Super Swamper IROK
The Super Swamper Iroks are aggressive bias-ply tires that still provide good wet pavement traction thanks to a soft compound and siping in the tread. The sidewalls are durable but compliant; however, like all bias-ply tires they still flat spot badly, especially on cold mornings at low pressures. It takes a few miles to get them warmed up and round again. Like other Swampers the large scooped lugs on the Iroks grip well on jagged rocks and dry surfaces but also move a lot of material to help forward momentum when in the soft sand and mud. The soft tread compound seems to wear a little quicker than we had expected, especially on the edges of the outer lugs, but that’s the price you pay for traction. Irok tires are good for all-around off-road use as long as you don’t spend too much time spinning them in sharp rocks or on the street.
Rating
Street: 1 star
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 4 stars
Snow: 4 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 2 stars
Super Swamper LTB
Driving a Jeep equipped with Super Swamper LTB tires is like telling your girlfriend you don’t care if the open-top Jeep is cold or how it will ruin her hair on the way to dinner. Harsh is the word. While LTBs do run smoother than other members of the Super Swamper family, there’s no ignoring the obvious lug slap that vibrates every nut, bolt, spot-weld, and body panel as you gain speed. With speed the vibrations also increase in frequency, which kind of gives you the ability to tune-out on your girlfriend’s nagging, and zone in on the simple fact that you are the master of all-terrains. From mud to rocks, sand to snow, and everything in-between, the LTB excels. Just don’t expect the same on pavement or ice. With aggressive good looks, the LTB is a tire that we turn to for extreme traction on rigs that we don’t drive everyday.
Rating
Street: 1 star
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 1 star
Super Swamper SX
The Super Swamper SX is probably one of the most bulletproof tires available, but at a price. It sucks on the street. But you probably already knew that just by looking at its huge lugs, aggressive sidewall tread, and bias-ply construction. The SX tread pattern means business, without siping or superfluous aesthetic elements the tire works awesome in deep mud, snow, and sand. Very low air pressures in the single digits are needed to get the SXs to stick to off-road terrain, so think beadlocks. Flat-spotting and excessive balance weight are common traits. Unfortunately, ice-covered roads are not in the SX’s vocabulary. These tires are not inexpensive, but like a bulletproof vest, they return unparalleled value, as they shield the air cavity and make traction easy to find.
Rating
Street: 1 star
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 1 star
Swamper TSL
If Noah’s Ark had had tires they would’ve been Swamper TSLs. The classic TSL (three stage lug) has sidewalls that aren’t as thick or well protected as its SX cousin, but they are extremely durable and will bulge ably at low pressures. Offered in just about any size under the sun in sizes up to 44 inches in diameter and with huge hand-sized gripping lugs, it’s no wonder they’re a staple in mud and heavy rock venues. However, while they’re one of the best performing tires off-road, they’re one of the most miserable driving tires on-road, requiring huge amounts of weight to balance and are often out of round and louder than hell. Think of them as rubber tractor treads and you’ll be better off after your purchase than if you think you’ll be tooling down the road with a coffee in one hand and your cell phone in the other.
Rating
Street: 1 star
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 1 star
Toyo Open Country A/T
The Toyo Open Country A/T really shines on the street and especially under heavy loads when the appropriately load-rated tire is used. They require very little balance weight and they roll true and round. We found that the 285/75R17 worked very well on a ¾-ton diesel truck. The carcass is very stiff so it did transfer some bumps and irregularities into cab. However, that kind of comes with the territory when you’re rolling on a tire that has an unbelievable 3,970-pound load carrying capacity. Fortunately the Toyo Open Country A/T is available in many different sizes and load ratings. In hard-pack dirt and on sand the Open Country A/T supplies surprising bite, even at street pressure. On snow- and ice-covered roads we noticed a lot of slipping and poor traction, even in four-wheel-drive.
Rating
Street: 4 stars
Heavy Rock: 2 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 2 stars
Mud: 2 stars
Ice: 2 stars
Toyo Open Country M/T
They’re as quiet as a set of aggressive all-terrain tires and they roll smooth, round, and true. After a couple thousand miles the noise level increased slightly. Wet weather performance was very good, as predictable and grippy as the Toyo Open Country A/T, but with better standing-water performance. You can successfully hit dirt trails, hills, climbs, mud, and very moderate rock at street pressure. The treads have a lot of siping that opens up the blocks and really helps the tires pull without breaking loose and spinning. They’re a good tow rig tire if you want traction without the hassle of airing down when rolling into an off-road campsite. The Toyo M/T has good lateral grip on loose soils and even in mud. On a lighter vehicle you’ll find that you need to air the tires down into the single digits in serious rocky terrain.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 3 stars
Yokohama Geolandar MT
The Geolandar MT tires are refined enough for daily drivers, yet still provide ample traction for most trail scenarios. Offered in a variety of sizes up to 40 inches, the only drawback we see is that they are directional. Despite the fact that the sidewalls are only two-ply, they are not weak. In fact, throughout our testing the sidewalls exhibited a good bulge at low air pressures, and thanks to ample shoulder ribbing, they actually contributed a lot to forward bite. In thick mud, the V-shaped voids packed tightly, but were able to clean with light throttle application. We tested two sets of 35s, a 35x12.50R15 and a 315/75R16. The 15-incher was a load range C, while the 16-incher was a D. We found that the 15-inch version exhibited more tread wear on the street than the 16-inch version, even though the 16s were on a heavier rig.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 3 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 1 star