Which Swamper?

[incommando]

I am giving up on my quest for a reasonably priced front D60*, so I'm just going to limit my tire upgrade to 34's. I like tall/narrow tires. The jeep will see limited street time but will have to drive to/from trails, some about 90 miles away. The choices that I am looking at now are 34/10.5 LTB's or 34/9.5 TSL's. Any recommendations for one over the other?




*one-ton axles sets go for about $1,200 - $1,500 around here. They can be cheaper for dually set-ups, but then there is the extra width ( or the cost to swap hubs ) to deal with.

[billyrb]

Here's a set for $1k, meaning you can get them for probably around $900:
http://dayton.craigslist.org/pts/871745422.html

Here's one out of a '01 Dodge for $400:
http://dayton.craigslist.org/pts/862979359.html

There are others around, and you can also find some on a few of the local Jeep and off-road forums in your neck of the woods.

[incommando]

I'm pass. drop, so I can't use those....:mad: I guess the old Dodge & Chevy stuff is getting more scarce. Everything around here in the rust belt winds up crushed. Too many places melting cars around here.

I don't really want even more width than a SRW as most of the trails near me are heavily wooded & mostly used by baby jeeps. Swapping a DRW set to SRW width is pretty pricey, it seems. Its like swaping a 6-lug D44/10B to 8-lug: You can buy a whole axle cheaper than the parts. So I thought I'd find a spare set of front shafts, run a bit smaller tire, and take my chances on the D44 I have now.

I have looked at some sets, and a friend looked at that $400 front. He shows a "before" pic because he torched off everything and cut open the tube more than once. He also damaged the knuckle ( how, I have no idea) to where he cannot reinstall the ball joints. It was described to me as basically a pile of rusted parts suitable for scrap. Craigslist is as bad as ebay. :(

Even if I was driver's drop, that Ford set would require re-gearing to match F/R & then the bolt patterns would be different, IIRC. By the time you are done, you are back to $1,200-$1,500 before you touch the brakes, etc... I missed out on a set of DRW Chev y axles for $750 by a couple of hours this morning.

I know I am asking for too much. I just wanted a SRW pass. drop D60 with matching rear that I could do some perch moving to, rebuild the brakes, and be done. I was hoping to do it for about $1k but over a month of looking has not turned up a good match.

[FloridaFSJ]

I'd go with the 35-10.5 Bogger.

[tkiller13]

I have a set of the 34/10.5 ltb's.
They are great offroad. I've never driven them anywhere close to 90 miles on the road, so I can't say how they are on the street.

[1977cherokeechief]

My vote is for the bogger, go mean or go home:thumbsup:

[fulsizjeep]

I have seen quite a few FSJs wheeling LTBs (mostly 34s) in recent years and they pull the slickrock and mountain trails pretty darn good.

[j20brett]

My LTB's havetn let me down so far. I really like them and would buy them again if they came in a bigger size...

[AlsChopShop]

if i go super aggressive on the toyota i'll run the LTBs. nothing but good reviews on them.

Al

[incommando]

Thanks for the responses so far, folks. They are appreciated.

My concerns about the Bogger are admittedly the $100 a tire price increase on top of them being considered the worst wearing swamper on the street. That is saying something there. I am only willing to spend so much on the jeep as I already have other hobbies ( Harley, etc...) and I just can't justify throwing money at it without any regard to the cost. Building jeeps is almost always a good way to assure you never see your money again & the jeep is an interest that neither my wife nor daughters share. Considering the check I wrote for the bike, I am reaching the guilt point for the amount I have tied up in toys that only I get to enjoy.

Anyone buy tires from JC Whitney? Free shipping & no sales tax for me are pretty good selling pints.

[Casey]

I have seen quite a few FSJs wheeling LTBs (mostly 34s) in recent years and they pull the slickrock and mountain trails pretty darn good.
They work great at Tellico, too.

I voted for the 34x10.50 LTB. I was more than pleased with mine. So was my neighbor that bought them from me when I got the 37s. He ran them on his rig for a year or two.

Money well spent for off-road performance. Get a louder radio.

:fsj:

[FloridaFSJ]

Thanks for the responses so far, folks. They are appreciated.

I wouldn't buy from any place that doesn't offer an unconditional trail warranty. 4 Wheel Parts has such a warranty and they stand behind it.

I've got news for you, no Swamper except their Radials are going to get good mileage on the road. You're not going to get AT road performance. Boggers do best when unbalanced and you rotate them every 1000 miles or so.

I have gotten 30,000 miles out of a set. The thinner tires will get more mileage and ride better (less bumpsteer-like wandering). The problem is the tires grab so well on anything that they will tend to chunk if you get them hot. Bias ply tires get hot on the highway.

[Gearhead 1990]

My LTB's havetn let me down so far. I really like them and would buy them again if they came in a bigger size...

They DO come in bigger sizes.
35x12.50
40x16
47x17

Here's a link to their sizes
http://www.intercotire.com/tires.php?id=7&g=1

[j20brett]

Alot of those sizes are yet to be put out for sale yet...

[Dmntxn77]

4WheelParts carries almost all of them..

I didnt notice the 36"s, but they do have several 40"s and 47"s....

[HOOT]

I have a set of 34x10.5 x 15 mounted on 6 lug alum wheels I'll sell you for $550 if you come get them.They still have the swamper embossed on the tread face.These were used for a set up and never run on the trail and basically not on the street either. I might be able to get them up to work over a couple of days which means they could be picked up right across the river in Northern KY.
These are the Bias ply tires.

<editted for more info>

These are the Super Swamper TSL 's , they've been stored in my livingroom since I bought them a couple of winters ago.

[Dmntxn77]

they've been stored in my livingroom since I bought them a couple of winters ago.


:lol:

You are my hero...

[bushwood44]

At least it wasn't his bedroom

[incommando]

Hoot, if they are TSL's are they 34x9.5? I'm intersted!

[HOOT]

They are 34x10.5x15 Super Swamper TSL's
Set of four. Mounted and powder balanced.
No road time or trail time.
Like I said stored in the livingroom since bought. That's because there wasn't any room in the bedroom due to all the NOS stuff I scored a few months back. Besides they look better next to the Edelbrock MPEFI set up and aluminum heads. :eek:

[Stuka]

The 33x12.50 TSL's are the same diameter as the 34x9.50's only they are 12.50 wide. Both measure 33.7 inches tall. Thats what I am running and have been happy with their size. Good size between 33's and 35's.

[incommando]

Hoot: Sounds great. I'll PM you to set up the details.

Thanks for all of the advice, folks. Hoot's deal just makes too much sense right now to go with anything else, though.

[83 BEAST]

i've heard great things about ltb's. those are the tires i was going to get but something came up and had to get cheap a/t's. and now that they make 35's i think i'm even more sold.

post pics of whatever you get (i love pics).

[jeeping1974]

If they make the LTB 40x16 in a 16.5" rim, I would consider getting those over the 39" Iroks.

[FloridaFSJ]

My Boggers outlasted my LTBs, Iroks, and bias TSLs.

[Gearhead 1990]

My Boggers outlasted my LTBs, Iroks, and bias TSLs.

Then you had a set of miracle boggers lol

[FloridaFSJ]

Then you had a set of miracle boggers lol

Nope. I did burnouts and everything. 33,000 miles. I've owned 35s-44" Boggers and all of them I can get at least 25,000 miles out of them.

TSL Radials are the only other swamper that have lasted that long for me.

[bushwood44]

My Boggers outlasted my LTBs, Iroks, and bias TSLs.
Do you have a pic of the boggers on whatever FSJ there on.I would like to try a 33 10.50 if they make them.

[FloridaFSJ]

Do you have a pic of the boggers on whatever FSJ there on.I would like to try a 33 10.50 if they make them.

Here it is with 38.5x11 Boggers. I can just fit 44" Boggers.

[Dmntxn77]

If they make the LTB 40x16 in a 16.5" rim, I would consider getting those over the 39" Iroks.

Now you are talking crazy....