i need some advice on some ltbs im thinkin about goin with a set of 40x16x15s id like to have some ideas on how well they do with mud/snow/ pavement..... how well do they wear? are they better than a tsl? thanks
how well they do with mud/snow/ pavement.....
In mud they have actually out performed the TSLs in a couple tests, largely due to the larger lugs being staggered more to the outside for a more aggressive bite. But overall since they are based on the Three Stage Lug design they perform close to the TSLs.
In snow on road like any other M/T they won't perform like a snow rated tire (BFG AT etc). The siping on the tires will help with wet/icy conditions, and will aid in rock traction.
On the pavement as with any bias ply tire it is all about taking care of the tires and adjusting your driving style to get them to last longer. You will have to learn to stay off the skinny pedal, and adjust to the vibrations and noise that come with them. Vibrations will be at their worst from flat spotting over night/letting the vehicle sit. After a couple miles they will warm up and it will go away, but still expect some kind of vibration.
There is no golden standard to how long a set of bias ply tires will last. There are many different variables in the equation, including your driving style, how much your vehicle weighs, and how much you pay attention to the tires.
1.)PSI: Keep an eye on the PSI in the tires, check it at least once a week. In a lot of cases a lower PSI will allow the tires tread to sit flat (instead of crowning) on the pavement and wear evenly. I run my TSLs at 28psi, other guys have found 26psi works. Experiment and find what works for you.
2.)Balance/Rotation: You will need to balance and rotate the tires every 3k miles or less. Bias Ply tires aren't easy to balance and will go out of balance in a shorter period of time than radials. Remember when rotating Bias Ply tires rotate from front to back, don't criss-cross them.
3.)Highway Speeds: Swampers are made of a softer tread compound and wear faster at higher speeds. Also as a bias ply tire heats up at faster speeds, you will greatly increase chances of blow outs. Swampers aren't meant for the highway.
4.)Vehicle Weight: A heavier vehicle will wear out swampers faster than a lighter one. There is no getting around this. Some heavier trucks only get 15k or so out of a set.
are they better than a tsl?
Not really. A large part of this is that the LTB was designed to be an economy Swamper. If you look up the history of the tire it is out sourced to save on costs and usually has less tread than the TSLs. For comparison the 40" LTBs come with 25/32nds and the 42" TSLs come with 27/32nds. The tread amount variations are larger in the smaller sizes, the 34x10.5 LTBs come with 22/32nds the 34x9.5 TSLs come with 27/32nds.
This is not to say it isn't a quality tire. It does have a more aggressive version of the TSL tread design with the larger lug offset to allow for more bit (as mentioned earlier). And the tread extends further down the sidewall for greater protection against sidewall cuts etc. In this aspect it is just as tough as the TSLs, if not a little bit tougher. But again the tires are based on the same Three Stage Lug design so you won't see a HUGE difference in the 2. The main reason LTBs are so popular is the price to performance ratio. In most cases they are cheaper than other alternatives and will offer excellent traction/performance for the money.
