MAXXIS RAZR MT

FRESH from a surprise win in our allterrain tyre test last year, Taiwanese manufacturer Maxxis is arguably better known for its mountain bike tyres than larger ones fitted to cars.

Clearly the brand knows what it’s doing, and the Razr MT is the tyre on offer at this end of the market.

From the outset Stokell knew he was driving on tyres that were working better at ground level. The Razr MTS were nowhere near the tyres originally fitted to the Everest for outright grip and poise – road-focused tyres clearly work better on bitumen – but they outclassed their rivals in most disciplines.

It started with wet braking, where the Maxxis stopped at least 1.3m shorter than all rivals. Wet cornering was equally impressive, the Maxxis adding an extra degree of confidence to allow Stokell to push on that fraction harder, in turn scrabbling through the corner better.

If there was one criticism it was in the way it let go approaching the limit. “It certainly let go faster in the wet,” he said.

Even in dry cornering the Razrs were at – or very close to – the pointy end in each of our corners. Total the trio and it was a slim victory around dry corners. Only in dry braking did the Maxxis rubber trail its rivals, outclassed by Bridgestone and Kumho.

That the price slotted in the middle of our field, at $305 each, made them all the more impressive.

The Maxxis tyres were also among the best for protecting its outer edges after a solid thrashing, which added some non-scoring goodness to its repertoire.