Hey guys, been a while since I last posted on here. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on some new tires and am looking hard at super swampers. The truck doesn't go off-road that much, but I do take it through the woods every once in a while. With that being said, I'm looking for first-hand experience of people that have run swampers on super duties. I was looking at boggers, but they ride terrible, wear fast as hell, and the size I'm looking at (33x12.50x16 or metric equivalent of 305/70/16) only comes in a load range C. I feel like that's a bit too light of a tire for a super duty, but maybe not? So, I've looked at the SSR which comes in either 33x12.50 or 305/70. However, the metric size is load range D and the standard size is load range E. The issue is that the load range E tire is $80 more per tire. I feel like a load range D tire is plenty ( I think this particular load range D is rated at like 2950 lbs per tire) and I'm having a hard time justifying an extra $80 a tire for a tire that's essentially the same exact size. Any thoughts, opinions, or accusations of heresy are welcome. Thanks!

 

What do you use your truck for? Aside from SuperSwamper tires being terrible for on road use, load range C or D tires will not allow you safe operation of your truck if towing or hauling.

 

Do they still make Super Swampers? They'd be great if your build style leans towards a retro look.

 

No, just no. Super swampers are only good for people sending their clapped out old truck through mud holes they will most likely get stuck in anyways. Buy some good all terrains that are rated for your truck. They will be far better just about everywhere than super swampers.

 

"The truck doesn't go off-road that much, but I do take it through the woods every once in a while."
this sounds like a very good reason to NOT get super swampers. If you want something fairly aggressive, but also easy to live with day to day id suggest one of the "hybrid" type tires. I went with mickey thompson ATZs and they've been pretty good.

 

I would go with the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend EXP (use to be Dick Cepek Trail Country EXP). They have a 124 load rating, 50k tread wear warranty and now till the 15th $70 rebate for a set of four (thru Mickey Thompson) and a $40 rebate to from website listed (plus the cheapest i found with free shipping) https://www.tiresandwheels.com/produ...item_id=375978

 

The truck isn't a daily driver anymore, it's more of a fun truck/toy at this point, to be honest. I purchased some old school weld wheels and figured, old school tires for old school wheels. Kind of going for that retro look as @redford stated. I've still got some cooper all terrains that are load range E on the stock wheels now that have good tread if I do need to tow anything of significant weight or go a significant distance with said weight.

 

I would stick with Mickey Thompson or Pro Comp if you want the look and retain some of the road manners.
I will also say I have gone through many sets of Thornbirds on my Bronco but wow the road noise....

 

Yeah, the thornbirds aren't a consideration. I don't like the looks of them and as aggressive as they look, they didn't really impress me off-road on one of my buddies' old F150. The Mickey Thompsons are a consideration. They're pretty comparable as far as price goes to the swampers, and the Mickey Thompsons are load range E.

 

You only need a load rated tire if you're towing/hauling. If you already have a set of load rated tires, I'd just get the cheaper ones for playing. And you should be looking at the load index to see what the tire is actually rated for. What's an empty SD weigh? 6000-7000lbs? You probably only need a rating around 1500-1700lbs/tire just to support the truck. Load C,D,E is an older measurement that relates to the number of plies in the tire and is now just a general guideline that doesn't really apply to most modern tires.

I ran super swampers on my old 79 F250, which was just a toy/beater. They were just OK in the woods at normal road pressure, they'd slip and slid on rocks and downed trees if they were wet, which was my biggest complaint. If you aired them down they were much better, but that's not always an option for most people. They also liked to pick up small rocks and throw them. On the road they felt like a washboard road all the time and they weren't great in the rain.

Some pointers for pretty much any tire at this level of aggressive pattern - If you're truck isn't in good mechanical order, as in EVERYTHING is bolted down tight and secured, they will shake everything loose eventually. Anything bolted on with a sheet metal screw will eventually loosen and fall off. Your dashboard will probably start cracking/falling apart. Your steering column will probably get loose. If the radiator/cab/bed mounts aren't 100% they'll get torn apart. Etc. Etc. Etc.

 

Below is a link to a "TrXus MT" radial Swamper:

Super Swamper 35x12.50R16.5LT Tire, TrXus MT Radial - RXM-14R - Walmart.com

It is a cool looking goof-off tire for Weld wheels for sure.
I haven't owned a set and don't know how well they balance out for smooth cruising.
My opinion from wearing out a few sets of each is:
BFG tires are durable and difficult to balance in a larger size.
Mickey Thompson tires are wonderfully round and take little weight for smooth running.
I've not owned a set of 38-inch Dick Cepek fun donuts, but when aired down to 8-psi for grip, they really shine.

I'd go for the Swamper's just because you have singled them out.

 

Well, the truck is nearing 25 years old, so now is as good a time as ever for a good ole shakedown test lol. The boggers are rated at like 2200 pounds per tire, but they have a max psi of like 30psi. Boggers are also bias tires and I'd prefer a radial. The truck sits a decent amount of time now (especially with diesel being $5.55 here) and I know from past experiences with bias tires have a tendency to flat spot if they sit for long enough. I don't expect any swamper to handle as well on the road as my current all terrains, but I don't think the more mild swampers (SSR or Truxus) would make the truck handle terrible. Boggers probably would make it handle like crap though which is another reason I've ruled them out.

 

I have no experience with these tires, but I've been considering them because they have an old school mud tire look to them. Might be an option for you.

 

If its just a toy I would try to get at or over the gawr on the door sticker just for formality sake (one less thing to have to think about). The D 121 will usually land there if you look at the actual lbs rating of the tire.

The real downside is a lower than E tire will sag under your diesel and you will need to keep it aired up pretty high compared to the rears.

I did it once back in the day and I had to keep the fronts at like 60 or 65psi and rears at like 45. The max is like 65psi too, not 80. I only did it because I basically got them free on a warranty claim.

Probably could never do a real airdown offroad bead lock situation. But I would frequent off road events and pull a 10-12k toyhauler offroad to our camping spots several times a year with that truck.

 

I've had load range E tires that are rated at only 65psi before. They did fine, but as you stated, I ran different psi in the front vs the rears. I'm looking hard at the SSRs currently, they are a load range D, but they're rated at 2910lbs per tire so I know that's plenty. However, the max psi is 50 and I'm pretty sure the fronts would have to be at 50 all the time due to the weight of the 7.3.

Also, if anybody has bought tires recently, where'd you buy them from and how long did it take them to get to the store if they had to ship them in?