing than traction. I've talked to several pro harescramble racers about this, and the complaint was "stability", not traction. They blast through stuff so fast, using momentum more than traction ( I faintly remember being young and brave), so general low pressure wallowing was the main bitch.
But then.. I have a video here of Taddy winning the Erzberg on a trials tire.