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Reviews
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Views
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19
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718135
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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79% of reviewers
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None indicated
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6.7
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Description:
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Review of the Interco Thornbird TSL Bias Mud Tire (TSL = Three Stage Lug)
Initially we weren't too impressed with the Thornbird Radial. Interco Tire Corporation seems to have made some improvements to the bias version of the Thornbird TSL, although its still not up to the Super Swamper standards as far as offroad abilities go. We would like to point out what we thought they improved upon over the original Thornbird TSL Radial. First and probably foremost is the wider voids in between the massive lugs and a slightly different tread pattern. With the original Thornbird, the lugs were so close together that they very quickly clogged with mud and had little self-cleaning abilities. With the wider voids in the Bias Ply, mud is channeled out and away better than the radial version. The Three stage lug design is still there doing its job. The Thornbird Bias TSL also has sipes in the large lugs to aid in rock crawling. It still has an aggressive profile that we like. Size availability, we believe, is the same as the radial version. As far as streetability a drawback to the bias ply mud tire over the radial is the fact that it is a bias ply tire and does not handle as well as a radial on the road.
What we thought of the Thornbird TSL Radial Mud Tire:
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 Bias Ply Mud Terrain Tire Interco
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Thu February 1, 2007
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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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Good floatation, Moderate traction
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Cons:
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bad on street
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I've used the 35x14.50-16.5 tires with mixed success. They are PERFECT in saturated sod, stubble, or anywhere that the soil has some vegetative residue. Just when you expect them to break the surface, the side lugs stop the sinking and allow you to "float" out of trouble spots. Don't clean too well in mud or clay, though, and they are completely useless on ice. Also, they seem to get cracks in the voids ("weather-checked") before they are even two years old. In traffic, people just stare at them, and they sound like a WWII bomber at highway speeds, if you like that sort of thing.
- DM Schagunn Ellendale, ND
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Wed February 21, 2007
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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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New Voids work well, look is aweswome, works great on the rocks
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Cons:
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Very stiff tire. Does not drive the best on the highway. I aired down to 25lbs and hey drove much better on the highway.
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The tire is great offroad. I have the new bias ply tire with the larger voids. I am very happy with them. They work great in the snow and rocks. I just did a difficult trail in Big Bear CA where the conditions were wet with patches of snow. We did some good climbs on the John Bull Trail and it was wet. This trail is hard enough on dry dirt. I didnt think I would make it but I went right up it with very little problems. I have 35x12.5x16 on 16X10 rims which creates a nice full contact patch. I was unsure about the tire as I've heard people talk bad about them. Let me tell you this.. I couldnt be happier!! I have them on a jeep which doesnt way all that much. I truly think they work much better on lighter vehicles.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sat March 31, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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Chicks like them
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Cons:
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They don't work well
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For the money...there are SO many better choices.
These are pretty much just poser tires, and this is a REAL review by someone who's familiar with them.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sat June 23, 2007
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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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worked great on the beach
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Cons:
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This tire worked great on the beach especially, on the road it had a nice hum to it that i kind of enjoyed, they do really well on street mileage as long as you keep them rotated and such i loved them and with a set of 35x14.50 15 i had no problems with being stuck anywhere i went even in the soft shells on the beach and loose sand on the entrance
name: Trey Batschelet
city: Kitty Hawk
state: NC
country: USA
rating_street: 3 Star
rating_sand: 5 Star
rating_rock: Not Applicable
rating_mud: 4 Star
rating_snow: Not Applicable
rating_wooded_trail: Not Applicable
rating: 3 Star
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Tue November 6, 2007
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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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Not too bad on the street.
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Cons:
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Like slicks in the rain.
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I bought my first set about 2 months ago, and I havent even been close to getting stuck in any kind of mud. I bought a winch a month ago, havent had to use it, I'm starting to think I wasted my money on the thing. The downfall they are like slicks in the rain. But all in all, im completely happy with them, I think the ppl that bash them are steering you wrong.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sat June 7, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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I had a set of 35x14.5x15's on a suburban and I loved them. I never got to any rock crawling like I do with my jeep, and I don't see how they would fair all that well on rocks, but as far as mud bashing and such, they were great. I never sunk in places where people with larger tires and lighter vehicles were. those side bitters just grabbed and ran me right on out. Even rocking 3.73 gears in that monster, I never had a problem. On the road, LOUD is all I have to say. The guy who said they sound like a WWII bomber was not lying. LOUD. Lot of looks and kids loved them. I probably wouldn't get them again as I do more rock crawling than mud romping, but there were fun for that!
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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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[the heck with] that [guy] who said their poser tires. if he thinks these tires are shitty he's a poser who doesn't know wtf hes talkin about. I love these tires.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Tue January 13, 2009
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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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incredible ALL-TERRAIN tire
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Cons:
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expensive compared to other ALL-TERRAINS
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i have a 95 powerstroke and these tires have out performed the great and almighty MUD tires ive had!If u have a heavy truck and ur lookin 4 milage in an off roader then this is your tire.ive done EVERYTHING with these tires and im still getting rescue calls,not needing a rescue!!!and i dont have a winch...I GOT THORNBIRDS!!! BEST ALLTERRAIN tire ive ever had or seen!ALLTERRAIN remember!!!
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Tue March 17, 2009
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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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Great for road use and especially mud use!!
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Cons:
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Cloggs slightly
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When I first got these tires wear on road was not as well as i hoped but when I lowered my tire pressure to 25-27 it was a big difference, and in noise. Very nice tire! and it looks good...
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sun May 31, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 1
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these tires are not good in the mud. the grips get clogged easily, dont be fooled by the namebrand. interco makes a lot of good mud tires but they missed big with these
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Fri September 25, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Off road.......AWESOME
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Cons:
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On road.....not so good!
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I don't think there's a better, more agressive looking tire out there...period! I had a set of 33's on a 90 wrangler and they really made it look good. I work construction and I've always got mud to run through at the jobsite. There wasn't anything anywhere that I couldn't get through. I tried to get stuck....and couldn't. On the road, I hated them. Too noisy! And if it rained....forget about it! They'd lock up under braking, and spun non stop when taking off. So, in my book I'd say they're almost a 10 off road....but a mere 1 or 2 on the street.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Thu January 7, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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i have had these tires for about 40 thousand miles and i have went threw a pond, 18 inches of snow, thick mud, and everything inbetween. i love them and the hum they make on the road. and in my opinion they have the beefyest tread on a mud tire.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sun January 24, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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You got to AIR THEM DOWN TO 12PSI AND LET THE TSL (THE STAGE SIDEWALL) DO IT'S THING IN THE RUTS
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Thu April 22, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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I have 35x12.50r15 on my 87 F-150 I built. I have had these tires on this truck for 4 years now and they have about 25k miles on them with 1/3 tread left. These tires have done great in snow, mud, etc. Seem to wear better with lower tire pressure, I run mine on 18 psi. They are very loud on the road. The key is rotating them, I rotate mine every 3k. Will for sure get this tire again!
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Fri May 28, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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none
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Cons:
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will kill you on wet roads
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I owned one set on my 86 toyota and they damn near killed me multiple times after about the 3rd time I had enough and sold them for 100$ i dont recomend these tires to anyone who drives on the road a lot. In the mud they cakeup easy and dont clean out easy if you already have ruts to follow threw then you will be alright other than that they arent worth anything.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Tue September 28, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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Wear, Looks,
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Cons:
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Hard to balance/ not good on heavier vehicles
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Loved the tire, for awhile. Hard packed snow and ice was iffy, work really well in the mud. Tread started seperating after 5000 miles, blew a 14 inch section off of one, but it still held air lol. In the process of getting a refund from Interco, bought them from National Tire and Wheel, their customer sevice and dedication gets an A++ from me.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Wed February 29, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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NEoYFpYOrDREwXuQS
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Cons:
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NFPbyKqqPYYTZGRCi
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No wrerios John. We appreciate you passing along the good word. According to The Tire and Rim Association (TIA), SL or LL rated tires with a minimum speed rating of Q (99 mph), the minimum inflation pressure is 180 kPa (26 psi). However, no maximum pressure seems to have been set for these types of tires. A tire's sidewall is the best place to consult maximum tire pressure requirements. Based on the OEM tire for your vehicle, you should be ok with an SL rated tire. Although, if you do decide to go with the recommended Michelin Primacy MXM4 99H, that is an XL rated tire so it should satisfy all your concerns.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Mon April 23, 2012
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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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girls loved them
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Cons:
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slick in rain
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i just turned 16 and got a 1980 chevrolet and worked all summer to buy some 35x14.50-15 thornbirds and i love them.everyone at school said they could hear the tires humming 3 miles away and they do great in mud.i reccomend this tire to everyone
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Thu April 26, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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beefy tread
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Cons:
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will kill you in the rain
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i hate these tires!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Federal Couragia M/T Tires
Editor
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;)
;)
