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By Frank Stacy
Kenda Tire Design/Testing Consultant

 

Kenda racer Cooper Webb

Everyone dreams of having the perfect tire that simply works in any type of terrain or course condition, but the reality is that single tire does not exist. 

Each tread pattern is designed for certain applications and Kenda, like other tire manufactures, do their best to build into each design as broad of a range of applications as possible. But it is still important to know which tire best fits your needs and why. I hope this information will be helpful. 


First, the engineers must decide what application the tire is being designed for, hard packed, loam, mud, sand, etc, as this has a big effect on the tread pattern. For instance the knob dimensions for a hard terrain tire are much different than those of a soft terrain tire... the hard packed design is generally lower knob depth and more supported around it's base due to the extreme flex/heat caused by the hard ground condition it encounters... where soft terrain tires have taller, sharper knobs designed to penetrate the dirt for traction. An intermediate tread pattern is designed to have the best of both worlds.



Another way tires vary is in the inflated shape of the tread which is called the crown radius. This shape has a big effect on the tires foot print. Hard terrain tires generally have a flatter crown radius for more rubber on the ground (larger foot print) which means more traction and soft terrain tires generally have a rounder crown radius, as these tires must dig down and fit into softer rutted course conditions in order to find their best traction. Again the intermediate tires crown radius is a compromise of both types. Tires are all hand built piece by piece... casing material, bead wire, sidewall supports, rubber compound all are assembled into what is technically known as a "green tire" (no it is not green in color) and then placed in a mold for curing. Going into the mold they look nothing like a tire but coming out they have all the grooves, knobs and engraving in place ready to ride.


Southwick rear
SOFT TERRAIN
 


Carlsbad rear
HARD TERRAIN
 

Kenda offers 2 rubber compounds for most of there race tires... Sticky and standard. The standard is designed as a good balance between traction and slow wear but if you are looking for more performance and do not mind giving up some of the wear rate the Sticky rubber is a good choice.


 

Exactly how critical is inflation pressure?

What riders must understand is how critical the tires inflation pressure is to the performance of the tires. In order to achieve the best performance under any terrain you need to start by setting your tire pressures before each outing.

A good starting point for MX tires in dry terrain is 14-15 psi front and 12-13 psi rear... especially on the very popular 4-stroke bikes. If the condition becomes wet or muddy lower the inflation pressure to 10-12 psi front and 8-10 psi rear. This allows the casing to flex a little more providing better traction and the tread pattern to clean it self out better. 


 


Carlsbad

See map above

HARD TERRAIN
If you ride mostly in dryer conditions, hard packed or even rocks the Carlsbad and Budds Creek combos are for you. Both have a wide cross over into the intermediate course condition.

The Carlsbad is a dual rotation tread design so you have a choice of fine tuning the tires performance.

The Budds Creek is new and has a larger tread area foot print for added traction on hard packed dirt. If you are looking for more front end traction try the new size 90/100-21 Budds Creek which provides a 15% larger foot print over the standard size 80/100-21.

 

INTERMEDIATE TERRAIN
For a true Intermediate tire combo try the new Washougal... The tread pattern is designed for all those areas of terrain between hard packed and loose dirt... it offers a very wide range of application. The knobs are positioned to provide a large number of biting edges at any lean angle and the shoulder knob design is unique resulting in a very predictable slide which means you can get on the throttle sooner exiting corners. The Washougal front is also offered in the larger size 90/100-21 for those looking to improve there front end contact patch.

 

SOFT TERRAIN
As we move into soft terrain areas the Millville combo offers very good traction in loam, mud & sand. The Millville also offers a dual rotation tread design so you can fine tune for the tires performance.

The Southwick is more specific designed as a mud-sand tire... it offers straight line traction like no other tire and really digs into the soft terrain with excellent cleaning capability.

Click here to visit the MX page for size info


Budds Creek


Washougal


Millville


Southwick
   
 


So, when you're ready to make that new tire purchase be sure to take into consideration the terrain you will ride or race on, the rubber compound (standard or sticky) most effective for you, and be sure to use the recommended tire pressure. All of this will increase your tires performance and improve the life cycle of your tires. Happy Trails!