BRR measures rolling resistance (on a textured steel drum), knob height (but not spacing), and static wet grip (on a hard, flat surface). These measurements have their flaws but IMHO are still useful.
Going through the BRR data I see that in general higher knob height is correlated with lower wet grip and greater rolling resistance. Good grip on mud requires tall knobs with ample space between, such tires will probably not have great speed or grip on hard, smooth pavement.
If you can give up mud grip then you'll find a number of gravel, touring, and road tires which have a good combination of static wet grip and rolling resistance. Particular winners depend on the size, weight, and cost.
If you do need some mud grip then the Tufo Gravel tires offer pretty good combinations of the three characteristics at decent weights and prices. If you also need puncture resistance you're probably out of luck.
You're going to want an intermediate tire tread. Basically you trade off the mud shedding capability of the wider spaced lugs and instead have closer spaced ones. They'll roll well on hardpack but still bite pretty well. The downside is they will pack up with mud, but if your mud isn't too sticky or there enough hard sections for it to be spun off in between the technical bits, they're probably the best bet.
For cross this is somethlng like the Grifo. For gravel the Terreno Mix, Terra Speed/Trail, WTB Resolute, G One Overlands, etc
stu wrote:...If you do need some mud grip then the Tufo Gravel tires offer pretty good combinations of the three characteristics at decent weights and prices. If you also need puncture resistance you're probably out of luck.
Thanks for the summary. I'd never heard of Tufo tires before. The Thundero looks interesting.
psi wrote:You're going to want an intermediate tire tread. Basically you trade off the mud shedding capability of the wider spaced lugs and instead have closer spaced ones. They'll roll well on hardpack but still bite pretty well. The downside is they will pack up with mud, but if your mud isn't too sticky or there enough hard sections for it to be spun off in between the technical bits, they're probably the best bet.
For cross this is somethlng like the Grifo. For gravel the Terreno Mix, Terra Speed/Trail, WTB Resolute, G One Overlands, etc
I appreciate your comments and suggested tires to try. Definitely starting to see a pattern here.
I faced a similar predicament but for my commute (decaying leaves on pavement so the slicks had to go). On the recommendation of a member I got myself a pair of Tufos (thundero). Can't say anything definite about performance and grip because I mounted them 3 days ago and they have now just 90 km on them + it's relatively dry nowadays.
What I can say is that they're not too noisy - barely more than slicks - and that subjectively the rolling resistance is fine, not draggy at all. Matter of fact they remind me of the Conti Terra speed that I had, just a bit quieter and hopefully longer lasting. No squirm even when cornering hard.
I mounted them tubeless and it went flawlessly, they pinged in place after a single booster shot and from the first moments held their air well.
Again not relevant to mud, but I put Tufo Thundero 44's on for BWR Utah and am very happy with both their off road grip and comfort as well as quickness on the road. Like @Xenophon, I find them very similar to Conti Terra Speeds. BTW, at the Conti booth at BWR I learned that we will be seeing 45mm and 50mm versions of the Terra Speed early next year.
