I ride a 29er XC hardtail, and recently switched the front from a 2.3 Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, to a 2.2 Vittoria Saguaro TNT. I didn’t like the handling of the XR4 — I found it vague and imprecise. With the Saguaro the handling is much improved, which I feel is due to the narrower and rounder profile, thicker sidewalls, and the tighter tread pattern. FWIW, the wheel rim width is 28mm outside, 23mm inside. The 2.3 XR4 was pretty fat on the rim, and the thin sidewalls of the Team Issue version didn’t help the handling I think.
I still have a 2.3 XR3 Team on the rear, but I am looking at swapping that out for a 2.1 or 2.2 Vittoria TNT AKA, Mezcal, or similar….something with a bit stiffer casing. I get the sense that I am losing climbing power from the thin casing of the XR3 Team (I may be just imagining that, but I won’t know until I swap tires). I may get a slightly harsher ride with a narrower, stiffer rear tire, but I’ll have to see if that’s something I can live with.
So to answer the OP’s question: Yes, I was riding too much tire (on the front at least).