About Freeride & Downhill Tyres

Downhill and Freeride tyres are designed with a lot of factors in mind, they take a lot of abuse at speed so need to be strong, reliable and grippy. Key factors are: Mud clearance, this is how quickly the tyre clears its grip, a clogged tyre will not grip or track. Directional tread, a front tyre needs to track on corners and a rear tyre needs to grip when accelerating so tread patterns will often vary from front to rear. Width, wider tyres will sit above the mud and narrow tyres will cut through it, DH tyres are available in widths of upto 2.7” for wet conditions, the most common choices are 2.35” or 2.5” as these offer good all round performance in most conditions. Compounds, some brands will list a rubber compound, soft compound tyres like the 40a will offer superior grip to a 60a, but will not offer as much tread life due to the softer compound. Sidewalls, a DH tyre will have a thicker sidewall to enable it to be run at a lower pressure and minimise the risk of pinch punctures. This also offers more surface contact with the ground and maximises grip on corners.