Tires Firestone or Maxxis

I just put some 2.25" Maxxis Ardent TR EXOs on my Trek 29er and they have been awesome so far. Tons of grip compared to the bontragers I had (cheaper ones that came with my bike).

Maxxis all the way. Seem to be the best combo of grip, price, durability, and weight.

Your trails sound pretty similar to what I ride. I have a set of Ardent 2.25s that I really like.

I love my aggressor on the rear, rolls and grips well.

I've had both. Get the Firestone and don't look back. Best tire I've used in the price range.

The Indy 500 is slightly better performing, while the RE760 is slightly more comfortable / refined. Which do you prefer? I had a set of the 500s and they were a really good value.

Same tires. Same smiles. Best bang for the buck BY FAR. Dry grip is incredible compared to goodyear eagle f1's and continental sport contact. Not to mention they're inexpensive. I've got 10k miles and they show little signs of wear.

Its been dry, and they have been fairly broken in by now. Steering response is fantastic compared to the old tires. But I have to agree with tire rack that there isn't much feedback. there is definitely more tread noise on the interstate. GRIP, WOW, This things cling harder than an ex girlfriend with abandonment issues. If you can live with a little more harshness its a night and day difference between this tire and the OE contis.

Ardent rolls well but is lacking in traction. If you want to take corners fast, I would stay away from Ardent in the front - there is a dead zone between the middle and side knobs that will feel vague especially when cornering.

My complaints weren’t about poor traction or low limits as a performance tire. They were about how truly poor a tire they were at simply being tires. Basically in every measure of a tire they performed poorly.