Jeff’s Favorite Dirt Bike Tire Combo: Bridgestone X31 Front and Plews Tough One Spec B Rear

Jeff’s Favorite Dirt Bike Tire Combo: Bridgestone X31 Front and Plews Tough One Spec B Rear

Jeff’s current favorite combo is a Bridgestone Battlecross X31 on the front at 11 to 12 PSI and a Plews EN1 the Tough One SPEC-B 140/80-18 on the rear. The rear runs a Nuetech ProLock 360 with a 5150 Half Mousse inside at 3 PSI. He tested the rear all summer on the Colorado Front Range, and in his words, “It’s magic.”

• Front tire: Bridgestone Battlecross X31 at 11 to 12 PSI of air.
• Rear tire: Plews EN1 the Tough One SPEC-B, 140/80-18.
• Rear setup: Nuetech ProLock 360 plus a 5150 Half Mousse at 3 PSI for trail riding, or around 6 PSI for GNCC style racing.
• Rear tire life: 15mm of tread new, about 11mm at 300 miles, and over 500 miles per tire for Jeff.
• Not for: deep sand. Use a sand tire with tall knobs and wide spacing.

Where Jeff Tested This Combo

Jeff rides the Colorado Front Range. The trails are mostly decomposed granite, which is granite that has broken down into little pieces, more like pea gravel. Jeff says it is very slick when it is dry and pretty good when it is wet. He also rides wet, slick rocks and roots, a little sand and hardly any mud. Even when it rains, he says the conditions stay pretty good.

He likes to test rear tires for at least a couple of months and burn through a couple of them to see how they hold up and how they perform. He ran this rear for the whole summer.

Rear Tire Results: Plews EN1 the Tough One SPEC-B

Jeff measured a new tire at 15mm of tread height. The one with about 300 miles on it measured about 11mm. He has been getting over 500 miles out of these tires, and he says he has not been running them clear down to the carcass.

He says it has worked well in dry slick, wet slick, rocks and roots and gnarly hill climbs. “I’ve really not ran into a situation where it doesn’t work well.”

The Plews EN1 the Tough One comes in two versions on our product page: The Tough One and The Tough One SPEC-B. Jeff runs the SPEC-B.

Why Low Pressure Matters

Jeff runs low pressure, and he says that makes tires last longer. “When you’re running high pressures, and by high pressures, guys, I mean 8, 10, 12 pounds, you’ll wear out the tires a lot faster.” He says the center section wears out way faster.

He has been on rides where another rider had the exact same new tire with a pretty new mousse that gave a stiff feel, and Jeff had 4 pounds in his. At the end of the day, the other tire was shredded and Jeff’s still looked great.

His advice: “Let them down. Let them work. Let the tire wrap around the rocks and the roots and dig in and get some great traction.” To run pressure that low, you need something other than tubes.

The Rear Setup: ProLock 360 and 5150 Half Mousse

On the rear, Jeff runs the Nuetech ProLock 360 with a Nuetech 5150 half mousse inside the tire. He runs it at 3 PSI and says you can go lower or higher if you want.

Trail Riding vs Racing Pressure

For Colorado trail riding at lower speeds, Jeff says 3 PSI works exceptionally well. If he was taking this setup to a GNCC, he would probably run around 6 PSI for more stability in the third, fourth and fifth gear sections.

Protection

Jeff says the 5150 really stabilizes the sidewall and gives a lot of rim protection and flat protection. He says it would be fairly hard to cut a tire with this combination because of the cushion the half mousse provides.

You can still get a flat from a nail or a big thorn. Jeff says it would not really even slow you down, because with the mousse and the ProLock 360 you still have a lot of stability and the tire is still very ridable.

Availability

Check the ProLock 360 product page for current availability and rim fitment. For more on the system, read Confused About the ProLock 360? We’ve Got Answers and Tire Install with Nuetech ProLock 360 and Nuetech 5150 Half Mousse.

Jeff’s Honest Take on Mousse

Jeff says: “To be honest with you, I don’t like any mousse product. I just never have. It serves one purpose. No flats.”

He says the problem with mousse is that if you don’t get the combination just right, you will really lack traction and tire life. If you are going to run mousse, his advice is to use soft ones in the back, not the front, and pick ones that replicate a 3 or 4 pound air pressure feel.

Watch the Arrow When You Mount It

The rear is a directional tire. Jeff admits he has put tires on backwards more than once, so look for the arrow and mount it in the right direction.

Front Tire: Bridgestone Battlecross X31 at 11 to 12 PSI

Up front on his 300, Jeff runs the Bridgestone Battlecross X31 at 11 to 12 PSI. He says everyone at the shop, his riding buddies and a lot of customers love this tire, and he has used it for several years.

Why Not Low Pressure Up Front

Jeff does not recommend low pressure or plushy mousse in the front. He says a softer front tends to roll, and if you are really stuffing it into corners hard, “the tire will roll and might end up on your head.” He wants a precise feel up front.

How Jeff Tests Front Tires

Jeff says testing a front tire takes a minimum of six months. You have to know how the side knobs hold up in rocks and roots, and how it works in rain, on slick roots and rocks and on slick logs. He says rear tires are much easier to test.

For more of Jeff’s thoughts on this tire, read Product Review: Bridgestone Battlecross X31, Jeff’s New Favorite Front Tire.

X31 vs Bridgestone M59

Jeff says the X31 and the Bridgestone M59 are both excellent choices for decomposed granite. The problem for him with the M59 is that he can wear one out in 150 miles, and they tend to chunk knobs after about 150. “This X31 is better than a 59 in all aspects.”

Riding Dry Decomposed Granite

Riders come into the store asking for a tire that works really well in decomposed granite. Jeff says there is no such thing. When it is wet, a lot of tires work. When it is dry, nothing works. You have to learn to steer with the back end and square up turns. You can’t just steer the front end around a dry, slick turn and expect the tire to stick. With that said, he says the X31 is one of the best tires he has used in those conditions.

Who This Combo Is Not For

Jeff says this would not be his choice for Florida or any other place with deep sand. “It’s not a sand tire.” For deep sand, you need a sand tire with tall knobs and wide spacing. For everything else he rides, he calls it a phenomenal setup.

FAQ

What tire pressure does Jeff run in the front X31?

11 to 12 PSI of air. He does not recommend low pressure or plushy mousse up front because the tire can roll in hard corners.

What pressure does Jeff run in the rear?

3 PSI with the ProLock 360 and 5150 half mousse for trail riding. For GNCC style racing he would run around 6 PSI.

How long does the Plews Tough One SPEC-B last?

Jeff measured 15mm of tread new and about 11mm at 300 miles. He has been getting over 500 miles per tire running low pressure.

What counts as high tire pressure off road?

Jeff counts 8, 10 and 12 pounds as high pressure, and says it wears tires out way faster, especially the center section.

Can you still ride the rear setup with a flat?

Jeff says a nail or thorn flat would not really even slow you down, because the mousse and the ProLock 360 still give a lot of stability.

Is the X31 better than the M59?

For Jeff, yes. He can wear out an M59 in 150 miles and they tend to chunk knobs after about 150. He says the X31 is better in all aspects.

Does this combo work in sand?

No. Jeff says the rear is not a sand tire. For deep sand, use a sand tire with tall knobs and wide spacing.

Contact Slavens Racing product and technical support at info@slavensracing.com or call 719-475-2624.

Shop Jeff’s Tire Setup

Here are the tires and mousse setup Jeff runs, plus the M59 he compares it to.