Rubber compounds compared

The compound drives grip and rolling resistance – often more than the tread does. You'll find every compound we have measured lab data for, from the same test.

Grip classes: the common denominator

Brand names are not comparable. We sort every compound into five brand-neutral classes, from Speed (hard, fast) to Max Grip (very soft, maximum grip).

Speed

1 compounds

hardest compound, fastest rolling, least grip

Avg. rolling resistance: 18.7 W
Avg. puncture protection: –

Schwalbe Addix Speed

Grip class: Speed →

Speed-Grip

10 compounds

slightly harder, touring and fast trails

Avg. rolling resistance: 26.3 W
Avg. puncture protection: 66.8 %

+7.6 W versus the next harder class

Continental BlackChili Continental Endurance Hutchinson Mono-Compound Kenda RSR Maxxis 3C MaxxSpeed Maxxis Dual Compound Pirelli SmartGRIP Race Schwalbe Addix SpeedGrip Specialized Gripton T5 WTB TriTec Fast Rolling

Grip class: Speed-Grip →

Balanced

10 compounds

trail all-rounder

Avg. rolling resistance: 36.6 W
Avg. puncture protection: 37.5 %

+10.3 W versus the next harder class

Continental Trail Kenda ATC Kenda Dual Layer Kenda Triple Compound Maxxis 3C MaxxTerra Michelin Gum-X Pirelli SmartGRIP Specialized Gripton T7 Vee Tire Top 40 Vittoria 4C Graphene

Grip class: Balanced →

Grip

6 compounds

soft, enduro

Avg. rolling resistance: 36.5 W
Avg. puncture protection: 40.5 %

+-0.1 W versus the next harder class

Continental Soft Kenda Race Stick-E Michelin Magi-X Pirelli SmartGRIP Gravity Schwalbe Addix Soft WTB TriTec High Grip

Grip class: Grip →

Max Grip

6 compounds

softest compound, downhill and wet

Avg. rolling resistance: 50.3 W
Avg. puncture protection: 49 %

+13.8 W versus the next harder class

Continental SuperSoft Maxxis 3C MaxxGrip Michelin Magi-X2 Pirelli SmartEVO DH Schwalbe Addix Ultra Soft Specialized Gripton T9

Grip class: Max Grip →

Cross-brand hardness ladder

Our classification, not a measurement: which compounds from different brands sit on a similar hardness step, from hard and fast to very soft and grippy.

Rolling resistance vs. puncture protection

Each dot is a measured variant. Left = rolls easier, up = better protected against punctures.

Tap a dot to see the tire and compound.

Compound


3C MaxxGrip	Maxxis	Max Grip	very soft	52.7 W	50.2 %	1301.4 g	9
3C MaxxSpeed	Maxxis	Speed-Grip	fairly hard	28.1 W	–	763.7 g	3
3C MaxxTerra	Maxxis	Balanced	medium	32.7 W	43.6 %	1225.6 g	5
Addix Soft	Schwalbe	Grip	soft	31.8 W	59.2 %	1273.5 g	5
Addix Speed	Schwalbe	Speed	hard & fast	18.7 W	–	681.9 g	7
Addix SpeedGrip	Schwalbe	Speed-Grip	fairly hard	21.6 W	–	757.7 g	3
Addix Ultra Soft	Schwalbe	Max Grip	very soft	48.9 W	57.6 %	1302.9 g	8
Dual Compound	Maxxis	Speed-Grip	fairly hard	35.6 W	72.3 %	1373 g	1
Dual Layer	Kenda	Balanced	medium	40.7 W	35 %	1230 g	2
Gripton T5	Specialized	Speed-Grip	fairly hard	26 W	–	611.3 g	3
Gripton T7	Specialized	Balanced	medium	33.9 W	76.1 %	1186 g	2
Gripton T9	Specialized	Max Grip	very soft	50.6 W	44.1 %	1160.5 g	6
Gum-X	Michelin	Balanced	medium	29.2 W	25.7 %	1116 g	2
Magi-X	Michelin	Grip	soft	44.8 W	47.5 %	1219.5 g	2
Magi-X2	Michelin	Max Grip	very soft	44.6 W	19.9 %	1047 g	1
SmartEVO DH	Pirelli	Max Grip	very soft	49 W	43.9 %	1427.2 g	5
SmartGRIP	Pirelli	Balanced	medium	27.4 W	20 %	1061 g	1
SmartGRIP Gravity	Pirelli	Grip	soft	33.9 W	26.4 %	1126.3 g	3
Soft	Continental	Grip	soft	38.5 W	28.5 %	1205.4 g	7
Top 40	Vee Tire	Balanced	medium	53.9 W	27.8 %	1242.3 g	4
Trail	Continental	Balanced	medium	25 W	–	745 g	2
Triple Compound	Kenda	Balanced	medium	30.8 W	53 %	1036 g	1
TriTec Fast Rolling	WTB	Speed-Grip	fairly hard	–	61.2 %	1538 g	1
TriTec High Grip	WTB	Grip	soft	–	47.4 %	1458 g	2

Hardness steps are our classification based on manufacturer information. All numbers come from lab tests; sources are linked on the tire pages. All information without warranty.