Michelin Wild Enduro Tyre – Review
Choosing tyres can sometimes be a frustrating and confusing experience. With a variety of tyre brands all shouting about their latest and greatest innovations and eagerly vying for your attention and dollars, hours are lost, sometimes even days sitting hunchbacked at your computer screen trying to work out what’s what. But at the end of it, you still need to choose a tyre that works for you.
If you’re looking for a burly tyre that can handle the rough stuff, has high levels of grip and still provide a fast-rolling speed, then we may have found a set of tyres just for you. It can’t be a coincidence then, that some of the fastest EWS racers on the planet (Sam Hill, Karim Amour and Elliott Heap) have helped to develop the Michelin Wild Enduro tyre.
Above: The Michelin Wild Enduro FRONT MAGI-x2 with its super-aggressive tread design.
Photo: ©Richard McGibbon
First Impressions
Michelin Wild Enduro ‘Front’ and ‘Rear’ both claim to offer “More Speed, More Grip and More Strength”. The front tyre has a massive amount of spacing between each (offset) block with very aggressive tread design. The rear has similar characteristics as the front but a smaller block spacing and a faster ramped tread for better rolling speed.
Both tyres use Michelin’s proprietary compounds which use a mix of materials to improve grip, durability and rolling speed. Just looking at these tyres, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were downhill-specific. We were impressed by their aggressive appearance but had some doubts about how they would perform in terms of speed.
Wild Enduro FRONT MAGI-x2
Above /below: Wild Enduro FRONT MAGI-x2, front-specific tyre from Michelin. An aggressive, yet surprisingly fast tyre.
Photo: ©Richard McGibbon
Casing & Compounds
A tyre’s casing is made up of threads, the thickness of which varies according to the range to make the tyre, robust, flexible, efficient and lightweight. The more threads there are, the finer they are, making the tire lighter. On the contrary, the fewer threads there are, the bigger they are, making the tire stronger. TPI (Threads Per Inch) refers to the density of threads per inch.
The front specific Wild Enduro tyre features a tough 3-ply 66tpi casing, giving the tyre excellent levels of strength and durability on the rowdiest and rockiest of trails while still offering a smooth and comfortable ride whilst also reducing the weight of the tyre (1030gm).
The Wild Enduro tyres have an extremely aggressive tread. Much more than we’ve seen on any other Enduro style tyre. The spacing between the blocks is HUGE! Combine this with Michelins proprietary MAGI-x2 technology which adds a firmer, (yet still surprisingly soft) race-specific compound, and you’ve got a tyre that is gagging to tear up the trails.
Cuttable Blocks
The team at Michelin know how DH and Enduro riders sometimes cut and remove tread blocks to allow for larger spacing when riding muddier conditions to improve grip and steering precision…well, Michelin responded by designing the tread on these tyres so they will be easier to cut. The end result will be a more consistent finish, saving you time, especially if you need to get it done quickly on race day.
[easy-image-collage id=10556]Technical Specifications – FRONT
Use : Enduro- Casing: 3×33 or 3×60 TPI casing specifically designed for Enduro.
Compund : MAGI-X²- End Specific: Front
- Width: 2.4
- Diameter: 29
- Weight: 1030gm
- BAR: 1.5 / 4
- PSI: 21.75 / 58
- TB Ready: Yes
- Bead: Yes
Wild Enduro REAR – GUM x3D
Above /below: Wild Enduro REAR GUM x3D, rear-specific tyre from Michelin. A world champion tyre.
Photo: ©Richard McGibbon
Casing & Compounds
The rear-specific Wild Enduro tyre uses a super sticky, Gum X3D compound which is a combination of three different rubber compounds providing the ultimate in no-compromise racing performance.
The 3-ply 33tpi carcass, although slightly heavier (130gms more) than the front, is still incredibly tough thanks to the strong, lightweight Gravity Shield casing, giving better puncture, cut and abrasion resistance. Michelin has also added Pinch Protection technology on the bead which increases tyre rigidity and
Above: The rear tyre comes in at 2.37 width with 22psi.
More Speed
Thanks to the rear-specific tread and ramped block design, the rear Wild Enduro tyre has a fast-rolling characteristic providing you with high performance and maximum progressivity on the trails. Admittedly, these aren’t the lightest of tyres on the market but what you get is an incredibly tough rear tyre that has fast-rolling characteristics and can still handle extreme terrain. Something you’d be looking for if aggressive riding is your thing.
Above: The Wild Enduro REAR – GUM x3D is at home on dry and wet rocky conditions.
Photo: ©Richard McGibbon
Technical Specifications – REAR
Use : Enduro- Casing: 3×33 TPI casing specifically designed for Enduro.
Compund : MAGI-X3D- End Specific: Rear
- Width: 2.4
- Diameter: 29
- Weight: 1160gm
- BAR: 1.5 / 4
- PSI: 21.75 / 58
- TB Ready: Yes
- Bead: Yes
On The Trails
Strength & Protection
The strong, lightweight Gravity Shield 3×60 TPII casing and its high-density reinforcement have held up incredibly well against very sharp-edged rocky trails. We’ve picked up quite a few battle scars on the sidewalls already, and this was our intent.
We ran these through some very nasty trails where we’ve had major sidewall tearing incidents in the past. It’s a testament to the tyres that they simply charged through and took the beating. It’s always a relief to read about a product but then to experience it in the field, doing what it says it does, walking the walk, so to speak, is the best outcome we could ask for.
Above: The Michelin Wild Enduro certainly lives up to its name!.
Photo: ©Richard McGibbon
Speed
Although the front tyre has a very aggressive tread design, the knobs have been ramped to provide excellent rolling speed, giving the tyre a more progressive and versatile characteristic than we expected. The rear tyre has been designed with a combination of speed and grip in mind. We were never concerned about the rear and we didn’t notice any additional drag, in fact, we didn’t notice any negative speed issues at all.
That said, we did not test the tyres on a timed section of trail, with several other tyres, we’re not MBUK and don’t have the funds to do that. So perhaps they are slower, but in terms of “on the bike” speed, they did not give us any reason to red flag them. You’ve got to wonder, would Sam Hill be choosing a tyre that would intentionally slow him down?
Above: Cornering with the Michelin Wild Enduro tyre is a
Photo: ©Richard McGibbon
Grip
Now, this is where the Michelin Wild Enduro tyre really shines. Michelin’s new MAGI-X² rubber compound provided braking and cornering grip, unlike anything we’ve experienced. The combination of the aggressive front tread and super-wide spacing between each block gave us massive amounts of front-end grip. The soft compound and lower pressures we were able to run, made it very difficult to find the breakaway limit on these tyres. We still haven’t found that limit.
We were running 20psi in the front and 22psi in the rear, with tyre inserts. This level of tyre pressure allowed us to really get the most out of the tyre and grip technology. Climbing over steep rocky sections was also a breeze. Thanks to a new GUM–X3D design combining grip, traction and performance, we had a ton of traction over dry and wet rock surfaces. The compound seems to be a magic mix. Not too
Above: The Michelin Wild Enduro tyre getting to grips with some rocky ascents.
Photo: ©Richard McGibbon
Conclusions
It’s really very hard to mark these tyres down on anything. If we were pushed into a corner with a gun to our head, it would have to be the weight. But, that’s acceptable in our mind, for a tyre that can handle 99.9% of weather, terrain and the rowdiest of trails out there. The Michelin Wild Enduro tyre offer weekend warriors to professional riders alike, a package that really is hard to beat.
Where to Buy / Price
Michelin Wild Enduro FRONT MAGI-x2: $119.99aud approx
Michelin Wild Enduro REAR – GUM x3D: $120.00aud approx
Can be purchased at MTB Direct and other good online retailers or ask at your local bike shop.
