ok i have had my 42" tsl's for about a month and a half now and have been on 3 or 4 runs on them so i thought i'd share what i have learned about them. over all i like them. the tall tire makes the rocks and ledges smaller. the softer compound of the tsl seems to hook up on the rocks better than my old 38.5sx's did. the down sides as i see them are: 1) too much sidewall! the sidewalls on the 42's are very soft and there is too much there on a 15" rim. i think a 16.5" rims (probably hummer beadlocks) would be a bit better. the soft sidewall may help at times but when aired down on a side hill the tires seem to roll under the rim a bit and increase the tippyness of the rig. 2) the second thing is they are taller. the taller part is chalked up on the plus side too so i guess this is a tie. the reason i mention taller is because it makes the rig taller. currently my jeep has a soa with rear cj springs at all 4 corners and a 3" bodylift. i had to do alot of trimming to run the 42's. i would like to lower my body down 3" by removing the body lift but there is no way without some major reconstruction of the body. i will be building a fj40/buggy in the next year or so and i can then kinda build the buggy around the tires and bring the rig's body down the 3" that i want. this will help some more in the stability dept. 3) the soft side walls. i cut one of mine this weekend. granted where i was there were some pretty nasty rocks with jagged edges but they cut none the less. i have never cut a tire before and now after 4 runs on these i have already lost one. i guess i'll have to see if this is going to be common but i will say i have some good gouges in all of them already.

that is about it. as i said in the begining over all i like them. they really hook up and can make some things possible just because of thier size (they make my big 14bolt not so big anymore). i also stated that i can definately tell a difference in how they hook up on the rocks compared to the sx's i ran before. i chalk that up the the softer compound of the tsl. nothing grand or exciting but i just though i'd share what i have learned. ;)

I second the TSL compound comment. My 38" TSLs are much softer than my 36" SXs. Definitely a good tire to consider:beer:

I think that's one of the reasons standard TSL's work better in mud than same-size SX's. Aside from being more flexible, the compound just seems to bite harder.

TEX

I will be sure to comment on the same 42" tire in a 16.5" version once I get my junk together...

Originally posted by DRM
I will be sure to comment on the same 42" tire in a 16.5" version once I get my junk together...

We're all on pins & needles :flipoff2:

TEX

Thanks for the insightful post. I nearly bought the 39.5 TSLs as my new tire, but -- as you reported -- I've found the sidewalls to be suspect. I ended up getting 38.5 SX because I KNOW they'll hold up in this environment.

I really like the sizes offered in the regular TSL, but I've seen too many of them destroyed on our trails.
Dion

Originally posted by Blatant
Thanks for the insightful post. I nearly bought the 39.5 TSLs as my new tire, but -- as you reported -- I've found the sidewalls to be suspect. I ended up getting 38.5 SX because I KNOW they'll hold up in this environment.

I really like the sizes offered in the regular TSL, but I've seen too many of them destroyed on our trails.
Dion

TSL's 39.5" and up have 6 ply sidewalls. So do SX's (but the SX has the obvious extra sidewall rubber).

I prefer my 39.5" TSL's over the 36 adn 38.5" SX's that i have had.

imho, after using the 42's for a little over a year, the ONLY reason to get the Tsls is for the size. they are(were?) the tallest tire you could get in a fairly narrow profile. the 44"s all seem to be 18-19" wide, and , well, not applicable for my application.

i think the SX is a better tire all around,and wish they would make it in a 42x15, or a bogger in a 42x15. or better yet, an MTR in a 42x14 :)

You and me both, brother. I'd be looking more for a 40x13 or 14 SX personally, but I think there's a huge market for a larger SX.
Dion

i think you need to pull those junk tires off and swap them to me for my 38.5sxs. hell i might throw in a 30 pack of keystone. but they do drive over some pretty big rocks. but they did pop, which really sucked, did you drop it off to get booted yet? and thanks for the ride sunday, i was cool. but hotter than hell. mike

i love my tsl but then again i never had sx so i have nothing to compare them with.:D

Originally posted by ChrisPy
i think the SX is a better tire all around,and wish they would make it in a 42x15

me too i want a 42x15sx. especially if they could make the tread blocks from the softer compound like the tsl's use. there might not be a big difference but i can tell the tsl's are softer between the sets that i have had.

Originally posted by gunracer1
i think you need to pull those junk tires off and swap them to me for my 38.5sxs. hell i might throw in a 30 pack of keystone. but they do drive over some pretty big rocks. but they did pop, which really sucked, did you drop it off to get booted yet? and thanks for the ride sunday, i was cool. but hotter than hell. mike

now i didn't say i was ready to step back down!!!! i do like sx's but the 42's are nice. as sharp as those slabs were coming out of that big rock that i cut on were i'd like to see an sx in the same situation. i would not be suprised if it cut too. in fact get the cruizers axle fixed and we'll take it down there and run the same line :D oh wait you don't have to tell me you are afraid:flipoff2:

and nope i did not get it booted. i lucked up and i get road hazard:D those darn roads sure take thier toll on tires:smokin: