BiciMan

FWIW, I decided last year, at 73, to change out the knobby tires on my FS E-mtb and my Full Susp MB to discourage me from doing much off-road riding, figuring injuries today will be riskier than before. I put Maxxis Holy Rollers on both bikes and am very pleased because they ride/roll much nicer and much quieter on asphalt paths, etc. I did have to give up on tubeless too on both bikes; but, again, it was a very good move for me, and it may be a good direction for you. I've always stayed with 26" wheels for MTBing, and got four 26 x 2.2s for these bikes, along with Bell self-sealing tubes.

A few years ago, I also changed over the tires on my 8.5DS because I rode that mostly on asphalt, gravel. or easy dirt. There, I swapped stock relatively-knobby 38mms for Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS440s 45mms. Again, a great move. These tires made the DS my most flexible bike, and even though it's the heaviest of my non-e-bikes, it's the one I'm tossing in the allroad for up-north visiting and riding this summer. I'm sure I'll be riding mostly on asphalt with my Trek 820-riding friend, but we won't hesitate to take these into whatever inviting dirt paths we encounter.

Note that I had NO interest in slick nor thin, especially. I just wanted easier-rolling tires on these bikes that would still fit the kinds of bikes they are -FOR/TO ME- AND simply but effectively improve their rolling capacity. I sought to re-purpose my bikes, not transform them. Good luck with your change-over!