*DISCLAIMER* Tensor tires did send free tires for us to test and review. This didn't effect the results, feedback and thoughts of the review. These tires are for sale on our website now! www.tensortire.com for more info as well If you want to support us, please use the links below: www.chupacabraoffroad.com

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(0:00) Now that I got some miles on the new Tensor Regulator 2s, I can honestly say this is a very good option for all you desert rats. Let's talk about it.

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(0:50) Hey everybody, welcome back to the channel. It's Nicholas with Chupacabra Offroad, and excited to put this video together. It's a tire, it's a product, it's a brand that I've been a fan of for quite a while. Tensor Tire has been making tires in the UTV space for several years, and I'm a big fan of the offering they've had for many years. The Tensor DSR33. I've used those tires almost exclusively over the past several desert seasons, from my old RZR currently on my Can-Am X3. I raced with them on my race car, so I know the tires intimately well. I've got buddies who run big desert runs on them, buddies who race on them. The tire has a great race heritage. Tensor, as a brand, has a good reputation. So once I saw that they released this new Regulator 2, I was immediately interested. The Regulator original version is what it replaced or superseded, and it was getting a little long on the tooth. It was an older design, and it's cool to see that they had implemented a lot of the technology and learned from the DSR. There's a lot of similarities once I first saw the photos and noticed that.

(1:32) So I was initially drawn to the Tensor DSRs many years ago because they were so lightweight. I love the look of them, and the performance was good. The one thing that I would say that I wasn't as much of a fan of the DSRs is that they did wear a little fast because it was a race compound. After about 1500 to 1800 miles, I noticed my tires were pretty much done. A little bit quicker when they're racing, but to be fair, that is a racing tire. Soft compound, and it worked surprisingly well in most conditions other than extreme rock crawling, I would say. So the only other potential drawback too is also because it was a race tire, it was on the pricier side. So you know, you want the best performance, of course, you're generally going to pay more. Potentially, it's going to wear quicker than some of the other options on the market, but the tires did perform exceptionally well.

(2:12) So let's get into the specs of the new Regulator 2. We can talk a little comparison about how it matches up to the DSR and what they're claiming. There's some new improvements on the Regulator 2. So starting off with three sizes, you've got a 30 inch, a 32, and a 33, which is what I tested on the Speed. Talking about the 33-inch option is a little bit lighter than the 33-inch DSR. They come in at 38.6 pounds, and what's really nice is the price. Now the 33-inch Tensor Regulator 2 is 279 retail on their website. Compare that to 469 of the DSR, we're talking about a huge $190 saving per tire. So right here, we're dropping a little bit of weight, which is always good. We have dropped the price quite a bit, and Tensor is also claiming they've improved the wear. And I like the tread pattern too. It looks like it's going to suit more conditions a little better. It's got a little bit more of an open tread pattern, a little bit taller lugs. The tread depth is 18/32, and they use a nylon bias ply carcass with nylon belts versus a steel belted design, and that's how they save a lot of their weight.

(3:36) And then another similar feature you'll notice compared to the DSR, they also brought over the ribbed sidewalls, which is their way of protecting the sidewalls from getting punctures while keeping the weight as low as possible. So I went ahead and mounted up the 33-inch Regulator 2s on a set of Method 401R race wheels. I had these wheels on a few of my previous cars. I love how they look. I'm just such a fan of the classic Method styling. They're lightweight and they look fantastic on the Speed. I decided to start off with 17 PSI, which is what I also ran in Baja. But before I took the car down to Baja to put 500 miles on these tires, I went out to my local spot here, Geyser Loop. It's in my backyard here in Peoria, Arizona. It is incredibly rough, very rocky. The dirt's extremely hard, and I could initially feel some additional compliance over the DSR. The softness or I'm going to call it a plushness of the tire adds a little bit more give in it over the rocks out there. So that was kind of the immediate takeaway. And I did remove my stock Speed tires to put these on, and I could notice the weight difference a little bit as well with acceleration and braking. So right out of the gate, you know, we improved some ground clearance. We lost some weight, got some nice cushiness compared to the old Tensor, and I thought the style looked amazing. So first little impression out there at Geyser, I was stoked but really had to get some miles on them.

(4:52) So after that, recently this month, I took the tires and the Speed, of course, down to Baja, completed a 492-mile run, three-day run with my buddies, covering a lot of ground. As you can imagine, you cover that many miles down in Mexico, you encounter all different types of soil types. You're going to have some hard rocky race course stuff over on the coast near Rindera. A lot of those sections were rough, rocky. There's a lot of washouts or some high-speed stuff along the side of a cliff. You've got some smooth flowy stuff as we were going through Northern Baja, Laguna Hanson to make our way down to the coast. So it was a great three-day ride. We had a great trip, and it was really nice to see how the tires performed.

(5:36) So I thought 17 PSI made a lot of sense. Now the Speed is on the heavier side of UTVs, and we're talking kind of this new school. I'm going to call it Pro R, Speed, and then now the newly released Can-Am Maverick R. These vehicles are all 2200 pounds as a two-seat configuration, 2400-2500 pounds stock as a four-seat configuration. Now Tensor also has some proven race results on some heavier vehicles out that are not side by sides. Class 10 off-road vehicles, and one of their athletes recently even ran it on his Jackal, which again is like a heavier version off-road race vehicle, a class 10 style car, if you will. So they do have a good heritage of holding up to extreme conditions racing Mexico and heavier, faster vehicles. So 17 I thought was the right amount to hopefully not have any issues, but also have a compliant grippy tire in rough conditions going fast, and we had some fast sections. The group I ran with was pretty good and aggressive, and the tires held up really well.

(6:45) So checking the tires out now, now that I've got about 550-ish miles on them, they're looking good. One additional little mishap in Baja that I had was you never know what could happen in Baja, but unfortunately, I had an issue with one of my front axles on the Speed. So after the first day, we had to remove it and I ran the rest of the trip in two-wheel drive. So mainly I'm a four-wheel drive all the time kind of guy. I think I can drive more aggressively. I think it's easier on the vehicle. I've just been used to it and that's what I like. So it was a fun opportunity to mix up, but I also thought it was a good way to test the tires out, you know, inadvertently. So you know, in four-wheel drive, it's a little easier to make sure you're tracking right when you're trying to be precise about hitting ruts and avoiding big rocks. You want to be precise as you're driving fast and miss big sharp rocks, things that could potentially cause a puncture or an off-trail excursion, which unfortunately happened to another guy in our ride group. So you're trying to be precise. You're trying to put in a lot of miles. You're trying to drive fast and aggressive and have fun when you're loaded down with all your tools and accessories. So you know, it's a combination where you have tires that you can trust, and I was happy with them. I thought that they're grippy. I thought they're predictable. They're lightweight. Like I said, I thought everything about the tires seemed like it was a great option, and I thought it was probably one of the best tire options I could have chosen for Baja and running fast in the desert. I'm very happy with them so far, especially now you're talking about some increased wear, which so far is looking like that's a good thing, and a reduced price. I mean, what's not to like?

(8:02) So far is looking like that's a good thing and a reduced price. I mean, what's not to like? So I did mention new school side by sides. A lot of those vehicles, Pro R, now the new Maverick R, Speed, a lot of you guys want to run a 35-inch tire option. So luckily, Tensor will be releasing this Regulator 2 in a 35. They haven't published what the weight will be, but the DSR is about 44.5-45 pounds, so I imagine it'll also again be one of, if not the lightest option for 35 for the desert. So nice peace of mind that you've got that performance. You're not putting any more strain on your belt because you have a lightweight package of wheel and tire combo. You know, when you start off with tires being so light, that rotational weight makes a massive difference from fuel economy on long rides, of course, acceleration and braking performance, and then, you know, again, reducing strain on your driveline. So when you're putting in long miles, you're trying to get from the start to the finish, you know, without any issues. And it's nice to have a proven, race-proven tire that's lightweight, that works and performs well even on these bigger, heavier side by sides.

(9:00) So two thumbs up, guys. I'm pretty stoked on it. I think you need to give these tires a serious look. We do have them for sale on our website. If you want to learn more, I'll go ahead and post a link here below. You can go and click the link and learn more about that availability. And again, look forward to those 35s coming soon if you're interested in those. Check out the current offerings. There's also going to be a 28-inch option for you guys that run some smaller, lighter weight side by sides. So if you run in the desert, Tensor is a brand that you're probably familiar with. I'm really stoked on the Regulator 2s. I think a lot of you guys are going to be interested or going to like them. I think it's a great option. Check out their website as well if you want to learn more. Thank you guys for watching. If you guys like the content, please like and subscribe and we'll see you on the next one.