E*Thirteen TRS / LG1 A/T Tire: Employee Review [Video]

E*Thirteen has been on a roll lately introducing new tires to the market. They're now on their third generation of the E*Thirteen A/T tire, and they seem to just be getting better and better. It was only about two years ago when the first version came out and it was quickly followed by the second. It seems that with each model released, the feedback has been put into revising the tire tread. The third version of the E*Thirteen A/T tire sees an updated tread pattern, a few more casing options, a revised rubber compound, as well as a new rubber compound option. 

Overview

A wider and longer center tread has been put on the new tire, along with a taller center knob as well. The second version, previous to this model we are currently reviewing, has a much lower center tread and while that helped rolling speed, the tire was a bit too square when mounted up. Fixed and improved, the new E*Thirteen A/T tire also has a revised side knob with an L pattern on each lug and a sipe across the knob to help squeeze out all the traction possible. There are Trial, Enduro, and Downhill casings, all of which are available in 27.5 and 29” options, all in the true 2.4 widths. More on the exact specs below. 

Specs:

Tire Size: 27.5” & 29”

Tire Width: 2.4 

Casing Options: TRS (trail), LG1en (Enduro) & LG1dh (Downhill)

Rubber Versions: Plus, Race, MoPo

Weights - Trail: 27.5” & 29”

• Plus: 930g & 370g
• Race: 950g & 985g
• MoPo: 960g & 1015g

Weights - Enduro: 27.5” & 29”

• Plus: 1125g & 1210g
• Race: 1075g & 1140g
• MoPo: 1075g & 1140g

Weights - Downhill: 27.5” & 29”

• Plus: 1160g & 1225g
• MoPo: 1190g & 1260g

Mounting and Initial Impression:

Mounting the tires was smooth and easy without any issues of sealant seepage. I first mounted these up on the DT Swiss EX471 rims with a 25mm internal width. Compared to my Maxxis Minion DHRII 2.4 tire, the E*Thirteen A/T LG1en 29 x 2.4 seemed a bit more round than the Maxxis DHRII in the similar spec and casing. Feeling the rubber with my hands seemed very comparable to the Maxxis 3C compound, with the MoPo rubber possibly being softer to feel. I don’t have any facts to back that up, but hey, that's just how the hand test goes. 

The E13 A/T tire is very similar to the Maxxis DHRII tire and is also what I came off to test these, so I will be referencing those two tires often. Also to note, the Maxxis DHRII 2.4 is also one of my favorite tires and the one I feel most comfortable on, so immediately I was hoping the positives of the DHRII would also be found in the E13 A/T tire. 

On the Trail:

Getting to the top of the trail with the E*Thirteen A/T tire didn't present any undue feedback or unexpected issues. I tested the Enduro casing, which is most similar to the DD casing from Maxxis. The rolling resistance felt slightly better than the Maxxis Minion DHRII and from what I could tell, it had enough traction while climbing steep fire roads or singletrack. While it's not as quick as a Maxxis Aggressor or a WTB Trail Boss outback, it also didn’t feel like a boat anchor like some more aggressive tires out there. 

Looking at the side knobs, they are smaller than the Maxxis Minion DHRII while being about the same size of the Maxxis Aggressor and the braking knobs are significantly smaller than a DHRII. The downhill performance of this tire is worlds better than what I was expecting based on how the tire looked and felt, so this really surprised me right off the bat. The cornering traction this tire has is impressive and remains consistent in loose to the loose over hardpack conditions it was tested on. I never had the tire skip out or break loose once I committed to a turn and the benefit of the smaller side knobs I felt was less squirm, leaning into the tire feeling much more consistent in corners that weren’t smooth. Braking traction was another strong point of this tire, not quite on par with the DHRII but close enough. Given that the DHRII is just about the best braking tire on the market I would say coming close is very high praise. 

Another impressive area was the casing. Feeling the sidewall, it doesn’t feel much, if any, thicker than a Maxxis DD, but on the trail I found the tire to feel quite a bit more supportive than a DD Maxxis. I normally have to run Cush Core when I run DD to get the cornering support I prefer. I ran the E*Thirteen with and without Cush Core and found the tire on its own had plenty of support and I did not feel it folding in on itself in high load corners. With Maxxis tires, you get those lines or x marks when the casing rolls around, but not only did I not have that feeling with the E13 A/T tires but no visible rolling lines on the tire either. 

I didn’t have punctures on the tires while I was testing them and the sidewalls were not showing threads or x patterns as the tire wore. I did find the knob wear to be a bit quicker than I would have liked but it’s still better than some. For the amount of traction these tires provided, the tire started to show wear as expected. Of course, it would be great if a tire stayed fresh for longer, but that's like asking for unicorns to be real. 

Final Thoughts:

The E*Thirteen All-Terrain tire is in the third iteration of its life and it's by far the best version to ride. From the updated tread pattern to the strength and weight of the casing, this tire checks all my boxes. Comparing it super closely to the Maxxis Minion DHRII, I would say the E13 A/T held its own going up against one of the best tires out. With a few rubber and casing options for every type of rider, it also rolls fast and doesn't feel like a boat anchor either.  Once you figure out the naming acronyms of the E13 tire line, it's hard to find too many other faults with this tire.