2.4 tires for enduro

Conti Xynotal?

Been running it rear last summer. Compared to Kryptotal it rolls faster, but a little less grip in loose terrain, but on hardpack etc the Xynotal is better.

Just a heads up about tire sizing, because you seem to be dead set on getting a 2.4" tire. Not all 2.4" tires are the same size, and the best way to get a sense of the actual size of a tire is the ETRTO listing on the sidewall of the tire. For instance, the old 26" Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5" had an ETRTO listing of 58mm, but the new 29" Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5" has a ETRTO listing of 63mm. They're both ostensibly a 2.5" tire, but in reality one is 10% wider. Why? The 2.5" moniker is there for marketing purposes to communicate "what sort of tire it is" (i.e. Enduro, DH, XC, etc) and what sort of buyer it's for. By contrast, the ETRTO listing is the result of a legally-regulated size test by the European Tire and Rim Technical Organization to assure uniformity in measurements and compatibility.

I agree with what Charlie says. The width in inches means absolutely nothing.

The way that tire width is measured / specified by the manufacturer is wildly different in between brands.

Some brands like Maxxis, Schwalbe and Pirelli measure tire width at the maximum allowable pressure rating, which is completely unrealistic. That's why a Maxxis tire that says 2.5" on the sidewall is never actually going to be 2.5" wide when installed on a bike with reasonable pressure of 20-30psi. Then there's others like Specialized, who specify the width of their tires on unusually narrow rims (25mm ID). That creates a taller, but narrower profile. That's why a Specialized Butcher in reality will be wider than 2.3" when mounted on a more standard 30mm ID rim.

The only brand of which I know that they specify their mtb tire data at reasonable settings (30mm ID rim, 2bar =  ~28 psi) is Continental.

But it's honestly nothing you should worry about too much. Realistically, a couple milimeters give or take won't make a difference.

You’re all wrong. 
the right answer is always 

minion dhf. 
always. 

There is no better high performance tire for the front like the michelin dh22. (If you don't care about a few grams.)

Mazza Race for dry conditions (got me a 1st place in enduro race so let's call it race proven :D)

Magic Mary

Kryptotal

Assegai

Mazza

I ran the Kendas for a season and a half. I will say the sidewall support (with Tannus) was pretty good, and grip was also competitive. Rolling resistance was ok.

However, the wear extremely quickly and pinch flat easily. I struggle to recommend them.  

Yeah, and even from the same manufacturer, the difference can be huge – a good example is Vittoria and their Mazza and Mazza Race where the Race version is 5mm wider while both are the same size. 

Downhill casing with the softest compound is my choice. Marketing with Maxxis is nuts but I’m tired of the wobbly/warped casings. Continental Kryptotal has been good so far. 

I've had good luck with an Assegai up front, and a Vigilante out back. Wouldn't mind running a Maxxis rear tire, but they've all been pretty slow rolling for anything but shuttle runs IME. Is the Maxterra compound noticeably faster rolling?

Agree, lots of people have switched to the new Conti's because of the maxxis warp. I've been surprised that even on my Rootdown in high dust conditions, they hold a line like its on rails where everything else drifts. The kryptotals have become my go to instead of the Assegai/DHR2 combo I used for a while with far less issues. 

Maxxis Assegai is one of the most well mannered and forgiving front tyres I've ever tried, including in the conditions you describe, but it's 2.5. Magic Mary equals it when the ground is damp/soft, gets a bit nervous on loose over hard. All of my mates swear by the Michelin Wild Enduro Front in Magi-X. Currently I have a Conti Xynotal as a rear in Enduro Soft and I'm impressed both by the construction quality and the rubber compound. It's softer and grippier than Maxxterra and Addix Soft but wears slower. My mate's Kryptotal R in the same casing and rubber has 700km and looks like it has 300. With this in mind I'd certainly try the Kryptotal F as a front. Assegai clone in terms of knob arrangement, great rubber and construction.  

Magic Mary takes some time to get used to if you are coming from something precise like butcher or minion. But when it's soft and the are roots, it's so good. Very forgiving (trade-off for pecision), the soft side knobs work well in off-camber sections and on roots. I'm currently using super soft front and soft rear, both super gravity. Also great rear tire, it initiates the drift very predictably. Will try Tacky Chan/Big Betty next, I hope to get more precision in the front and also more rolling speed. The casing lasts forever, tread wear is good, way better than Maxxis.

Magic Mary is better on loose / soft trails, Tacky Chan is better on harder / loose over hard.

I run the TC as a front in the spring/summer and a MM in the fall/winter. 

The TC rolls a touch faster and the side knobs are more supportive. Sounds like TC front and rear would work well for you.

I'm not really concerned with grip, but rather what a tire does when it starts drifting. I'd say MM is somewhere between minion and highroller 2 in terms of slidiness/precision. I would put Big Betty at the more precise/left drifty side than MM, that's why I didn't really like MM&BB combination. MM&Hand Dampf was good, but HD just lacks overall grip, I could do nice back wheel slides however.

Is TC not too grippy on the rear?

no. dhr. just better in every regard, ridden my GM on some of the races he won.

I've been using ethirteen's A/T LG1 EN Mopo for a few years and they worked. Their newer Grappler with Mopo is really nice and I prefer that for the front. Although it looks like the Mopo layer on the A/T tires side knobs are mostly pining for the fjords these days.

Edit: The Grappler is "2.5" but measuring it with a caliper its narrower than the 2.4 A/T Race and about the same width as the 2.4 A/T Mopo.

Delium Versatile & Rugged... because they just work, at a lower price point. 

I've found it's hard to go wrong with an EXO+ or DD DHRII, but as of late, I've been able to get my hands on a few takeoff 2.5 in Bontrager XR4, SE4, and SE5's for 30-50 CAD through FB and PB buysell. I was willing to risk potentially lower performance to avoid paying120+ cad for warped Maxxass stuff. I ran the XR4 up front for trail and light enduro and found the grip was decent in the 19-22psi range but anything above or below had a noticeable performance dropoff. Had one major hole right through the tread which I plugged, no other issues. I did notice it feels closer to a DHRII than DHF as there is a predictable break point. They also have a surprisingly nice wear rate, after 100-150 km they have nearly no wear. I plan on running the SE4 (heavier casing XR4) up front on a 170/170 rig this season to see if there is a noticeable difference. I'll switch it to the rear and throw the SE5 up front to test against a 2.5 in Assguy. They look pretty similar, the SE5 being maybe a bit more rounded compared to the Assmans squared-off sides. 

Mazza is really good

Magic Mary all seasons all trails for me

I had no issue with a TC having too much grip in the rear, but usually run a faster rolling rear on a trail bike setup. I'll tolerate a drifty rear on the trail bike. 

I prefer the way the TC behaves as it looses traction in a corner. The Magic Mary tends to snap as the side knobs fold and want to tuck the front. The Tacky Chan slides to the outside more gradually and I find it a lot easier to recover. 

A MM with the TC side knobs would be just about perfect year round tire for me. For now MM in winter TC in summer. 

i ride the tacky chan super gravity and i love it. i had the dhf, assegei etc. in the front...but this tyre is in my point of view the best allrounder in the last 8 years!

Lots of good tires for your purpose. I've been using the Specialized Cannibal for a couple years now and it's awesome in the dry and works pretty well when it's wet too. Best cornering tire I've used.

New tire launch from Michelin soon, anyone know what's coming?

They listed some details on the other site in the Core show recaps.  New wild enduro front and rear options.  Hard surface option is a 2.5, new casing design but no real details.  Assuming it's similar to the new E-wild, that they quietly released details on a few weeks ago.  The soft/loose version is a 2.4.  Looks like a scaled down DH22 or Magic Mary.  New rear option, closer to a semi-slick for hardpack days.  Optional gray patch on the side instead of obnoxious yellow.

Anyone ridden the Dissector recently? I ran one for summer 2022, and I had the same experience as most everyone- side lugs ripped off way to quickly. Half of them were gone or almost gone after only 100 miles. 

I was thinking (hoping) that it was a first-run production issue since other Maxxis tires with similar side lugs don't have that issue. Can anyone update with ones purchased more recently? On paper, it looks like a fast-rolling enduro tire with good cornering grip (which it was for me) but wears out unreasonably quickly. 

I've been riding with a pair of 2.6 Dissectors on my hardtail for around 250km, and so far, they still look brand new. However, I must mention that they're not the 3C version. While they offer decent grip on dry or loose terrain, they completely suck on anything else.

I had a 3C MaxxGrip on the back two years ago, but it only lasted about a month.

Kryptotal rear with cushcore and switch between an argotal and a magic Mary in front depending on wetness