[Closed] Minion DHR II WT as a front tyre

I ran a 2.3 as a front and didn’t like it it was amazingly grippy until the point it washed out. Swapped it for a 2.5 DHF and much preferred that.

The 2.4 dhr2 is a bit of a different beast to the 2.3 though - it’s got bigger knobs and is quite a lot heavier - I reckon it might work on the front as long as you have a wide enough rim.

Possibly one of, if not the best all round tyre I have used. Works great on the front. Just wish they did a 29" Maxxgrip EXO+ 2.4. That would be frond tyre utopia for me.

ive been wondering the same thing. my go to for my enduro bike is a 2.6 DHF, i've ordered a 2.6 DHRII to see what the fuss is about.

run a 2.4 DHRII on the back all year round, cant really fault it. so hoping for good things. sorry OP, that doesn't help does it?

Just wish they did a 29″ Maxxgrip EXO+ 2.4. That would be front tyre utopia for me.

Add me to those with that top of my wishlist.

And a 2.4 Doubledown WT Rear in Dual or MaxxTerra, while they're at it

This is exactly what i run. DHR 2's 2.4 WT front and back. I find the cornering is much better and straight line braking is improved too. I'm using EXO+ casings on the trail bike, but DD casing on the rear of the 'Gnarpoon'

I'm running FLow Mk3's and other rims around the 30mm internal mark.

I find it better cornering than the DHF, with more predictable slide (when it does, which is rare) so i know where the edge of traction is before i get spat out the front.

Danny Hart often uses DHR 2 front and rear. He does ok

Contrary to popular opinion (and I could be wrong) the F & R do not reference front and rear. It's Freeride and Race.
Fairly sure a rep from Extra UK (Maxxis distributor) told me this. Mind you, the same rep tried to flog me some tyre sealant that he claimed rebuilt your tyres from the inside so they would never wear down.

@stany :

"A rear-specific tire for big mountain terrain"
"The Minion DHR was designed as a rear tire to compliment the Minion DHF. "

https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-469-143-minion-dhr#

Contrary to popular opinion (and I could be wrong) the F & R do not reference front and rear. It’s Freeride and Race

this is my understanding too 🙂

“A rear-specific tire for big mountain terrain”
“The Minion DHR was designed as a rear tire to compliment the Minion DHF. ”

https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-469-143-minion-dhr#/blockquote >

the DHR2 and the DHF2 have different descriptions! though it does state they were originally designed for front/rear. interesting!

 

Fair do's. That's me telt!

Even the DHR II description says "Pair it with a Minion DHF up front for the ultimate aggressive trail riding tire combo"

DHR II is a pretty different tyre though, the old one was rear specific but was just shit at everything.

https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-470-140-minion-dhr-ii#

stany
Member

Contrary to popular opinion (and I could be wrong) the F & R do not reference front and rear. It’s Freeride and Race.

I believe the rep was yanking your chain about that one too. DHF and DHR were definitely pushed as a combo back in the day then Sam Hill blew everyones minds by daring to run DHFs front AND rear!!!!

DHF - "Designed as a front tyre but suitable for the rear"
DHR* - "The Minion DHR features ramped knobs, like the DHF, but the channels in the knobs are designed for braking and accelerating"

*not DHR II

@stany, I'd heard the Freeride and Race names thrown about and the usual Front and Rear as well. I think it's safe to say that most folk use the DHR II as a rear though. Had heard that some folk have thrown it on the front though, often wondered what the results were. Will dig it out and throw it on the bike.

@nickc back in the day, I used to roll on DHF front and rear, which worked fine.
Sam Hill ran the same set up but he never managed to ride like me!

I think originally the DHF was designed as a strong front tyre, while the original DHR was designed to suck at literally everything.

DHR2 2.4 exo maxxgrip on the front of one bike here and the same only maxxterra on the other. They are fantastic, braky grip for days, IMO just a better tyre than the dhf and highroller in pretty much all circumstances. Except maybe on the front, in the really dry.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-pzL4RjyYB0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Oops - I meant this!
Maxxis Minion DHF vs DHR II (One Of Them Is Clearly Better)

I tried a DHR2 2.4 wt on the front, since Id heard some people like it.

In comparison to my favoured DHF 2.5, I found it had much better straight line braking grip and was notably lighter, but it wasn't as good for edge grip, was harder to recover when it broke traction and was less effective in soft ground quicker. I found It was a less positive feeling front tyre and I had less confidence in it.

Because these aspects show themselves closer to the limits, I went back to a DHF to avoid getting dumped on my ass more often.

Sam Hill ran the same set up but he never managed to ride like me!

Yep, I think it's pretty safe to say that no pro DH rider rides like me either  🙂

Scienceofficer
Member

but it wasn’t as good for edge grip

Which is interesting, because they have literally the same sideknobs. So, a carcass or compound difference?

Yeah.

Carcass I reckon. They were both on Stans flow mk3.

DHF 2.5

DHR2 2.4 WT

DHF was squarer in profile.

Dhr2 f&r have podiumed plenty, I've been running 2.4 WT on 28mm rims and cant fault them

Prefer a DHR2 up front to a DHF. Find it brakes better and handles natural damp Scottish trails better. DHF does have the edge in dry loose conditions, but don’t get them often enough to choose it over dhr2.
2.4 up front 2.3 on the rear.

Love the MaxxTerra DHRII on rear but hate it on the front - awful on wet rocks/roots for me. Compound feels way firmer than MaxxTerra DHF or Assegai, so suspect it’s compound rather than tread pattern. Would like to try a MaxxGrip version, but until then, I’ll stick with DHF WT, Assegai and Shorty WT (and sometimes Der Baron).

Was running a 2.4 WT MaxxTerra DHR2 on the front of my Offering.

Really nice all rounder. Great on mud and roots, loads of braking traction on steep stuff and just seems to stick to things well.

Not as good in slippy, claggy mud - but that's what the Shorty is for!

It feels very similar to a DHF WT 2.5, but just a bit better braking on the front, lighter and faster rolling.

One ride in and pretty impressed, rolls a bit quicker I think and a bit more predictable, great braking performance as well. Would recommend

29x3.0 DHR2 on the front of my Stooge and it works really well, lots of grip, lots...

Have DHF and DHR2 on the front wheels of different bikes. Great tyres, but couldn’t honestly tell the difference on the trail.

Bontrager G5 is a DHR2 beater upfront imo wider gap between edge knobs and centre. Google both tyres at “Blistergear”
Nice unbiased reviews

Since lockdown and WFH, I've almost managed to wear out my DHR II (on the rear). New spare is sat in my car boot ready to swap over.

I run DHF front - massively impressed by the tyre combo, and mine are only 2.3.

“Which is interesting, because they have literally the same sideknobs.”

I thought the side knobs on the DHR2 were slightly thicker side to side than on the DHF? There’s definitely a wider channel between the centre and side knobs on the DHF which will help with cornering grip in most scenarios.

Bontrager G5 is a DHR2 beater

Oh yeah, I always forget about Bontrager tyres, G5's a similar pattern as well, might give one a go after I've worn out the DHR II that's on there now

It’s a beauty that G5. It’s a DH so nice and soft. But heavy but the grip is so amazing and you don’t really notice weight upfront.
Kevin Bazars Blister review of DHRII as a front suggests cutting the wider centre knobs to open the side channel a bit. When done it looks like the G5 do if Maxxgrip is your bag just get the G5 I say.
Designed for Gwin. Ridden by Atherton.