Tires Kumho or Maxxis

On my XC hardtail I have a Maxxis 2.4 Ardent on the front, and a Maxxis 2.2 Ikon on the rear. It is a great combo so far.

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 also run the AT51's on my Wrangler. Fantastic tire at a great price. They are smooth, quiet and have excellent traction. I highly recommend.

I actually have the Kuhmos on my 530, and I've been pretty happy with them. Very quiet and seem to grip well. Just my two cents.

I also have a minion DHF for downhill and "rowdy" trail or wet/sandy conditions. It rolls a lot better than I expected for such tall knobs

I have the Kuhmo Road Venture APT KL51 235/60. I was very happy with them until I realized the fronts are shot after 20K mi. I probably ran them under inflated a bit for too long. And never rotated them =(. The taller than stock size makes zero noticeable difference on the speedo or power on the road. My speedo matches my GPS reading exactly. Clearance is no problem.

I have the Kumhos and I don't like them. They are quiet, and seem to last forever, to my chagrin. Personally, I'd rather trade a little tread life for more performance, but they might be what you are looking for. A word of warning, though: they break loose pretty easily when it's wet.