Excel Bite ATV Performance Tire Review
February 8th, 2010 by admin
Chewing Up Terrain, Not Your Budget
Rich History
Excel is no stranger to the wheel game- their aftermarket wheels have earned a well-respected place in motocross history so convincing that several OEMs have spec’ed the brand’s hoops as stock equipment. Additionally the company actually produces rims for some of the most recognized companies in the industry.
Recognizing the fact that rim production is only half of the equation in terms of getting horsepower to the turf, Excel Tire & Wheel has made the move into the highly competitive tire market with the “Bite” line of MX meats.
On the market for about a year now, we finally had an opportunity to carve some laps with the tire on a stock Honda TRX 400EX. Interestingly enough, Excel’s ATV tire line has been growing exponentially since the company entered the fray. In addition to offering a variety of all-terrain and general-purpose tires, the manufacturer now boasts two different sport/ race specific lines (the Pac Trax and Bite tested here). Compared to direct competition, Excel’s tires seem to be a bit more cost effective than other offerings in the class.
Classy
So exactly who does Excel target with the Bite? We think its pretty safe to say that the Bite could be considered pretty direct competition to performance tires like the ITP Holeshot and the Maxxis RAZR MX: Sport ATV trail riders and racers who seek an aggressive knob pattern for both competition and trail use.
We picked up the front tires for .99 each and the rears for apiece. To offer comparison, the same sized ITP Holeshots were going for .92 apiece for the fronts and roughly each for the rears.
Weight-wise the listed specs are nearly identical to those of the Maxxis RAZRs (in this case 9.2 pounds per front, 11.6 per rear).
Real World
To keep this evaluation unbiased in terms of performance enhancements, we stuck with Honda’s stock OEM rims on which to mount the Excel Bites. Once satisfied with the performance there, they were mounted to our staple DWT beadlocks for some serious flogging. The terrain we explored in the process of testing ranged from dry mid-summer hard pack, to hard pack base with loose sandy dirt atop, to sheer sandy washes. Of course there was no shortage of grassy field traversing going on amidst our trips to the local tracks and trails.
Inspection of the tires reveals semi-soft compound construction and a tread pattern with fairly spaced square-edged knobs. Unlike the typical “X” pattern associated with most tires in the class, the Bite alternates between rows of straight knobs and inverted Vs.
We felt the enhancements in straight-line acceleration immediately. Calling this brand “Bite” was definitely more than mere marketing hyperbole as traction seeking is light work for this aggressive pattern. If you happen to frequent tracks or trails with crumbled clay, rich black loam, or even grass flats, the Bite will dazzle with its ability to hook up off the line.
Sheer hardpack performance isn’t quite as impressive but certainly passable. Like most aggressive knobbies, the most secure method of railing a corner is to get the RPMs high enough to create some real wheel spin into the apex then to actually ease off a bit to allow the tires to hook up upon exit. Failure to master this technique can be a bit troublesome for the Bites as the fronts get a bit too grabby for slow speed directional changes. In other words, lesser knobbed tires have an easier time sliding sideways.
We were actually surprised with the Bite’s ability to claw through loose sand. While the paddle market is obviously in no danger of being run out of town, we can state with confidence that I your track or trails happen to boast sand sections; the Bite won’t flinch even if the same cannot be said about the rider.
Conclusion
Competition is a good thing and we’re not just talking about between racers either. More choices when it comes to the market of aggressive track and trail tires simply means better prices.
We found that the Excel Bite was a very capable tire in a wide variety of conditions and should be given serious consideration to riders looking for increased “bite” without the usual hit to the wallet associated with venturing into the aggressive tire fold.
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