I think a lot of it depends on what you are looking for out of the bike. As in, how/where you intend to ride it, how you want the bike to behave overall, what the conditions are like, and what kind of compromises you are willing to make in order to achieve whatever you are trying to accomplish.
In my own experiences, I tend to prefer wider front tire and narrower rear same as Andrew, but the priority of it depends entirely on the bike and the conditions.
Findings and logic behind that for myself come a lot from what my preferred/ideal tire pressure would be for the given conditions/location/riding habits.
Where do you personally want the extra traction and compliance, and where do you want the impact protection and directness? For myself on my hardtail and FS, I like the compliance afforded by lower pressures on the front tire more. At the plus tire widths and fairly soft/wet/ leaf covered/and loamy dirt, tire roll, self-steer, and bottoming out are not as much of an issue for me on the front, and I am prioritizing the predictable grip afforded by the fat footprint.
For the rear tire, bottoming out and pinching, and tire roll are still much more of a concern in the conditions I would want to be riding the plus tires, so I am prioritizing support and bottom out resistance afforded by higher pressures and generally a slightly narrower tire. Also, if I am not overly struggling with drive/braking/cornering traction on the rear that cannot be overcome by a more aggressive tread pattern, then the plus sizes there becomes a lot less necessary for myself and can be counter productive as the tire will become bouncy at the higher pressures required to prevent damage/pinch flats and tire roll.
On the fatbike, my needs change with the conditions, so I tend to run a slightly higher front pressure for better steering precision, and lower rear pressure for better compliance, less bounce, and better drive traction in awful conditions where grip/compliance/flotation are my only major concerns.
I don't think there is a wrong approach either way if you know what works for you and what you are trying to prioritize.
Cheers!
Nov. 6, 2017, 9:59 a.m. - Metacomet
I think a lot of it depends on what you are looking for out of the bike. As in, how/where you intend to ride it, how you want the bike to behave overall, what the conditions are like, and what kind of compromises you are willing to make in order to achieve whatever you are trying to accomplish. In my own experiences, I tend to prefer wider front tire and narrower rear same as Andrew, but the priority of it depends entirely on the bike and the conditions. Findings and logic behind that for myself come a lot from what my preferred/ideal tire pressure would be for the given conditions/location/riding habits. Where do you personally want the extra traction and compliance, and where do you want the impact protection and directness? For myself on my hardtail and FS, I like the compliance afforded by lower pressures on the front tire more. At the plus tire widths and fairly soft/wet/ leaf covered/and loamy dirt, tire roll, self-steer, and bottoming out are not as much of an issue for me on the front, and I am prioritizing the predictable grip afforded by the fat footprint. For the rear tire, bottoming out and pinching, and tire roll are still much more of a concern in the conditions I would want to be riding the plus tires, so I am prioritizing support and bottom out resistance afforded by higher pressures and generally a slightly narrower tire. Also, if I am not overly struggling with drive/braking/cornering traction on the rear that cannot be overcome by a more aggressive tread pattern, then the plus sizes there becomes a lot less necessary for myself and can be counter productive as the tire will become bouncy at the higher pressures required to prevent damage/pinch flats and tire roll. On the fatbike, my needs change with the conditions, so I tend to run a slightly higher front pressure for better steering precision, and lower rear pressure for better compliance, less bounce, and better drive traction in awful conditions where grip/compliance/flotation are my only major concerns. I don't think there is a wrong approach either way if you know what works for you and what you are trying to prioritize. Cheers!