Tires DUNLOP or Maxxis

If you liked the XR4 the Rekon is probably the closest, or Ardent. It's worked well for me everywhere I've taken it from Duluth to Moab, and everything in between.

Dissector front, Aggressor rear. All the grip you ever need unless you are a DH pro - and way faster than DHF/DHR

The Assegai has the best climbing traction I've ever had (used to run DHRIIs, which would be a good option as well).

After some time, I’ve discovered the Dissector is particularly sensitive to tire pressure. After I dropped the pressure a couple of psi (I’m running the 2.4WT version on a 35mm inner width 29” rim, and have settled on 24-25psi), the Dissector is running great.

Dunlop Q3+ Tons of grip, and good milage for the performance. Just be careful in the cold.

Dunlop Roadsmart 3 12k miles.

I've gone from XR4s to DHR/DHF. If there is an increase in rolling resistance, the only place I think I notice it is when I'm on a very gentle downward slope, and I wonder if I'd accelerate due to gravity a little faster on the XR4s. On the other hand, when I'm doing steep technical climbing in the saddle, and putting down the kind of power that made the XR4 lose traction, the DHR has never spun out.

You will never get the q4 hot enough and will be more prone to low side, the exact thing you are trying to avoid.

Avoid Maxxis tires, two tires got bulges in the sidewalls after 2 stages.

Looking at the Dunlops, they are rated poorly in pretty much every review I saw. They only have a treadwear rating of 360 which is pretty low for an all season crossover tire which explains why they're cooked at 20k miles. Most reviews I see are people complaining about them wearing out at 20-30k miles and being terrible in wet/snow.