By the staff of Dirt Wheels Magazine, May 14, 2018
TIRE TEST: INTERCO SNIPER ATV/UTV 920. A true all-terrain tire from the mud experts.
SNIPER ATV/UTV TIRE $226.57 PER TIRE
The Sniper 920 tire is modeled after Interco’s popular Sniper M/T light truck tire. The 920 is a DOT, light-weight radial tire with an eight-ply carcass. It was designed with the durability of a light truck tire but with great off-road abilities. The Sniper 920 features a deep rim guard to protect the wheel from getting damaged, offers a wide contact patch, and a smooth, quiet ride. Interco designed this tire to handle all terrains—from sand, desert and, of course, mud. The 920 is a directional tire.
Interco offers the 920 in several different sizes and rim sizes from 12-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch. We opted out to go with the 30×10-15 for our Can-Am X3 x ds. In that size, the Sniper weighs in at 35 pounds according to Interco’s website. That weight is comparable to other popular eight-ply tires.
TESTING IN TERRAIN
For the test, we had a variety of wet beaches near the Colorado River and hard-packed, treacherous rock terrain and sand. The Sniper gave our X3 an aggressive stance and enhanced the overall look of the car. In the wet sand, it tracked well and seemed to excel in the deeper, wetter sections of the beach. The large clean-outs in the tread kept the wet sand from clumping up.
In the rocky, whooped-out sections, the large 30-inch tire skated through the rough with grace. The side bite wasn’t so extreme that the car wanted to wander off trail when hitting a corner rut, but it was the confident traction that helped the car jump back up to speed quickly. The large lugs did tend to throw a pretty gnarly roost of rocks and shrubbery when on the gas, but it didn’t damage parts of the car.
At the sand dunes, we were impressed that they didn’t dig into the soft terrain like we thought they would. Obviously, they didn’t float on top like a real paddle tire would, but for a deep lugged tire, they performed well. Again, in the sand corners, the side bite provided perfect forward traction.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have any mud to try it in, but with Interco’s deep roots in the muddy swamps of Louisiana, we can take an educated guess that they can rip through mud better than most all-terrains out there on the market. The Sniper 920 is a formidable tire that does what it says and does it very well. We suggest checking out their full lineup at www.intercotire.com for your UTV, ATV or truck.