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ATV Product Review

Product:                     Interco SwampLite Tires 25x8 F. 25x10 R.                                   

Test Duration:            Installed on 12-15-2005                              

Tested By:               Jody Robinson

Machine:                   Suzuki Twin Peaks 700 (same as Kaw. 700 Prairie)

Review Date:               12-21-2005

After taking a quick ride in the back yard, I immediately noticed a big difference by switching over to Interco’s new offering, The SwampLite.  The handlebars feel much lighter now than they ever have.  Turning radius has also been noticeably decreased.  I can turn VERY tight now, so much so that I will have to re-learn the limits of my machine!  Even though the fronts are rated at 8” wide, the contact patch when on hardpack is closer to 6” wide.  In addition, the tire profile (when looked at from the front of the machine) has a more round curvature to it. These two characteristics come together to create a feel of precision and agility that I have felt with no other front tire, much less one with a lug depth of nearly an inch!  The tires are actual advertised width when you measure across the side lugs. 

Measurements

·         25x12x10 – 21.7 lbs.  Outside diameter is 25 ¼”, mounted on quad, sitting on concrete @ 4.5 psi

·         25x12x8 – 18.1 lbs.  Outside diameter is 24 ¾”, mounted on quad, sitting on concrete @ 5.5 psi

Last Saturday, I put about 70 miles on these tires at Callalentee ATV in Mountain City, Tennessee. The trails were mostly covered with hard-packed snow, with patches of Ice and thawed sections of soggy red clay.  There were also rough rocky sections as well.  The SwampLites did great at everything that I pointed them at.  I was climbing steep hills covered with 3 inches of snow with confidence.  A stock King Quad (IRS and more rear ground clearance) was getting stuck where I had no problem.  This happened several times throughout the day.

On the way home, I decided to do another little ride on a little 30 mile loop trail that I call my “back yard ride”.  This North Carolina Trail has most terrain types represented and is a great test bed for tires.  It had tight, leaf covered trails, some hardpack and rock littered, some soft red clay, steep hill climbs, a few mud sections and some fast gravel sections.  At speed, the tires rode smooth and vibration free.  I was also surprised to find a fairly comfortable ride… on par with other radials that I have tested.  I found the steering precise, no collapse under hard cornering (5.5 psi front, 4.5 rear), but at the same time I found them to be surprisingly forgiving when you smack those sneaky surprise gullies a little to hard.  You know the kind that you come up on to fast to dodge, so you just grimace and take the hit.  These tires seem to tame that hit considerably. 

Tracking was dead on precise under aggressive maneuvers thru tight tree dodging trails that were mostly hardpack with some scattered loose rocks and covered with leaves.  I felt reasonably in control on the greasy wet red clay sections also.  There was some slippage of course, but if you stay off the throttle, it handled the slick stuff much easier than the other guys I was riding with. *COUGH – (ATR’s, Badland’s) - COUGH*

When it came time to hit the mud, I was ready to dive in.  This hole is a pretty good one; about 30 feet long and 2 feet deep it’s pretty sticky, dark Carolina mud.  The other boys made it after slowly inching forward, resorting to heavy amounts of throttle to clean the tires and sawing at the handlebars.  I made it thru the same hole that the other guys did, but I did it in about half the time and kept a slow steady pace without much spin or effort.  In short, the tires did the work, so I didn’t have to.

There was only one thing that I didn’t like about these tires.  The ones that I received were had been banded to tightly together and were collapsed.  This made them difficult to mount.  I suggested to Interco that they take future precautions to ensure that future shipments wouldn’t be the same.  The lady that I talked to at Interco was very friendly and I believe that they will change shipping procedure to eliminate this problem in the future.

In summary, my initial reaction is that (for now) my search is over for the best do-it-all tire.  All the attributes that I look for in a tire are here.  Great handling, cornering, traction, mud cleaning, and a reasonably soft ride were all present.  There is just one more quality that has yet to prove itself, and that is durability.  The sidewall is a little on the thin side, but you can’t have great handling light weight tires and thick sidewalls at the same time, without spending serious dough… $$$ KEVLAR anyone?  Interco is not just blindly thinning out their sidewalls without considering toughness.  They assured me that the SwampLites were made from a tougher, higher natural rubber content than other tires.  So far, I would have to agree, they are pretty tough.  I have thrown some pretty nasty rocky trails at these 6 ply tires and they have done well with no leaks, or flats – but with less than a hundred miles on them, the jury is still out.  It will take several long West Virginia trips, and maybe a harescramble or two,  to totally convince me of their toughness.  I am so tired of the ATR flats, they have engrained in me that durability is probably the most important characteristic of an ATV tire.  My rear ATR’s wore out in about 1,000 miles.  I am also hoping that these tires wear better.  Time will tell.  More updates to come.

http://www.intercotire.com

Interco Tire Company

2412 Abbeville Hwy.

Rayne, LA  70578

800*299*8000

Initial Ratings are on a scale from 1 to 10

Build Quality:                  –  9, no visual defects.  Beads seal well. 

Handling:                  –  9, precise, light steering. Much better than stock or ATR’s,

Ride Quality:            –  8, much better than I expected for bias ply, more radial-like.

Durability:                      –  ?, No problems after 100 miles.

Terrain Type:          –  aggressive trail riding, rocks, light mud, steep hills, informal drags

Recommendation: –  durability unproven, but so far YES, HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED!