Super Swamper TSL - Radial or Bias?

[elotsip]

I am trying to decide between the bias and the radial. I want 33x12.5x15.
I hear people say the bias flex better however, the bias tire has a load rating of 2800 pounds and is 8 ply. That sounds like it's not going to flex real well under the weight of the samurai.
The Radial is 6 play and has a load rating of 2200 pounds. But I hear radials don't flex as well as bias ply.

So my question is with that information which would be the better tire. The high load rating, more ply bias or the lower load rating, less ply radial?

[Kreep]

For sharp rock, bias will hold up better, don't worrry about flex. If you run a lot on the street or a mix of terrain the choice gets harder.

I have 31 x 10.5 bias Swampers on my Samurai. Last week at Silver Lake Dunes I started with 6 psi in front and 5 psi in the rear, but was not getting the flotation I wanted. I had to drop to 3 psi front 2 psi rear and the tires still looked like they were at street pressure. I believe radials would have worked much better at those pressures.

[elotsip]

I rarely drive my sammy on the street. If I do it's just to get to the trail. I am not too concerened with street performance. I just want a good off road tire. I've got boggers for mud so I am really looking for something for rocks but don't want to spend more than about $175 a peice for tires. These two seemed to fit my budget and my needs. Now I just need to figure out which would work best for me...

[RX-4X4]

Just grove out your boggers so they have lateral traction and I think you will find you already have a great rock tire.

[Niko]

You have it backwards, radials flex better, and bias are more durable (or cut resistant). Bias tires are usually cheaper too which is nice if you're on a budget, however they'll also wear out quicker. If it's not your DD, then bias for sure.

[DRKelly]

Radial Swampers have a poor reputation for being cut easily. They will also develop eggs on the side or whatever you call it.

[durnzuki]

I have run the bias on mine for two years and havn't had any problems with them. I air them down to about 4-5 psi and still don't have much flex.

[elotsip]

I thought about that but they are so wide I am not street legal which presents a problem of getting to the trails without trailering the rig. I was hoping for some more narrow. But maybe I will just do this anyway...

[RX-4X4]

Dude!!!!!!! Its a fix-it-ticket.

[Non Urban]

I thought my 31" bias Swamper TSL's flexed better than my current 33" radial Swamper TSL's. air down to 8 psi. I'm going back to the bias ply next time around. I haven't had any issues with sidewall cuts on either set.

[catzuk]

I ran 31" bias tsl's on mine for 4 years. Once they "broke" in they were excellent. Flexed really well. The only problem I encountered, which many do, is on my alum wheels, if I aired them down below 5psi they would leak down or air themselves down if they were flexed out over rocks. Only would happen occasionly, but the tires are really worth it. They can take a beating. The radials seem not to hold up as well. Their sidewalls are soft and the belts due break often and cause the buldge that was mentioned in an earlier post. I only went to the goodyear mtr's during their big Rockcrawling days, ie, got a good deal on them. going back to swampers next time round.

[elotsip]

So I ended up ordering the bias ply tires. I'll see how hey work out for me, hopefully they are good.

[One Sick Puppy]

I know this thread is old, but I just wanted to share my experience with my 34x9.4 TSL bias tires. I've had them for about 2 years now. I only use my zuk for wheeling, but I have to drive about 50 miles on the road for every wheeling trip, so I get a good idea of both on and off-road. Off road, the tires are awesome. On-road, they were better before the lugs started chunking and is really starting to affect the balance. They wabble more now than they did before and it's becoming a bit of a concern as I'm sure it puts alot of stress on the steering components. With that said, the tread depth on mine is super deep so I think they will get chunked up way before I wear them out on the street. The compound is very soft on these and apart from losing beads frequently (it's hard not to air down too low because the traction is so much better) the off-road performance is awesome. I have 2nd sammy that's going to be more of a daily driver / part time wheeler, but I'm still leaning to the 32x9.5 TSL bias just because of the off-road performance and I don't expect these to get chunked as much. If you keep alot of air in the bias-ply tires, they won't get as severe flat spots. It also depends how long the vehicle sits in one spot.

[der kampfer]

Originally Posted by elotsip

So I ended up ordering the bias ply tires. I'll see how hey work out for me, hopefully they are good.

good call. I run those on mine at about 4-6psi on beadlocks. flexes just fine.

[riLo]

bias for sure... if they dont flex like you're wanting... you have too much air pressure in them