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What would a tougher thicker casing do to the ride quality?
Probably stop getting sidewall holes like I did for a start! Light seem to be made of rice paper on my old Trailboss anyway.
Not sure, I only really run the Toughs and I haven't noticed any unusual things apart from general indestructibility...
Even if they are firmer (logic says they should be less compliant as with car runflats) then it's basically a choice of which quality do you prize more? If they do suffer like this the SuperGravity's etc will too for the same reason.
As in Dual Ply. ie. DH casings? They allow you to run low pressures (25-28psi on a 2.4) and actually corner hard without the sidewall squirming or folding.
they were never really meant for allowing spods to run 12psi over rocks but they might do that too. Hence the abundance of thicker sidewall tyres used these days.
I've only had the light version of both the trail boss & vigilante ..
CRC changed a Trail Boss for me that was wafer thin from the off and wouldn't stay up ..other than that I have had no problem other than a slight loss of pressure between rides ..but I check my tyres before every ride anyway .
That's Lakeland / North Pennine / Cheviots riding on all manner of varied terrain ..
I really like these tyres ..
Likewise, two years on the light casings and never had an issue.
On my new ht - nukeproof scout 290 comp it came with vigilante fast tough and trail boss fast tough.
I am VERY impressed with the ride quality but the front end needs a little more grip.
I was thinking high grip fast for the front but didnt want the ride quality to change
Does that make sense?
Cookci..did you mean light grip on the front ?
I'm no tyre guru..but just so that someone more qualified can better answer that ..are you running them tubeless and if so have you tried experimenting with the tyre pressures before going to the extreme of replacing ?
A couple of psi less could make a difference in terms of grip..
What you have asked might well make a difference ..but I don't want to be the bloke who tells you to bin a decent tyre..
Just to reconfirm though ..I personally haven't had a problem with the fast light on the front of my bike (27.5")..for the last 15 months..
It came with the vig fast tough on the front and im looking at changing it to the high grip light.
Havent blown them up tubeless yet as i think its not grippy enough and too heavy however if the tough gives a better ride i might be tempted to leave it on.
Can i run the tough at a lower pressure then?
Is there much difference between the high grip and fast?
On my FS i run magic mary 29 2.35 and nobby nic at 18psi front and 21 psi back (i weigh around 65kg)
I've got a 'light/high grip' Convict on the front and a 'tough/fast' Vigilante on the back. Wouldn't want a light on the back as they are quite thin walls. No issues with the tough on the back - rolls well, good grip, no cuts etc.
The Convict does weep a little bit of sealant but both go up easy enough with a foot pump.
I am impressed by the tough for a rear tyre. The benefits apart from no punctures is that I run lower psi without issues and that leads to more comfort and grip. The fast version is very fast rolling and negates the weight penalty but as we go into winter I am not too sure on WTB tread patterns for the mud/slick rock so maybe best for the other 3 seasons. In terms of quality for price they appear to be £15-25 cheaper than other makes so a winner on that front.
Played around with WTB tyres last summer - Light/fast Vigilante on the front, tough fast Trailboss on the back.
The tough casing is noticeably harsher than a Maxxis Exo or Spesh Grid tyre. Sure you can drop pressures (I usually run 30 psi in the back), but then you're adding more rolling resistance. Bombproof though.
The Vig tread pattern was great where mechanical grip was available, but the fast rolling compound is poor on wet roots and absolutely lethal on limestone. I gave up riding Cavedale with these tyres on as it worse than being on ice. Swapped back to Maxxis 3c on the front/60A rear and all was fine again.
I'd give a light/high grip version a go on the front, but they don't do 'em in 26"...