Super Swamper TSL/SX - any good for hard terrain desert racing?

[the frog]

this is the toughest offroad tire i know - diagonal, high ply rating, a bit heavy, best in ruts, rocky terrain and really bad ground.

anyone ever tried this tire on a desert racer for very bad and nasty ground that eats up tires for breakfast? :p ?

somehow it seemed to me like a reasonable idea but i would like to know if anyone actually tried it.

[MikeLeung]

No self respecting desert racer would ever be caught using those

[dezertboy69]

are you serious?? super swampers?? maybe they would work... but you would need the other required equipment on your race vehicle.... like 1) a gunrack 2)a swamp cooler and 3) a six pack of pabst blue ribbon!!!!

[MikeLeung]

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/Mike_Leung/mullet.jpg

[Dezertpilot]

You guys all forget hes in a different part of the world. His terrain might be a lot different than what we race on.

[the frog]

so you're saying it's a redneck tire? :p ?

now seriously, why not? what makes it such a no no?

[MikeLeung]

For one...with any kind of horsepower, those lugs will rip right off.

[Lance T]

I've seen them blow at high way speeds...not pretty. Bias Ply = scary!!!

[bomber]

They're not meant for high speeds, that would be their main weakness.

[Chaplain]

The SX is a very very heavy tire that eats axles for breakfast. I ran the TSL Q78 bias plys (odd ball size 36.5x10x15) for years on my rockcrawler but that was before Goodyear had MTR's and BFG had Krawlers. MHO is outside of running through a mudhole in Florida the swampers are 15-years behind the competition.

I would buy some BFG Krawlers and be done with it.

[harleys dad]

They suck worce than any tire on earth. I would rather run a flat tire of any other make than ever put a super swampper on my vehicle again!!!!!

[fabnahorse]

TSL SX's are killer tires for rocks. I swapped from a BFG MT to them when I was rock crawling and couldn't believe the difference. When I started getting go-fast dreams I was using them to pre-run. At 28psi they were all over the place. I ran them at 12-15psi at speed. Helped soften some really weak suspension. Haha!! They worked great with about 50% tread....until the bands started breaking. Ha!! They didn't last long at all. Not recommended. If your terrain is rough and rocky, I would go for the Toyo's.

[gunit]

They are a great tire for Arizona desert terrain going slow in the rocks but thet are not the best for racing. The sidewalls are very tough, I have them on my Jeep but I run BFG's on my prerunner and race car.

[harleys dad]

I was given a set that I put on my truck that had a lifetime warranty, after the 7th set of tires enough was enough. The tread would come off in big pieces, about the size of large soft balls. I herd every excuse known to man why the tread would come off. They were horrible. Never had a problem getting a new set under the warrenty, but I could not go anywhere with out the worry of the tread comming completly off. The 1st time I had just arrived at Barstow pulling my 2 seater and just happend to look down and there was a football size piece missing from the inside of the back tread. I finally convinced them to put BFG on it and no more problems. I just threw away 3 brand new never driven on 38-12.50-16.5s that I had 0 faith in and would never sell something like that to some poor un suspecting person. NO WAY!!! I would not give them away. I cannot stress how bad I think they are!!!

[the frog]

o.k. got the picture.

only problem is that the BFG M/T KM2 i use are almost flattened after about
200 miles :(

they are loosing all the tread very quickly and i simply cannot afford buying new ones all the time. it seems to me that running 20 tires or more in one season is way too much.

any suggestions for a more durable tire?

[Pharaoh XJ]

BFG BAJAs

[the frog]

yes but we do'nt have those in Israel and they are very expensive to import
from the U.S.

do you have these tires in Egypt?

if you do maybe i'll drop by and get some ;)

[PT9Baja]

Sounds like maybe too agressive a tread for the terrain maybe try BFG A/T s

[DustJunkie]

We run them on our jeepspeed and they work great

[DustJunkie]

As far as toughness goes, there is none better. Example, Terribles Primm 250 08', In heavy dust, I hit a beachball sized rock that we launched sideways off. We almost rolled! I felt the tire losing pressure, but ran hard and continued. The tire finally went flat and we were running all out on the Staun Beadlock. After about 25 miles running on the runflat, it finally went away and Dan Turner and I had to change the tire. We did and continued racing. Back at the shop we figured out what happened. The rock bent and cracked the rim, (mandatory wheel.) We ran the 25 miles on a flat tire, when the beadlock tube finally popped and we changed the tire we thought it would be junk. There wasn't a scuff on the tire or the beadlock liner, but the wheel was junk. I installed a new wheel and tube and continued to race on the same tire. We have had a lot of similiar experiences with wheels and have taken huge hits on the tires/beadlocks without issues. We have cut 2 or 3 tires the same way, with the wheel after the wheel broke and we continued to run on a flat. We have had huge chunks of sidewall missing and finished races.


I woldn't run them on a tow vehicle, but they have not let me down in the desert....ever.

[the frog]

We run them on our jeepspeed and they work great


how fast does your jeepspeed run?

would it reach 100MPH?

if it does and there are no issues because of the tire being giagonal and hard to balance, then it seems to me it would suit my needs for those hard courses.

BTW, i'm talking about the 38"x12.5"x16.5" tires.

[Wild bill]

I ran the super swampers on a 79 bronco mud racing truck. Worked great in mud. I would easly exceed 100 mph tire speeds at lauch and never threw any tread. I would not recommend the swampers for the desert because they are hard to balance, very stiff and harsh, and would borrow in the silt. Now if baja got 4" of rain the night before a race, I would race them in a heartbeat. The chances of that happens are nil.

[Pharaoh XJ]

yes but we do'nt have those in Israel and they are very expensive to import
from the U.S.

do you have these tires in Egypt?

if you do maybe i'll drop by and get some ;)

No we dont, we dont get BFGs at all :)
looks like I am the one who will be dropping by to get some ATs :p

[DustJunkie]

My car does reach 100mph pretty regularly, and they balance out fine.

The 33x12.50x15 bias ply tsl is 4lbs lighter than the 33x12.50x15 bfg baja radial, on scales, not advertised weights.

[lowdownndirty]

frog how about a list of tires you can get, and then let these guys give you opions on what tire would work out best for you.just a thought.

[Triaged]

frog how about a list of tires you can get, and then let these guys give you opions on what tire would work out best for you.just a thought.This!

[the frog]

Dustjunkie - the tires in the pics look in great shape.

are they new?

ever had chunks of rubber fall?

do they wear a lot?

do they provide good grip?

thank you for your patience..... :)

[DustJunkie]

I used to run BFG Baja's and these last longer and hook up way better.

It handles night and day better.

The picture is after 2 races and prerunning. They do start to wear after long races in Lucerne where there are a lot of rocks, but have not chunked or lost whole lugs.

I am limited on my motor with just over 200 hp, so that may be a factor as well.