Tires Maxxis or GT Radial

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 have had great luck with GT Radial so far.

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

just mounted a few pairs of maxxis tires, dhf, hr2, a dhr, and an ardent exo casings, all done by hand, found them quite easy to mount beads poped right on.

Me and my girlfriend have both been running tubeless Maxxis folder tires on Easton Rims for five seasons and I never had any problems mounting them.

I've mounted and remounted a handful of EXO casing maxxis tires recently with almost no effort at all. Typically I don't even use a lever to mount them, only remove. They all seated on the first try with a hand pump too.

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.

I purchased a new MTB with the Minion setup, and figured that since they’re so well renowned, I might as well give them a chance. After 250 miles, I’ve decided that I despise these tires more than anything else I’ve ever ridden. The DHF has NO CORNERING GRIP. I have washed out more times on this tire than I have in what feels like my entire riding career prior to using the DHF. I’ve pinch flatted two DHRs. One sidewall snake bite, one puncture straight through the middle of the tread. Lastly, they have god-awful climbing grip.