EXO + vs Double Down for rear tire

Have a tire question / survey for you guys. I ride the Shore and I've been running DHR II EXO rear tires the last few years and have been getting punctures and flattening multiple rims per year, so looking for a beefier rear tire. And I don't run inserts, hoping to fix my issues just with a beefier tire. All my riding buddies on the Shore seem to run Double Downs or DH rear tires. I've read lots of good press reviews about EXO +, but seems real life forum reviews are few and far between for Shore riding. Just wondering if anyone has had any luck running EXO+ as a rear tire, as opposed to DD or DH. Or do I just play it safe and put on the heavy DD for shore riding?

I've found just the ride quality of a more sturdy sidewall is better for me (I'm 220lbs...without riding gear). The support from a more robust casing helps me a lot especially cornering hard and to me just feels more supportive over rough-stuff. 

I'd say go for the heavier duty casing, especially if you are heavier yourself.

I have max grip minion in DD and EXO (not exo+) and personally don't think the Dd compound is worth the weight or ride resistance. If I was doing more high speed flow trails the stronger casing definitely holds things more Stable. Lately I have been thinking of trying cush core as it supposedly allows a lighter tire to feel better than a DD, stay on the rim better and would not increase rolling resistance. Can anyone confirm that the weight of cush core does not feel like the weight of a heavy duty tire due to the reduced rolling resistance?

A couple of friends have put holes in their EXO+ tires. They might offer a tad more cut resistance than EXO, but I don’t get the sense they’re full-on burly like DD.

I find I can get away with running EXO on the Shore. I don’t puncture very often. For enduro racing, where flatting would make me sad, I don’t take the risk and will run DD or DH in back. 

Comparing all of the above while running CushCore, DD and DH are not climbing anywhere in a hurry. I don’t find EXO with CushCore especially bad to pedal around. EXO without the insert feels sprightly, but the higher pressure required takes away from ride quality.

I feel the Maxxis WT tires on 30mm rims in EXO or EXO+ (I don’t notice a big difference between these two) and a good insert work pretty flawless for my kind of riding on a 160mm 29er at 77kg rider weight.

No punctures and the casing lasts as long as the thread. Which isn’t the case on 2.3 Exo Maxxis tires for me. I can run them with an insert on 30mm rims and the same trails. But I will punch little holes in them and at some point the casing/tire will start to wobble and bleed sealant through the sidewalls and make the tire more or less unridable before the thread is worn out.

A proper balance between casing thickness and insert firmness combines advantages for me. Rim stiffness is very relevant for snakebite protection! On very stiff rims I flat my front wheel tire. On my vertically compliant Notubes Flow MK3 front rim I don’t flat.

I’d totally try a Exo/cushcore combination if I was in your shoes...

Cushcore or inserts won't help with sidewall tears.  DD or DH tires for the rear.  Too bad Maxxis doesn't have them in Maxx Terra compound.

Posted by: LoamtoHome

Cushcore or inserts won't help with sidewall tears. DD or DH tires for the rear. Too bad Maxxis doesn't have them in Maxx Terra compound.

High Roller II comes in DD/Maxx Terra, as does the 2.3 DHR II.

Posted by: breakdance32

Have a tire question / survey for you guys. I ride the Shore and I've been running DHR II EXO rear tires the last few years and have been getting punctures and flattening multiple rims per year, so looking for a beefier rear tire. And I don't run inserts, hoping to fix my issues just with a beefier tire. All my riding buddies on the Shore seem to run Double Downs or DH rear tires. I've read lots of good press reviews about EXO +, but seems real life forum reviews are few and far between for Shore riding. Just wondering if anyone has had any luck running EXO+ as a rear tire, as opposed to DD or DH. Or do I just play it safe and put on the heavy DD for shore riding?

Are you riding a hardtail? If yes then I would recommend exo or exo+ with cush core. With a hardtail you need all the squish you can get and you can feel the differences between sidewalls on a hardtail. I recently went through a huge hassle with tires on my hardtail. This is what I found works best on my Chromag. I run DHF 2.6wt EXO with Cush Core on 36mm rims and it is amazing. This set up allows me to really push the limits of the bike. Before the bike was way to skittish and rough.

If you are riding a fully go with DD in the front and DD or DH in the back. On my Range I run Assguy 2.5 WT MaxxGrip DD in the front and DHR ll 2.4 WT MaxxGrip DH. I love this combo but you will easily go through two rear tires long before the front needs replacing.

Thanks for the quick replies and feedback. I'm on a Yeti SB150, so full squishy bike and weigh about 180 lbs all geared up. Sounds like EXO+ on it's own won't fix my issues (unless I run an insert). I prefer to keep things simple, so gonna try a DD or DH casing in the rear and see if that minimizes the rim dents and occasional puncture. Looks like DHR II 2.4 WT DD and DH are only available in MaxxGrip which will be nice for winter riding. Get to see how sticky rubber on the back handles the north shore winter grease. Would love to try an Assegai on the front in MaxxGrip, but was lifting them in the store the other day and man they're heavy.

Posted by: breakdance32

Would love to try an Assegai on the front in MaxxGrip, but was lifting them in the store the other day and man they're heavy.

I went from an Assguy Maxx Grip to DHF Maxx Grip. The Assguy has a ton of grip, but the DHF in the sticky rubber is close but rolls faster and is lighter.

What about bumping the pressure up a few psi? I'm running a dhr2 2.4 exo on the rear of my warden on a relatively narrow rim and tend to about 26 or so psi and don't have any issues

The armchair genius in me says the problem is that we're asking tires to do a job that they're not really designed for. You can't compare running moto or trials tires in the same manner as an mtb tire simply due to size/weight. That option does exist as a fat bike, but is anbody out pedaling full suspension fatbike for enduro laps?

Maybe the ultimate shore bike is a 6 and 6 e-fat bike. The irony is that the larger tire would be less wear and tear on the trails. maybe this is the future?

Man, that thing is ugly.

Posted by: syncro

What about bumping the pressure up a few psi? I'm running a dhr2 2.4 exo on the rear of my warden on a relatively narrow rim and tend to about 26 or so psi and don't have any issues

Yah good thinking and already bumped up the psi a few times. Settled on 30 psi rear and 27 psi front. Don't think I wanna go any stiffer in the rear as that seems to be right on the button between grip and protection.

For around here, 22 psi + CushCore just rides so much nicer than 26 psi.