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.

We have trails in NH where there is an agreement that quads and sleds can use the same trails. Lots of riding in Warren, NH and they may open up the Ride The Wilds section in Northern NH. There's also a few railtrails and some smaller areas where it's allowed. The trails are groomed for sleds and there is usually an inch or so of chopped up snow that you can get traction in. I've noticed over the years that people with knobby type tires do better than dedicated mud tires for the most part. The mud tires have a tendency to dig down if you're not careful on the throttle. Once off the groomed trail (unintentional) all bets are off. I've got stuck in waist deep snow I don't know how many times. Winches are wonderful. Got caught in a few snowstorms while out too. Didn't have any issues if we could keep on the trail. Fields can be bad with wind blowing snow around so it's tough to find the trail sometimes. I don't ride alone in the winter. Too easy to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere and even with a winch it can be tough to get back on the packed snow.

I know I'd pick the Zillas for myself but it doesn't snow that much here. I really don't even need tires that aggressive most of the time but they're so light that it would be hard not to pick them. Even Mud Lite at's weigh more and they're more of an all-terrain tire. But I can get a full set of 4 mud lite at's for $265 with free shipping in stock 25" size, that's a pretty good deal I think. I saw these on a Suzuki Vinson for sale recently These are relatively new tires. They don't come in a 27" size for 12" rims though, only for 14" rims. Can get a 26" for 12" rims though. They look like a good all-purpose tire and are roughly around $450 for a set of 4 with free shipping for the 26" size. I guess the unknown factor applies here but some have said they work well in the snow and they are radials. They look to be really heavy though, 33lbs is the shipping weight for a 26x9x12 front tire.

Know one guy with the Rip Saws that he has on his Grizzly 700. He likes them overall. I really want to get a little more ground clearance though so 27" tires are a good pick. The Max XT-P came with 26" tires and I don't think I'll have to change anything going to 27's.

Pretty much decided on the Swamp Lites. Got a couple places that gave me a quote around $425. Just waiting to see if another guy will beat that offer or not.

I chose the Zillas due to their much lighter weight for my 350.
26x11 zillas weigh as much as most 25x10. plus they have a tall 1.19" lug.

On a larger displacement ATVs I guess the weigh thing is not so much of a factor.

Weight affects wear of components like wheel bearing and cv axles. More unsprung weight for your brakes to have to stop too. I'll probably get the MudLite At's because they're cheaper myself. They're aggressive enough for most of the riding I do and they're very light too. The Zillas if I choose the 26" size do have the larger lugs. So even once they start to wear down to say 1/2 tread, they still have lugs almost as big as the at's brand new. That is something to consider. Right now, I'll keep the stock tires for a while I think.

LOL, That's what I tell people . Why buy Mudlites (ATs) when Mudlites (XLs) will wear down to ATs after a 1000 miles or more.

With the XL's, there is a significant weight difference. The Zillas are much lighter. I'm definitely talking myself into picking the Zilas over the mudlite at's lol. The only advantage the at's have is price but spending $100 more for a set of superior tires really isn't even an issue for me.

Others have said the Zillas wear quickly. Anybody that can confirm that?

I have heard the Zillas don't last quite as long. Its not like they would wear out in a couple hundred miles, just won't last 2000 miles like a set of Bighorns would. The stock tires on my Grizzly have over 3000 miles on them. Even if the Zillas lasted 1000 miles that would still be a long time. When I said superior, I was referring to the performance of the Zillas, not how many miles I would get out of them. I would guess they would not like pavement very much though. I ride on pavement some to get to some of the trails I ride on.

Especially in Maine there are a lot of roadways used as trail connectors. Still looking around but I think the Swamp Lites are the way to go for me.

I sold my 350 SRA 350 Grizzly pretty quick after I put the 26" Zillas on to a friend . But I would think a 1.19" lug would take quite awhile to wear down.

I may get them again for my IRS 350 Grizzly once the stock tires wear out.

My XL Mudlites on my 500 sure seem to hold up well even on hard pact rides. I have 1000 miles on them. They have pretty well the same lug as the Zillas.

I might take a look at the Swamp Lites as well. If you do get them, I'd be curious to see how well they hold up.

One guy I ride with swears by them (better than swearing at them). He puts them on all his quads, most recently a Can-Am Outlander 1000. He also had them on an Outlander 800 he sold to another guy I ride with, and a Honda Rincon. They seemed to hold up well.

Sounds great, I would probably stay with the stock size myself. I had a friend who had them on an older Grizzly 600 but I think they were somewhat worn out when he got the quad so they never performed as well as I thought they should have. The 600 didn't have quite the ground clearance of the 660 which probably didn't help. They did ride quite well and didn't seem to wear much during the time he had it. The new Swamp Lites are probably better, that was several years ago.

This sounds like a really smart guy. You should listen to him....

:D Did you put them on your newest rig yet?

Well, I just ordered the Swamp Lites today from Rocky Mountain ATV. Had the best price by about $23 and free shipping on orders over $49. We'll see how easy having the one sided bead lock rims will make the change go.

Yes...I put them on before my first ride. got them on my gf's new 500 XT too. I really think for the price you cannot beat the ride and the wear. I love the deep lugs and their spacing make riding on hard pack effortless. I will be very surprised if you do not like them.

That sure beats these guys. Interco Swamp Lite their best price is $51.80 and that's a puny 22x7-11 for a kids ATV. A regular 25"x10-12 is $100. Your getting 3 tires for free in comparison. Good find.

They do look like nice tires though.

I'm pretty sure he meant they were $23 cheaper, not $23 a tire. If they were that cheap, I'd buy every set they had and resell them and make a lot of money lol.

I checked the price of one size at RMATV and mud throwers and there was only 8 cents difference with mud throwers being cheaper.

You and me both. :D No, it was $23 cheaper than the best price I could find elsewhere, for the whole set. $397.70 for a set of 27" tires sure seems like a good deal to me from what I could see.

Well, I finally got them on the quad. Must say beadlocks make it soooo much easier than a regular rim. Got the hang of it after the 2nd tire.
Almost forgot. https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...00547771_o.jpg