Pro-Line Racing Super Swamper TSL/SX

Pro-Line Racing Super Swamper TSL / SX MT

Interco Tire Corporation

Hailing from Cajun country deep in the swampy bayou of Louisiana, Interco Tire Company has been making off-road tires specifically designed for a multitude of uses since the 1960’s.

As the pioneers of aggressive, off-road light truck tires, Interco is a highly respected name in the automotive industry with a vast suite of premium off-road tires featuring unique designs and incredible durability.

With their well-established position in the 1:1 world, it’s no surprise that you can find many different versions of Super Swamper tires in the RC world for both the 1.9” and 2.2” class of rock crawlers and trail trucks. Once Axial released the larger 1/6th scale Jeep Rubicon, it was a safe bet to assume a 2.9” Super Swamper tire would soon to follow.

In late 2021, Pro-Line Racing released their licensed version ( and currently the only 2.9” version ) of the Interco TSL SX Super Swamper tire in the 1/6th scale, perfectly suited for Axial SCX-6 Rubicon and Honcho.

Even though Interco has built a strong reputation for the Super Swamper in the rock bouncing and mudslinging world of the South, it was my opinion that Pro-Line Racing’s version of the Super Swamper TSL / SX tire might struggle on our dry, rocky trails of the Mojave Desert.

We had doubts as to if the tread pattern of a swamp tire would be able to grip our slick sandstone rock, or if the large chunky TSL lug pattern would twist and fold, unable to handle the steep and technical rock features.

With these doubts, in some ways I was anticipating a poor performance from the Swampers when things became steep and technical on the trail.

SCX6, Super Swampers, Honcho, Axial, Treal RC, RC Crawler, Rock Crawling

Ready for some testing at Badrock Ridge.

Axial's Rubicon looks sharp with a set of the Super Swampers mounted up.

Inspection Notes

Pro-Line Racing (PL) have been offering premium tires for the RC market for quite some time, and their 2.9” version of the Super Swamper TSL / SX continues on with this tradition. In terms of build quality and curb appeal, the Swampers are fantastic.

Much like the 1:1 version, the Swamper features a double set of large, chunky, dissimilar lugs running along the outside edge of the tire with a tighter interlocking lug pattern running down the middle. Interco refers to this as their Three-Stage Lug pattern ( TSL).

If you look closely, you’ll also notice that the outside lugs are not identical, nor are the spaced evenly apart. The lugs are set up as pairs, with one larger than the other and spaced close to each other. Then those pairs are spaced a bit further apart from the other pairs, forming a pattern.

Another interesting detail is that the outside lug pattern wrapping around the edge of the tire ( not the sidewall ) is not in alignment with the inside pattern. The inside and outside patterns are staggered just slightly. It’s an interesting design in that it keeps a tire lug in contact with the rock no matter what position the tire is in. You’d also be surprised to know that this pattern makes the tire roll smoother than you'd expect.

Unlike some of the other popular rock crawling tires designed for desert terrain, there are no rock ejector ribs molded between the lugs. The Swampers use these large voids to assist in releasing mud from the tread pattern.

The Swamper tire is one of the largest tires for the 2.9” market, standing 7.15” tall and 3” wide, with the massive lugs standing 0.20” off the carcass.

It is also a non-directional tire, so after some wear, you can flip them around to extend their life.

Three-Stage Lug patter of the TSL Super Swamper tire.

Sidewall lugs are more than just for show, they also help protect the tire's sidewall from damage.

As for the tire’s carcass, it’s thick enough to support the aggressive tread pattern, yet pliable enough to allow for a bit of flex and conformity on technical rock surfaces. The wide spacing of the tire’s lugs aids that flexibility.

PL’s G8 rubber compound tends to be just a bit on the hard side for crawling sandstone, but it holds up well in warmer temperatures and provides longer tread life on the abrasive rocks when compared to their softer, Predator compound.

Truth be told, we have a set of 2.2” Hyrax in the Predator compound, and I’m not a fan of these tires. For the large SCX-6 line of crawlers, the G8 compound is better suited for these heavier machines.

Continuing with the rest of the tire, the aggressive tread pattern on the sidewall wraps halfway down the side, providing an additional level of traction to dig out of ruts or grab the side of a rock wall when additional leverage is needed. The "SX" in the name refers to the "Xtreme Sidewall", with Interco choosing to reverse the letters. These large sidewall lugs also helps protect the sidewall of the tire carcass from tearing on sharp rocks. This heavy, aggressive sidewall pattern is now common today, but Interco pioneered this design.

The fit and finish of the PL Swamper is excellent as usual, with a perfectly formed tire bead and smooth, distinct molded in lettering wrapping around the sidewall of the tire.

Wheel and Foam Setup

With the inspection complete, we punched three small 3mm venting holes in the Swamper’s carcass and installed a set of Injora two-stage foams on a set of new Treal RC aluminum beadlock wheels.

Recently we decided to use the Treal RC wheels as our standard testing wheel setup for the 2.9” tire class. They're very good wheels and the colors pop nicely in our photos.

We have a detailed review on these wheels as well as the foam setup for the Swamper tires on this link here: Foams & Wheels

With the wheels and tires installed, the SCX-6 Honcho looked pretty sharp with the Super Swampers mounted up.

The Treal RC wheels are a perfect match for the Super Swampers.

Badrock Ridge is an unforgiving trail system, perfectly suited for tire testing.

Testing Plan

Staying consistent with our testing routine, we planned a number of visits to Badrock Ridge as well as our new testing location; Leclerc Rock formation. These two crawling areas offer vastly different desert terrain, bringing a diverse set of challenges for any rock crawler or trail truck.

Truth be told, basic trail trucks struggle something fierce at Leclerc Rock in that the rock type is quite abrasive and steep, with relatively few easy sections of trail. During our last test with the SCX-6, the PL BFG KM3’s performed well in these two testing areas, but they are purpose-built off-road desert mud tires.

The TSL Super Swamper design is a completely different animal, so between these two testing locations, we should be able to find out if the Swampers can handle the harsh desert terrain.

Badrock Ridge

Living up to its reputation, the Mojave Desert crushed existing temperature records this year with a relentless, oppressive heat, making the testing challenging for both driver and machine.
The upside is that hot temps were ideal for rock crawling in that they make the G8 rubber soft and sticky for improved traction on the rock’s surface.

Crunching our way through the lower trail section, the SCX-6 cruised effortlessly through the rubble of rockfall as we approached the first of a series of climbs. Unsurprisingly, the large, chunky tread pattern was well suited to the loose rock, sand, and rubble.

Not only was the Honcho running smoothly across the terrain with the Swamper tires, but they resisted sliding off the smaller, slick rock outcropping.

Descending a rough section of trail at Badrock Ridge with a the Super Swampers.

Starting up the first ascent, the Honcho felt good, crawling with a solid grip on the rock’s surface. There was just a small bit of slipping from the Swampers on a few of the rock's edges, but oddly enough it seemed that as the trail steepened, the rear tires hooked into the rock surprisingly well. The tires would grab and the sidewalls would wrinkle, and up the Honcho would go.

Working around the next series of rises, it was more of the same where the Honcho felt in complete control even as the trail would offer up steep side-hills and jagged rock spines.

On one small rise, we set up the camera to show just how smooth and controlled the Swamper tires were performing on these lower sections technical sandstone.

While the rise somewhat short and not overly technical, the Honcho moves up it with almost no effort.

The rubber compound along with the tread pattern handled the grainy surface of the sandstone.

Continuing on along the trail, we followed a steep section of trail which narrows significantly as it wraps around the rock, heading towards the summit of a small peak.

For 1/10th crawlers, this is a snug fit with the need to run the driver’s tires up on the wall.

For the 1/6th scale Honcho, we really had to tilt the truck sideways and grip the right-side edge of the trail with the centerline of the tire while the driver’s side was held up high.

Traction from the passenger’s side was paramount, and the Swampers did not disappoint. I had anticipated the Swampers would lose their grip, causing the Honcho to slip over to the right and high centering the axles on the trail's edge. Yet that was not the case; the Honcho cruised along that section of trail as if it were little more than a leisurely Sunday drive. Fantastic traction and stability was on display. Some of the success here is due to the foam and wheel setup on the Honcho, as well as the tuning of the truck's suspension.

Putting the Swamper's sidewall lugs to work on this tight section of trail.

Heading back out for another round of testing, I was starting to think I had the Super Swampers all wrong in my mind.

Their performance on technical rock surprised me well enough, and yet even more surprising was their ability to handle slick sandstone.

Even the sidewalls got in on the rock crawling action by supporting the SCX-6's 11,000 gram weight through a few tight squeezes.

We filmed a few short sections of the Honcho moving up two unique inclines on the trail. The first is a smooth hump of sandstone which has been worn smooth by wind and rain, and another which features a tightly packed series of little steps to the top of another trail.

Starting with the smooth sandstone hump, the G8 rubber compound grips the rock’s surfaces easily, hauling the heavy SCX-6 to the top with little effort.

It’s not something you’d expect from a Swamp tire, yet there it is, just cruising up the smooth rock without any struggle.

A Swamper tire handling smooth, desert sandstone? Well, it appears that the PL version of this tire does just that.

Squaring up to the next challenge, the Honcho navigated up a tricky trail section which is formed by a series of small steps and rock spurs.

While these sharp spurs create traction, there is very little surface area for the tire’s contact patch to engage with. .

In lower quality mud tires, these small contact patches overwhelm the tire’s carcass, causing it to fold under the weight of the crawler.

As you can see in the video, the Honcho moves up this incline with no problem. The Swampers hold firm to the rock, propelling the crawler to the next section of trail. The blocky lugs on the Swampers hooked into the rock's imperfections, and because of their large shape, they resisted deforming against the rock. This mechanical hooking process provides enough leverage to support the heavy weight of the SCX-6 and maintain traction.

The following few weeks of crawling at Badrock Ridge was more of the same with the Super Swampers handling every challenge we could throw at it, never once coming up short on a trail section.

If we stopped now, I’d be comfortable in stating that the Super Swampers from PL are excellent tires, and you should plan on adding a set to your collection. But we were nowhere close to putting the pen down; Leclerc Rock formation awaited.

Heavily eroded limestone makes this an interesting trail.

Leclerc Rock Formation

With the “easy” sandstone out of the way, it was time to see if the Super Swampers could handle the highly abrasive limestone rock at Leclerc Rock formation.

Unlike Badrock Ridge, there's no easy access into Leclerc Rock formation. Wrapping around the entire base of the formation is a loose bed of gravel strewn with larger boulders, stubborn shrubs, and chunks of pulverized tree stumps pulled down via flash floods from the mountain range off in the distance.

This debris field is tricky to navigate, but we were able to locate a small opening in the bushes on the north side.

The heavily eroded surface of the limestone provides ample traction, but the steepness was proving to be a real challenge and the tearing sound emanating from the Swampers as we started the climb was a bit unnerving. This popping / tearing sound was loud enough to hear over the outrunner’s incessant whine, making us wonder just how long these tires will last on the harsh terrain.

The Swampers fought a bit to find some traction, but with a bit of slipping and sliding, we were able to get the Honcho moving up the trail.

Watching close, I couldn't see any bits of rubber shedding from the tire, but we made it a point to keep an eye on the tires throughout the course of this testing session.

Once we reached about 10 feet off the ground, we hit the first seam in the rock which runs left to right, creating a slight fold and narrow step in the rock’s face. It’s too narrow for the wide track-width of the Honcho, but if we run the passenger’s side tires up on the wall slightly, we can work our way around the formation.

All kinds of sidehill control.

Turning to the left, we were able to get a relatively level positioning of the Honcho with only a slight off camber tilt. The Swampers groaned furiously as they pulled and popped along the jagged limestone surface, but for the most part, we felt in complete control of the truck. The side lugs of the tire greatly helped in maintaining the position without any hit of sliding down the rock.

As we continued along the trail, the width of the trail started to vary, forcing our passenger side tires to run up high on the rock wall.

Even with this increased amount of tilt, the rough, lunar-like surface of the rock was more than enough for the Honcho to grip. Our main concern being the chance of tipping over rather than sliding off the rock.

Unfortunately, this easy crawl didn't last very long. A large rock fragment had fallen some time ago, completely blocking the trail. Due to its odd shape, the far side presented a deep under-hook which was a no-go for the Honcho. Our only option was to carefully wrap around the left side of the rock fragment, leaning deep into a side-hill, and then pulling up towards the passenger’s side once clear.

We had plenty of traction from the Swampers, but the drastic side-hill for the Honcho was a bit of a question. We set up the GoPro and captured the results.

Carefully we worked the Honcho around the left side, creeping along before turning the wheels sharp to the right in efforts to to get the truck pointed up and down on the rock versus tilting over to the side.

The Swampers exhibited just the right amount traction on this rock by allowing a bit of of slip to prevent Honcho from rolling, but not so much that the Honcho slides down the hill.

It was a delicate balance, with the front passenger's tire floating in open-air for a brief moment as we completed the turn.

Carefully working to the top of Hangman's Keep.

A few moments later and we were able to hook back into the trail and head up towards Hangman's Keep.

Hangman's Keep is gnarly trail wrapping around the left side of the formation, following the narrow spine up to the summit, and then descending a highly technical line back down to the gravel wash below. The route takes around 2 hours and quite a bit of hiking up steep terrain.

We've been scouting this trail for a couple of months, but so far we haven’t been able to sort out a nasty rock fall just past the summit. This rock fall forms a road block at the start of a highly difficult descent.

Even with this challenge, we felt it was worth another try with the Swampers, knowing that at worst we would only have to carry the Honcho a few yards over the rubble pile before we got back on our way.

After working up the lower section of trail, we started to ascend the eastern spine of the rock, sticking close to the center of a narrow ribbon of trail heading up to the summit.

Traction on the spine was excellent, and the foam setup provided plenty of support for the inside edges of the tires.

By this time I had expected to see some chunking of the large tire lugs due to the sharp edges of the rock, but other than a few tiny nips from the edges, there was no significant wear or damage to the Swampers.

The only sign of uniform wear was a bit of edge break on the squared corners of the lugs. It surprised us in that the G8 compound feels softer than the OEM Axial rubber, but on this rock it has less wear yet more traction. Impressive.

Crossing the summit, we took a moment to look down at the wash below, carefully peering over the edge. The Honcho was running very well and the Swampers felt like a perfect match to this limestone rock.

Looking down from the summit of Leclerc Rock Formation.

Looking up from the bottom, this rock pile remains as the last piece of the puzzle to solve for Hangman's Keep.

Once clearing the summit, we encounter the rock fall which has Hangman's Keep an unsolved trail. Even though we are approaching the rock pile going downhill, the large gaps and undercuts are just too significant for the Honcho to handle.

After we carefully hiked over the rock pile with a + 20lb Honcho, we flipped around and to take a look from the bottom of the pile towards the summit. Sometimes when you approach a tricky section from the opposite direction, you can sort out a new path.

Unfortunately, while the tires continued to find plenty of traction on the rock, we couldn't clear the large bumpers or scale the deep overhangs.

Most likely we will need to use the SCX-6 moon buggy at a later date to see if its open wheel layout and lack of bumpers will do the trick. Until then, we are going to have to continue carrying the truck over this rocky section.

Starting our descent down the west side of the formation, traction became a key issue in controlling the Honcho as we navigated the chunky rock sections. Unlike the large, uniform rock shapes on the east side of the formation, the west side is a jumble of rock fragments and gaps.

While we had to work slowly through this maze of rock, the Swampers maintained a tremendous grip on the coarse rock surface and inspired a high level of confidence to descend some more treacherous lines.

Thirty minutes later and we were back at the bottom of the trail. Two batteries drained over the course of crawling for nearly three hours, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the Swampers on this terrain.

The Honcho's bumpers took a real beating heading down the trail.

Another brutal climb for the SCX-6.

More Time at Badrock Ridge

After finishing up a few more days exploring at Leclerc Rock formation, there wasn't any question about the Swampers being highly capable rock crawling tires. PL knocked this one out of the park, and there really wasn’t much more to investigate. Our testing notes were nearly complete, but we were having such a good time out on the rocks with these tires that a special trip back to Badrock Ridge was planned to check out a few specific trails.

The plan was to crawl El Arbol Perdido trail and get a few videos of the Swampers in action. This trail is difficult in that you can't easily follow your truck up the trail due to the steep, narrow terrain. Usually, you must stand at the bottom of the trail for the first part, then hike to the top and then look down to complete the ascent. There really is no other vantage point to spot your truck, and you can't stand in the middle section; it's too steep.

Unfortunately, these two positions place you too far away to grab hold of your truck in the event you lose control. This leaves you to watch helplessly as your crawler bounces down nearly 40 feet of rock before landing in a pile of debris at the bottom of the trail.

With the confidence we had gained from earlier trips at Badrock as well as a Leclerc Rock, we attacked this trail straight-on, with the Honcho using every bit of traction the Swampers could provide.

In some of the steeper sections, the Honcho would slightly lift a front tire as it tilted back, but luckily the rear tires were locked into the rock well enough that with a gentle wiggle of the steering servo, the front would settle back down to the rock's surface and continue the ascent.

It's a long way down to the bottom.

Swampers demonstrating a tremendous level of control on this slick sandstone.

Fifteen minutes later and we were at the top of the trail, grinning ear to ear with the Honcho’s steep rock performance. From there we hooked over to another trail, descending an enormous, washed-out and smooth concave ramp running down to a hidden cluster of trees known as the Water Slide.

Unlike Leclerc where the limestone has a jagged sharp surface of imperfections the water slide is a nearly polished smooth block of sandstone approximately 60 feet in length.

Like a lizard, the Honcho deftly crept down the sandstone wash under complete control.

The Swampers held just as tight to this rock as any other sandstone terrain we had encountered to date with an impressive ability to precisely guide the truck around some of the eroded pockets in the rock.

Nearing the end of our crawl, we set up the GoPro to capture a very difficult ascent on the trail which eludes most crawlers.

This surface is challenging in that it’s not only steep, but there are countless undercuts and eroded pockets. At times you will get caught up in double undercuts holding the rear axle, or drop a tire into a deep eroded hole, slipping to the side and tumbling down the rock.

We've tussled with this challenge in the past with about a 50% success rate with any crawler in the fleet.

Creeping up a very steep incline with the SCX-6.

In the video, the Honcho fights it's way up the climb, slipping and shifting position as the front tires searched for traction. In some spots, the sandstone would crumble away in tiny, sandy bits causing the Honcho to slip back slightly.

Even with the slipping, the Honcho continued to make make a steady progress up the side of the rock, eventually reaching the top. We never thought a Swamper tire could handle this kind of terrain, and it was rather impressive.

Like most GoPro videos, the film just doesn't do the steepness or challenge of the terrain justice. This trail is quite difficult and I'm stunned that we scaled it with the SCX-6, let alone running swamp tires.

Cresting the summit of Lecleric Rock Formation.

Final Thoughts

Of all the tires we tested for this website, the Super Swamper TSL/SX tires surprised us the most.

Right from the start, I had fully anticipated these tires would struggle in our dry, rocky terrain, only to see firsthand that they actually excelled in this desert environment.

It appears that the “Swampers” name functions more as a historical product name rather than a specific use of the tire, and many of us, author included, sorely underestimated these tires based on that incorrect assumption.

PL has the right balance of rubber compound with tread design, hitting some kind of magical balance where the Super Swampers find just the right amount of traction when needed.

The three-stage lug pattern and aggressive sidewalls keep the tire engaged in the rock’s surface no matter the tire’s position, providing a level traction we’ve rarely seen.

By the end of our testing, the Swampers were finally starting to show some wear and tear. The terrain has been challenging, and we have attacked some of the most difficult ascents our terrain has to offer. At the cost of a bit of wear on the edges, I think the Swampers deliver a high-level of performance.

After two months of intense crawling, the Swampers finally started to show some wear on the lug's sharp corners.

Putting the center lug section of the Swampers to the test.

When it comes to stickiness, the G8 rubber compound isn't quite at the same level of slick rock crawling capability as the JConcepts Landmines, but the Swampers are a close second and better than any other 2.9" tire we’ve tested to date.

The slam-dunk with these tires is their excellent curb appeal, bringing a perfect blend of Interco's iconic Super Swamper off-road tire styling to the 1/6th scale world while delivering stellar performance on the trail.

This unique combination places the PL Swampers in a class of their own for the SCX-6 product line. It will be a long time before these tires are pulled from the Treal RC wheels. Luckily, we have a second set of Treal RC wheels to continue on with our 2.9" class of tire testing.

Slow and controlled.

Specs

Interco Super Swamper TSL SX 2.9" G8 Rock Terrain Truck Tire

Part Number: PRO1020114
Compound / Hardness: Soft Rock
Inner Tire / Outer Wheel Diameter: 2.9"
Insert Material: Open Cell
Product Height: 7.15" (182 mm)
Product Width: 3" (76 mm)
Weight: 295 grams per tire
Quantity Option: 2 in a package
Scale: 1/6
MSRP: $49.00 ( 2 tires )

Links

https://www.prolineracing.com/
https://trealhobby.com/
https://www.injora.com/
https://www.intercotire.com/

Pro-Line Racing 2.9” Super Swamper Evaluation Results

Technical Rock: 28/30

The Super Swamper tires from PL scored much higher than we anticipated, and their superb performance was undeniable and deserving every bit of the 28 points awarded. While it's logical to think “Swamp” tires have little business creeping around in the desert, what we found was quite the opposite; the Super Swampers from PL are fantastic in dry, rocky, technical terrain. The squared-off lugs hooked the edges of the eroded sandstone with relative ease, with their traction further enhanced by the tire's flexible carcass.

Large Slab ( Slick Rock ): 18/20

During the testing, we were able to knock off several steep ascents on the slick rock, but there were a few times where the truck would struggle some on the smoothest of sandstone surfaces, forcing us to pick a slightly different line with a bit more surface texture. We found that the tread pattern favored the technical rock over the slick rock, but the respectable large-slab performance did not prevent us from tackling some of the most challenging trails at Badrock.

Tire Construction Quality and Appearance: 20/20

Looking back over all the testing of 2.9” tires to date, the PL Super Swamper is the best tire in terms of build quality and curb appeal. The TSL design of large, widely spaced lugs combined with smooth rubber sections of the carcass lends itself to easy molding during the forming process, resulting in a crisp, precise, and bold tire appearance. The tire bead is perfectly formed and mounting these to the aluminum beadlock wheels was a snap.

Rubber Compound: 19/20

Pro-Line’s G8 compound tends to be just a bit on the hard side for crawling on sandstone, but it holds up well in elevated temperatures and resists the abrasive nature of the desert rocks when compared to tires made from the softer Predator compound. With the G8 compound paired to the Swamper tread pattern and the heavy weight of the SCX-6, it’s an excellent combination. Would a stickier compound be more desirable on the rocks? Possibly, but it would most likely come at the cost of tire life, and I’m not convinced the tradeoff would be worth any possible gain.

Tread Life: 5/5

While made from the same G8 rubber compound as the Hyrax, the large, chunky lug design offers more surface area to resist wearing than Hyrax tires. Leclerc Formation was expected to take a toll on the Swampers as it did with the Hyrax, but what we found was other than a bit of minor wearing and peeling of the sharp corners, there was little other damage. Best of both worlds? Seems to be the case with these tires.

Versatility: 5/5

After two months of testing, we couldn’t find type of desert terrain where the Swampers struggled. Loose rock, technical rock, and large slabs proved to all be well within the Swamper’s design capabilities. Interco perfected the Swamper's design and Pro-Line faithfully recreated their vision on a 1/6th scale.

Total Score: 95/100

Axial SCX-6 Honcho with the Pro-Line Racing Super Swampers TSL / SX 2.9" tires.