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Reviews
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Views
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86
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927649
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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83% of reviewers
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$245.31
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7.4
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Description:
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Review of the Interco Thornbird TSL Radial (TSL = Three Stage Lug)
Now, we want to start off by saying, we really like Interco Tire Corporation and their true Mud Terrain tires. Interco has established themselves as the king of hill when it comes to street legal mud tires for common 4x4s at a reasonable price. We use Interco tires ourselves. With that being said, we really wonder what they were thinking when they designed the Thornbird TSL. Really. At first glance the Thornbird looks extremely aggressive. It has one hell of a profile with the knarly 3 stage lugs jutting out of the sidewall like medieval spikes on a chariot wheel. But to call it a true mud tire would be misleading. Within our definition of a true mud tire, the primary tread that makes contact with the mud is the same tread that makes contact with the street surface. With the Thornbird TSL, this tread is more specifically designed as a street tire with very narrow voids between the large, siped lugs. These voids seem more designed to channel water rather than mud. Which may be fine for some people who really want a street tire that looks like a mud tire. But for the offroader who is really looking for a good mud tire as the primary reason behind the purchase of the tire, we suggest you steer clear of the Thornbird TSL and look rather at Interco's other mud tires such as the Super Swamper SSR. That being said we can point out a few good qualities of the Thornbird. First the Thornbird isn't too bad on the street. A couple of people we know have had this tire and as long as the tires or rotated regularly and the front end kept aligned, this tire is relatively quite on the street. The tire looks impressive. We like the sidewall profile with its ugly lug patterns and raised white lettering. But it starts going downhill from there. Traction is about average for a larger mud tire however wet surfaces still requires awareness to the fact that you don't have as much traction as a tire designed for wet road driving. Even with some siping in the lugs they do not grip too well on wet road. Even less so in the snow due in part to the narrow voids between the lugs which do not self clean very well, which helps to explain why this tire can hardly be called a true mud tire. But enough of our ranting. The Thornbird is not all that bad and may actually be what some people are looking for. Size availability ranges from 29x10.50 to 38.5x14.50 in 15, 16 16.5LT with 6 or 8 ply rating model dependant.
Manufacturers description of this tire:
The inset shows why the Interco TSL/THORNBIRD is such a Versatile tire. The highway contact area in the illustration shows the tread on hard surfaces. The Three Stage Lugs on the sidewalls do not touch highway surfaces but as soon as the tire gets into mud or snow the sidewall lugs provide decisive traction in forward or reverse. Fiberglass belts under the tread and polyester body plies contribute to a really smooth comfortable ride. The design comes close to being two tires in one... a revolutionary design that has earned its place in the legendary ranks of Super Performance.
Manufacturer Info:
Interco Tire Corporation
2412 Abbeville Hwy
Rayne, LA 70578 Phone: (800) 299-8000
www.intercotire.com
Interco Tire Corporation, is a Louisiana company that has evolved through three generations into a leader in the development of high performance tires for use on four wheel drive light trucks and all terrain vehicles. In 1968 Interco developed the first 78 series light truck tires which began the evolution in light truck tires we see today.
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Keywords:
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Thornbird TSL Radial Mud Terrain Tire Interco
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Wed December 26, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Yeah I got a set of these for my 17th birthday, 33 by 12.50, Its the only tire i think i'm ever going to use in my life for my 86 chevy custom deluxe, it looks completely bad ass, and performs just as good. What the cool think was the guys would come up to me ask me about these tires and they usually had lady friends with them, if you know what i mean. I recommend these tires 110%. Enjoy Boys.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Mon January 14, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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GREAT TIRE!!!!!
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Cons:
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NOTHING BUT GOOD TO SAY!!!!!
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O.k., I have to get something off my chest. All you people who keep bashing the Thornbird are novice mud enthusiasts fr sure!! The key to using the Interco TSL Thornbird in mud applications is quite simple. You let your tires down to between 20-15 psi, before entering the mud. This allows the massive side lugs to roll downward enough that they can contact whatever it is you are attempting to cross. Less air pressure also allows the tires to flex more, thus improving tire bite capabilities. I went from 34x10.50x16 Swamper LTBs, to 35x12.50x16 TSL Thornbirds. The LTB is a great tire for the money if you want raw pulling power! I went through some deep South Texas gumbo fields in 2 wheel with them, and my friends where amazed. The draw back is that they wear out very quickly, while the Thornbird seems to last a while. I will say it one last time. BLEED TIRE PRESSURE DOWN(20 to 15 psi)BEFORE ENTERING THE MUD, SAND, SNOW, OR WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS YOU WANT TO CROSS, AND THESE TIRES WILL GET YOU THERE AND BACK AGAIN!!!!!!!!
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Mon January 14, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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therr great when almost bald
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Cons:
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therr hard to find
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when its center are alost bald therr the most fun but only for the rear tires i run 33x12.50 difinty dakota mt in front and 33x12.50 thorns that r amost bald in the back cuz the side lugz grab in mud and flatins the sand for a nice trail ride
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Tue March 25, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Good Wear, Good Off-Road
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Cons:
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Harsh Ride
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I have had these (38x14.50R16) on my truck for about 25k miles. They are a little harsh for everyday street driving and are pretty good off-road. I mainly go in mud and they perform pretty good.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sat March 29, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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all-around-ness, (great all around tire)
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Cons:
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sort of a jack of all trades, master of none.
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To understand this tire you need to understand what type of driving it accomodates. I really like this tire, I have had both swamper style mud tires, as well as boring All Terrain tires, and neither ended up being what I needed. I drive my jeep to work, and school, on the street allot, and on the weekends I beat it up in the mud. So I needed a tire that could do both. The swampers I had were terrible on the road, and the A/T's I had were terrible in the mud. the Thornbirds are pretty decent in the mud and suprisingly smooth on the highway. But they don't mud like a bogger or street like an A/T. Basically if all you do is mud, then get boggers, and if all you do is street get A/T's. But I off road with my "daily driver" like many do, and I would reccomend this tire to anyone else who does the same
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Tue April 29, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Eye catchers. Excellent side wall traction.
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Cons:
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Loud on steet. Poor wet street traction.
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I have a set of 31"x 12.5"x 15" for my 1992 Jeep Cherokee and they sure turn heads in town. I have yet to get stuck in the mud and let me tell you how easy it is to cover your truck in seconds with the lugs throwing mud everywhere. They are very loud on the street and need minimal psi. I run them at 15 psi at all times for a little smoother ride, I also rotate them every 5000km or so. I have the bi-supply not the TSL so they have huge spaces between the tred and mud does not stick to the tire at all. I've had no problems in snow up to 24" deep, plowing snow up onto the hood. Overall the best off road tire I have ever owned for cost.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Mon May 19, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Great traction in deep snow
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Cons:
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Rough ride when not rotated regulaly
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Some time ago I put a set of 10 x 31 on a bobtail Bronco with 3" lift & a posi rear diff;
Once while EB on I-80 in Wyoming, a September blizzard closed the road,
traffic was backed up 20+ miles, & the WB traffic was stopped 30 or more miles to the east; I nosed the Bronco over into the left lane, locked in the hubs, & cut thru a foot or deeper snow in the center median. then headed WB to SB two lane & I70, arriving in Boulder Colorado about 7 hours late.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sun June 22, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great all around tire
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Cons:
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Very Very Loud but not bogger loud
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I own a 1998 ford ranger ext. cab 4WD. I purchased a set of 31x11.00x15 thornbirds for my truck. I do mainly on road driving and go off roading on the weekend. These tires are awsome i have around 4 thousand miles on them and see NO wearing at all. They also get great grip in the florida mud. They also are great in all other types of terrians. I have only been stuck 1 time with these tires and that was b/c of my 4 wheel drive wouldn't lock in I would have been fine if it would have worked. All in all these tires are great all around. The only con is that they are extremly loud on the road but if you like loud music like i do you won't even hear them.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sun June 29, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: $180.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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looks good, and works decent in the mud and around in the creek
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Cons:
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they could be better
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they work pretty good in the mud and creeks and trails, and they will catch everyones eyes
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sun July 13, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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i love em they pull good.these other ppl are crazy.
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xGROMx
Registered: July 2008
Location: OBX, NC
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Wed July 23, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great in Mud
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Cons:
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Smaller sizes don't do well in sand
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This tire gets 50 / 50 responce from people you talk to and ask about to tire. Think back to some one that has told you this tire sucked, think if they have ever owned a set, probobly not.
This tire is amazing in the mud and dirt. If you plan on creeping through the mud don't bother, you need tire spin to clean the tread.
Smaller tires do not do well in the sand due to ground clearance.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Tue September 2, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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awesome in mud and snow and sand
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Cons:
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none
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i had 35 14.50 15s on my mildly worked and barely lifted 1989 f150 and eased through 2 mud holes that noone in my county could think of going through when they are poor for people is when they cant turn them,i win mudfests
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