JConcepts "The Hold" 1.9" Performance Scaler truck tire
Out on the trail with our Traxxas TRX-4 2021 Bronco.
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Released in 2023, the JConcepts “The Hold” tire is an interesting departure from their more recent crawler and trail truck tire offerings.
Moving away from the “competition / technical rock” tread patterns which tend to favor smaller and more numerous lugs on the tire’s carcass, the Hold tire takes a different approach by featuring a wide chunky lug pattern which appears to have more in common with a scale mud bogger or monster truck tire than a typical off-road truck tire. These massive, staggered lugs form a traction ladder down the center of the tire with crisp edges encircling the tire’s crown. Their spacing is somewhat close together, resulting in a significant amount of blocky rubber ready to engage just about any terrain you may encounter out on the trail. |
Splitting these lugs to the left and right side is a narrow channel centered in the middle of the tire’s carcass, running uninterrupted around the entire circumference.
Knifing down from the outside edge at a slight curve to the tire’s bead, there are a series of raised sidewall lugs designed to provide traction in the deep muck or sand. The tread pattern is directional with intent to drive the tips of the tire’s lugs into the terrain while squeezing any loose terrain out to the side of the tires.
While this unique tread pattern looks flashy in terms of curb appeal, they didn’t strike me as a true crawling or trail truck tire. In fact, they don’t look like they’re designed for even moderate rock crawling. Regardless of how thin or pliable the tire’s carcass may be, large blocks of solid rubber don’t bend easily. JConcepts lists them as a scale off-road tire, but I think there are some monster truck vibes going on here.
Constructed from the same soft green-rubber compound found on their current line of crawling tires, these should have a respectable level of traction on most rocks. Likely it will be due to the stickiness of the rubber compound versus tread pattern.
The tire’s beads are perfectly molded, and the detailing of lug-trimming cuts and company logos molded into the carcass add another level of detail to round out the aggressive looks. This level of quality is nothing new from JConcepts, as they have a well-established place as a top-tier company in the world of RC racing and crawler tires.
With the overview complete, it was time to punch a few 3mm venting holes into each tire ( three per tire ) and get them ready to mount up on a set of aluminum beadlock wheels.
Knifing down from the outside edge at a slight curve to the tire’s bead, there are a series of raised sidewall lugs designed to provide traction in the deep muck or sand. The tread pattern is directional with intent to drive the tips of the tire’s lugs into the terrain while squeezing any loose terrain out to the side of the tires.
While this unique tread pattern looks flashy in terms of curb appeal, they didn’t strike me as a true crawling or trail truck tire. In fact, they don’t look like they’re designed for even moderate rock crawling. Regardless of how thin or pliable the tire’s carcass may be, large blocks of solid rubber don’t bend easily. JConcepts lists them as a scale off-road tire, but I think there are some monster truck vibes going on here.
Constructed from the same soft green-rubber compound found on their current line of crawling tires, these should have a respectable level of traction on most rocks. Likely it will be due to the stickiness of the rubber compound versus tread pattern.
The tire’s beads are perfectly molded, and the detailing of lug-trimming cuts and company logos molded into the carcass add another level of detail to round out the aggressive looks. This level of quality is nothing new from JConcepts, as they have a well-established place as a top-tier company in the world of RC racing and crawler tires.
With the overview complete, it was time to punch a few 3mm venting holes into each tire ( three per tire ) and get them ready to mount up on a set of aluminum beadlock wheels.
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TRX-4 2021 Bronco
With the Traxxas TRX-4 2021 Bronco ready for testing, we mounted up the Holds on aluminum beadlock wheels with a set of Crawler Innovations two-stage foams. Even though the tire carcass is a bit thicker due to the tread design, we stayed with our standard soft 4.5’s in the front and medium 4.5’s in the back. The hefty 3900-gram running weight of the crawler should be plenty for the foams to work their magic with this new tire. If for some reason the rear tires didn’t give us enough flex, the change would be to 4.5 soft in the rear. |
The JConcepts Holds setup with CI Lil' Nova two-stage foams.
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Once the wheels were installed and the truck was sitting on the workbench, the Holds had a nice sidewall flex and plenty of bulging around the bottom. If anything, we could have gone with firm in the rear and medium up front. The TRX-4 Bronco isn’t what you’d call a light-weight crawler.
Something else to note is that we are running 30 gram wheel-weights in the front and 20 gram weights in the rear. Both are made from stainless steel.
Something else to note is that we are running 30 gram wheel-weights in the front and 20 gram weights in the rear. Both are made from stainless steel.
Terrain perfectly suited for the Hold tires.
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Heading out to the trails at Badrock Ridge, we started with some of the smaller sandstone formations to break in the tires and see what they were all about.
Getting started in the lower east side, we followed a short canyon to the top of a larger sandstone formation. Littered with rock fragments, scree, and plant debris, this loose surface was intermixed with a fine layer of sand at the bottom of the canyon can prove to be tricky for many crawlers. High-centering on the skid or jamming axle housings into these chunks of rock is a frequent occurrence, often leaving one tire spinning in the air. It's up to the other tires to dig in and bite where they can, and drag the truck over the obstacle. |
The Holds made short work of this terrain, with the weight of the TRX-4 paying right into the foam selection. Plenty of tire flex resulted in superb traction, and working through the canyon was little more than a routine Sunday drive. I was struck by how well the Holds seemed to suit the TRX-4, both in terms of actual performance and curb appeal. They look sharp on this truck, and they absolutely eat up this loose, chunky terrain.
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Climbing out of the canyon, we headed west and ascended a chunky section of trail which makes life miserable for straight axle 1.9” trucks. The TRX-4’s portals worked their magic as we navigated around some of the more eroded pieces of rock while working our way to the top.
The first detail we all noticed was the excellent surface traction gained from the soft green rubber compound. This is the same rubber they use in all their crawler tires, and it has proven to be the perfect balance of stickiness without the squirmy feel in hot temps. So, with the rubber doing its job, the TRX-4 easily climbed a series of short and steep rock outcroppings. |
Portal axles offer a considerable advantage on this terrain.
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Watching the tire’s lug flex and conform to the rock’s surface reminds me of a millipede with its long narrow legs wrapping around whatever obstacle it was crawling across. Holds paired with the 4.5" Crawler Innovations Lil' Nova foams is absolutely the right combination on this truck.
Excellent sidehill control from the Holds.
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Moving to a heavily slanted block of sandstone, the Holds slightly folded under the wheel, driving in the tips of the lugs into the rock’s surface.
It was a good way to get a close look at the sidehill control of these tires, and not surprisingly, they performed quite well. Any time you have a long, thick lug running perpendicular to the slant of the sidehill, they are going to dig in and stick. The shape naturally resists folding, forcing the rubber surface of the lug directly into the rock’s surface. The Hold’s tall, squared off edges offer an additional mechanical advantage by rolling under and locking somewhat like a hook to the rock. |
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We spent a few more days out on the trail and overall, the group was pleased with the performance from the Holds.
Nothing really stood out as an amazing aspect in regards to the technical crawling performance; we didn't have a Spider-Man moment, but we didn't encounter any deficiencies either - and I was expecting that to a degree. I had been waiting to see the Holds struggle with traction on the slicker sections of rock, but that wasn't the case. Both climbing and descending steep terrain, the Holds held firm with reliable traction. As a general off-road tire, they proved to be well suited for the TRX-4 and the terrain we encountered. |
Putting our drag brake to use on this steep descent.
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Vanquish VS 410 Pro headed to the top of this steep climb.
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VS 410 Pro at Calico Basin
With the Holds showing a solid level of trail performance on the TRX-4, we felt it was time to move them over to the VS 410 Pro and see if they could handle the steeper, more technical lines this trail truck is capable of ascending. We opted to leave the foam setup in place from the TRX-4 testing, knowing that we would need to keep a close eye on the amount of tire flex out on the trail. There was some concern that the significantly lighter weight of the VS 410 might come into play in terms of the tire’s ability to conform to the terrain. |
Heading out to Calico Basin, we found ourselves in a new section of the basin where the terrain was steeper and quite a bit more challenging than what we had encountered before. The rock consisted of smaller pieces of sandstone and a few heavily eroded outcroppings from the adjacent hillside. We opted to bring the GoPro along for the day and film a few of the shorter climbs.
Running along the base of the rocks searching for a way up, the Crawler Innovations foam setup looked good on the VS 410 by showing plenty of flex in the front and rear tires. This was a good thing to see in that these rocks were going to be challenging and we would need all the help we could get. The heavily eroded surface had an unusually smooth surface, somewhat odd for such an aged chunk of sandstone.
After finding a suitable spot for our first attempt, the VS 410 headed up a series of chunky steps with relative ease. The rock felt slick, but the rubber compound was soft enough to keep the front tires sticking to the rocks and not sliding off to the left.
Running along the base of the rocks searching for a way up, the Crawler Innovations foam setup looked good on the VS 410 by showing plenty of flex in the front and rear tires. This was a good thing to see in that these rocks were going to be challenging and we would need all the help we could get. The heavily eroded surface had an unusually smooth surface, somewhat odd for such an aged chunk of sandstone.
After finding a suitable spot for our first attempt, the VS 410 headed up a series of chunky steps with relative ease. The rock felt slick, but the rubber compound was soft enough to keep the front tires sticking to the rocks and not sliding off to the left.
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In this first video you can see the VS 410 having some initial slipping of the tires as the truck settles into the climb.
By coming off the throttle and allowing the truck to settle into the rock, the Hold's lugs are able to find a traction point and get the VS 410 headed to the top. |
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Picking our way around to the next rock outcropping, we found ourselves with a bit of a puzzling route. The bottom section wasn’t too tricky, but the middle had us baffled.
What appeared to be a relatively straight-forward sidehill swing to the left side of the rock was most like not going to be easy to clear. After a few attempts at the line, the rock was proving to be a bit too steep and slick to keep a hold, forcing us to turn into the climb sooner than desired, trading a bit more traction for a steeper attack to the top. |
Once we had the landmarks sorted out as to where to begin our turn, it was just a matter of keeping the truck balanced as we slipped the rear axle around to the left to clear a troublesome rock projection while the front tires remained planted. It looks pretty slick on this video, but truth be told this is take #4. We added a few more scratches to the body in this section.
From that spot on the rock, the truck settled into the climb and the Holds did an excellent job of hooking into the large notches and edges of sandstone trail. After a few hours on the trail, I was pleased with what I was seeing from the Holds, all the while knowing that these are not rock-crawling specific tires.
From that spot on the rock, the truck settled into the climb and the Holds did an excellent job of hooking into the large notches and edges of sandstone trail. After a few hours on the trail, I was pleased with what I was seeing from the Holds, all the while knowing that these are not rock-crawling specific tires.
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Heading over to the next rock outcropping, we stumbled across a small pocket of fine sand and decided to take the opportunity to take a video of the VS 410 floating across the top.
In this short clip you can see the over-drive of the front axle spinning the tires a bit faster, but interestingly the tire tracks remained well defined. This tells me that the Holds are hooking up well in the sand with very little slipping. |
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Starting back up early for a final day at Calico Basin, we found a challenging climb tucked away in a shady section of the trail.
Over countless years, water runoff had eroded a narrow path through a massive block of limestone, creating a unique feature among the sandstone formations in this area. While the western wall is nearly vertical, the eastern wall has just enough slope to attack from a few different angles. |
Our plan was to cut hard back to the left and then shoot for a low v-notch in the rock's face. In the video, you can see the VS 410 standing tall, trying to keep the front tires in contact with the rock face. There were a few interesting moments, but ultimately we were able to work our way to the top.
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VS 410 at Badrock
With Calico Basin complete, I wanted to get a bit more trail time with these tires on the VS 410, so it was back to Badrock for a few more crawling sessions. Our first stop was Highline trail, with a few specific sections planned out for some specific performance testing. Highline trail is a large rock spine protruding out from an utterly massive sandstone formation, whittled away by water erosion and rock fractures. This choppy, slanted block of sandstone has become one of our more favored crawling spots due to its technical difficulty and stunning beauty. |
Starting up the right side of Highline trail.
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Ready for another trail with the JConcepts Hold tires.
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Usually, we attack this trail from the left side, wrapping up a series of nasty steps and ledges, but today we opted for a right-side approach.
The rock on the right side is looser with pebbles, sand, and rock fragments littering the trail. Our thought is that the Hold tires would be much better suited to this kind of loose terrain rather than the larger, smoother slabs. Running up from the valley below, indeed the Holds made short work of the loose rock fragments, easily crawling its way up small piles of scree collected around the base of the rocks. |
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Moving up higher, the smaller rock piles gave way to the larger stone slabs defining the upper sections of Highline trail.
This is where rubber compound becomes important, and the Holds worked overtime to stick to the tilted chunks of rock. We’ve made it to the top of this trail a few times with other tires, and in comparison, the Holds struggled somewhat with traction due to the large tire lugs not conforming to the rock’s tiny imperfections. This didn’t come as a big surprise in that the Holds are an aggressive off-road / bogging tire, rather than a rock-crawling specific tire. |
Hanging out the laundry on this steep climb.
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That said, we were able to make it to the top without too much of a fight. I found this interesting because I didn’t think the Holds would have enough traction to cling to the smoother slabs, and I still harbored some doubts as to if this was a fluke of a trail run.
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To take a closer look at the Hold’s level of surface traction, relative to the contact patch of the tire’s lugs and rubber compound, we headed over to a smooth tilted slab of sandstone for a few passes with the VS 410.
This slab is not only steep, but it has an odd tilt to the right which adds the additional challenge of keeping the truck from slipping off to the right. We made a number of passes at this line, filming from a few different angles to show how the truck handled the challenging climb. |
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As you can see, while slick and a bit tricky in a few areas, the VS 410 did better than anticipated in making it to the top on each attempt.
The surface of this rock is covered in a thin layer of eroding crust, resulting in a slick, sandy surface that crumbles away under the pressure of the truck. You can see at times I had to fish the steering to the left and right in order to find traction. Personally, I was rather impressed. I didn't think the truck would make it up this rock so easily, and it had me reconsidering my smooth-rock performance opinion about the Hold tire. |
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Final Thoughts
The Hold is the first tire from JConcepts which I find myself a bit surprised with in terms of overall performance in our desert terrain; it shouldn't climb technical rock as well as it has demonstrated. It's not a crawling tire, yet it can handle some difficult rock crawling trails.
In the crumbled and loose scree littering the bases of our rock formations and filling the bottom of our valley washes, the Holds were excellent. Loose terrain seems to be their sweet-spot, but as you spend more time on larger rock like our massive slabs of sandstone, you will see that most of the performance in terms of traction is being derived from the soft rubber compound of the tire and not lug engagement. That said, it’s oddly capable on steep, technical rock considering the lug design limitations. It clearly demonstrates how good of a rubber compound JConcepts uses for their crawler/trail tires.
Between the test trucks, the TRX-4 felt better suited for the Holds, and I see that as a function of the TRX-4’s weight (3988g) being nearly 900 grams heavier than our Vanquish VS 410 Pro (3102g). The heavier weight forces the thick lugs to bend and conform more to the rock’s surface, improving overall traction.
For the VS 410, the Holds did an admirable job both at Badrock Ridge and Calico Basin. They were able to handle a variety of terrain better than expected, and I was most surprised to see their performance on slick, steep rock.
On a lighter truck such as our Element Enduro, you might struggle with finding the ideal foam setup for this tire. The thick lugs stiffen up the underlying carcass, and on steep ascents you’ll notice the front tires wandering a bit rather than hooking in.
There are other offerings from JConcepts better suited for rock crawling and technical trails, and I think a similar but better crawling tire is the Tusk. From our testing, the VS 410 performs better with the Tusk compared to the Holds, but I also place the Holds performance over the Hunks ( another JConcepts tire which we reviewed ).
In conclusion, if the curb appeal of the Holds catches your eye and nicely compliments your build, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
The Hold is the first tire from JConcepts which I find myself a bit surprised with in terms of overall performance in our desert terrain; it shouldn't climb technical rock as well as it has demonstrated. It's not a crawling tire, yet it can handle some difficult rock crawling trails.
In the crumbled and loose scree littering the bases of our rock formations and filling the bottom of our valley washes, the Holds were excellent. Loose terrain seems to be their sweet-spot, but as you spend more time on larger rock like our massive slabs of sandstone, you will see that most of the performance in terms of traction is being derived from the soft rubber compound of the tire and not lug engagement. That said, it’s oddly capable on steep, technical rock considering the lug design limitations. It clearly demonstrates how good of a rubber compound JConcepts uses for their crawler/trail tires.
Between the test trucks, the TRX-4 felt better suited for the Holds, and I see that as a function of the TRX-4’s weight (3988g) being nearly 900 grams heavier than our Vanquish VS 410 Pro (3102g). The heavier weight forces the thick lugs to bend and conform more to the rock’s surface, improving overall traction.
For the VS 410, the Holds did an admirable job both at Badrock Ridge and Calico Basin. They were able to handle a variety of terrain better than expected, and I was most surprised to see their performance on slick, steep rock.
On a lighter truck such as our Element Enduro, you might struggle with finding the ideal foam setup for this tire. The thick lugs stiffen up the underlying carcass, and on steep ascents you’ll notice the front tires wandering a bit rather than hooking in.
There are other offerings from JConcepts better suited for rock crawling and technical trails, and I think a similar but better crawling tire is the Tusk. From our testing, the VS 410 performs better with the Tusk compared to the Holds, but I also place the Holds performance over the Hunks ( another JConcepts tire which we reviewed ).
In conclusion, if the curb appeal of the Holds catches your eye and nicely compliments your build, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Evaluation Results
Technical Rock: 26/30
Large Slab ( Slick Rock ): 17/20
Tire Construction Quality and Appearance: 20/20
Rubber Compound: 20/20
Tread Life: 4/5
Versatility: 3/5
Total Score: 90/100
Technical Rock: 26/30
- The JConcepts Hold tires have an interesting tread pattern, and they performed better than expected when considering their unique tread pattern, but our test trucks struggled at times to find the right footing on some of the steeper technical rock formations. It felt as if the lugs were a bit too tall, leaving large voids between the lugs unable to make contact with the rock’s surface.
Large Slab ( Slick Rock ): 17/20
- Somewhat the same as noted above, they perform well despite their unusual tread pattern. A few times we were able to hook up on some steep blocks out on the trail, but the Holds aren’t ideally suited to this surface.
Tire Construction Quality and Appearance: 20/20
- The curb appeal of the Holds seems to be hit or miss, depending on the person, but there is no doubt as to their construction quality. Superb molding detail, excellent design to the tread pattern, flawless bead molding, and perfect carcass thickness. Robust and flexible, this level of quality is really the benchmark in the RC crawler tire industry.
Rubber Compound: 20/20
- JConcepts green rubber compound is one of the very best we have tested. It’s sticky, pliable, and performs well under a wide range of temperatures.
Tread Life: 4/5
- The large lugs running around the outside were starting to show some wear after a few trail sessions, but it’s to be expected with such a prominent and squared lug shape.
Versatility: 3/5
- The Holds are a unique tire, but definitely not our first choice for Badrock Ridge. There’s no question that the wide lugs would shine in loose or muddy terrain, but on hard rock, you’re gonna need to really dial in the foams to handle tricky lines. They are less forgiving than other tires we’ve tested.
Total Score: 90/100
Specs
- JConcepts The Hold - Performance 1.9" Scaler Tire
- Part Number: 4027-02
- Weight: 70 grams without insert
- Rubber Material: Soft Green Compound
- Directional: Yes
- Size: 120mm x 45mm
- Retail Price: $38.00 per pair
- Test Foams: Crawler Innovations 4.5" Lil' Nova, Comp Cut, Soft (front) Medium (rear).
- Test Crawlers: Vanquish VS 410 Pro and Traxxas TRX-4 2021 Bronco
- Link: JConcepts The Hold
Vanquish VS 410 Pro out on the trail with the JConcepts Hold tires.