Any regrets about running GY Duratrac's ??

[jrandom]

Maybe a BFG AT will be better suited from what Ive read here. Im going to stay with stock size of 265/70/17 but I would like to do a "C" rated.

Whats your thoughts on these ? seem like a lot of people run these too..

I have always used AT's in varying agressiveness. I always keep coming back to BFG AT's. The first tire I really liked and had a few sets of are no longer in production. Yokohama used to make an fairly aggressive AT called the Super Digger, after those I went to BFG AT's for a while loved them BUT got a deal on a set of Dunlop Radial Rovers then they changed the config of those, yep back to BFG AT's couple more sets. I wanted to try a tire that was "great" in the snow; I tried Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor. Which were SUPERB in the snow and slop... for the first season then they went to shit. I rotated the crap out of them, ride kept worsening, hard to keep balanced, rapid wear, over it. Finally back to BFG AT's. Currently stock size c-rated LT265/70/17r

There are 3 things I really like about them:
1. Wear, for me they have always worn well. I have never had any balancing issues.
2. They are not great... at any one thing BUT the are great all around.
3. Ride, they ride well all the way to the last season end of their life, after they get a pretty rough ride when your tread is close to hitting the bars. Guys that run sand rails apparently like them from this point on, so a few of mine have gotten a second life.

That has been the extent of it, I haven't gone through a lot of tires, mostly because AT's seem to last so long (with the exception of the silent armors)

 

[Maz]

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

Tread depth can vary on the same manufacturer's tires according to their rating, especially P rated vs. the LT rated. So that's something new tire buyers need to keep in mind. Coincidentally eddie's Durtrac is 18/32nds deep for both the "C" and "E" rated tire.

However on both the Kuhmo AT KL78 and Firestone Destination AT for example, the P model has 2/32nds less thread depth than the LT. That being said the sidewall on a "E" rated tire is going to be thicker which can transfer to the driving experience in one, or both of two ways.

1. The thicker and stiffer sidewall will absorb less impact and result in a "rougher" ride

2. The thinner sidewall "C" rated tire would be more likely to wallow and roll over on it's side while turning or going through a curve (that's especially true of the Duratrac). Especially if your running with a load, or moded the rig with heavy items like aftermarket bumpers.

 

[sandcrawler]

my Duratracs are E-loads (so i can't speak to the Cs) and i've put nearly 35k on them in nearly 4 years. i'm religious about checking tire pressure and have rotated them regularly and they've held a balance well. i've never experienced any wandering or unwanted steering feedback; have always felt firmly planted. they've also been great in rain and snow and more than capable in the mild trail use they've been subjected to. i've enjoyed them.

they're definitely getting louder, and probably sound more like an MT than an AT at this point, but there's still plenty of life in them. they're definitely on the short list of contenders for my next set of tires when i replace them.

 

[phillyd2]

No regrets.

 

[Falls]

I decided to go with BFG AT in a "C" rated tire.

$205 each out the door. Getting installed tomorrow :driving:

 

[veloindy]

No regrets, stock size, C ply. Mine plow through Rocky Mountain snow with ZERO issues. They're so good in snow, I dumped my 4th Gen snow tires I planned to use. At 20k miles, they're starting to hum a little. The only real issue I have is how hard they are to Armor All, ha!

Check out the Kelly Safari, made by GY, they look pretty nice too.

 

[PhoRunner]

No regrets. Love these tires.

 

[ColoradoFrosty]

I have about 17k on my Duratracs and I can't recommend them enough.

Have run many other AT tires over the years, including multiple sets of BFG AT's. My experience is that the Duratrac is better in snow and rain than the BFG AT.

Everyone has different needs, but to me these are the best compromise of a do it all off-road oriented AT tire. And at this point I replace with Duratracs again when these wear out.

 

[UtahSooner]

I put my 285/70R17 Duratracs on at 35k miles and just rolled over 80k on a Thanksgiving trip from Utah to Arizona. Been very happy with them and much to my surprise there's still quite a bit of life left in them after ~45k miles. Been running them at 44 psi and rotating fairly regularly. They've been great "daily drivers" around town for work (I drive around town for work and regularly do >100 miles a day) as well as excellent on roadtrips for Mountain Bike races around the Western US over the past 2 summers. When I first put them on I was planning to use them for winter driving and then swapping out for a less aggressive AT tire for 3 season highway driving but they've performed so well I haven't seen the need to spend the time or money swapping out.

Yesterday, like much of the country we had our first big winter snow storm yesterday and conveniently, I had to run colleagues around town for meetings (two trips back/forth over the Point of the Mountian between Draper/Lehi for those familiar with the SLC, UT area). There were folks sliding around all over the place with the snowpacked roads and I had plenty of traction. I was running in 4HI admittedly most of the day -- on slick/icy hilly roads the traction is a little sketchy at times in 2WD... I've been debating whether or not to replace them with a new set before the winter really gets going but I think I have enough tread for one more snow season. We do have one of the best snowplow armadas here in Utah though and I rarely have to deal with unplowed/sanded roads when a storm hits -- if you're in a region where the snow storms are strong but less frequent and it takes a while for the roads to be plowed during/after a storm (b/c there aren't as many snowplows), I might strongly consider a snow/ice specific tire like the Blizzak...

All that said, they've been a really good mix of aggressive looks, highway and off-road performance, as well as winter traction. Probably going to go with them again when I do pull the trigger on a new set of shoes.

 

[hamburglar210]

I've got 265s on my 2013 Trail. So far I love them. They've done awesome in the snow for me so far and if it keeps up, I'll continue to buy them.

I've only got about 2k on mine ATM but I'm very impressed with them compared to the shit stock tires.

 

[hamburglar210]

Been running them at 44 psi and rotating fairly regularly.

Are you rotating at 5k?

 

[eddiebx]

We got to get you north of the Tap and get that truck dirty son...

Only if you promise to clean up my truck afterwards dad...besides is there really even anywhere to go wheelin' upstate? I trekked all the way down to George Washington National Forest to pop my wheelin' cherry because I didn't know of anywhere else, lol.

 

[pwrtrain]

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...

Since I just had a set installed, I cannot say much for durability, long term reliability or performance on ice or snow, but I can share some initial impressions. First, I have OEM Dueler H/T D684 II in 245/60R20 on stock limited rims with about 55,000 miles near the end of their tread. I picked up a set of used FJ 17"x7.5" wheels and mounted brand new LT265/70R17 E rated DT's. I am starting the pressure at 41 PSI, though I plan to slowly increment it up as I see fit.

My initial impression was very positive, they were much quieter than I expected. It is amazing how they can make such an aggressive tread roll so smoothly on road, I had a set of Revo's on my previous Tundra and the tire noise was exhausting. I did notice some "wallowing" as compared to the stock tires on 20" rims, but I am not surprised going from an all season on a narrow sidewall to an all terrain to feel this. I assume this will be reduced somewhat when I increase the pressure a bit. I also noticed the famed "front end nose dive" a bit more with these, but again I assume this has more to do with 17" rims vs 20" rims and possibly the low pressure. An interesting point, though not too surprising, is how smooth they are travelling over railroad track crossings and other bumps in the road. I feel that they track very well down the road and do not require extra steering input to keep them going straight.

I bought them at Discount tire and they did an excellent job. Based on previous posts, I warned them that they might have to be road forced balanced, and they assured me that they could do that if it was necessary or I wanted them to. They told me they installed just fine and did not require any abnormal amounts of weights to balance. If they develop any noise or abnormal wear, they will rebalance for free. They wrapped my Duelers in plastic bags, put them in the back and sent me happily on my way.

Regarding TPMS, I was planning to simply go without sensors on the winter wheels, but they offered me a decent deal ( I think?) on sensors and will swap and reprogram them for free as I switch winter to summer. I paid $45 for each sensor and no "programming fee" for life. I figured this was cheaper than purchasing cloneable sensors or a TPMS programming tool, and I won't have the light blinking at me all winter... They did claim that they are not supposed to let a car out of their shop without TPMS sensors if they come in with them.

Like most tire reviews, there is not much objectivity here, especially since this is just initial impressions. I am not expecting these to be as good as Blizzaks in the snow and ice, but I am sure they will be better than my Dueler H/T for the winter and I can still use them for any upcoming on/off road trips any time of year.

 

[syndicate1]

Since I just had a set installed, I cannot say much for durability, long term reliability or performance on ice or snow, but I can share some initial impressions. First, I have OEM Dueler H/T D684 II in 245/60R20 on stock limited rims with about 55,000 miles near the end of their tread. I picked up a set of used FJ 17"x7.5" wheels and mounted brand new LT265/70R17 E rated DT's. I am starting the pressure at 41 PSI, though I plan to slowly increment it up as I see fit.

My initial impression was very positive, they were much quieter than I expected. It is amazing how they can make such an aggressive tread roll so smoothly on road, I had a set of Revo's on my previous Tundra and the tire noise was exhausting. I did notice some "wallowing" as compared to the stock tires on 20" rims, but I am not surprised going from an all season on a narrow sidewall to an all terrain to feel this. I assume this will be reduced somewhat when I increase the pressure a bit. I also noticed the famed "front end nose dive" a bit more with these, but again I assume this has more to do with 17" rims vs 20" rims and possibly the low pressure. An interesting point, though not too surprising, is how smooth they are travelling over railroad track crossings and other bumps in the road. I feel that they track very well down the road and do not require extra steering input to keep them going straight.

I bought them at Discount tire and they did an excellent job. Based on previous posts, I warned them that they might have to be road forced balanced, and they assured me that they could do that if it was necessary or I wanted them to. They told me they installed just fine and did not require any abnormal amounts of weights to balance. If they develop any noise or abnormal wear, they will rebalance for free. They wrapped my Duelers in plastic bags, put them in the back and sent me happily on my way.

Regarding TPMS, I was planning to simply go without sensors on the winter wheels, but they offered me a decent deal ( I think?) on sensors and will swap and reprogram them for free as I switch winter to summer. I paid $45 for each sensor and no "programming fee" for life. I figured this was cheaper than purchasing cloneable sensors or a TPMS programming tool, and I won't have the light blinking at me all winter... They did claim that they are not supposed to let a car out of their shop without TPMS sensors if they come in with them.

Like most tire reviews, there is not much objectivity here, especially since this is just initial impressions. I am not expecting these to be as good as Blizzaks in the snow and ice, but I am sure they will be better than my Dueler H/T for the winter and I can still use them for any upcoming on/off road trips any time of year.

pics? great write up.

 

[jrob]

Not to hijack but I would like to interject a question concerning snow performance of the duratracs vs blizzaks.

I live a mile back on a forest service road at 9000 ft that gets plowed but not always promptly so deep snow performance is vital.

How are the blizzaks in deep snow compared to the duratracs?

 

[UtahSooner]

Are you rotating at 5k?

More like at ~10k since I drive a bunch and its a PITA to go to the tire shop every 5k (I don't let them touch the lugs on my TRD rims so I pull the wheels, they balance, and I put 'em back on...)

 

[pwrtrain]

pics? great write up.

Thanks, here is a profile shot of the Runner with LT265/70R17 E Duratracs on FJ wheels with stock suspension. BTW, front windows are 20% tint with 3M film (it matchs the back very well, even though this picture makes them seem lighter). I plan to plastidip the wheels very soon, will add some pics after I do.

 

[J Hoss]

Only regret so far is that I'm under 2k miles and have yet to get or desire to get them dirty yet

 

[KiruxaT4R]

I had a set for 18" on my Toyota Landcruiser 100 series for about a year. I live in Alberta where we go from +30C to -45C. These were good under load or no load. I also drove all the way to California to off road though soft soil in the forest, down windy HWY1/101 to San Diego and back through death valley and more wheeling on red rocks in MOAB. All of this loaded right up with RTT on top and then back to winter and ice in Canada. I love these tires.

I sold the Landcruiser BUT now ordered a set of 265/70/17 for my awesome brand new 2014 Trail Premium.

Hopefully this helps with decisions...Cheers!

 

[sfrussell]

Thanks, here is a profile shot of the Runner with LT265/70R17 E Duratracs on FJ wheels with stock suspension. BTW, front windows are 20% tint with 3M film (it matchs the back very well, even though this picture makes them seem lighter). I plan to plastidip the wheels very soon, will add some pics after I do.

Looks good. I just did the same with my 2011. I had the FJ wheels powdercoated black, and put the General AT2 265/70/17 tires on it. Also tinted the front, huge improvement over stock.