Dunlop D606 review: still the best road-legal knobby after all these years?︱Cross Training Adventure
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ธ.ค. 2024
- crosstrainingen... Our Dunlop D606 review! For years it was the popular choice if you wanted a road-legal knobby that was okay for road riding as well with reasonable longevity. Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. The problem with aggressive knobbies is very rapid wear, especially for road riding. And of course the side knobs can flex during hard cornering which can lead to soiling your pants. The D606 was especially good if you had an 17 inch rear wheel because there was so little available in that size for serious off-road tyres. Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. But in recent years the range of dual-sport and adventure tyres has expanded and we have so many choices - even for the 17 inch rear wheel. Is it still a good choice for some riders? We think so... at least the rear tyre. The The trusty Dunlop D606 knobby review continues. Dunlop claims the D606 is for 10% road riding and 90% off-road riding. We would put the balance as 20% and 80%. We always found the D606 worked quite well on road surfaces. As usual, we have read dozens of owner reports about the D606 and we found some riders claimed the front tyre has very poor grip for road riding but we never encountered that. Wet roads? Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. No problems but then we never push hard on wet roads. Road noise is what you would expect - pretty loud. High tyre pressure reduces the noise slightly, but you will want earplugs on the highway! Off-road performance? If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids. We suggest looking at the Mitas E09, Motoz Tractionator Desert, Continental TKC80, Kenda Big Block, Metzeler Karoo, and Kenda Trackmaster 2 for starters. And of course the Tusk Dsport in north America. Do you have other suggestions for road-legal knobbies to suit dual-sport and adventure motorbikes? Let us know in the comments about very dirt-oriented rubber you like! Good traction especially if you drop the air pressures to suit. A lot of riders complain about the front D606 being sketchy in the dirt. The only way to get more life is avoid bitumen, and use high air pressures when road riding. Similar budget tyres to the Dunlop D606? We already mentioned the Pirelli MT21. In the USA there is the Tusk Dsport which is extremely similar to the D606 in all respects but almost half the price.You lucky bastards. All the reviews indicate it's on par with the Dunlop knobbies so it appears to be a bargain. If anyone had trouble with the Tusk Dsport let us know in the comments. I started this review by asking if the Dunlop D606 was still a good choice for riders? If you have limited cash and want good off-road performance? Definitely. Although I suggest pairing it with the Pirelli MT21 if it doesn't cost more. Motoz Rallz, lasted about three times longer than the Dunlops. But only cost about 15% more. It's worth doing your research. Many riders think the ideal combination is the Pirelli MT21 front paired with the Dunlop D606. I experimented with this and did find the MT21 was slightly better - but not the drastic difference claimed by some. It might be due to the uneven wear that often occurs with the D606 front. Unfortunately road riding is not kind to knobbies and usually leads to this type of uneven wear - sometimes called cupping. Some riders claim the Pirellie MT21 is less likely to do this. Others say there is still 'cupping'. I did use the Pirelli MT21 once and had less uneven wear. But I also used a much higher tyre pressure - 30PSI - to try and minimise it. Soft sand and mud? The D606 works a lot better than 50/50 tyres. But of course you have to accept faster wear and less road manners. Longevity of the front D606? Usually you can expect to use one front tyre to every two rear tyres. But due to uneven wear you may find the front D606 only lasts about 50% longer than the rear. We have occasional detours to places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania and Canada. This is one of our three channels, there's also a Cross Training Trials channel, and a Cross Training Enduro channel. All three are equally dodgy.All we are saying is there's also the budget option for adventure riding. And it won't hold you back. Why? We reckon it's 80% the rider and 20% the bike. So the Cross Training Adventure focus is just get out there and have fun on two wheels. Or don't subscribe to our Cross Training Adventure riding channel. The main thing is get out and ride while you can with dual sport riding or Adventure riding in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Romania and beyond! So check out Cross Training Adventure.
Our enduro channel: / crosstrainingenduroskills
Our trials channel: / mototrialstrainingtech...
#crosstrainingadventure #adventureriding #adventurebikes #dualsportriding
#dunlopd606
It's easy to get way too hung up on knobby choice instead of working on something way more important - your riding skills! See our very general guide to rubber here: th-cam.com/video/HJfyU6iTjA0/w-d-xo.html
TUSK DSPORT? We read dozens of opinions and think it's safe to say most riders find them very similar to D606 but just half the price. But it's interesting to see the wide range of conflicting opinions and rates of wear. Check out this thread: www.thumpertalk.com/forums/topic/1309638-tusk-dual-sport-tires-any-good/
I ran the Tusk Dsport front tire on my WR250R. It was very sketchy, didn’t want to track at all in rocky terrain. Had a few close calls due to wash out while riding 2nd/3rd gear trails. I swapped to a Kenda Washougal 2 front tire and have been thoroughly impressed so far. I am running a Michelin AC10rear tire. I will note that the tusk front was great on pavement and gravel roads. But off-road it was a confidence killer for me.
Just put another set on my CRF 450L and I still love it.
metzeler mc360 have been my choice for years - the mid hard last bloody ages (thousands of miles even when doing a fair bit of tarmac) and work in all terrain, the mid soft last about 30% less and are quite a bit more aggressive, also very good tyres
I am loving the Dunlop Trailmax Missions on my DR650. I got them for puncture resistance after 2 pinch flats in two months with Shinko 244's. They do great on dirt and gravel roads, and the DR is a different animal on road with them.
I bought my DRZ with 606's and still have them on. I replaced only the rear so far but it didn't take that long before it looked like it was way older than it was. I have considered also the D605's. They have a flatter, wider knobby but some say a softer compound. Motoz Tractionator Adventure is my other consideration.
Thanks for the 606 review.
I used to use MT21s on my XR650L, WR450F, & then my Beta 520RS. The rear MT21 doesn't have good side knobs, so exiting corners on the throttle was not its strong point. The MT21s were the BEST DOT knobbies cornering on wet pavement though. I then tried a D606 rear, and later a 606 front. The 606s were pretty good off-road, but were the WORST knobby on wet pavement! Stupid slippery vs the MT21s great grip on the wet.
Later paired an MT21 front with an MT43 rear. This setup gave me great mileage for a 10-day Baja ride, general DS riding, and gnarly singletrack.
What is on the Beta 520RS this morning? IRC VE35 front & VE33(standard) rear. Not DOT, but works very well everywhere, including pavement & wet pavement!
I'm still partial to the Kenda 270s front and rear on my XR650L for our typical 40-60 road and dirt mileage. I have decided to try the new Tusk Waypoint tires, or at least the rear for now. It has about 3000 miles so far with about 50% of the tread gone. I haven't mounted the front as of yet because the 270 only has about 5000 miles on it and still working well. Thanks again for all your helpful information!
Ive had very good luck with a Waypoint on the back of my 690, lotsa wheelspin at times but the tire hasnt melted off like a 606 would. Very quiet and smooth on road.
I still love em on my 640 adventure. They do need to be aired down for offroad. The front just cups into shark teeth pretty fast. But it does not seem to effect its performance. For Utah desert and mountain riding I can not whine. I would buy them again.
I'm firmly of the belief that the best DR650 tire combo is a Tusk rear + Motoz Dual Venture front. Just seems to do everything exceptionally well. The front is also reversible, which solves the cupping problem
I've run the D606 on my DRZ400. Great on the rear, not as happy on the front. Riding a KTM 500EXC now and just spooned on a set of the Tusk D-Sports ahead of a trip to the Southern Arizona desert. They seemed happy in all the sand, rocks and bits of asphalt necessary to get to the dirt. To soon to comment on the wear, but looking like they're more robust than the D606. As usual, great stuff Barry. Keep it up and inspiring us OGs (Old Guys 😎 )
On the old FFRC DR650, I have been running the Motoz Adventure rears and Michelin Starcross 5 hard on the front to good effect and wear, but have this week added a 606 to the rear to check it out. Great machine and good tyres. 😁👍
Very good assessment of tires!
The front D606 IS sketchy in the dirt. Several riding buddies crashed when the front washed out on dirt or gravel. They are very good riders and the tire caused it.
I've never had the courage to try the D606 on the front after seeing friends have issues with the D606 on the front. I've stuck with the MT-21 on the front of my DRZ.
I've been running the front MT-21 since about 1996 when I origianlly had a DR-350. As of 2024, I still run the MT-21 on the front of my DRZ as well as my KTM 450 EXC-F.
In 2020, I switched to the Tusk D-Sport on the rear. I don't think they hold up quite as well as the D606, but for nearly half the price, I will probably keep running them.
I am going to try the Tusk Waypoint Adventure on my yet to arrive DR-Z4S.
The D-Sport is aNylon Tire. you need to push it to get it on temp - it will not work in the cold at all but lasts long
Im getting 3000kms max out of D606 rear. Aggressive gravel riding 70% and 30% road in between. Just completed an upper South Island 2k week and chewed through a rear! 0:02 0:02
That's insane, what bike?
On my 701, I currently have the Anlas Cpara X Rally in 140/18 and 90/21 (the only ref available at the Sardigna Rally tyre service) and it is the best rally tyre I've had so far, very good grip offroad and good longevity, about 4000km on abrasive surface. The Mitas E09 rear was ok but less grip, less longevity. The TKC80 came with the new bike, I sold them after 900km due to lack of offroad performance but they were by far the best for road riding, very smooth ride. I have used also the Michelin Tracker, grip offroad was much more convincing on the 701 than on the 501, inexpensive, lasts 2000km, noisy on the road. My next Tyre is the Rallz. I use 1,25bar front and 1,1 to 1,25bar rear (more or less 20- psi?), and mousse front for rally riding. I do not brake much on pavement to preserve my front knobbies.
I think front tire cupping is caused by hard braking on pavement. Sometimes maximum braking is required but some riders like to wait to the last second then hammer the brakes to stop. They may think that keeps them in practice for when they do need to stop asap but it costs in tire wear. I like to practice hard braking on dirt a few times at the start of every ride but I let off the gas and start slowing down when I see I am going to have to stop ahead and only use as much brake as necessary to stop. I like saving the tires and brake pads but I agree we need to regularly practice hard stops on dirt and street. Sort of the opposite of the green light to red light in one block drag races it doesn't make sense to me.
After running the D606 for a long time, on the front the problem is the wear cupping and the lack of grip. For the last 10 years I have been running the ITC tr8 battle rally. Unbelievable value, hard sidewall, great knobby, harder compound. Their only $70-$80 on the front. I run on CRF450, CR650R and CRF1000. You'll never lose the front wheel in dirt.
Sounds good because the front D606 has tried to drop me a few times in the dirt. Fine on the road though. This is on a DR650 anyway, on other bikes I can't comment.
In Qld most knobbies are road legal.
The only requirements being that they meet the speed and load ratings to the applicable bike.
'Not for highway' use etc stamped on them does not make them illegal for use on Qld roads.
I used to sell and fit bike tyres.
I still love my d606s. I keep them aired to 20psi and get about 3000 miles of life. I do not experience issues with the fronts traction but I do get cupping. I ride them about 50 road 50 off-road. I love them on both even on wet pavement however I I ride on pavement like it is a dirt bike leaning bike over and body pointed up which distributes the weight more on top and downwards rather then pushing outwards creating washouts. Love my dunlops.
That's a good strategy!
I've been running the Michelin Trackers lately and as a 20/80 dirt bias tyre, they are hard to beat.
Less weight, more grip, and similar k's.
Motoz dual venture front and Adventure rear, go for 10k+ on those with a light lower powered bike like a DR650, and still get excellent knobby performance on and off road. The Adventure rear gives up a TINY bit of offroad grab vs the Rallz but lasts 50% or more longer.
I still luv it on the rear of the alp but the k60 scout front combo it’s perfect for Tassie tracks great vid as always baz hope ya well mate cheers
I am trying Kenda's on the DR. I was really worried about riding on pavement (USA), but they do surprisingly well. I wouldn't say they the best but if you need an inexpensive tire to get the job done, they are a great value.
KLX 300. I am currently in the MT21/D606 camp. It does well in a variety of changing terrains. There are better mud tires, better mileage tires, better sand tires, better hard rock tires, but they all give up something in another category. The MT21/D606 does well in various changing terrains. Also, the D606 may perform one way on a KLX300 but perform completely differently on a KLR650, T7 ect ect. You love RallZ on the KTM 690? but it may not perform the same on a CRF 300.
I've run maxxis m6006 for 1500km on my dual sport now.
I mainly ride tarmac and they perform super well, due to the chevron tread pattern. Low noise, no rumbling, wears like a dream. Braking grip is slightly compromised, but not much. Again due to the chevron treadpattern.
Offroad they do quite well in turns, however braking and acceleratikg grip slightly lower due to the tread pattern. But does hillclimbs etc no problem, just slightly less fast than a normal square treadpattern knobby.
Oh and they look GREAT. I'd recommend trying them out. The 120 rear is slightly narrow for a 120. But they ride really well for dual sport use in my opinion. Like the mitas e-07 and the mt21 had a child
I went from the 606 to the d sport on the front of my DR and so far I prefer it, we’ll see how it wears.
Hey cool video. I have a t7 and can't get the d606 on the rear, but can get the d908rr for the rear. I have the 606 on the front. Absolutely great tires. I ride 50-50 on/off and enjoy the ride.
These 606's went WAY up in price, and they wear out quick. I went thru a bunch of them on a DR650.
2000 miles was way too much to expect. They work well but too expensive.
Look at what Tusk has on offer is what I would do.
rallz adventure front and back on my drz400s! love them
The d606 tread wears very fast about half way down but then wear very slowly. While traction is reduced some on dirt traction on pavement increases. So at 1500 miles they look done but really are only half done.
Michelin Desert Race rear, front is no longer produced. Maybe with a Pirelli MT-21 front?
Just installed a pair of Continental TKC-80 on an XR650R, will see how long these last.
Your comments were spot on but the MT21 front is a strange trend and although have tried myself didn't see the benefits. The Motoz is a good choice also, but unless you're planing a big multi day trip they tend to last too long for bush bashing, they're great for 800cc plus. Love your content, it's always reliable, accurate and humorous. The plus side we're spoilt for choice.
I really liked the Mitas 09 Dakar. Great grip on and off road, only the front wasn't Great on softer soil, but the replacement enduro trail xt+ (e09 was to easy eh?) got a new more aggressive front.
I rode the e09 Dakar from Germany to Spain and back for 7000km aggressive on an off-road riding with my rally modified XR 650 R. On hot asphalt I could keep up with the knee down folks and on the dry mountain passes of the pyrenees and Picos de Europa I had enough traction for all the fun activities. Great tire over all, can recommend.
With the new front I will defined get it for my next holiday trip again. Hopefully I will make it to the Sahara desert this time
I noticed that I haven't had to help push my buddy's DR650 up any hard hills since he ditched the 606 for a Mitas Stone King
Ran D-Sport rears until I finally got a flat. I could not get it off! Great tires if you ride with buddies. Now I use a Pirelli MT21 rear and a IRC TR8 front on my XR650L in Arkansas, USA.
Try the Sahara Moto tire balancer in your tubes for flats. That goop rules! It will fill the puncture from a actual railroad spike permanently. They virtually eliminate flats. Check out Fortnine's unbiased review of it.
Cheers!
@@machupikachu1085 I have been using Ride On but I will switch now. Thank you for sharing that. I just watched it!
Tractionator desert is the king IMO. I got sick of the D606 loosing 50% of its grip in the first 20% of its life, on my KLR I could wear a rear 606 down in one big ride, it still had another 1000km life in it, but didn't have any grip left in it.
The best street legal combo (dot) for soft terrain is kenda southwick front and trackmaster rear. They are cheap and don’t lose much compared to soft terrain mx tires from say dunlop but they won’t last long on the road. They are good if you just use the roads to connect single track in sandy areas.
D606 rear and Pirelli rally race on the front is the shizzle for my DR650
The Kenda k-270 claw is a 60 off road 40 on but it does 10k at least , ive run them for 30 years ! very good off road
I've recently done a road/off road trip with some kenda k270 on my crf300l. I have to say I am very impressed with them on and off road.
Was running 606 on xr650r good bush but ended up with kenda rear was a 75/25 mix and handle everything well and was unkillabel but I haven't come across that tyer for 18 years or more was trying to find for my vstrom 800de but ended up motoz ralz witch I'm happy with but still don't feel right like the xr650r with 606
@crosstrainingadventure What do think about the D605 tires, I have a crf300l rally, having to ride pavement to get to off-road trails. There are very few videos on them, they get overlooked by the D606. I know that they aren't as aggressive off-road as 606, but I don't ride enduro terrain with them. Mainly plan for riding BDR type stuff, I live in California. Thanks.
D606/MT21 on my KLX300 and I'm happy with them and will use them again. I did try the DSport once and experienced two issues - the first is that it was much harder to mount than any other dual sport or adventure that I have used. That wasn't much of a problem in the garage but I would hate to try changing the tube out on the trail. The second issue was a bad wobble at highway speed. Yes the wheel was balanced, the rim was tensioned and true, the tire bead was straight and I did try various tire pressures. That was my experience at least, I've had devoted DSport fans tell me that they haven't experienced the wobble at all, maybe I just had a bad tire.
Sounds like you’ve got a pretty good setup with the D606/MT21 combo.
I remove the front D606 when about half worn and turn it backwards. You get quite a few more miles.
Shinko E804/5?
Been running D606 now for 3 years. Kind of just used to them..... worst mileage = 3500km, best 6000km. The worst was because of two long rides with guys that did high speeds on the tar. Went through about 40% of the tire in 900km. Was miffed AF
I stopped using the D6060 rear, and went to the Kenda Trackmaster2 rears on my wr250r. They wear out fast, but they're only $107.00 Canadian for a 110/ 18 rear. I'm not fond of the side grip from the front on either the D606 F, or the Kenda trackmaster front. I'm currently running an MT21 front, and to be honest, its not good for front end feel and grip at lean either... Going to try a set of Motoz Xtreme Hybrid DOT tires next... we shall see how they do.
My buddy chose the tusks and the are good just seem to have a stiffer sidewall so tire change is harder.
Every offroad tyre I have ran ends up with that cupping on the front. Maxxis IT rear is a better tyre for the rear and wears really well, much more grip. And quieter then the 606. Motoz enduro IT seems to wear pretty good, way more grip then 606/21 combo but doesn't last as long on the bitumen. I ran motoz enduro 6 and didn't like them as much as the motoz enduro IT and didn't last as long either. This all relates to a 130kg bike plus 110kg rider on a crf450L.
How does it compare to stock trailwings for riding in mud? All I had on the dr650 was the stock tires and they’re pretty slippery
Just what you'd expect. The Trailwings are much worse in mud.
I'm picking up my first dr in a couple of weeks time and I'll be doing 50/50 road to offroad. I still want the traditional dirt bike look knobby tyres. What would you guys suggest? Thanks for the great videos and discussion!
I'm surprised you are getting only 1200mi out of the rear, for me it's 3k mile tire. I don't roost and it's in 140/80 size.. maybe it's part of it? Front actually lasts less. Same with RallZ, front wears in no time as soon as you hit concrete slab which we're blessed with in US of A. And MotoZ are much more expensive here, gready importer.
Dsport is a surprisingly different tire, despite looking alike. Perhaps due to stiffer casting and different profile. And don't waste your time on 804/805, get 244s or 241s
Kenda Trackmasters are terrifying on the street.
My drz400 has worn out a couple 606 rears. They are great tires but pretty short life as expected. Also road noise is very high.
I've tried the 606, and hated it in any type of wet, muddy conditions.
Tusk D Sports are an absolute bear to install. The rears work pretty good on everything, and the front is super sketchy in gravel.
My go to after 10 years of duaslport and adventure riding is still the Kenda Trakmaster!
I thought the 606 was pretty average in loose dry rocky stuff, pretty average everywhere to be honest besides bitchumen
D606 rear or the similar Tusk Dsport. I think the Pirelli MT21 is way better for the front though.
Seems to be a very common comment about the MT21.
MT21 in the front and a D606 in the back. Or Motoz Tractionator Enduro.
I like the kenda parker dt rear but I don't have enough experience to say how it compares. The front's no good tho. I think next front will be a pirelli scorpion xc mid soft. Revzilla says its dot and looks like itll handle sand alright.
Michelin Tracker front is great on and off-road , only sand grip is average.
There’s is a “new model” from tusk called Waypoint 👀 I’m going to buy those
Going to try a weird combo on my crf 300 soon, Dunlop k950 "trials" style on the rear, and an 80/100-21 shinko mx216 knobbie on the front. Should be interesting
Let me know how it goes!
Does anyone have experience or thoughts on how dot approved Maxxis maxxcross MX-IH compare?
Rear d606 is great. Front wears way too quickly. I'd go through a couple of fronts before a rear
The D606 rear is good, but forget about any "dualsport" front tire. The compound is just too hard, it will not stick in wet conditions, and as soon as they start cupping they become dangerous. The ideal setup imo is a D606 rear, but a real offroad tire like a motoz fatty for the front. Front tires don't wear as fast, so you'll be able to get decent life out of your setup without constantly eating dirt on the trail. I have found that the motoz fatty also wears down evenly, rather than cupping like the dualsport tires do, so I've actually been able to get more useful life out of it despite the nominally higher rate of wear.
I've heard that a lot of riders are using the Motoz front tire on their dual sport setups - good to know.
I strongly prefer the 606 on both front and rear . My XR has a heavier front end but the 606 never let me down and actually increased my front end confidence . Then I put a LOWSY rocky mountain tire and The front end is all over the place very washy tire always feels like it's trying to slip out from under you . Never felt that on a 606 soon as this tire burns out im putting on another 606 on the front . Always on the rear and bonus I have ridden many many miles on a flat with ultra heavy duty tubes can't do that with a different tire . ""RIDE ON"" Guess I should edit this and make sure you know I am talking about the Tusk Dsport Tire for me Never again .
Mitas 09 it's discontinued, now it's the enduro trail XT +
The shinko it's an awful Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR less expensive, low qc, and with a bit more thread
I still run the d606 rear. Motoz duel venture in the front. On my klx250s they last forever 😂 10000km easy.
D606's FTW. Forget those TKC80 they're absolute trash. They chatter like hell on pavement instead of sliding and don't hook up worth a dogturd on dirt. It's a 0-0% tire IMO. I'm getting Trackmaster 2 today, gonna try them. I have a front already and i like it.
The DSport is not comparable IMO , front washes out off road Rear fills with mud easily On road their ok , but pass if any off-road
I don't rate the MT21 rear, they don't hook up in the wet or on greasy tarmac the front is better but not great.
They're OK in dry conditions and great on dry tarmac but not in wet Wales 🏴.
Ive just got a set of Mitas Enduro XT +, a friend who is a better rider that me has them on his Gas Gas 700 and on his T7 and really rates them.
I'm about to fit them on my TT600R Belgarda and stash the MT21s for a stop gap.
Personally I'd rather have a grippy tyre that works well than a long life compromised tyre.
The front D606 is awful in almost every condition. Maybe it's nice on hardpack? D606 rear is a great long-distance dual sport tire, though. Pair it with a Pirelli XCMH front.
Rallz back, Adventure on the front... perfect
I've found them to be (606) horrible tyres, now on motoz desert front and rear. Noisy but last and hook up
Michelin tracker tt for me far better in my experience and my use
Heavily subjective, but in my opinion the TKC80 is better in every way, asides for perhaps mud… The D606 has been one of my least favourite tyres.
Thanks for the vid🫡
Baz….how the bloody hell are you getting through a rear in less then 2,000k’s..!
My DR’s got over a hundred thousand on it and I’ve consistently got between 4,000-5,000 at of one the whole time. Loaded bike, Safari tank, pannier bags etc. Majority outback, offroad riding…you must be wringing that right hand fella..😁
His DR is twin turbo! 250 ponies at the wheel!
😂
Passable on the rear, deadly on the front.
road legal knowbies idea doesn't really work. does it? if you want just to look good get TKC 80 - very good on road and look like off-road tyre but better don't go off-road LOL
Nah there's a shitload of better tires out there now.
@crosstrainingadventure What do think about the D605 tires, I have a crf300l rally, having to ride pavement to get to off-road trails. There are very few videos on them, they get overlooked by the D606. I know that they aren't as aggressive off-road as 606, but I don't ride enduro terrain with them. Mainly plan for riding BDR type stuff, I live in California. Thanks.
You're right. The 605's get almost no attention but are a reasonalby consideration for those riding a 60(dirt)/40 split like myself. Some say they're soft and better for road but get worn quick in rough rocky terrain.
Never used them unfortunately, Brandon