GOODYEAR WRANGLER ELECTRICDRIVE EMTB TIRE REVIEW

GOOD (MOST OF THE) YEAR

Words by Robert Johnston  |  Photos by Finlay Anderson

Goodyear launched their Wrangler mountain bike and eBike tire line earlier this year, adding to the Newton in their gravity-based tire catalog. With front and rear-specific tread patterns targeted at dry to intermediate conditions, and specific Enduro or ElectricDrive versions, we were interested to see what the Wrangler would offer out on the trails. Much to our delight, they’ve been rather enjoyable.

ABOUT THE GOODYEAR WRANGLER ELECTRICDRIVE TIRES

Goodyear split their Wrangler mountain bike tires into front and rear-specific designs, named the Wrangler MTF and Wrangler MTR. These have different tread patterns to offer the optimum performance for each end of the bike, both taking inspiration from motocross race tires. In addition to front and rear-specific tread patterns, there are Enduro or ElectricDrive casing options, with the Enduro featuring a lighter and more pedal-friendly casing and the ElectricDrive (tested) featuring additional reinforcement to handle the increased demands of eMTB.

WRANGLER MTF ELECTRICDRIVE | The Goodyear Wrangler MTF is a front-specific tire, with fairly tightly spaced blocks designed to offer traction and predictability for dry to intermediate conditions. The MTF tread pattern prioritizes steering control and traction. The aggressive knobs are heavily siped, providing extra edges to hook onto the terrain, as well as controlling the amount of flex under load. The Wrangler MTF uses the Grip3S rubber compound, with a 40A on the outside of the shoulder knobs, 42A on the center tread, and 60A as a base to offer support.

The ElectricDrive casing on the Wrangler MTF features a dual-layer 60 TPI carcass, with overlaps under the tread to create a three-ply casing in the middle. There’s an additional bead-to-bead 120 TPI layer that’s designed to add protection. At the bead, there’s a chafer to prevent pinch flats.

The Goodyear Wrangler MTF is available in 29” only, with 2.4” and 2.6” widths in either Enduro or ElectricDrive casings for $85 / £69.

WRANGLER MTR ELECTRICDRIVE | While the Wrangler MTF prioritizes steering control, the Wrangler MTR is targeted at delivering power to the ground and offering good rolling efficiency and wear life. The MX-inspired tight tread blocks are taller to extend lifespan. Sipes are added in key areas to boost traction while maintaining rolling efficiency. A slightly harder Grip3 compound is used, still featuring 40A on the shoulders, but with a 50A rubber in the center and 60A in the base.

The Wrangler MTR ElectricDrive casing is beefed up with an additional butyl apex insert above the bead. This is done in a bid to offer more sidewall support for the higher forces often encountered at the rear wheel, as well as protecting against pinch flats and sidewall slashes. The remainder of the construction is the same as the MTF ElectricDrive, with 3 60 TPI layers under the tread; 2 60TPI layers in the sidewalls, and a 120 TPI protective layer covering bead-to-bead.

The Goodyear Wrangler MTR is available in 29” x 2.4” or 27.5” x 2.6” in a choice of either Enduro or ElectricDrive casings for $85 / £69.

THE DIRT

I fitted the combination of Goodyear Wrangler MTF 29 x 2.6” front and MTR 29 x 2.4” on the rear to a Cube Stereo Hybrid One55 eMTB I had on test. Getting these tires mounted onto 30mm inner width rims was no issue with a compressor, though they had a tendency to collapse into the rim well when I was trying to inflate them with a track pump. Once mounted they span straight and true as you’d hope from a new premium mountain bike tire. On the scales, they were both a hair under the claimed weights, at 1246g for the MTF ElectricDrive 29×2.6” and 1398g for the 29×2.4” MTR ElectricDrive.

On the first ride I was unfortunate. I got all of three corners into the first descent before a piece of sharp rock found its way through the tire carcass, leaving a two fat Dynaplug-worthy hole in the center tread. With the next time I was going to ride the bike being a blind eMTB race, I didn’t want to risk those Dynaplugs popping out and giving me a headache, so I replaced it with a fresh Wrangler MTR ElectricDrive.

Race day came, and with no practice and therefore no time to acquaint myself with the new rubber, it was going to be a proper baptism of fire. It was the Ard Rock 2024 eMTB enduro event, and thanks to some fortuitous weather, conditions couldn’t have been much better. The majority of the tracks were dry grass or hardpack dirt, with some rocks and dry roots thrown in and some blown out dusty sections.

Inflated to a conservative 26psi front and 29psi rear, I simply got on and rode the Goodyear Wrangler eBike tires unhindered. There was no adjustment period, and very few times throughout the day where I was thinking about the tires. That’s some very high praise in my books – I’m usually thinking when I ride, but everything faded into the background and just clicked. Reassuringly stable and supportive with good braking traction; reasonable feeling rolling speed and predictable traction, I was immediately a fan.

Sadly, these prime conditions didn’t last long, and so the Wranglers found themselves in conditions that didn’t quite match their brief. My home trails of the Tweed Valley in Scotland have quite unique soil properties – they’ll get wet and muddy, but it’s not usually the kind of mud that clogs your tires. Traction from the dirt doesn’t really drop for the majority of trails, especially the well-ridden ones. What does suffer is traction on the roots, of which there are plenty. And they’re typically slick and prominent bastards.

Much to my surprise, for a tire being marketed as a dry to intermediate conditions specialist, it’s been working pretty damn good in the wet Tweed Valley conditions, too. I bracketed some tire pressures to determine the minimum pressure I could get away with, settling for 24psi front and 26psi rear before they’d lose their support for my 100kg mass in the biggest compressions and most aggressive corners. At these pressures they were comfortable and compliant, without becoming vague. Traction on roots and rock was impressive, with a generally solid and stuckfast feeling – the Wrangler’s often plowed through and stuck to an obstacle rather than pinging off.

Upon hitting some stickier, gloopier mud, I unsurprisingly found the limits of the Goodyear Wranglers capabilities, especially in the rear. With so much rubber and so little space in between, the Wrangler struggled to clear and offer the bite into stickier, muddier terrain. On the rare loamers I rode this wasn’t so much of an issue, with plenty of edges available to grab onto the soil.

Aside from what we can assume to be a freak incident, the Goodyear Wrangler MTF and MTR ElectricDrive have held up amicably. There were a few sharp rock gardens along the way in that Ard Rock race where I really threw caution to the wind, with no time to avoid square edges that might kill a tire. The heels were dipped and there were plenty of “pings”, but I emerged holding air and with no major scarring to note, proving that the Wranglers aren’t a vulnerable option. They’re showing less evidence of wear than I’d expect following the abusive testing they’ve endured, which I’d assume to be a combination of smart rubber compounds and the sheer amount of rubber in contact with the ground at any given time.

The Wolf’s Last Word

If first impressions were all that counted then I’d have been rather disappointed in the Goodyear Wrangler ElectricDrive tires, but thankfully I persevered and ended up finding one of my favorite aggressive dry to intermediate eBike tires so far. Solid, predictable and ranking high in ultimate traction on all but the muddy days, Goodyear’s Wrangler MTF and MTR ElectricDrive combo is absolutely worth considering.

Price: $85 / £69
Website: Goodyearbike.com

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