Tires SUMITOMO 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 had Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires on my Mk5 Rabbit. They were $82 each for 225/45/17. They grip incredibly well, quiet and comfortable and were good in the wet. Couldn't recommend them enough.

I have it on pretty solid authority that Sumitomo htr z3's are essentially Michelin pilot sports as far as grip goes with 75% of the tread life magic, for roughly half the price.

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 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.

My old 175/50s didn't handle for ****