Super Swamper LTB or TSL?!?!

[DaveHillier]

What tire so you guys think is better in the mud? 33x13.50x15 LTBs or the 33x12.50x15 TSLs? My xj have a 6 1/2" lift right now with 33s. Just time for some new tires. I am looking at these tires because of their low prices and I want a bias ply tire.

 

[bj-666]

i have the ltb's 33x13.50 on a 15 and they are great in the mud. i beleive they have a little more of an open tread than the tsl's but i may be wrong. they are still a tsl design.

 

[woody]

For my trail rig I am planning on a set of the LTBs in 33x13.5". The two folks I know that have 'em - Kudzu and Mark WNC (both the 34"x10.5") like em, and I have seen that they work pretty well in both sloppy SE mud/rocks and dry Moab slickrock.

My 'only' other choice is the TSL in 33x12.5. but IF I had the axles to go bigger, I'd get a set of the TSL/SX in 36x12.5 for the ultimate in sidewall strength.

My Jeep will be only street driven to & from trails with a spool in back, so tread longevity isn't any concern of mine. If I 'had' to DD this one, I'd look for something less aggressive.

Where's that tax return???

 

[diabloxj]

33 12.5 Tsl

 

[DaveHillier]

Which tire would end up lasting the longest? We don't have rocks here to craw. Just lots of mud and uneven surfaces. The LTBs look like a more expensive tire than the TSLs but are not.

 

[awspence]

LTBs wear like crap, i had a set on an s-10 blazer in a past life and would have been lucky to get 10k out of them, i like the tread pattern better, and they work like hell offroad, but they wear fast, and ride terrible, flatspot every day, but thats to be expected in any bias tire i presume, i loved them offroad though,

i have also heard that the reason they are cheaper is that they are an inferior rubber compound, adding to the tread wear issues


for a non DD i would buy them again

adam spencer

 

[DaveHillier]

I'm just running them on the weekends offroading. I want them to last though so maybe I'll go with the TSLs. They should be just as good offroad as the LTBs? What do you think?

 

[Kudzu]

Well...Woody was correct I have 34x10.50 LTBS but I also have 32x9.50 TSLs as far as thread life yeah i would go with plain old TSL. As far as the wearing of the LTB, I am the 3rd owner of the LTBs so I really don't know what kind of life you get out of them. Yeah they have a worse flat spot than my TSLs but I would definatly get them again...

 

[93JXJ]

When I bought my used TSL's, one of my buddies bought LTB's. They are a softer compound. They did great on the trail - but his is a DD and after a year, they are pretty much gone. Mine isn't a DD, so I don't really know if what the comparison would be.
If it were me and I used it as a DD - I would probably bite the bullet and get Radials.

 

[MudDawg]

To quote a local tire dealer.."LTB's (Light Truck Bias) are the modern reincarnation of the original Super Swamper...bias ply, soft compound, and notorious for out of round...meant for the mud...DOT legal for the road".

I just put a set of 12.5 x 33 TSL's on my Heep....they are awsome in the mud. They are also awsome climbing clay hills...The Heep is no longer my DD so ride and wear on the highway is of no concern to me.

 

[Big Red]

I'd suggest the TSL radials. I had a set of 33x12.50x15's on my YJ and they lasted a long time and claw like mad off road. The TSL has been around for such a long time and is the bread and butter of the SS line both radial and bias. I sure like my TSLs better in the mud than my mtrs, but I live in Northern Cali by the Con and Fordyce and that is where the mtrs shine, for any dd responsibilities/weekend wheeler, the TSL radial is hard to beat. Plus the 12.50 is a good width, I'm going up to 37x12.50x15 so from 33-37's the 12.50 width is very common and works.
Troy

 

[woody]

I don't trust the sidewalls on TSL Radials...I cut two at the same time in the same obstacle...

I hate em so much, I burnt one in a brushpile and just 'gave' the other one away

 

[bj-666]

i think this one is worth a call to interco to find out what they say. it seems that everyone that owns the ltb's loves um and everyone that runs the tsl's loves them too. and the softer compound in the ltb's might be better for the rocks. if i wasn't at work i would call up interco and find out the scoop on the real differences.

 

[k-bay xj]

"MudDawg To quote a local tire dealer.."LTB's (Light Truck Bias) are the modern reincarnation of the original Super Swamper...bias ply, soft compound, and notorious for out of round...meant for the mud...DOT legal for the road"."

Actually, MudDawg I think that the LTB refers to Long Tread Block, as the longest lug in the TSL pattern is a little bit longer than your standard superswamper. I had a set of 31's on my daily driver and they were gone in a year... 10,000 miles +/-. They were great in the Hawaii red clay, and I went places with malfunctioning 4WD that some of my buddies with everything working and weaker tires couldn't, so off-road they are awesome, but ride and weqar like crap on the highway.

 

[jeeppowermj]

Did you ever think about the trxus. Ive heard nothing but good news about them. Thats what I'm putting on my MJ when I go up to 33s. I think its the best choice for a dd that you want mud tires on.

PS i thought LTB was Lettuce tomato and bacon, i could be wrong though.

 

[DaveHillier]

These are going to be my second set of tires. I'll only run them when I'm offroading or on my way to the trails. Mostly run in deep mud so I'm leaning away from the Truxus. I don't care about ride or flatspotting. I want the best mud tire for the cheepest. I just am going to abuse them. Thanks

 

[flexjay87]

i vote LTB, i know two guys that run them and love them. if you don't mind tires made in Mexico?

 

[Ramsey]

mexico? swampers are made in louisiana. if all of em are i dont know that

 

[elephantrider1]

The TSL is by far the best tire. Ive owned and loved many they stick like glue to the rocks and packed sufaces and go through the mud like boggers absolutly love them.