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The Nutrak/Vee Tire Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core is a full-blooded downhill tyre aimed at riders who put grip, casing feel and control ahead of outright trail speed. Nutrak is the new UK name for Vee Tire Co, and the Attack HPL sits in the brand’s most aggressive MTB line-up.
At 1.4kg, this is clearly not a lightweight trail tyre that looks tougher than it is. I tested it as a front tyre only, where its soft Full 40 rubber, tread pattern and new radial RAD Core casing are best placed to make an impact.
The main appeal is how much confidence it provides when the terrain gets steep, dry and rough. It feels planted, heavily damped and confident, with enough casing support to be pushed hard rather than nursed through impacts.
At £64.99, it is priced competitively for a downhill tyre with this much casing support, soft rubber and trail damping.
It will be overkill for everyday trail riding, but that's not really its intended use. As a downhill, enduro race or full-power eMTB front tyre, the Attack HPL RAD Core Full 40 offers a convincing mix of grip, toughness and control for the money.
What is a radial tyre?
In a conventional MTB tyre, the threads of rubber (‘plies’) in the casing cross at roughly 45°, creating a stiff, supportive structure. Because the tread and sidewalls are linked closely, the whole carcass can resist impacts well. However, this makes the tyre less supple and reduces grip.
A true radial tyre has plies that run much closer to 90°, from bead to bead. This enables the casing to flex more locally, so the tread can deform around surface imperfections, increasing the contact patch and keeping it better connected to the ground.
The challenge is keeping enough sidewall support, steering precision and rolling speed, which is why the plies in ‘radial’ mountain bike tyres tend to be positioned slightly more diagonally.
Nutrak/Vee Tire Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core construction and tread design
Fitting was easy for a downhill-style tyre. I managed to seat it using only my hands and it didn’t need much persuasion to hold air. It employs Vee’s new RAD Core casing – a 72tpi construction that’s claimed to place the plies at a full 90° degrees to the direction of travel.
Vee hasn't published the full reinforcement layup, but it clearly has strong sidewall support and puncture protection.
It uses Vee's soft Full 40 compound, listed as a 42a-durometer rubber. This feels tacky, slow-rebounding and heavily damped. Compared to something such as a Maxxis 3C MaxxGrip DH tyre, the Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core is built to find grip, mute impacts and hold a line when the ground gets rough.
The tread has echoes of a Maxxis Assegai, with large central blocks. It also features a round profile thanks to that feature. Entering corners, that shape gave a clear transition as I leaned the bike over to engage the shoulder tread, meaning I didn’t have to tiptoe through a vague zone between the centre and edge blocks. Once loaded, the tyre found traction and held it well.
Nutrak/Vee Tire Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core performance
Trail feel and damping
I ran my tyre pressure at 20psi, which is close to what I’d normally use for a front DH tyre. Support was better than expected. Over square-edged rocks and root steps, the casing compressed into impacts without the hollow clang or sharp deflection that can make a front wheel feel nervous.
I had expected more squirm or rim strikes with such a compliant tyre, but the rebound felt controlled and it came back into shape without pinging the bike offline.
The Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core stayed calm rather than skittering across the tops of roots, and it gave me enough feedback to keep pushing instead of backing off early. On off-cambers, it tracked well and didn’t wander when the dirt got loose or patchy.
The trade-off is clear on flatter ground – this is a lot of tyre for trail riding, and it won't suit big, pedalling-heavy days. But for downhill, enduro racing or use as a front tyre on a full-power eMTB, it makes sense. It’s also cheaper than many premium DH tyres, giving privateers another option.
How I tested | Radial tyres
I tested three radial tyres to find out if mountain biking's latest trend delivers more grip.
I tested all three tyres on a 130mm-travel trail bike, an enduro bike with 160mm of travel and a 24kg full-power eMTB, matching each set to the riding it is most likely to face.
Conditions ranged from dry to intermediate, with some greasy sections mixed in. The test loops included roots, embedded rocks, hardpack, loose turns, off-cambers, berms, braking bumps and rough natural singletrack.
I adjusted pressures to find each tyre’s best working window, and focused on testing their cornering predictability, casing stability, braking grip, rolling resistance, comfort, impact damping and traction on technical climbs.
Tyres on test
- Schwalbe Romy Trail Pro Radial
- Specialized Butcher Grid Gravity Radial T9
- Nutrak/Vee Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core
Nutrak/Vee Tire Co Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core bottom line
The Nutrak Attack HPL RAD Core Full 40 is a convincing downhill front tyre that shows why radial construction makes sense for gravity riding.
Compared to a traditional casing, the RAD Core design enables the tread to deform more locally, helping it stay connected to rough ground instead of bouncing or skipping across it.
On the front of a DH bike, that translates into a calmer feel, better grip and more confidence when braking, cornering or loading the tyre through impacts.
At 1.4kg, it is a proper gravity tyre, but for downhill, enduro racing or ebike use, it offers strong performance and value at £64.99.
Nutrak/Vee Attack HPL Full 40 RAD Core specs
- Size tested: 29x2.5in
- Casing: RAD Core (72tpi)
- Protection: Not specified
- Thread angle: Claimed 90-degrees
- Compound: Full 40
- Pressure used: 20psi (front)
- Weight: 1.4kg
- Other options: 27.5x2.5in
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