Tires OEM Mazda 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.

Tires make more difference than anything. I too bought at used Mazda 3, and thought: "Oooh, this is dodgy in the rain . . ."

Then I got better tires (summers and winters) and realized: "Ohhh, I just had terrible tires."

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.

I run 2.35s and it certainly doesn't fit super well, however it's not that big of a deal. but if i'm going to have it on the rack for a longer drive I just air down the tire. i run the nevegal dh tire or the maxxis holy roller so the sidewall knobs interfere, I just crank down the straps.

If the DHFs are hard to mount on a given rim, particularly Stans, wait till you try a Maxxis Ikon. One of the hardest tyres I've ever installed.