Any regrets about running GY Duratrac's ??
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Intruder
New member
It depends. I ran Duratracs for a couple years before replacing them with MTRs but I spend a fair amount of time off road. The Duratracs are ok off road but don't match the MTRs in mud, loose rock, or on technical obstacles. They were also a good winter tire the first year but not so great the second winter. Personally, I would not buy Duratracs again nor recommend them to anyone wanting to run them year round in a snowy/icy climate.
I run GoodYear M/T Kevlar on my Jeep & they are really not good in snow/ice & barely good in highway rainy situations (they hydroplane too easily). They are great for off road on rocks/mud/sand &tc.
So, are you saying that the MTRs are better than the Duratracs on snow/ice?
I'm not trying to start a :flamethrwoer2: fight; just asking for clarification.
dorton
New member
My brother has them on his 3rd gen, and loves them. He only has about 12k on this set, and has been pleased. He purchased them for his 4runner after he had a good experience with them on his Sequoia. They did very well on the Sequoia in snow, but never really took it off road. He has has not had a chance to try the 4runner it in wintery weather, but has done well in all the other trail conditions he's driven in. He drives about 60 miles roundtrip commute.
J-BlickPhoto
New member
I've enjoyed mine so far. The noise I hear is relative to the noise of the rack, lights, gear, music, etc. A good balance, alignment, tire pressure, and rotation schedule has mitigated any weird wearing of the tires. I've got about 35,000 miles on mine and they still have life in them.
Intruder
New member
Never said the MTRs are better on ice, though they are better in deep snow than Duratracs. I run dedicated winter tires now because the MTRs have the traction of a hockey puck on ice (just posted that in my build thread yesterday). I haven't had any problems with the MTRs in the rain.
I regreted my DT's they were bad in the winter conditions we have in the Gorge area. Slush and ice were very scetchy.
I did like the manners on trails and highway, but thats not the best combination for where I live.
I have moved back to General A/T's and not mud terrains because of the experience.
I did like the manners on trails and highway, but thats not the best combination for where I live.
I have moved back to General A/T's and not mud terrains because of the experience.
LightRanger
New member
Good choice. I loved the General Grabber AT2s on my old rig.
SC0TT
New member
I'm running c-load 265/70/17 DT's. No complaints about the noise level but there is a hum, which has been increasing over time. For what my use consists of...and the rainy/wet climate here, they have been great.
I had DT's on a Nissan Frontier 4X4 in the same "C" rating, and here are my impressions:
1. They were rather noisy for an AT tire, however that's not surprising since they may be the most aggressive AT tire out there
2. Surprisingly they rode quite rough, at least the same as other tires I've had in an E rating
3. Reviews noted the DT's wallowed in turns which I didn't notice. However I did notice they wandered and it was difficult to maintain a straight path. In short they often required a fair amount of tweaking the steering wheel to go straight.
4. Off road they did a very good job
5. No snow or cold driving, but in the rain they were only fair
In the end I felt that for the amount of noise they made combined with the rougher ride, the DT didn't make a lot of sense to run. A better choice would be a street friendly MT like the Toyo Open Country.
Or possibly the newer Cooper ST MAXX, which is similar in style to the DT as a super agressive AT. However it consistently gets higher marks for driveability on the road.
Good luck whatever your choice !
Intruder
New member
Duratracs are an AT tire, not an MT.
eddiebx
New member
The only sort of regret I have switching to Duratracs is the slight loss of steering feel. I went from a brand new set of OE dunlops to the duratracs and I noticed immediately that the steering felt kind of sloppy and disconnected from the road? Probably due to the much taller tread blocks vs the OE tires...
Quite frankly, this is my first set of AT-ish tires in my life, so I am not sure if that comes with the territory, lol. Other than that I have zero complaints because it's a good all around tire, not good at anything one thing in particular, but not too shabby in almost all conditions.
Quite frankly, this is my first set of AT-ish tires in my life, so I am not sure if that comes with the territory, lol. Other than that I have zero complaints because it's a good all around tire, not good at anything one thing in particular, but not too shabby in almost all conditions.
eddie it sort of comes with the territory, but that depends greatly on the exact AT you have. Some AT tires are so mild they barely deserve the moniker, while others sport some pretty serious tread.
Your Duratrac is very serious and made by Goodyear whose theory on tires is that they roll better and use less gas by having a rigid center riding slightly higher than the rest of the tread. Add in a stiffer LT sidewall and knobby treads to the ridge center, and that can translate into the loss of steering feel you've experienced.
Duratrac's wide voids make it a very, very aggressive AT bordering on a MT, and that puts less rubber in contact with the road. Then on either the "C" or "E" rated tire (you didn't mention which you have) both have deeper treads allowing the blocks to travel sideways. A la the "eraser" effect.
The good news is the Duratrac looks fantastic, and is very, very functional off road. As a member of this forum you at least have an interest in off roading, and the tire you've got puts you in the forefront of rubber for that purpose.
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
I have been running this exact tire on my 03 4th gen for the last 6 years. They did get somewhat noisier with age (42k mile on them now) and looks like they will go another 10k or so. They last forever and hold up to the beating they have taken in the desert with zero problems. When they are completely worn out they will be replaced with the same tire. I have tried different brands in the past on my Jeep but it seemed most of them wear out way to soon.
eddiebx
New member
Thanks for the great explanation! That was kind of what I suspected was the issue w/o understanding all the technical terms, lol. Not sure if it matters, but I have the E-load range. You are absolutely correct, to a newbie wheeler like me, they have done fantastic off-road; and on-road is more than acceptable IMO
Titanpat57
Senior Member
We got to get you north of the Tap and get that truck dirty son...
scanny
Senior Member
I have Duratracs C load for over two years and 31K miles and I still like it. I have only stock tires to compare with though, these are my first AT tires. I was impressed with offroad performance, never felt that I need something better. In the first months with new tires I caught a finishing nail between lugs - had to use pliers to take it out but never has any air leaks - so tires are quite strong. Winter performance is good - I had no issues with Duratracs past two winters, this Christmas I'm going to Quebec (skiing) and I feel quite confident that I can get where I need to. Highway performance is more than enough for me, I can say that Duratracs on pavement wet or dry are way better than stock tires for sure. I'm sort of moderate type of driver though, my offroad adventures are far form extreme, on roads I don't drive my truck like a sports car : )
Tire noise is not bad, you can hear it but it don't have to talk louder to be heard by the passengers. Tires still have some life in it - they seem to be fine for this winter but to be honest I'm not sure if they will be good enough for the next one. At 50K miles I might be looking to replace the tires, but we'll see next year.
It's LT tires, so the tire pressure is different from the door sticker. Many people keep them at 40-45 psi - in this case only center of the tread actually contacts the road and tires become very quiet but not as good in slippery conditions. When center of tread wears out and tire has full contact with the road tires become noiser. I try to keep them at 36-38 psi and so far they wear more or less even.
Will I buy them again? I think I will, so far I think of Duratracs as best all around tires which provide adequate traction in all possible conditions. I understand of course that no tires will guarantee 100% traction all the time, and the better your tires are the further you'll have to walk for tow truck : )
Tire noise is not bad, you can hear it but it don't have to talk louder to be heard by the passengers. Tires still have some life in it - they seem to be fine for this winter but to be honest I'm not sure if they will be good enough for the next one. At 50K miles I might be looking to replace the tires, but we'll see next year.
It's LT tires, so the tire pressure is different from the door sticker. Many people keep them at 40-45 psi - in this case only center of the tread actually contacts the road and tires become very quiet but not as good in slippery conditions. When center of tread wears out and tire has full contact with the road tires become noiser. I try to keep them at 36-38 psi and so far they wear more or less even.
Will I buy them again? I think I will, so far I think of Duratracs as best all around tires which provide adequate traction in all possible conditions. I understand of course that no tires will guarantee 100% traction all the time, and the better your tires are the further you'll have to walk for tow truck : )
