Maxxix Zillas or Interco Swamp Lites?
 

Hello all, I'm torn between these two tires. I'm going to go up a size to 27" and get 2-27x9x12 and 2-27-11x12. We ride every kind of terrain up here with the exception of large sandy areas like dunes. We do have some sand but I've never had a problem in it. We encounter mud, water, roots, rocks, hard pack, tarred streets used as connectors, snow, and ice. Snow is usually on a groomed trail. What do you think?

PS I can get either set for around $400 with free shipping.

I don't know much about either tire but one guy I sometimes ride with has Swamp Lites and was talking about getting a less aggressive tire. We ride mostly on dirt with some pavement to get to the trails. He wanted something he could slide around corners instead of having them digging in so much. If you want something that really digs in they would be a good choice. I'd probably try the Zillas.

These tires are very different. The Zilla is a lightweight mud tire and will probably be superior in low traction situations like mud and snow but they will ride rougher than the swamp lights and wear a lot faster. One of the glowing attributes of the SL's is how long they last. Zilla's on the other hand are made from a lighter and softer compound. I'm not sure they would last long on hard packed roads and trails as an everyday tire, especially with a rotax twin lighting them up.

With that said, I desperately need a mud/snow tire for the renegade and I think I may go with the zilla's. They perform well and won't rob any power away but I'll definetly be sticking with the stock atrs for everyday trail riding.

This is a switch, you're usually the one giving advice not asking, Moose. I like the fact that the Zillas are basically the lightest 6 ply mud tires you can buy. There has to be some compromise made to make them that light though and I can assume you won't get as many miles out of them as tires with a heavier, harder rubber compound. I think they would perform well, just might not last as long as the Swamplites. Even in a 27" size, they probably weigh about the same or less than many other 25" mud tires and obviously quite a bit less than the swamplites. That probably won't matter that much with the powerful Can-Am v-twin but it would with a quad with less power. Still might make a noticeable difference though. I will take a serious look at the Zillas myself when I decide to get tires for my Grizzly. I'll probably stay at stock 25" size myself or perhaps maybe go to a 26" Zilla.

Other than a couple nail punctures my son's done well with the ATR's on his Renegade. He's gotten through everything everybody else has and only got stuck where others have also got stuck. Still surprised at how well they do up here.

I've only changed stock tires for aftermarket tires one time when I had the Sportsman X2 so was curious about the Zillas. Don't know anybody with them. Have a handful of riding buddies who like the Swamplites. I went with ITP Mudlite XTR's after I wore out the OEM's on the X2. I liked them quite a bit but they weren't great in the snow. They liked digging. I did wonder how Maxxis gets the Zillas to be so light. Makes sense that the material is softer and might wear more quickly. Going to the 27's for a little bit more ground clearance. With the long wheelbase of the Outlander Max I scrape where others just make it over. I think either tire will meet my needs, just hoping to find the pro's and con's of each.

I'm sure there are other tires that would perform well too but I guess you have to narrow it down somewhat or you'd never be able to decide. Apparently tires that perform well in mud don't always make a good snow tire.

They do fair in snow. Just not as good as a tire with a lot of knobs. More biting edges with knobs than a mud tire with bars that push the slop off to the side like the Zillas probably do and like the XTR's I had did. I'm on a tighter budget these days so these two were more or less what I can afford. I'm leaning towards the Swamplites.

Swamp Lites look like they'd take forever to wear out but I'd like to know which tire does the best in snow. I thought mud tires with wide spaced lugs were supposed to do better. Zillas should do pretty good in mud and I thought they'd be good for snow too. I don't ride in snow or mud anymore so I think the Swamp Lites would be a lot better choice for me. I still can't decide which way to vote for your terrain that includes mud and snow.