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New SSM16 Swamper Tires mounted, pics and review

44K views 114 replies 39 participants last post by  #5.9 
#1 ·
Interco Swamper SS M16 Tires

It was tire time. Nothing new there as your going to be faced with this problem from time to time and the nitto terra grapplers I had been running were starting to reach the limit of what they could do. I found myself constantly pushing the limits of mud and ruts I was getting into. I figured if I didn't do something different tire wise I'd eventually get stuck. I needed a tire that fit a certain set of requirements. Amazing how few there were to choose from once I made this list.

1. Had to be 295/75R16's. I found this the ideal tires size for my truck. I didn't need a lift and it gave me good ground clearance. Plus my speedometer was dead accurate with that size :)

2. Had to be load range E. The nitto's were actually load range D's and that always worried me when I hooked up to heavy loads like my backhoe and its trailer.

3. Had to be a MT aka mud tire. The nitto's were AT's aka all terrain so the new tires had to be more aggressive.

4. Had to have a tread pattern that wouldn't sound like a twin engine bomber going down the road. This eliminated a bunch of tires such as the nitto mud grapplers.

5. Had to have a tread pattern that would handle highway usage too. No sense in having a mud that was a horror on wet roads and maybe snow too.

6. Had to have lateral needs designed into the tread. Didn't want to be sliding sideways in the mud all the time.


I figured following this list would help me navigate through the huge list of mud tires out there. It actually worked out a ton better at narrowing the field down than I originally thought. The list left 2 tires to choose from believe it or not. My choice would be between the Toyo MT's or the new ss m16's from Interco.
The Toyo's are a proven tire. I had run tires on other trucks similar to their design and would of been a "safe" choice. The ssm16's are newcomers and I could find very little reviews from people that actually had them. Also they don't look very aggressive in the pictures I found on the net. So it was iffy if they would be what I wanted. But I went with the ssm16's since they looked tread wise like they would handle the highway part better than the Toyo's.

The tires weighed 300 pounds and shipping was $60. Not bad. The FedEx guy didn't care for delivering them though :)
After getting them mounted and balanced the local guy at the tire shop who had run the Swamper boggers on his truck in the past kept telling me I was going to hate the ssm16's because he could tell that a tire that aggressive was going to drive like crap and all Swamper were horrible on the road. Good thing I didn't talk to him before I ordered because he couldn't of been anymore wrong. As aggressive as these truck tires are they still ride like car tires. Smooth as silk. Handling is quick and responsive. No wandering at all. These have to be the smoothest mud tires on a truck I've ever driven or ridden in. They are just as smooth if not smoother than the nitto AT's I took off. The tires are completely silent up till 45 mph. At that point the roar starts.
Course calling it roaring is kind of like calling a door squeaking an air raid siren. Its a hum if anything and similar to a small boat motor. Its hard to really describe as I've never heard tires make a noise like these do. My son said it sounds like I'm running on some kind of futuristic anti grav device or something. Its wild.
So enough babbling. Here's what they look like. I'm going to get some better pics when the suns up. It was almost dark when I took these.






The next 3 pics shows nitto vs the new ssm16. Both tires are 295/75R16's but the ssm16's are definitely a bit larger.








The verdict? I think my daughter summed it up when she walked around the corner of the wall at the place that was mounting the tires and saw them for the first time on the truck.....

"BAD ASSSSS!!!" :D
 
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5
#2 ·
they look awesome especially on the stock wheel. Remind me of a bogger with the tread turned sideways
 
#6 ·
Thanks everyone. I hope they hold up too long run since I flat love the tires so far.
 
#10 ·
Was 980 or something after the discount for buying 4 at one time and then $1050 or something to the door with shipping.
 
#8 ·
They look good for sure. Is it me or is the drivers side on backwards? :shrug:

I have ran swampers on my rock crawlers before and they can be used both directions. I would hate them if the looked backwards on one side if it was me Id turn the driverside around while you still can if the tire allows for it.
 
#11 ·
It would look the same if I turned them around. One lug goes forward and the other goes backwards. You scared me when you pointed that out, thought they screwed up mounting them :D
 
#9 ·
good pick, i love mine as well.
 
#16 ·
those are my choice for new tires for sure
 
#18 ·
Looks sweet crowz, glad ya like them. Seems most moving to them are going for the terra grapplers to. I have yet to hear anything bad about them. Can you give a direct comparison of the sound to the terra grapplers?
 
#20 ·
The terra grapplers on my truck had an annoying noise but I was having problems with the tread being uneven so that could of been the cause and might not be something that everyone will experience. I thought I had bad wheel bearings from the racket they made :D

The m16's are completely smooth and silent till 45mph. The terra grapplers vibrated even at 35mph and it got worse from there. But I hate saying its their fault as they looked new when I got my truck but I have no way to know how they were treated before I got it or how many miles they had on them.

A plus for the nitto's they did amazing in the mud in 4wd for an AT tire. But sucked in 2wd. I felt I had to lock my hubs far more often than I should of needed to. Its too early to really compare the m16's to them on that part. But there is one section where my driveway's incline really ramps up that would cause the truck to spin with the nitto's and the m16's grip it fine with no spinning. So it seems like I wont need the 4wd as much now.

I guess the best way to put it is the nitto's had a constant noise that wasnt that bad but it made me think I needed new wheel bearings at 35mph and higher, never got that much louder with speed. The m16's hum at 45mph and get a little louder every 15 mph over that. Isnt bad at all for a MT tire but its definitely a mud tire hum/roar.

The nitto's caused the truck to wander and the m16's dont. I never knew how bad the nittos wandering problems were till I got the m16's.
 
#26 ·
Update on the tires.

So far they are doing great still. Everywhere I had to lock in 4wd before with my nitto terra grapplers I simply just push the peddle down in 2wd and go on my way with these. Great tire.

One thing I am noticing is what Id call flat spots when cold.

Its not as bad as some tires Ive had before that did this but its doing it very slightly none the less. If its under 40 degrees at night and I let the truck sit over night it has a minor vibrations from flat spots when I first get out on the road. Once the tires warm up it goes away. Just something I figured Id mention.
 
#27 ·
Seems like a lot of tires are doing it for some reason.I even get it w/ my bfg at's.The wifes cooper stt's do it on her f150 and her winter bfg' km's do it also.
 
#28 ·
i've run tsl's(38 15.50 16.5) forever and love em i get about 45,000 miles out of them i got a heavy right foot also and plenty of offroad.
 
#29 ·
I have been looking at those tires for a while. I had been considering the 295/75-16 size, but was concerned they may rub on a truck with no lift or leveling kit. Interco recently came out with a new size, 33x10.50-16. They actually spec at 33.3" x 11.4" with 8.8" tread width vs. 33.8" x 12.0" with 10.1" tread width for the 295/75-16. Your original post mentions you wanted a tire that would not require a lift, so I assume your truck does not have any type of lift or leveling kit. Is there any issue with your tires rubbing? Would you buy the same size tires again, or go slightly smaller?
 
#103 ·
Interco recently came out with a new size, 33x10.50-16. They actually spec at 33.3" x 11.4" with 8.8" tread width vs. 33.8" x 12.0" with 10.1" tread width for the 295/75-16.
Bringing this back up from earlier in the discussion...has anyone seen or laid hands on these 33X10.50 tires?

I like the tall/skinny tires for my needs and am currently running 255/85 Toyo M/T's with good results except for the price! The wife is due for tires on her ride and would like the same tire but these are on the order of $400+ cheaper than the Toyo's (around here). I like the looks and good reviews, just interested in this size. TIA.
 
#30 ·
Ive got 1 inch to maybe an 1" and 1/2 clearance at all times with the 295/75r16's. Thats from left to right at the fender. Top to fender has tons of room. No rubbing at all.

So Im going to say that 295/75r16 is the MAX tire size with no lift and no rubbing.

Perfect tire size for a non lifted truck. So Id definitely buy again for sure. Very happy with them.

But remember one thing, not all tires are the same size even if you buy the exact same #. Seems to change a bunch from manufacturer to manufacturer.

My nitto's had about 2 inches or more clearance. So the m16's are definitely larger than the nitto's even buying the exact same tire size wise.
 
#31 ·
Im glad to hear the reviews. Its making me want them more and more.
 
#32 ·
Another update. It poured rain today so I got a chance to try the m16's out in the rain. Tried some hard stops and hard turns and the tires did great. Well planted and no suprises.

That leaves ice, snow and how well they last to test.

Ice and snow will be a challenge to find to test in but I'll find some somewhere :D
 
#33 ·
Well I got to test them in mud again today and it was a bit more than I really should of dove into this time. Had mud in the radiator :D

This is after washing the nose off. Didnt think of pics till I had gotten that far.








Definitely would of been tow truck time this time if not for the m16's.

Plowed throught mud just fine. Had one spot I had buried the front chunk into pretty bad and had to back up and go again but otherwise did great.
 
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