**A little review on the Duratrac vs K02**
I had the Duratracs (C-rated) in a 285/70/17, put 50K miles on them or so. They were extremely loud as they got older and rode decently, nothing spectacular. I have since gone to the K02 (E-rated) in a 285/70/17 and have put about 15K on these. I can say, from my experience, the K02 has been superior in EVERY way. I liked the Duratracs but making the switch to the K02s was night and day. I run about 40-42 psi unloaded in both. I dont actually get the stiff ride people talk about. They feel about the same as the stiffness of the Duratracs. I have driven both in muddy/rocky trails, snow, soft sand..you name it.
Sand: I do a good bit of surf fishing and drive in some super soft stuff, the Duratracs I would run 16-18 PSI (they did good), the K02s went through soft sand markedly better. Heck I only had to drop down to 25psi and even at 25 there was a HUGE difference in the soft stuff over the Duratracs. And honestly Im not saying that I think there is a difference.. No.. it was a YUUUUGE difference in the sand.
Snow: They both have the snowflake, the K02 should have 3 snowflakes. In my opinion they maintained control better, grabbed better when stopping and seemed to stay softer (compound wise) in colder temps.
Rocks: I have done quite a few trail rides with the Duratracs, they did decently well. They performed good on slick rocks and some pretty steep climbs. Havent really put the K02s to the test on the super aggressive stuff yet. But they do handle highspeed rallycross-style driving on some fire roads in Appalachia really well with impressive predictability.
Mud: I was not impressed with the Duratracs in the mud. They did not clean well even when I "Letter Eat". They stayed caked. The K02s were much better because they clean out well and keep my rig moving in the slick stuff.
Wear Characteristics:
I put 50K/MI on the Duratracs and they still have AT LEAST half! Pretty good for my driving which is on the aggressive side.
So far I have ~15K on the K02s. Still have the nubs in between the treads, no real sign of wear.. so far so good! I can say that the compound is softer with the K02s and may be contributing to the better ratings I am giving them. We shall see how they hold up.
Noise: The Duratracs were really loud as they got older, not bad when new but you still knew they were there. The K02s really impressed me with how close to stock they are with noise output. They are nearly silent new through 15K miles. Giant difference there.
Summary: If I was to assign a stars (0-10, 10 being the best) the Duratrac would get a 6.5 star rating, and the K02s would be 10+. I was hesitant initially as I usually dont buy into the hype... but these K02s have really impressed me. Even if the K02 was done at 50K/miles, I would buy another set in a heartbeat to replace them. That is how good they are.
Anyhow, I hope this helps people on the fence with tires. From my experience the K02s are the best tire to date that I have put on my 4runner.
Cheers~ JW
I had the Duratracs (C-rated) in a 285/70/17, put 50K miles on them or so. They were extremely loud as they got older and rode decently, nothing spectacular. I have since gone to the K02 (E-rated) in a 285/70/17 and have put about 15K on these. I can say, from my experience, the K02 has been superior in EVERY way. I liked the Duratracs but making the switch to the K02s was night and day. I run about 40-42 psi unloaded in both. I dont actually get the stiff ride people talk about. They feel about the same as the stiffness of the Duratracs. I have driven both in muddy/rocky trails, snow, soft sand..you name it.
Sand: I do a good bit of surf fishing and drive in some super soft stuff, the Duratracs I would run 16-18 PSI (they did good), the K02s went through soft sand markedly better. Heck I only had to drop down to 25psi and even at 25 there was a HUGE difference in the soft stuff over the Duratracs. And honestly Im not saying that I think there is a difference.. No.. it was a YUUUUGE difference in the sand.
Snow: They both have the snowflake, the K02 should have 3 snowflakes. In my opinion they maintained control better, grabbed better when stopping and seemed to stay softer (compound wise) in colder temps.
Rocks: I have done quite a few trail rides with the Duratracs, they did decently well. They performed good on slick rocks and some pretty steep climbs. Havent really put the K02s to the test on the super aggressive stuff yet. But they do handle highspeed rallycross-style driving on some fire roads in Appalachia really well with impressive predictability.
Mud: I was not impressed with the Duratracs in the mud. They did not clean well even when I "Letter Eat". They stayed caked. The K02s were much better because they clean out well and keep my rig moving in the slick stuff.
Wear Characteristics:
I put 50K/MI on the Duratracs and they still have AT LEAST half! Pretty good for my driving which is on the aggressive side.
So far I have ~15K on the K02s. Still have the nubs in between the treads, no real sign of wear.. so far so good! I can say that the compound is softer with the K02s and may be contributing to the better ratings I am giving them. We shall see how they hold up.
Noise: The Duratracs were really loud as they got older, not bad when new but you still knew they were there. The K02s really impressed me with how close to stock they are with noise output. They are nearly silent new through 15K miles. Giant difference there.
Summary: If I was to assign a stars (0-10, 10 being the best) the Duratrac would get a 6.5 star rating, and the K02s would be 10+. I was hesitant initially as I usually dont buy into the hype... but these K02s have really impressed me. Even if the K02 was done at 50K/miles, I would buy another set in a heartbeat to replace them. That is how good they are.
Anyhow, I hope this helps people on the fence with tires. From my experience the K02s are the best tire to date that I have put on my 4runner.
Cheers~ JW
