Interco Super Swamper TSL SX2-65?

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Grench

Grench

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I did a brief search and didn't find anything here on the TSL SX2-65. Sorry if this winds up being a repeat thread.

I've worn out my Duratracs (315/75R16) and am evaluating options. I webstumbled into Interco's site and found the listing for their TSL SX2-65 tires. They're 35.2" diameter 10" wide tires for 16x8" rims. The SX2 are a sipped version of the TSL.
| Interco Tire

Does anyone have experience with the TSL SX2 tires? Is anyone running the SX2-65?

The Duratracs have been pretty good to me - great winter tire. So I'm also considering sticking with them - that would be a less expensive option.

So - opinions?
 
Way different animal than the goodyears you have been running. The swampers will make lots of noise, they weigh a ton, they will not last nearly as long, but they will work better in mud/rocks/offroad. I've owned a set of the 38.5's and loved them for a trail only trailer queen but wouldn't consider using them on a street truck.
 
I echo girupb verbatim.
 
I had 37" Boggers on the old Lx450 & it was a kick in the butt!

I had a easy go of things others would wheelspin (mud here) - but with Intercos & my 5.29's it was a PITA if you thought you wanted to go over 60mph.

I had the teflon beads for weight, and in reality I kept it 50-55 max, it wasn't a tire suited to the freeway & I knew it going in.

I also had my black 80 wearing GY 1st gen MTR's then, so really planned if I was going somewhere on I-5 where you expect even the slow lane to do 60mph most places.

Intercos are awesome if you have a 'sensible shoes' rig to go over 55mph with, as a single vehicle owner, no way.

As long as you don't need to break 55mph all the way to a trailhead, awesome - go for it!! It was a huge advantage here in wet loamy / mossy rocked trails.

The current owner still runs them last I heard - it's somewhere here in WA still.
 
I ran the original SX's a long time ago.
first off, it is a bias ply tire so it is going to have horrible road manners. and of all the bias ply tires it is the stiffest carcass so it is even less compliant for comfort

in my opinion this is a "TRAILER TO THE TRAIL ONLY" tire
 
Dylan is right if you live in a hotter climate than me.
There's a legit reason for the 'OR use only' designator.

Where I am & as cold as the pavement & your tires stay (significant to mention) - 55 was as fast as I felt safe, and planned trips using state hwys where 55 is max speed here.

They were fun tho!

Edit: I got mine cheap on a 'buyer remorse' thing, Discount tire retails them & a buddy called me who heard they had these - mine were $150/ea (~2010?), no clue real retail. They just wanted them gone.
 
girupb said:
Way different animal than the goodyears you have been running. The swampers will make lots of noise, they weigh a ton, they will not last nearly as long, but they will work better in mud/rocks/offroad. I've owned a set of the 38.5's and loved them for a trail only trailer queen but wouldn't consider using them on a street truck.
Click to expand...

Maybe it would help to walk through my thoughts in more detail and why it is a conundrum for me. My truck is neither a trailer queen nor a mall crawler. It isn't a dedicated rock crawler or mud truck, but it sees those conditions far more often than most.

Years ago I ran a set of the original GY MTR tires in 33". They howled a bit on the highway, felt greasy at high speeds and snow traction was abysmal. But - like the older version of TSLs they had no siping and were made out of an insanely hard compound. They were awesome in deep snow and mud.

The GY Duratracs have great snow traction and are relatively quiet. They dropped my gas mileage by 10% (yes, I'm speedometer corrected to size & gearing). They're very soft compound and have been prone to mild chunking. 315 is a really wide tire - and these are 65lbs each. They rubbed a bit on the front under trail compression at moderate speeds - no issue with rubbing while crawling under full compression. From what I've been able to deduce, they rubbed because of tire width, not diameter. I have 4 of these at the end of their service life and a 7 year old spare that hasn't hit the road. With tax & mounting, 3 new ones plus bringing the old spare into use comes out to $860 or just under $290 per tire.

Now, in theory, these TSL SX2 tires supposedly have a bit softer compound than the old TSL and they're moderately well siped - which is something 'new' to the TSL line with the SX2 version. They're 2" narrower than the 315s and stand 35.2" tall - which is the skinniest 35" tire I'm finding. These are 70lbs each - so not dramatically heavier than the Duratrac 315s. With tax & mounting, 5 new ones (full set brand new) comes to $1440 or just under $290 per tire.

Complicating the picture, I live 8 hours from anywhere interesting. The end result must do 80mph on the highway for extended periods - which is a concern I have with the TSL idea from reports on the pre-SX2 version. At the end of that ride, though, are rocks, roots and depending on direction - mud. I also have to take into account the ~60 days a year of snow covered roads - I daily drive this truck in the winter. The old TSL with it's ultra-hard compounds and no siping was not something I would consider for this. The new SX2 though? I can't seem to find any solid reviews from people who actually own them in sub-37" sizes - on any vehicle.

Anything I get has to be a compromise between highway, trail, snow and mileage. Is the SX2 version of the TSL enough of a hybrid to make it workable enough outside of trail use?
 
You couldn't pay me to take mine to 80 (yes, theoretical on 5.29's), the difference between 55 & 60 was a big enough jump.

Yes, 37's but this is still just my op after ~2.5-3yrs having on my recreation FZJ80.
No way, not 80mph. My opinion.
 
after the SX's I ran Boggers 35x16r15

they were noisier but otherwise behaved better then the SX. and that's saying something cuz the Bogger is a handful.

after decades in the off road industry, if you want a bad ass tire that performs off road -- BFG Crawler. all those other tractor looking tires don't really perform, and certainly not without 800hp
 
the siping is insignificant when compared to the large unstable lugs and bias ply construction.
 
For those who are looking for pizza cutters - I did some math. The TSL SX2-65 35x10-16 tires under consideration work out to be the equivalent of 228/107 R16. 9" tread width, 35.2" tall on a 16" rim.
Tire Size Comparison

At this point I'm leaning towards just getting 3 more Duratracs and revisiting this again in 5-7 years when I wear through them. That was the original plan when I didn't rotate the 5th tire in.

The part that is scaring me away from the TSL SX2-65s is the highway performance. Being capable of sustained 80mph travel is pretty much a requirement on Nebraska's interstates. Go much slower than that and you risk being run over - even in an 80. I like the tall skinny tire concept, but I wish there were a few more options in this kind of sizing.

Supercharged, 4.88s and 35" Duratracs has been a good combination at sustained speeds of 80mph (3K RPM) and wasn't overtly frightening at 95 for a short stint.
 
Grench said:
Maybe it would help to walk through my thoughts in more detail and why it is a conundrum for me. My truck is neither a trailer queen nor a mall crawler. It isn't a dedicated rock crawler or mud truck, but it sees those conditions far more often than most.

Years ago I ran a set of the original GY MTR tires in 33". They howled a bit on the highway, felt greasy at high speeds and snow traction was abysmal. But - like the older version of TSLs they had no siping and were made out of an insanely hard compound. They were awesome in deep snow and mud.

The GY Duratracs have great snow traction and are relatively quiet. They dropped my gas mileage by 10% (yes, I'm speedometer corrected to size & gearing). They're very soft compound and have been prone to mild chunking. 315 is a really wide tire - and these are 65lbs each. They rubbed a bit on the front under trail compression at moderate speeds - no issue with rubbing while crawling under full compression. From what I've been able to deduce, they rubbed because of tire width, not diameter. I have 4 of these at the end of their service life and a 7 year old spare that hasn't hit the road. With tax & mounting, 3 new ones plus bringing the old spare into use comes out to $860 or just under $290 per tire.

Now, in theory, these TSL SX2 tires supposedly have a bit softer compound than the old TSL and they're moderately well siped - which is something 'new' to the TSL line with the SX2 version. They're 2" narrower than the 315s and stand 35.2" tall - which is the skinniest 35" tire I'm finding. These are 70lbs each - so not dramatically heavier than the Duratrac 315s. With tax & mounting, 5 new ones (full set brand new) comes to $1440 or just under $290 per tire.

Complicating the picture, I live 8 hours from anywhere interesting. The end result must do 80mph on the highway for extended periods - which is a concern I have with the TSL idea from reports on the pre-SX2 version. At the end of that ride, though, are rocks, roots and depending on direction - mud. I also have to take into account the ~60 days a year of snow covered roads - I daily drive this truck in the winter. The old TSL with it's ultra-hard compounds and no siping was not something I would consider for this. The new SX2 though? I can't seem to find any solid reviews from people who actually own them in sub-37" sizes - on any vehicle.

Anything I get has to be a compromise between highway, trail, snow and mileage. Is the SX2 version of the TSL enough of a hybrid to make it workable enough outside of trail use?
Click to expand...

I read all of this but all that sticks in my head is 80mph and long distance to trails.....

You obviously would like the SX2 but all I can say is bad idea.

BTW, 5lbs is a huge difference regarding the weight of a tire or rotating mass.
 
Just tossing this out there, no clue feasability for you:

What about trailering a set of designated wheel/tires (or 3 in back, 1 on a tire carrier /bumper)?
Best of both worlds, lets you purchase a few more Duratracs to keep on the rig & a dedicated set of whatever Intercos really make you happy happy happy.

The Boggers I had I knocked a few of the wider treadblock outer shoulders off on all 4 of them, so it was good I was as cautious as I was about speed.

I remember towards the end when I just sold it complete that I was thinking of grabbing some more wheels, run some BFG AT's (or similar) & keep my Boggers for when we were going out & esp if we camped/multi-day trip.

It's cheaper than having 2 complete 80's or insurance on multicar situation - the guy who bought mine was sold on my Boggers, otherwise I'd be floating 2 sets of tires.
 
LINUS said:
Just tossing this out there, no clue feasability for you:

What about trailering a set of designated wheel/tires (or 3 in back, 1 on a tire carrier /bumper)?
Best of both worlds, lets you purchase a few more Duratracs to keep on the rig & a dedicated set of whatever Intercos really make you happy happy happy.

It's cheaper than having 2 complete 80's or insurance on multicar situation - the guy who bought mine was sold on my Boggers, otherwise I'd be floating 2 sets of tires.
Click to expand...

I gave it some thought but can't swing it. When I do wheeling trips it is usually a family of 4 with enough gear for a week in the back and often have two boats on the roof. I have a full height Milford barrier - which is good considering I pack it tight to the roof for these trips.

The obvious option would be to pull a trailer - and then need to swap wheels and chain the trailer to a tree at the trail head - and return there. One of my favorite travel tricks is to use trails to connect from feature to feature. For example, cross over the Medano pass from just South of Colorado Springs into the North end of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument and continue on West from there. It's a one way trip in those types of scenarios - or drag a trailer over the trail - which could be entertaining.

But the reality sets in and crushes that daydream. At that point I'm looking at nearly $2500 in tires plus a set of 5 additional wheels plus a suitable trailer. The :princess: would kill me.

I had originally purchased the Duratracs as a do-it-all pretty OK tire. Although I love the concept of the pizza cutter TSL tires, the forum has spoken and I'll probably be better off just sticking with the Duratracs for another cycle.
 
Why not BFG krawlers or a good set of Radial Mud Terrains? I just put some Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ on my lx450 but I got them cheap through PepBoys. Almost too many tire options out there to consider. Another would be ProComp's Mud Terrain. If I'm not mistaken they even give a mileage warranty and 30 day satisfaction guarantee. I have no experience with them though.

Good luck.
 
TSL and Mickey Thompson's sucked on my 80, not very good road manners and also had way to much chunking for my liking.

Finally ended up with BFG's and I was pleasantly surprised.
 
As previously stated, there is a significant difference between a bias ply off road tire vs. a radial street tire. Years ago I used to run TSL/SXs to and from trails on the highway. This is not fun in any weather and downright dangerous in the rain. I hand siped the center lugs to try to improve road manners and that did nothing but increase the amount of chunking on the rocks.
After I had an internal belt failure at highway speed with my family in the truck, I bought an M416 to haul tires to/from events and swap them. Yes, it's a hassle and a little time consuming, but it is a safer way to travel IMO.
Currently I run Duratracs for the street and bias TSLs for the woods. I would have gone with the TSL/SX, but they weren't available in my size when I needed them.

If could only have 1 set of tires, I would go with the Kevlar MTRs.
 
FWIW, I've ran about 20 different sets of M/T and A/T tires over the past decade....here are *MY* findings.

The 'best' of both worlds tire for me was the Super Swamper SSR. They're radial construction but still the TSL design. They have excellent highway manners **to be an aggressive tire** and I had no trouble getting mine 'close to perfect' balanced.

The 'second best' of both worlds tire for me was the BFG KM2. The KM2 didn't pull as well in the rocks or mud but they had better highway manners.

I live in the southeast so I generally wheel Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. Lots of loose rock/shale and mud/sand. Ultimately for an off-road tire you won't beat Interco TSL's...combine that with radial construction and you've got a good best of both worlds tire..not the best at either but there has to be give and take....again...just my opinion.
 
tacoma2002 said:
The 'best' of both worlds tire for me was the Super Swamper SSR. They're radial construction but still the TSL design. They have excellent highway manners **to be an aggressive tire** and I had no trouble getting mine 'close to perfect' balanced.
Click to expand...

The SSR is available in the size I'm after. Hmm... Initial price checks show them as coming in at roughly $400 per tire (ouch). But - since we're on the topic - tell me/us more about your SSR experiences? You qualified the 'excellent highway manners' per the class of tire - which makes sense. But, how bad was it at higher speeds?
 
I ran them in the 35" flavor on my Tacoma. I was able to maintain highway speeds of 75-80 no problem. They did vibrate about 65 (I only used standard weights) but smoothed out about 67. I have run them upwards to triple digit speeds (yes...it takes a while to get there) with no issues. I wouldn't recommend going that fast with our type of vehicles, but it can be done if you have the HP's. I didn't go to beads but I can only assume the 65-67 vibe was balancing because I never got them spot on with standard hammer on weights.

They're heavy.

They're expensive.

I wouldn't put them on a sports car...they'll be fine on an 80.

If you're dead set on a Swamper then I would go with these tires for your purpose. If my truck were still "dual purpose" this is no doubt what I'd run over and over again. I believe you'll be making a mistake trying to run an SX2 very far on the highway or at speed. The weight of the 80 VS a bias ply tire will prove to be fatal to the tires with much highway service in a relatively short period of time.

FWIW my tires had about 20k miles on them when I sold them and they were hard to tell from new without a depth gauge. I'd expect a little faster wear on the 80 since its almost twice the weight that my truck is....but they still wear like IRON.
 
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