Chone

I just bought some 2.35 tires, they are great except the tread from the tire rubs the frame and brakes the wheel on the back, front is just fine, I left the wheel at my LBS so the moment they got a new 2.2 or 2.1 tire they would exchange it free of charge.

However, the front wheel still has the 2.35 tire, any adversity in doing this? any pros or cons? should I also change the front to a 2.2/2.1 tire?

jaypee

I always run a larger tire on the front as I like having the extra contact patch. If you're running a rigid front-end, the extra cush is also helpful.

MattP.

I've had no problem running a wide tire on the front (2.35). I think it really depends on the tire and the terrain.

Hopper

It's fine to run wider front, I run dual 2.5's but myu next rear is going to be a 2.35. The front wheel is where you need the most traction.

jeff williams

Try it, then reverse.
Big rear is BS unless you're talkin' about spankings.

Ronsonic 

The larger front is usually a good idea, especially if you're not using a front/rear set. The coin never lands on an edge, it's always heads or tails, and one tire is gonna skid before the other. You want the back tire to be the one that loses traction first. The larger front lets you run a bit less air for more grip and cushion and flotation in sand and mud. In sand and mud over hard, the narrower rear will be quicker to cut through the loose stuff and get traction.

IOW, it's all good.
Ron

mcoine

This, used to be at least, the standard setup on bmx bikes back in the day.

achc

wide front just kills on the road but when you are in extream offroad, you will love the the wide front tires as you have to care less when going fast....however, unless you do DH or Freeride/Dirtjump, there is really no point having anything wider then 2.3. I have had 2.3 on the road and its horrible....ok on XC but not as fast as my friends that use 2.1 or less

[bEn]

I run 2.35 front and rear, but next tires i'm thinking of going 2.35 at front and 2.10 rear. I do believe though that a bigger tire at the front is better for the trails.

misteralz

I've got Maxxis High Roller 2.5s front and rear and they are fantastic on the trails and roll really well on tarmac too. I'm considering going to 2.7 on the front purely for looks alone, can't see them making a huge difference with front end grip but they'll give me more confidence to go for it...

Al.canoe

I have read and been told by a bike shop in Moab to run a wider tire in front for soft stuff like sand. On harder stuff it adds needless rotating mass, but it's a small amount.

Al

wheelhot

Well, I used a bigger front tyre then my rear. So far its great cause i have more traction when climbing uphill and the advantage of having so is that when you are going downhill you will have more traction and the small rear tyre will shave your bike weight ^^

sngltrackdufus

Yes me too, i always liked a wider front tire for more traction on the climbs. Especially on the real steep ones.

antman3249

on my STP i run a 2.5 maxxis mobster in the front and a tioga factory dh which is claimed to be a 2.1 but it looks like a 2.4. since i have to ride to my dirtjumps its not that bad of a ride. even though its a hard tail i just fill the tires to 55 psi ride to my friends house were the dirt jumps are and then let a little pressure out. then when i go home i just use his pump.

Chone

Alright cool to hear that, I'm now running 2.35 on the front and 2.1 on the rear, the front tire also has a more aggresive tread than the rear, I'm happy with the ride, I'm surprised at how that mother climbed (I could only test it on a cement climb but still, I could see the difference) and overall I like the bike's new feel, my ability to lift the front (to manual or j-hop) hasn't been affected by the extra weight on the front and well, what can I say, I'm happy for the moment, gonna see how it performs on the dirt and trails this weekend.

wheelhot

gratz

jeff williams

I do this and run different tread combo's. I tend to run small rear for speed.

Current is 1.8 Panaracer FireMudPro rear, 2.10 FireXcPro front.
Higher psi rear, both round profile for hardpack cornering.

Try swapping a few tires on a run, first a rear big combo.
Smaller rear tracks and climbs better\faster.

phoebeisis

Obviously it is no problem to run a bigger front that rear.The bigger the front the more the steering effort,but no big deal,and that is frequently a good thing-it keeps you going straight.
Just for future use;you can trim tires-the knobs,to make then fit, if they are just a 1mm or so too wide-long.Get a sharp knife-thin blade-and just cut the knob down a bit while attempting to keep it the same general size-angle-profile.You would want them to be trimmed the same amount on the rt and left side of course.You'll have to resharpen the knife a few times during the procedure.Luck,Charlie

Jason222

I've got 2.6 front and 2.4 rear. I like it a lot. If I were to get into trials, I'd probably have 2.6 rear, 2.0-2.2 front.