Maxxis drives for highly durable tires with strong performance
Durability. That’s the tire feature that consistently comes up when Scott Perkins discusses Maxxis tires.
Customers are seeking durability when they buy ATV, side-by-side and dirt bike tires because nobody wants to be out on the trail with a flat.
Perkins, marketing specialist for Maxxis, says the company’s tires across all of its powersports segments are known to endure.
For dirt bikes, the Maxxcross IT is popular on the East Coast, while the Desert IT dominates sales on the West Coast. They each have a good reputation and work well in a variety of intermediate and desert terrains.
“For dirt bike tires, we have an amazing reputation for solid performance in off-road terrains with long-lasting compounds and very durable construction,” Perkins said. “All of that adds up to an easy sell for dealers.”
In the sport ATV segment, the Razr series tires are known for winning national off-road and desert championships. The Zilla, Bighorn and Bighorn 2.0 tires are known in the utility ATV and side-by-side arena for their versatility, as well as their ability to hold up in rough conditions.
“The biggest trend in ATV tires right now is that consumers are looking for durability and high load ratings for all the larger side-by-sides and UTVs,” Perkins explained.
As the side-by-side market is growing for dealers, it’s also becoming increasingly important for tire manufacturers, and as more UTVs are sold, trends are begging to emerge.
“The [side-by-side] market is the fastest growing ATV segment, and tires keep getting larger and larger with higher and higher load capabilities,” Perkins said.
Tires are important to dealers, as labor fees are made on top of tire sales, and they represent a recurring purchase. Knowing this, Maxxis is committed to manufacturing tires that last long and provide value to customers.
“We also do a great deal of consumer advertising and try to drive sales to local dealers with the verbiage ‘Visit your local dealer to purchase,’” Perkins pointed out.
Though Maxxis feels it already provides tires that are known to have positive reception, the work in keeping up with customers’ needs and technological advances never ceases.
“We are constantly looking to improve performance and durability,” Perkins said. “Our compound research continues to provide increased performance and longevity benefits, and our construction technology boasts more durable, puncture-resistant tires, with minimal weight gain. It’s a constant battle to balance performance, durability and weight, and our worldwide knowledge base and production capabilities only continue to improve.”
