Maxxis Tyre Compounds?

ThePriory1978

Can someone please explain the difference between the Maxxis 62A eXCeption Series compound and the 70A compound?
Thanks.

Matt_

I think the lower the number, the "stickier" the tyre is. Higher the number, the faster rolling it is.

bails87

Yep, I think it's called the durometer reading. A higher number is harder, less grippy but lasts longer, lower number is softer, grippier and wears out more quickly.

joshtp

bang on.

70a is very hard, will last ages and be fast, but have sod all grip

Maxxpro is 60a and is a good compromise... Exception is 62a so very similar to Maxxpro, but I think the main difference is in the casing not the compound.

Supper Takki is 42a - very grippy, but slow and wears super fast

Supper Slow Reezay is 40a, It's a very, very soft compound designed for DH racing in the wet... you really wouldn't run it for day to day use...

That's just maxxis, but it gives a good guide to other brands too

Other brands use different compounds and have different names...

Some brands use a double or triple compound, this means that the centre section of the tyre is harder than the shoulders (usually) This gives excellent speed and a good rate of wear, while maintaining sticky shoulders for good cornering traction.

Some brands also use a double layer technology that lays a harder compound over a soft core... this resits wear well, while allowing the tyre to deform and give good grip, It works well on rocks and wet trails, but struggles on wet shiny surfaces such as roots.

Other brands will use a "special" compound such as Continental's Black Chilly - this is a very clever compound that is both very grippy and quite fast/hard wearing. I'm not really sure how it works, but I believe it uses a Layering system.

As a general guide to all this stuff though, the lower the number the grippier it will be, but the slower and faster wearing it will be.

Anonymous

joshtp wrote:

Other brands will use a "special" compound such as Continental's Black Chilly - this is a very clever compound that is both very grippy and quite fast/hard wearing. I'm not really sure how it works,

Magic, dear boy. Magic.
Expensive, but it really does work round here!

ThePriory1978

Cheers for the explanations, very helpful.

The High Rollers come in 60A or 42A which would have too much rolling resistance for my riding i'm thinking so Ignitors or Ardents in 62A for me.

Thankyou-kindly.

Anonymous

60A is actually a very nicely rolling compound, making for a good all-rounder. The differences between it and 62A are minimal.

cooldad

I currently have an Ignitor exception on the front and a standard one on the back and it works great in dry or damp conditions, was a bit marginal over the weekend in gooey gunk. But so are most.

joshtp

yep, maxxpro is not really any slower than exxception... as I say the main difference is in the carcass.

ThePriory1978

How can I tell what compound my current Maxxis Ignitors are? I've careful inspected my current tyres and no where does it seem to state the compound. Quite an oversight on Maxxis part no?.. or am I missing something glaringly obvious? Thanks.

morleyman200

main say it in red text on the tyre wall, its quite obvious, but thats high rollers

And sorry, but can i highjack a little, (still related) whats the difference in beads, and do they offer any advantages?

joshtp

if they dont say they are probably 70a... maxxpro usually has a big red maxxpro label. And the other compounds have logo's..

Dirtydog11

ThePriory1978 wrote:

How can I tell what compound my current Maxxis Ignitors are? I've careful inspected my current tyres and no where does it seem to state the compound. Quite an oversight on Maxxis part no?.. or am I missing something glaringly obvious? Thanks.

If there are no markings they will be standard 70a.

Rubber hardness can be measured with one of these

http://www.motorsport-tools.com/duromet ... 46536.html

wordnumb

joshtp wrote:

Supper Takki is 42a - very grippy, but slow and wears super fast

No. It's item 42 on the Sushi menu.

.blitz

morleyman200 wrote:

...whats the difference in beads, and do they offer any advantages?

Non-folding tyres have a bead that consists of a wire bundle. In folding tires, the wire is replaced with a hoop of aramid fibers which is lighter.

If you mean threads, the density of the carcass fabric is expressed in EPI or TPI (Ends Per Inch or Threads Per Inch). In principle, the more close-meshed a carcass is woven, the higher the quality of the tyre. A dense carcass is important for low rolling resistance. At the same time, puncture protection increases because carcasses with a high strand density are difficult to puncture, except in the case of extremely fine 127 EPI carcasses as each strand is sheer and quite vulnerable.

The best compromise for low weight and resistance is around 50 to 67 EPI/TPI.

ThePriory1978

Useful knowledge that... but you have to reach a special level of extreme if you buy a tyre cos of its TPI rating.

PXR5

FWIW...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shore_hardness

The hardness of many materials can be measured and compared, for rubbers the Shore A scale is very popular along with IRHD (international Rubber Hardness degrees).
The "A" letter refers to a particular hardness range and is common in everyday articles, for example car tyres are around 50-70 Shore A, the soles of shoes around 70 shore A to be hard wearing, whereas the softer insole may be around 35-40 Shore A to offer more comfort.

I'll get me coat.......

.blitz

ThePriory1978 wrote:

...you have to reach a special level of geek if you buy a tyre cos of its TPI rating.