Maxxis Minion DHF Wide Trail Tire Review

Maxxis Tires has been a leader in performance bicycle tires for quite some time. The Minion DHF is the most recognizable tire from Maxxis and has been a staple for many riders and bikes all over the world. With the trend of wider rims and larger tires continuing to grow, Maxxis introduced there Wide Trail (WT) casing tires that is optimized to be mounted on rims with a 30-35mm internal width. Here in this review, we are going to be taking a closer look at the Maxxis Minion DHF WT 27.5" x 2.5" tires in the 3C MaxxTerra rubber compound. 

If you can't decide which Maxxis tire is the right choice for you and your bike, be sure to check out our Maxxis Tire Guide!

Tire Specifications

• 27.5" x 2.5" WT EXO 3C Maxx Terra model tested here

• Weight: 945 grams

• The Wide Trail (WT) casing is optimized for 30-35mm inner width rims

• Intended use: loose, loose over hard, medium, and wet conditions

• Lightweight, single-ply casing

• 3C MaxxGrip and 3C MaxxTerra available

• DoubleDown (DD) 120 TPI dual-ply construction available

The Minion DHF was designed for the often loose and muddy conditions of aggressive all-mountain terrain. The DHF incorporates ramped knobs for low rolling resistance and channel-cut knobs to increase gripping edges, giving straight-line control and precise cornering.

What are the Benefits to the Wide Trail Design?

The Wide Trail design optimizes the tire tread layout and profile of the tire on todays wider rims. Traditional tires are designed with narrower rims in mind and when those tires are mounted to rims with an internal width of around 30mm or wider, the tire creates a more square profile. The new Wide Trail casing design focuses on larger lug spacing between the center knobs and cornering knobs that the traditional tires mounted on wider rims lack. Below are some visuals that walk you through the new WT design.

 Riding and Performance

Pros

• Immediately after getting these tires mounted up, the first thing we noticed was that the cornering knobs looked to be more aggressive compared to the traditional DHF. And that made perfect sense. The tread lugs have been repositioned to work better with a wider rim. For reference, the rims used here for this test feature a 30mm internal width. 

• For a lot of people, the Minion DHF is a favorite tire and the 27.5 x 2.5 WT EXO 3C MaxxTerra offering is a really nice tire. Because the cornering knobs on the Wide Trail tire are angled outward more compared to being more vertical, the Wide Trail tire seemed to be more planted in the turns where more rider input was required. In the turns where the terrain is more loose, we think those differences are less noticeable. In hard pack turns where you are really able to drive your feet into the turn, the DHF Wide Trail tire remained more planted and had less of a squirmy feel. 

• The Minion DHF is sold in plenty of different casings, sizes, and rubber compounds. This 2.5" WT EXO 3C offering here is one that could be used on a variety of different trail bikes out there. The name DHF stands for downhill front but the Minion DHF can be used in both the front and the rear no problem. Give it a try!

Cons

• With all this being said, the differences between the traditional 2.5" and 2.5" Wide Trail tires were not huge. There is a noticeable difference in the cornering knob performance between the two tires but they were subtle.

• Maxxis recommends that the Wide Trail tires should be paired with rims that have an internal width of 30-35mm. If we had the choice between the the traditional 2.5" tire and the 2.5" WT tire, we would recommend the Wide Trail design for rims with an internal width of 28mm or larger every time. There isn't any reason not to give it a try!

What's The Bottom Line? 

After riding the Maxxis Minion 27.5" x 2.5" WT tire for some time, we found more cornering performance with the Wide Trail design compared to the traditional 2.5" DHF in the same compound. While the differences are subtle, this just seems to be the evolution of the bike tire and is truly designed to be used with rims using a 30-35mm internal width. For most of us, the wheels we are riding right now have a wider internal width than what we would have been riding 5 years ago. Maxxis has stepped up and designed a tire for the wider rim trend, a trend that actually makes riding bikes more fun! 

The Minion DHF has a dedicated channel between the cornering knobs and the center knobs that allows the tire to bite hard in the turns. That's we love the DHF and keeps us coming back for more!