Redefining What It Means To Have A Stout Tire
Story By: Kyle Callen
Photos By: Brandon Bunch
Tires. They are black, round, made of different rubber compounds, and are the vehicles only connection to the ground and are pretty much all the same… or are they? It seems like there are more tire options than ever before. With everyone and their mom having an opinion on which one is the best, who do you trust? With literally hundreds of sets of tires under our belts in all different terrain, one would think we have a pretty good idea on which ones work great and which round black things are junk. There are a lot of terrain specific tires on the market as well as tires that will do well in it all.
The all-new EFX MotoRAVAGE is one of those tires that will excel in almost all conditions and terrain. The open tread design with large and meaty tread blocks allow it to dig into any dirt or conform to any rock. The soft compound means that those meaty treadblocks will grip any surface. The large sideway lugs help protect the 8-ply sidewalls from punctures. From the build specs alone, this is one solid tire.
While riding in mountainous terrain, both naturally aspirated and turbo UTVs took a liking to the MotoRAVAGE. From fireroad to two-track, the tires bit hard and put the drivers commands to the ground very consistently. Hard acceleration to hard stopping, the MotoRavage never wavered. As the trail weaved and bobbed through the trees, the MotoRavage was much more at home and comfortable in the rutted two-track corners or digging its own lines. On the open flat smooth trails, the car had a fair amount of understeer, which was alarming and unexpected at first but was very consistent, allowing the driver to adjust accordingly and continue to drive the car hard.
With plenty of miles under the tires, I was comfortable with the performance of the MotoRAVAGE and knew I could tell it to do things I wouldn’t trust a stock Carnivore or Big Horn to do with the same consistency or performance. The 8-ply sidewall is a bit light for my liking, especially in the wooded and rocky area that we were riding in. As I smashed through the thickly wooded area creating my own path to find the actual trail, the day-ending stick and branches were flying all around us. I left my foot in the throttle as this was a tire test and I wasn’t going to hold back on the durability section. To my surprise, the large sidewall lugs shed the large sticks and rocks helping to protect the sidewall. Every tire can be punctured but if I can’t easily do it, the MotoRAVAGE must have a stout carcass. I wasn’t quite sure what else I could throw at this tire without intentionally breaking it. With three cars loaded on the trailers under their power, lots of hard miles logged, and no flats at the end of a test, it’s a good thing. The MotoRAVAGE is one stout all-around tire. Get your own set at your local Wheel Pros Powersports dealer or get more information at efxtires.com.
