tire question

k2500 · #1 08-21-2006, 01:10 AM

I have an interest in a set of 34x10.5 Swamper Ltbs. Heard good things but don't know if they are the right set for my rig. It will see trails, mud, snow, rocks, and a fair amount of pavement.

94 K2500. Its a 5spd NV4500 with a locked rear end 4.10 gears and some 33 inch mudders (minor rubbing at times). Its got decent clearance but I want more.

Future mods
Rock sliders and some heavy duty skid plates.

Dirty Dog · #2 08-21-2006, 11:03 AM

They're a great off road tire. They are a terrible pavement tire. They will not do well in snow (no siping, big tred blocks, bias ply...)
If you're trying to build a multi function rig, you'd be better off with a set of their SSR's.

Terry Hubbard · #3 08-21-2006, 10:08 PM

I agree............if you drive on the pavement more than off-road, you will HATE those tires.

74BRONCO · #4 08-29-2006, 03:32 PM

The reason they are not a good pavement tire is because they are bias ply, not radial, which means there will be flat spots from parking for any extented period of time and they stay that way until they warm up a bit.

I also agree that they can be bad in snow, but you have to define the conditions a bit more. On snow packed or melting snow, they would be terrible, but I would bet they would do good if you're breaking trail in the fresh stuff. The side lugs help a lot here. My reasoning for believing this is because my cousin's TSL's (a radial LTB) would keep going after my SSR's stopped.

If these are used tires, check them closely and make sure it's a good deal...the LTB's are fairly cheap as far as Swampers are concerned. I think what you're looking for is around $130/ea. new.

J.D.

k2500 · #5 08-30-2006, 02:03 PM

I would by them brand new so i know they are in good shape. I am not interested in this tire because it will be good on road. Athough this is on my daily driver i will gladly give up some on road performance to enable me to break trail in the deep stuff and claw my way up any hill i see. I also like this tire because of the size. It should fit about the same as my 33's despite being an inch taller.

74BRONCO · #6 08-31-2006, 07:01 AM

There are a few AT tires out there that work reasonably well off-road. In my experience they have been the BFG AT, Rugged Trails, Yokaham Geolander AT's, Procomps, Nitto, Toyo...

If you're looking for a more aggressive cheap tire, there aren't many to look at. There are some non-name brand tires that do OK, but I don't know the names. Maybe check out the IROK;s, I don't know the price there either.

J.D.

k2500 · #7 09-03-2006, 01:07 AM

I figure someone would come out with the AT solution. Yes they are good performing ats, but any AT is not up to par with the more agresive mud tires.

Bill · #8 09-04-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by k2500
I figure someone would come out with the AT solution. Yes they are good performing ats, but any AT is not up to par with the more agresive mud tires.

That depends on the terrain you are traversing. The MTs will do better in thick mud (duh!). They also have a slight edge in deep powder snow and steep, loose climbing. The ATs will pretty much keep up on rocks and packed dirt and actually do a little better than MTs on ice, hard packed snow and slickrock. I think the ATs are a very viable option for the Rocky Mountains especially if your rig will see significant street time.

'89Burb · #9 09-04-2006, 06:14 PM

BFG M/Ts. They set the standard for combining road manners and off-road functionality. There are tires out there that will beat them in either on-road or off-road, but not many that can top them when you take both into consideration.

As heavy as your truck is, you really should go with radials instead of bias. If, however, you decide to give up on-road manners, then check out Pit Bull Tires. I've read lots of good things about the trail performance of each of their models - with the corresponding sacrifices on the street. If you're thinking Interco, then why not Boggers? They're pretty much the ultimate trail tire for every condition except slickrock - including the "deep stuff." Because they're wider than most other tires, you'd have problems rubbing unless you went with a smaller size.

If you drive in lots of snow on-road and decide upon a M/T tire (anybody's), get them siped. That will help a little bit with your traction - the biggest complaint against siping is that it can encourage chunking, but I didn't have too many problems on my BFGs.

k2500 · #10 09-06-2006, 12:17 AM

I realy like the input but I am on a pretty strict budget. I am in colledge so dollars count right now that is why I am very seriously considering the LTBs they are only like 130 a peice