Anybody use D range tires in the desert?

[jonbob]

I'm looking at buying a new set of 285/70/17 tires for my limited and I'm going to be doing some wheeling in the Arizona desert. I was all set to pull the trigger on a set of Goodyear Duratracs but found out they only are made in D load range rather than E1.

Now I'm conflicted between the goodyears or a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers because the Nittos come in the E1 load range and will have thicker sidewalls. Anybody have first hand experience with wheeling Duratracs and Nittos in the southwest? I also looked at MT/Rs but since this is my wife's daily driver and I want a tire that won't be TOO noisy on the road.

I'm open to getting another tire altogether, but want something that's going to be fairly aggresive offroad.

 

[cbreze]

From this forum I heard that the E range duratracs can be had in a smaller width, so if you can handle lesser than the 285's maybe 275 then you could go with duratracs. Having lived in AZ for more years than I care to remember I never had an issue with rock scrapes or chollas enough to hurt my D range sidewalks. Maybe I was just lucky. Never did like all those chollas sticking to my tires, but none the worse for wear. As for road noise my 285 duratracs are fine. A little humming but nothing to much. I really like them. If I were to have any sidewall issues with these, my first set, I'd maybe go with the E range next, but so far they've been great. Wearing very well also. I'm hoping for lots of miles on these baby's.

 

[lilreds21]

being in the desert nittos are a little better for us... they have a higher silica rubber compound the some of the other AT or MT brand tires so they don't dry-rot as quickly!

and just buy the warrantees! if the sidewall does get damaged your covered!

 

[03_4x4Runner]

I have been just about everywhere in the Arizona desert over the last ten years with BFG all terrain tires load range C. One set on my Jeep and one set on my 4runner. No problem with punctures at all. I would say load range D would be fine. The only tires we see damaged a lot are stock P tires. They constantly get side wall punctures. Make sure you get a 3 ply sidewall and you should be fine. In our group it seems only the 2 ply sidewalls get damaged in the rocks. It also seems most of the punctures we see are from higher speeds down some of the smoother sections of trail and not so much on the more technical parts of the trail. Sharp smaller rocks tend to like to put holes in sidewalls at higher speeds of 35-45 mph.

 

[jonbob]

I have been just about everywhere in the Arizona desert over the last ten years with BFG all terrain tires load range C. One set on my Jeep and one set on my 4runner. No problem with punctures at all. I would say load range D would be fine. The only tires we see damaged a lot are stock P tires. They constantly get side wall punctures. Make sure you get a 3 ply sidewall and you should be fine. In our group it seems only the 2 ply sidewalls get damaged in the rocks. It also seems most of the punctures we see are from higher speeds down some of the smoother sections of trail and not so much on the more technical parts of the trail. Sharp smaller rocks tend to like to put holes in sidewalls at higher speeds of 35-45 mph.

That's actually exactly what I was worried about since the duratracs and the terra grapplers are only 2-ply sidewalls. I had the BFGs on my tacoma for several years and didn't like the wet road performance very much (though puncture resistance was pretty good). I was slightly looking at the nitto trail grapplers (3-ply) but they looked like they'd be basically mud terrains in terms of on-road performance and noise.

 

[phillyd2]

Tires are no longer rated by Plys but as way of comparison D would be like a 8 ply and E would be like 10 Plys.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Tires are no longer rated by Plys but as way of comparison D would be like a 8 ply and E would be like 10 Plys.

I think you are talking about the tread plies and not the sidewall. I never heard of a 10 ply sidewall. As I said it seems from my experience in the desert that sidewall punctures are what damages most of the tires especially when aired down.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

That's actually exactly what I was worried about since the duratracs and the terra grapplers are only 2-ply sidewalls. I had the BFGs on my tacoma for several years and didn't like the wet road performance very much (though puncture resistance was pretty good). I was slightly looking at the nitto trail grapplers (3-ply) but they looked like they'd be basically mud terrains in terms of on-road performance and noise.

What part of Arizona are you in? I am in Lake Havasu City and it seldom rains here so wet performance is not a factor for me even though I never had a problem in the rain with my BFG all terrains.

 

[phillyd2]

Don't know what a thread ply is but D or E refer to the Load rating.

This may help:

Tire Tech Information - Load Range/Ply Rating Identification

 

[JB.]

I'm looking at buying a new set of 285/70/17 tires for my limited and I'm going to be doing some wheeling in the Arizona desert. I was all set to pull the trigger on a set of Goodyear Duratracs but found out they only are made in D load range rather than E1.

Now I'm conflicted between the goodyears or a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers because the Nittos come in the E1 load range and will have thicker sidewalls.

Comparing different load ranges between brands is only reliable for load carrying purposes. For sidewalls, higher load range equals stronger tensile cord strength (for holding higher air pressure).

For toughness, the comparisons break down because rubber thickness has little to do with the above.

Moral: Don't assume a given tire with a higher load range is necessarily a tougher tire than another brand with a lower load range.

I'd say find the tire you want from a performance perspective and then get the highest load range available (assuming that's what you want).

 

[jonbob]

What part of Arizona are you in? I am in Lake Havasu City and it seldom rains here so wet performance is not a factor for me even though I never had a problem in the rain with my BFG all terrains.

I live in Tucson but I'm in the military so I'll probably have to move before my tires wear out. Before I moved here I was in Korea for 2 years and Germany for 3, so wet and snowy weather still has to factor into my purchase decision because I may very well see that climate again before I replace my tires. I was not a fan of my BFG performance in Germany, though they were pretty worn out by that time.

As far as load range vs. number of plies I was told by the shop I was dealing with that generally speaking a higher load range tire will have thicker sidewalls. I've also read a few reviews where people have had issues with puncturing the sidewalls of the Duratracs.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

I live in Tucson but I'm in the military so I'll probably have to move before my tires wear out. Before I moved here I was in Korea for 2 years and Germany for 3, so wet and snowy weather still has to factor into my purchase decision because I may very well see that climate again before I replace my tires. I was not a fan of my BFG performance in Germany, though they were pretty worn out by that time.

As far as load range vs. number of plies I was told by the shop I was dealing with that generally speaking a higher load range tire will have thicker sidewalls. I've also read a few reviews where people have had issues with puncturing the sidewalls of the Duratracs.

My son lives in Tucson. I actually gave him my old Jeep and we go off road down there with him now and then. It does rain there more than it does in Lake Havasu. Unless you are planning on some really hard core off roading any of the tires you mentioned will be fine. Some of the harder trails are not really suited for a basically stock 4runner unless you are prepared to have damage to the undercarriage and bumpers. A lot of the trails are doable most of the trail but there always seems to be a small section deeply rutted, steep and dangerous. If you are running trails like Redington road then any of the tires you mentioned will be fine. Some of the trails off Redington road are much more difficult as an example.

 

[jonbob]

Thanks for the advice. I'm putting in a 3" toytec lift and currently have shrockworks sliders. Haven't decided on what underbody armor to go for since I'm trying to keep the overall weight reasonable.