Question about radial Swamper ply ratings.

[Josh83]

Is one 10-ply radial swamper as good as another 10-ply radial swamper in terms of sidewall strength? I ask because I am trying to decide between 36x12.5R16 TSL radials and 35x12.5R16 TrXus radial. I know the TrXus are said to have good for radial sidewall strength, but I'm really wanting that 36.

 

[woody]

Swamper radials are weak in the sidewall....the TrXus may be better.

IMO, IROK's.....

 

[Mace]

Why is radial such a concern?

 

[Josh83]

Swamper radials are weak in the sidewall....the TrXus may be better.

IMO, IROK's.....

The only thing that concerns me with the Irok is the LARGE actual size of the 36's(from what I've read). I'm trying to fit these on an 80 with fairly low lift and without just cutting all the fender off.

 

[Josh83]

Why is radial such a concern?

All the trails are an hour and a half or more away, so I'm unsure about the comfort level and durability of bias TSL's with lots of highway use. It will not be a daily driver, however I do want something I can stand on the road.

 

[jkravito]

I'm in the same boat. Most of the decent trails are at least 90 minutes away. Any recommendations on tires that will hold up well to streets and perform in the east coast mud?

 

[Mace]

BFG mud terrains..

Or the truxx.

Irock's will wear too quickly.

And if you want a good highway ride you are not going to get an excellent mud tire.

 

[Josh83]

BFG mud terrains..

Or the truxx.

Irock's will wear too quickly.

And if you want a good highway ride you are not going to get an excellent mud tire.

I'm not really looking for a "good" highway ride, that is what the 100 is for. I just don't know what to expect from a bias ply tire. What I really want is the 13x36x16 TSL's, or maybe the Q78x16. What kind of mileage can I expect out of the bias TSL's on a 6K pound rig?

 

[Mace]

It depends on who you talk to and what psi you run on the street.

I know people that claim 35K on a set of 35" boggers.

and then I know a guy that ran a set of 38x11.50 boggers out in 6K miles.

get the TSL's if you want bullet proof or the SX's if you want really bulletproof..

 

[HI^C]

NO issues with the SSR's street or trail,

wear alot better then SX's

The only time i have had a problem with SSR sidewall was my buddy hit a concret porch on the corner at about 10 mph, well a brand new 37 was nice after that.

 

[Curran]

Josh,
Most of the trails I wheel are at least 2 hours away. My truck (DD) has 35" Trxus and so far I'm happy w/ the sidewall durability and the tread life. The two guys in town that I wheel with both have Q78 TSL bias ply swampers and love them. One of the trucks is a D90 daily driver that sees about 25K miles a year and the other truck is a two door G-Wagon. Both vehicles are lighter than the 80, and both sets of tires are too new for me to give you feedback about tire life, but they wheel like mad. Thus far the only real complaint the owners have is cold morning flat spots but they were expecting that.

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

I found this thread while searching for info on bias ply Super Swampers.

I want to upgrade to an aggressive off-road tire from the BFG MTs I have been running for the last few years. The rig is a FJ40 with 2F, H41, dual 'lockers, SUA and the 'wheeling I do is here in the Pacific Northwest, so typically muddy, rutted trails that often include hill climbs, along with rocks and tree root ledges to climb over, and off-camber sections as well.

Like others guys have mentioned, I have to drive a minimum of 90 minutes on the highway to reach the trailhead. Thus radial tires sound attractive, but I have also seen how weak radial sidewalls are - I have personally killed two BFG MTs that way and have a buddy that tore-out the sidewall on a 'Swamper TSL radial 36X12.5R15 tire (in this case, perhaps too much sidewall? Maybe a 17 inch wheel would be a better choice for a larger diameter tire like this?)

Currently I have 'wheeling buddies running both radial and bias-ply Super Swampers, both IROKs and TSLs. The IROKs are truly awesome tires but are very $pendy and predominately are in larger sizes (I'm looking for 33 - 35 inch tires.) The LTB line looks attractive because of the price, but I want a wider tire than the 34X10.5 and I remember reading last year here on MUD someone saying that they hated the 33X13.5 LTB, so I'm wary of those.

Anyone have suggestions/comments/information to add to this discussion?

Thanks!

Alan

 

[liljlandon]

I got 48000+ out of a set of TRXUS, and im on my second set. They tend to 'chip' easy when the rocks get sharp, and ive had a couple of really close calls when it came to sidewall, but the old set would have lasted me the summer, but, bad ball joint on the rig they were on originally laid wake for irregular wear... and im more than happy with my new set

 

[BionicCruiser]

i ran 36x14.5-15 radial TSL's on my 40 for a few years. i hate them! i've damaged 2 side walls and had to buy new tires( 1 on a branch, 1 on rocks). they are 2ply sidewalls. if you go to interco's web site and look up the tires, it will tell you exactly what the tread and sidewall ply #'s are. i just put on bias iroks. my rig doesn't see the highway use, but the cost of buying a new tire each year makes it worth dealing with a bias IMHO. for wear, i don't have enough experience with that, sorry.
i love the traction in snow and rocks with the swampers. that's mostly what i run in.

 

[Tapage]

I love the SSR thought they have a great on road and off road combination .. then with the TLS SX .. and will pass over the truxuss to BFG if you like much better off road manners ..

 

[JasonH]

I'm on my 3rd set of radial Swampers (currently 37" Iroks) and I've never had a problem with them. Of course I might just be lucky or I wheel like a puss. They're a great combo tire. I never felt like I compromised off road. On road they're a little noisy. They're surprisingly smooth though. The Iroks seem to be wearing a little quicker than the TSL radials I had.

 

[lowenbrau]

SSRs do everything well except sidewalls. I think it is about the best compromise of a street and muddy trail tire but if you really wheel you'll wreck more than a few sidewalls. Moving up to a 16 or 17 inch rim probably helps as does choosing a 10 ply version over a 6 ply. I went with Toyo MTs this time and they are better on the highway and way worse on the trail but, so far, no cut sidewalls.

I really like the radial iroks as well but you'll be replacing them regularly.

 

[Tapage]

I thought the Iroks are 100% off road tires .. when you said Toyo OC MT are 100% on road tires with off road look ...

The SSR and TLS side walls, depends on your kind of offroad. In my case we do 99% mud with more mud and mud .. so not really a big chance to cut a sidewall with a rock .. ( I've seen cases here ).

 

[FJFOOL]

I have 14.5x36x15 TSL Radials on my 40, and it hurts $$ when you tear out a sidewall. I like their performance on and off-road, but I'll get something else next time, most likely TSL bias ply.

 

[Greg_B]

Moving up to a 16 or 17 inch rim probably helps as does choosing a 10 ply version over a 6 ply.

I think that might be part of the key. I don't wheel mine near enough to really comment on sidewall durability, however I can say I've bounced around a few root strewn areas and taken a valve stem off. Don't balance that great, and tire pressure/rotation is critical for even wear on the highway (higher is better). Chunk in the rocks. My tires are over 5 years old, so balance and chunking may be a different experience with current composition. Been to Alaska and back, numerous runs up to Deka Lake 4.5 hours north of me, lots of gravel travel in local back roads, a few interesting trails, as well as daily driving around town.

Ohh - 35x10.5x16SSR's on my BJ74.

gb