Tires Maxxis or SUNNY

Works pretty well for me. I run 2.3" Maxxis DHR II.

DHR II 2.4WT exists in double down and EXO casing at least in 27.5 -- I own both.

I have liked maxxis crossmark.

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.

We have a set of Sunny tires on our 98 Cavalier 4dr auto. (Used as summer only). Also a dedicated set of Cooper winter tires. As a summer only tire they have been fine for the last ~60,000km+ and the only reason for buying them is they were cheap, the car is old and getting pretty high in mileage. Wasn't sure how long it would last to be honest. It has surprised me and I figure the next set I buy will be a brand name all season for the summer only to have the car inevitably crap out shortly after.

A few years back I looked at a CPO 2009 GTI - had Sunny tires on it. Besides the rest of the car being beat to snot and smelling terrible, the tires were horrible. I didn't look at what was on the car until after the test drive. I couldn't believe it was a CPO.