36 inch Swamper TSL Radials

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Curran

Curran

Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Threads
64
Messages
809
Location
Frederick, MD
Another tire question...And yes I searched...
I know the Swamper SSR Radials are notorious for self destructing on trails and on the road, But I’m curious if any of you have tried a set of the TSL Radials? I’ve been surfing around the around the web and these seem to get good reviews as a compromise tire for a daily driver/weekend warrior rig. I’ve also watched some lighter weight trucks (D90s and Discos) run these with great success.
I realize that these will likely be louder than a set of MTRs and less durable than a set of bias ply swampers, but is it a legitimate tire worthy of consideration and will it hold up in the long run especially under the weight of an 80?
[For the record we’re talking about the 36x12.5R16 on stock alloy wheels w/ 1.25 in spacers on an East Coast 97 FZJ80 that sees 10% trail duty.]

:beer: :beer:
Gracias,
Curran
 
I've "never" trashed a sidewall in my life....

33x12.5 BFG MT's for 6 years....never a sidewall problem...

33x12.5 Swamper radials - junked 2 sidewalls in 3 months...

now, SX's, and again no problems.

IMO, nice ride, great traction, crappy sidewalls...
 
I had a friend who worked for 4wheel parts and at one of the J**p safaris (All4fun?)he said they replaced more Swamper radials than any other tire combined because of sidewall damage. That was in CO, so, not real close to you, but if that's the case I don't think I'd run'em.
 
I had the 37"x12.50xR15 TSL Radials and ended up getting a sidewall bulge the size of a chicken egg on one of them, they had over 50% tread left, Brad.
 
I ran 36x12.5x15 TSL Radials on my FJ40 through the Rubicon & chipped the sidewalls. Ran the same tires through the Dusy Trail, and squeezing past a tree created a large sidewall budge! glad it didn't fail until off the trail while airing up.

I have three good condition / 65% tread left for sale, Cheap!
 
The trXus MT's seem to be the only Interco radials that get decent reviews.
 
I have 5 of those waiting for duty under my 93 with J springs :o It should be on the road next week, I'll let you in on my impressions. Also, LMK if you'd like to see them mounted on the stockers - I will supply pics.
 
They be skinny!
P1010023_0.JPG
 
Curran,
Again, you need to remember that a bias ply tire is a lot tougher than a radial. If you wheel a radial tire, you may have sidewall issues. There is no way around it. Bottom line is no matter what, if you have only 1 set of tires, you can't have everything.
 
Bjowett, the tires look sweet, I hope they work out well for you. Let me know how they hold up.

[quote author=Junk link=board=2;threadid=14815;start=msg139327#msg139327 date=1081989267]
Curran,
Again, you need to remember that a bias ply tire is a lot tougher than a radial. If you wheel a radial tire, you may have sidewall issues. There is no way around it. Bottom line is no matter what, if you have only 1 set of tires, you can't have everything.
[/quote]

Yeah Junk, I understand this concept. I'm not looking for a tire that's as tough as an SX. I'm willing to give up the sidewall durability of a bias ply tire off-road for the stability and predictability of a radial tire on road. Unfortunately tires like MTRs and BFG MTs are not made in a 36 or even a true 35-inch size. Interco fills this niche, however, I'm not keen on quality control issues and design problems that folks report with the Swamper radials (SSR or TSL). I’m getting the feeling that the sidewalls of Swamper Radials are weaker than the sidewalls of MTRs or BFG MTs. Robbie's issues with his Trxuxs (closest to a true 35 IIRC) give reason for concen as well.

So I'm at a decision point. 315s or 37s? I'm in the process of collecting all the bits and pieces to add Christo's 6-inch springs and throw in 4.88s. In my mind 315s are the rational decision, but if I was halfway rational I’d still be driving my old Civic. 315s are not that much of a step over 285s and I don't want to spend all that cash to gain a whopping 0.85" of clearance under my diffs. On the other hand 37's are a whole lotta tire. I think the added clearance and benefits of the extra height would be awesome, but the added wear and tear on Birfs and brakes make me nervous. 37s would also require new wheels.

I'm looking for that one piece of the argument that has been eluding me for the past three weeks. 37 inch MTRs are on a nationwide backorder and 37 inch BFG MTs are even more money, so I have a few days to figure it out.

Thanks for any advice,

Curran
 
Curran - You're starting to sound like a woman, :flipoff2: :flipoff2:, bite the friggin bullet and give in, the shop i bought my MTRs from may have some left, i'll pm you with the number, Brad.
 
That hurts.
I prefer to think of myself as a cheap a$$.
Send me that number.

Who knows, If Kumar can do it, what am I worried about?
 
Bj, those are skinny! I forgot that they come in quite a bit narrower than the TSL.

If interco's #'s are accurate my 36" TSL's are closer to 13.5 instead of the 12.5 it says on the sidewall. I plan on running 13/36r16 on the 80 once it's not my wife's DD. :)

Junk is right. I'm not even sucking up to him so he doesn't flame on me. I actually agree.
 
What about IROK's? They come in 36x12.5 R 16's, 37x12.5 R 16's ($249/each), no need for new rims if you really don't want them).

Seems like everyone that runs them is fairly happy with them (only heard on neg. thing said).
 
Curran,

315s are not that much of a step over 285s and I don't want to spend all that cash to gain a whopping 0.85" of clearance under my diffs.
Click to expand...

If it helps here is a pic of a 35/12.5/16 Trxus MT next to a 285/75/16 BFG Mud. Something else FWIW, the BFG tire only weighed 52 lbs. at 15/32's tread depth and the Trxus weighed 75 lbs. new. Trxus with Stock Toyota steel wheel is 117 lbs.

Bill
 
[quote author=Photoman link=board=2;threadid=14815;start=msg139569#msg139569 date=1082028581] Trxus with Stock Toyota steel wheel is 117 lbs.

Bill
[/quote]

Looks like it's time to get the crane out of storage :rolleyes:
 
[quote author=Photoman link=board=2;threadid=14815;start=msg139569#msg139569 date=1082028581]
Curran,If it helps here is a pic of a 35/12.5/16 Trxus MT next to a 285/75/16 BFG Mud. Something else FWIW, the BFG tire only weighed 52 lbs. at 15/32's tread depth and the Trxus weighed 75 lbs. new. Trxus with Stock Toyota steel wheel is 117 lbs.

Bill
[/quote]
Ouch, 117 lbs...that alone would steal some power.

As for sizes, in that pic there is what 1.5" difference in height, maybe 2"? And that's a 285, and a 315 is atleast 1" taller (on paper 1.7") than the 285, so the difference from a 315 to that 'real' 35 is very little. Hardly worth it in my opinion, since the 315 MTRs just go fine, fit fine, good all around tires, with arguably better sidewalls than the TSL Radials.

Also another not talked about fact is with a softer tire (i.e. MTR) you may not have to airdown as much. Not even to the same height either. If you take a swamper, and air it down not only until it is slack, but to where it bends good around rocks, that might be down to say 10psi or whatever. Since you are going for the bending/forming around rocks, then the overall tire height (or better the diff height) might actually be lower than if you had aired down a MTR to where it formed the rocks as good) Since with the MTR you might not need as low of pressure, so the diff clearance would be better). So having the stiffer tire might actually hurt you clearance...just a thought.

Nothing against swampers, but more things to think about.
 
When i got my truxus they are rated a E rating 35/12.5/16 Mounted they measure just under 35 inches tall and on the truck at 22-24 psi they stand taller then a MTR with the same air pressure. Yes they ride harsh. On the trail at 12 psi they stand taller then the MTRs at 15-16 psi. So I have more under the Axle. As for durablilty on the trail they have held up so far. As for the other issues I have ordered some other tires to replace them 13/36/16 bias. Dev at Interco has worked out things with me and is giving me replacement for the Trxus. Dev's customer service has been great but has taken several month to come to the end. I will be running MTR as my daily driving tire and the Swampers as my trail tires. I am not in the same postion I was several months ago when I could only get one tire. I will pick up fuel milage with the MTR VS the Trxus (I believe 2-3 MPH, This is what I lost when I switched to the trxus). If I had to do it again I would get the MTR's for most of my miles are on the road. I would then save for trail tires asap. I think the MTR for lighter trucks works great, they wear great (50-60k miles), on lighter trucks they work better. On these heavy cruiser they get more damage at time then other trucks lighter truck I wheel with. I believe that running a Bias tire is the way to go off road for the heavy beast I have built. (over 6500 lbs). The MTR will be for camping and long distance hauls. The bias will be for the harder stuff.
I forgot to mention that the interco Irock is a big tire and any size you get you will be dealing with a really wide tire that may not fit on a curiser, look at the cross section. Also in looking at the irock It was taller then the tire size rated. The 37 was more liket a 38 and 14 wide on the cross section. that is a big tire for the 6 inch lift, you would be cutting alot to run that tire. later robbie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom