I want to know if anyone really can tell the difference or knows of the difference between the super swampers and ss vampires from interco. I want to put vamps on my '00 SP 500 but the supers are a lot cheaper and they look about the same. The only experience I have is that I had Vamps on the rear of my old Xplorer 300 4x4. I have never ridden a quad with supers. Any help would be great. Thanks

Mudman '00 Sportsman 500 (The Green machine)

 

Hey Mudman,

The differences are as follows:

Super Swampers:
Came first.
The tread is more "straight across"
The tread is shallower 3/4" on 25" tires - 1" on 26"
The 12" wide swampers weight a few pounds less.

Vampires:
Tread is on more of an angle. More like tractor tire.
Tread is about 1 1/4" deep
12" wide are HEAVY, but 9" wide are lighter than SS
Vamps come in 27" as well.
For pure deep mud - Vamps will go better.
Vamps are much harder to turn in deep mud due to huge lugs.
Personal opinion - they slide more on loose hard surfaces than the SS

I have both sets for my Honda. For General use and mild mud - I like the SS's better. For Swamp riding - I'll put the Vamps on.

If you are not going to live in the mud, you might want to look at the 26" SS's - they do have deeper tread and are closer to the Vamps than the 25". I have the 25x12.5 rear and 24x9 front in the SS's and 26x12 rear and 25x9.5 front in the Vamps. There is a considerable difference in the torque needed.... However - your machine has ample torque for whatever you want.


Good luck and Happy Trails

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Steve "Bog Hog" West

Honda 300 4x4 - Gordonized, Powered and Vamped

 

Thanks for the info. I guess they are right, Honda riders, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel can still serve a purpose:-)
Just kidding, I appreciate the much needed help and happy four-wheelin'.

Mudman '00 Sportsman 500 (The Green Machine)

 

Okay Mr. Polaris Mudman, don't make us Honda guys gang up on you. I personally use the Vampires, but some of my Polaris friends (yes...we can all get along) run the Super Swampers. The Super Swampers are not quite as aggressive and they have a rounder appearance across the traction surface. My friends claim its a smoother ride. They also claim they don't break as many parts (cv joints, etc.)running these tires as they did with the Vampires. I think for my next bike I'm going to try the Super Swampers and see if they are a little easier on the trails. I also know a lot of folks that run Vampires in the rear and Super Swampers up front. Either way you go, you're getting a great tire.

 

I vamped my 98 Foreman 400 with 26x9.5s on all corners. I'm really impressed with its ability to handle mud and snow, and also with the way the extra tread pulls me over rocks and logs in the forest. They don't track as well as stock in loose stuff, though, and they have a pretty harsh ride on hard pack. Harsh enough that I'd recommend a Sports Bra to any girl using them.

Jennifer in Vermont

 

In my opinion, the Super Swampers (never tried 26" size though) don't clean out well in clay type mud, and ball up too easy. As where the Vampires will keep going until you high center no matter what, and then go a little further.

It seams when running big Vamps your machine is what limits you now (whether it be power, height, gournd clearance, air intake height, etc.), not traction.

 

Adam is right... The SS are good, but put them in heavy grey clay and they're about as slick as snot on a doorknob. I DISTINCTLY remember being stuck in a big mudpit at the Marshall run and my 25" SS sitting there like a set of drag slicks.....
Somebody needs to make a tire like my sons tires on his Tonka Truck... when it senses wheelspin, these huge panther paws come out of the tires and automatically lift it twice as high and GOBS of traction... I mean.. that thing will go thru ANY mudpuddle in the driveway with a good set of AA batteries..

 

Hahaha!! I like the idea of the Tonka truck:-)

I have thought about running the supers up front and the vamps in the rear. I did have experience with the vamps on the rear only of my old 300 Xplorer 4x4. I really thought they cleaned well no matter what. When someone said that they will stay clean even when you are in mud enough to high center, they were right!!. I wondered if supers on front for a somewhat smooth ride and vamps on the rear would be a good combo? I noticed a considerable loss in speed and acceleration on my old 300 with vamps on the rear only. Would supers and vamps hurt the power much, or take away much speed and acceleration? I hope it doesn't affect the machine too much, but I am willing to pay the price for mudding capabilities if need be. Thanks for the info.

Mudman '00 Sportsman 500 (The Green Machine)

 

Hey man you have a 500cc engine I think you have plenty enough power not to really worry about it. Go with the vampires. They are much better in mud and really do not ride that rough. My friend has swampers and I have vamps...he cant follow me hardly anywhere. Although his atv sucked before he put the super swampers on it. He ahs a 98 kawasaki 220 bayou with swampers on back. You can see my signature at the bottom it tells ya what I have.

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Matt Sibley

1999 Honda 300 4x4 Vampires and 2500 lb. winch

 

220 with Vampires? Man, that's gotta be one tough little quad.
BushHog
'99 Sportsman 335