I’m about as into cars as your average Green Party member, but even I’ve heard all about Goodyear tyres. The brand is huge in things four-wheeled and engined, but yet to make a bigger impact in cycling, and particularly my MTB world. I know it has a solid reputation on the auto side of things though, so it’s likely not such a bad idea to launch a new mountain bike tyre with the same name as its trusted 4×4 off-road tyre, the Wrangler. And in much the same way the truck version is a summer option rather than a winter tyre, the bike version is also aimed at dry and intermediate conditions.

The MTB Wrangler obviously doesn’t have quite as much rubber as you need to blast through river beds and deserts, but it’s still pretty chunky. It’s designed to partner the already launched Goodyear Newton MTF enduro tyre as a tighter-treaded option that leans more towards parched and dusty than soaked and sloppy. I put the tyres on a bike at the end of the summer when we had an amazing dry spell, but ended up leaving them on all through the winter. I’ve found the rubber and grip to actually be pretty decent even in foul weather, a trait it shares with some of the best mountain bike tyres like the Maxxis Assegai.

Goodyear’s Wrangler gets some seriously big tread blocks, presumably inspired by the 4×4 tyres it’s named for

Goodyear Wrangler need to know

• New rubber-compound tyres, with a lighter build and casing than the previous Goodyear Newtons
• 29in options in 2.4in or 2.6in widths, 27.5 comes 2.6in only, from £66.95
• Wrangler comes with end-specific tread patterns, MTF on the front and MTR on the rear
• MTF is more open pattern for grip in loose terrain, the rear tighter for rolling speed
• MTF gets softer, slower-rebounding Grip 3S compound, MTR a slow-rebound, firmer Grip3 rubber
• Two casing options, ElectricDrive and Enduro, former gets a butyl liner for extra protection

Before we go on, it’s worth saying that Goodyear bike tyres aren’t made by the exact same set up that manufactures the auto stuff. Instead they’re the product of a licencing agreement, as I understand it, with bike tyres made in a partnership with a Taiwanese factory. I’ll also point out that, to date, I’ve not really been a huge fan of what Goodyear is offering in the MTB world. It’s not terrible, but my feeling has been, ‘why would you go there?’ with so many other options like Maxxis, Schwalbe, Pirelli for roughly the same cash, or Specialized tyres like the Hillbilly for much less dosh. At least this new Wrangler  is less expensive than new rival tyres.

Design and specification

Wrangler comes in two different end-specific tread patterns, MTF for the front and MTR rear, and also in two widths and sizes. Most Wranglers are 29in, in either 2.4in or 2.6in widths, and there is also a 27.5 x 2.6in version available in the rear-specific tread that presumably targets the back end of e-bikes.

Goodyear offers two casing options called ElectricDrive and Enduro, with the former a little bit thicker and tougher and roughly 100g heavier than Enduro casings in each equivalent size.

The Wrangler MTF on the left gets more space between the blocks to dig into dirt, the MTR (right) packs the lugs closer for protection and speed

As you’d expect, the front MTF tread pattern is slightly more open and spaced out than the rear MTR tread. Both tyres have bigger tread blocks than many equivalent tyres too with reasonably long rectangular paddles more like a Minion DHF than smaller, squarer blocks. The MTF has a 3-2-2-3 tread block pattern running down the middle: whereas the MTR has a 3-2-3 formation that lead to the tighter rear tyre tread spacing, presumably for faster rolling speed and to lay down more protective rubber on the ground.

Wrangler’s shoulder blocks jut out less sideways than some gravity rivals and (as far as I can tell) both tread patterns share the same edge knobs with a central cutaway sipe pattern that looks like a little offset sucker. Goodyear also uses a textured sidewall between the shoulder tread and the bead with GOODYEAR and WRANGLER written in pretty big white letters on it in case anyone was wondering what tyres you were running.

No one’s going to miss you’re rolling on Wranglers… I guess you could take a Sharpie to the lettering and black it out

Both casing options use dual layer 120TPI carcasses, which means they are along similar lines to a Maxxis Double Down, with the heavier ElectricDrive option having further protection by way of a butyl liner reinforcing the sidewalls and extra puncture protection. This means this thicker version offers additional support and protection for heavy, high-torque, long travel e-bikes.

In terms of rubber blend, the MTF tyres have a softer, slower-rebounding Grip 3S compound, whereas the MTR models have a slow-rebound (but slightly firmer) Grip3 rubber. I’m not exactly sure what Goodyear has done to tweak and reformulate its rubber blend, but I found the MTF rubber here far grippier and assured on wet slimy surfaces and rocks than when I tested the Newton MTF a couple of years ago. The Wrangler is also more squared off with a flatter top than the Newton MTF mentioned and a chunk lighter too. I weighed the Newton Enduro version at 1,380g in 2022 and the Wrangler Enduro version here at 1,160g, which represents quite a chunk less rotational mass to lug around.

Goodyear’s done a good thing with the Wrangler, building a reliable and grippy tyre set that undercuts the competition on weight and price

Performance

A tyre needs to be as good or better than the competition to really make it in the gravity rubber section, with some effective marketing and top pro rider endorsement bolted on. Think Continental’s latest range. Failing that, it can be just as good as the competion, but a fair chunk cheaper – think Specialized. Am I the only one who wonders why so many other tyre brands don’t realise this is a basic formula for success? Yet time and again they produce a similar performing tyre, perhaps even less, to the big guns of Maxxis or Schwalbe, for the same cash, and expect people to just give it a go.

For mechanical grip and friction I massively prefer the Wrangler over any other Goodyear

So, where exactly does Goodyear fit into this hierarchy? Well, first off, fair play that its thick casing/sticky rubber Wrangler tyre is around twenty quid less than leading brands’ tyres. That’s a good start. It also doesn’t hurt that in months of testing, I didn’t have a single puncture or issue with losing air or tread blocks on a tyre that’s a bit lighter than rivals, which also bodes well for reliability and value for money. I also only tried the 2.4in version, as we all know by now that tyres wider than 2.5in are horrible in the UK as they don’t cut into softer ground well enough. They have a nasty habit of surfing or aquaplaning on the surface, and try to kill you.

In terms of mechanical grip and friction in the rubber and tread, I massively prefer the Wrangler over any Goodyear I’ve tested before. Compared to the Newton tyres especially, there’s a much more planted and predictable feel, and where I found those tyres to be pingy and hectic in the wet, the Wranglers are much more neutral, planted and predictable.

The latest tyre from Maxxis is the High Roller 3, which edges out the Wrangler on grip

I don’t think the grip here (even in the softest Grip3 S rubber) is quite at the level of something like the new High Roller 3 I’ve just tested in MaxxGrip compound or the Pirelli Scorpion Enduro M Race tyres I rode in the Alps. They’re all exceptionally Leech-like, and it’s definitely very close. In fact, the Wranglers far exceeded my expectations for them after previous experiences with Goodyear tyres.

It’s testament to how decent they are I ended up keeping them on an e-bike for months and months outside of the conditions they were supposedly designed for. Even in wet weather and on muddy trails, they weren’t bugging me and niggling me to the point I ever wanted to swap them out. And, if not bothering to take them off that sounds faint praise, it really isn’t when I have dozens of tyres to choose from and often remove test models after a few rides to get rid of them fast.

Wrangler grip character is continuous rather than on/off like tyres with a more distinct grip channel. The ground connection is very calm and dependable 99% of the time, but the few moments where I had any issues come as you are really leaning the bike aggressively and shoulder blocks can push out and let go if you really load too hard on the edges on slimey surfaces. To be fair, this is no more than you’d expect from any slightly less aggressive tread that targets dry conditions though.

Designed as a summer tyre, the Wrangler MTF actually holds its own in the wet and cold really well

A couple of rides that stood out where the Goodyears really exceeded expectations occurred in wet, muddy and cold Wales before Christmas, and included some very steep and technical tracks in Betws-Y-Coed. Despite deep sloppy mud and wet roots everywhere, the Wranglers really held their own, especially for a less spikey tread that rolls easier than many gravity rivals. The rubber even worked well in low temperatures and mud and remained impressively calm and composed on repeated rocks and roots webs.

One of the other things I really like about the Wranglers is that, on a pedal bike especially, they don’t feel like a total dog to drag around. That might well be a consequence of the tighter tread pattern and general shape being more squared off. The tyres aren’t ridiculously light – the enduro version was the lightest at 1,160g in 29in – but they definitely don’t have that crazy gyroscopic effect of full-on downhill tyres that makes them harder to deflect, but also harder to turn and tilt from side to side. This aspect means the bike pulls you down the steeps a bit less on an already heavy e-bike, and there’s less sense of any runaway truck effect. Wrangler braking and climbing traction is also surprisingly good, considering the tread rolls faster than many. The tighter spacing also offers extra protection on rough and rocky pointy ground by having less pronounced gaps between the thicker rubber blocks that shield the casing from damage.

In the dry the Wrangler trucks along, making it an ideal choice on regualar bikes as well as eebs