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Product Reviews
The New 37" Interco Super Swamper
TSL/Bogger
Article and photos courtesy of Neil Pickett
Interco Tire Corporation has been busy over the winter
developing a new tire. The new 37x13 Super Swamper TSL/Bogger is the
answer to many consumer requests. Granted, the Bogger is not new to the
wheeling industry, this size proves Interco can be competitive in a tough market. The 37" tire is a popular size these days for most
Rockcrawlers. With the advent of Rockcrawling Championships making a
breakthrough in the past years, tires are being tested to their limits,
and Interco has again stood up to the plate and hit a home run. Super
Swamper TSL/Boggers have been used on many competition vehicles and have
won competitions such as the Top Truck Challenge, Rockcrawling
Championships, and many Mud racing competitions.
"First Impressions are always Important"
I called Interco and ordered a set of the New 37"x13" Super
Swamper TSL/Boggers for 15" diameter rim. After receiving the
tires, my first impression was great. The width of this tire is
proportional to its height giving the tire a very rugged look. The tread
is not overly wide and the height is quite adequate for getting you
through those deeply rutted trails, even when pressures are lowered.
Tread is the standard Three-Stage Lug design, which will aid in finding
traction when it’s needed. The new TSL/Boggers will definitely win the
best-looking tire category and will have people gazing at your Truck as
you drive by. As a bonus, the tire is not only good looking; it is also
very functional. I started my overview by carefully measuring the tires
and recording their size after installation on my 15x10 rims. Here’s
what I found.
Specifications
At 28 psi, the 37" TSL/Boggers are at 96% of their total
dimensional size, which is advertised by Interco. The TSL/Bogger is a
bias tire, which generally gives very good off-road performance but
diminishes street performance. I chose this air pressure to give good
street performance during our ventures to and from trails. See the table
below for dimensional data.
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Interco 37x13.00-15LT Super Swamper
TSL/Bogger
Specifications
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Size
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Ply
Rating
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Load
Range
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Skid
Depth
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Tread
Width
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Overall
Height
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Cross
Section.
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Recommended
Rim Size
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Max.
Inflation
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Max.
Load
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37x13.00-15LT
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Bias/6
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E
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22/32"
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12.2"
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36.8"
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13.7"
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15x10
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30 PSI
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2500
lbs.
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As Tested Specifications
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Approximate
Tread Surface Area
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Tread Type
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Tire/
Wheel
weight
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Sidewall Plys
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Tread Width @ 28 psi*
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Height @ 28 psi*
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Height @ 8 psi*
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Rim Size as tested
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Tire Pressure Used
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Test Vehicle Weight
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531 sq/in
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Three Stage Lug
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122 lbs.
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4
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12.75"
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35.5"
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33.25"
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15x10
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28 street
8 trail
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5560
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* Measurements taken with tires on vehicle at pressures specified.
Its all about Pressure
I have been experimenting with tire pressures in various terrains. I
have made many assumptions on the correct tire pressure for a typical
terrain, only to be fooled by the true ability of this tire. This tire
was designed primarily for mud and soft terrain, but I have found that
with the correct tire pressure, there are typically no limits to this
tire’s ability to work. A number of times I was able to climb some
very difficult rock ledges with loose gravel and dirt coverings, with 25
psi in the tires! I discovered however, your tires will perform better
with less pressure in these situations. I aired down to 8 psi and
climbed the same rock ledge and found it to be effortless. In fact, I
could not believe it made such a difference! Many of the tests ran with
these tires, I found that 8-10 psi is my typical tire pressure of
choice. The sidewalls on the New 37" Super Swamper TSL/Bogger are 4
ply which resist punctures at low pressures. I found the sidewalls are
stiff enough to give you sufficient clearance under your differentials,
as well as pliable enough to conform to rocks and terrain. The stiffness
of the sidewalls has its advantages. You can climb over stumps, rocks,
and soft dirt with little worry about popping the tire off the bead. To
test this theory, I pointed my Blazer down hill and turned the wheels
full crank with only 8 psi in the tires. I chose a dirt hill for this
test so it would offer the best traction to try to pop the tire off the
bead. At 8psi, the bead held its grip on the rim without problems. I
could have experimented with less pressure, but I feel 8 psi is my
lowest tire pressure requirement. I suggest experimenting with tire
pressures on and off the street for the best performance. On road, I
typically run around 28 psi for highway trips and in-town driving. I
have driven these tires well over 2500 miles without problems or improper wear. On the street, make sure to check your pressure often.
Incorrect tire pressure is one cause of improper wear.
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| Trail pressure was typically 8 psi. |
Mud
Look up the word "Mud" in the dictionary and I am positive
you should find a picture of the Super Swamper TSL/Bogger tire. The New
37" TSL/Bogger is the answer to anyone’s prayers if you live in
muddy terrain. If you are in the market for a mud tire, look no further.
The TSL/Bogger is the best mud tire on the market - bar none. Don’t
believe me? Check the magazines, local mud races and Jamborees. These
tires are primarily designed for mud and goo. In mud, the tire is
self-cleaning with each revolution. Even when the tire is spun slowly,
it does not retain mud in the voids between the treads. The new 37"
tire size helped me through even the deepest of ruts. It seems even when
you feel you should be stuck, your truck keeps moving with the help of
these tires. As stated before, each lug is a cupped design. The cupped
design lets go of mud easily on each revolution of the tire, therefore offering much more traction than Brand X tires, which tend to trap mud.
I have witnessed this many times, other tires just do not offer the
traction I need in mud. Where other tires are requiring major wheel
spin, the TSL/Bogger requires very little. I also found the TSL/Bogger has great reverse traction in mud - almost the same as the forward
traction. If you are into muddy terrain, the TSL/Bogger is for you.
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| Traction was not a problem in water covered trails. |
Our version of the Tank Trap was no problem. |
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| The 37" TSL/Bogger feels right at home in the mud. |
The cupped treads are self-cleaning,
even when spun slowly. |
Rocks
The 37" Super Swamper TSL/Bogger is not only exceptional in the
mud, but it fairs well in the rocks. I have pointed my Blazer up many
rock ledges and found the tires do their job of finding traction. I have
found that tire pressure is critical when rock crawling with the TSL/Boggers.
After I found the correct tire pressure in previous tests, I am
confident the tires will find the traction I need even in rock covered
with dirt and gravel. The rubber compound is soft enough to adhere to
rocks and boulders found in most rock crawling trails. With the tires
aired down to 8 psi, I crawled through a quarry with sharp, jagged rocks
without any sidewall punctures. The tire conforms to many rock surfaces,
finding traction - like having "fingers" to grab the rocks. In
some occasions where others required bouncing and wheel spin, the TSL/Bogger
did not. They prefer slow crawling. I did manage to spin on some rocks
with the tire pressure too high and found it tends to rip pieces of the
lugs off the carcass. This is easily solved by taking the proper
approach and having the correct tire pressure. I found side traction in
rocks worked well in dry climates. If the rocks are covered with slick
mud or water, the side traction diminishes. The straight through tread
is designed for maximum cleaning; therefore the side traction is
somewhat low in wet terrain. These tires are able to hold you firmly on
the side of a hill in most cases, just be careful and experiment with
tire pressures. I have never had these tires fail me in the rocks. I
have seen many blown sidewalls on Brand X tires. Don’t leave yourself
stranded on the rocks; get a set of Super Swamper TSL/Boggers.
 |
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| was able to climb rocky hills that I had never climbed before. |
The TSL/Bogger treads act like "fingers", grabbing traction on rock. |
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| At 8 psi, the sidewalls are stiff enough to keep the differentials clear of rocks. |
Sidewalls are also pliable to adhere to rocks. |
Sand
My geological location does not offer much in the way of sand. We
have the occasional sand bar near creeks and rivers. The sand is
typically wet and offers decent traction to many tires. Typically a
tall/narrow tire does not work well in sandy conditions. The TSL/Bogger
was able to keep me afloat at all speeds. The tire height and width are
very proportionate; therefore the tread is wide enough to maintain a
good contact patch when properly aired down. One word of caution, if you
ever loose momentum while traversing a steep, sandy hill or in extremely
dry sand; the TSL/Boggers tend to go south. The cupped tread design does
offer good forward traction in sand as long as you can keep the front
tires afloat. The tires tend to throw sand just like a paddle tire.
Again, with proper pressure these tires can work well in sand.
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| In sand, forward traction is
good. |
Loose Dirt
TSL/Boggers work really well in loose dirt; they tend to self-clean,
helping to keep traction at its maximum. Again, pressure is important in
loose dirt. When I keep around 8 psi in the tires, forward momentum is
very good. I observed several occasions where other tires required more
tire spin, and the TSL/Bogger needed very little. In fact, I was
crawling up steep hills with loose dirt and others were spinning
vigorously, fighting for traction all the way.
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| Large voids help keep traction
at its maximum. |
Dirt hills were climbed easily
with the
TSL/Bogger. |
Street
When I ordered my 37" Super Swamper TSL/Boggers, I expected the
worst when It came to drivability. There are many tradeoffs when
designing a tire for competition as well as street duty. The TSL/Bogger
is D.O.T. approved and is quite road worthy. I was shocked after having
the tires mounted and balanced, they drove better than the radials I had
previously. The tires do howl noticeably, but not overly loud. The TSL/Boggers
are a somewhat heavy tire, which require good brakes for your daily
driver. This also requires proper gearing for stop and go driving -
sufficient power is needed for leaving that stop light in a hurry. The heaviness of this tire also tends to show when you hit potholes or sharp
bumps in the pavement. Don’t let this fool you, I have seen many TSL/Bogger
equipped rigs which drive to and from trails even hundreds of miles
away. I have driven close to 3,000 miles on my TSL/Boggers without a
hint of a problem. I check and maintain the tire pressure regularly for proper wear. I have heard stories of only getting 10,000 highway miles
from a set of TSL/Boggers but I hardly find it true. With 3,000 miles on
my tires, I haven’t noticed much wear at all. Follow Interco’s
recommendations on tire pressures and you should have a tire which lasts
long for its physical character. The tire is designed with a fairly soft
tread compound to get the maximum traction in off-roading situations.
The TSL/Bogger did develop a noticeable flat spot when I would allow the
truck to sit for a week or so. This flat spot would immediately diminish
after a mile or two.
Breakage of the Test Vehicle
These tires can make you and break you. I found out on one occasion
where the Boggers dig hard enough to break a ring gear in my test
vehicle. This happened with little power applied, but when you have a
tire that delivers extreme traction, something is bound to give.
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| In sand, forward traction is good..The 37"
TSL/Bogger proved to be too much for my
½ ton drivetrain. |
That’s it in a Nutshell
The New Super Swamper TSL/Bogger is a tire that stands true to the
Quality of Interco. The 37" tire size shows that Interco can meet
the needs of a tough market. Interco never makes any outrageous claims
when developing a new tire. They do not need to, because their product
gives you many miles of service, regardless of the abuse. I have talked extensively with the Interco staff and I must say, they are very
helpful. Interco knows their product very well. I am very pleased with
the usefulness of this tire, and I’m confident you will too. So, what
are you waiting for? Talk to your local Interco Representative today,
and never worry about "going nowhere" again.
| Source |
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Web Site: www.intercotire.com
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Interco Tire Co.
P.O. Box 6
Rayne, LA 70578-0006
Phone: 337-334-3814
Fax: 337-334-9796
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