When choosing which tires to stock in your dealership, you want to choose items that will be valuable to not only your shop but to your customers as well. From puncture protection, durability, straight line acceleration and traction, tire manufacturers are working behind the scenes to test out different compounds to create a balance that hits the mark on every tire enthusiast’s check list.
“There are certain key attributes to a tire that allow it to be versatile,” said Chris Meyer, marketing coordinator at Maxxis. “The tire needs to have a blend of performance, light-weight and durability.”
Like the recipe for Coca Cola, designing the correct compound for a versatile tire can be a challenging process, but it comes with a high reward.
“There is a Yin and Yang where tire designers are attempting to chase the unicorn that is a high performance, durable and versatile tire,” Meyer said. “Performance and tread wear exist in an inverse relationship, and different terrains wear tires in different ways. Designers have to prioritize what is most important, what is second, what is third and so on, so tires having the ability to adapt.”
Meyer explained that the difference between a versatile tire like the Bighorn and a terrain focused tire, like the Ceros, is that the Bighorn is focused to balance high performance on multiple terrains, whereas the Ceros performs extremely well on short course and hardpack race tracks.
“The Bighorn set the benchmark for performance and is a legacy brand for Maxxis. It has a tread pattern that people are familiar with and has been replicated by many other brands. The tire’s design and compound is something that we’re very proud of. The Bighorn is the best blend of being able to do everything at a pretty high level.”
Dealers, the majority of the time, don’t know where a customer is going to ride, and often the customer, unless they are racers, doesn’t necessarily know either. Having a product available to fit that need is in high demand in the industry.
“The key to versatile tires is that they serve everything that a weekend warrior is looking for and it can also put someone on the podium,” Meyer added.
This article was sponsored by Maxxis Tires USA. For more information, visit maxxis.com.