Deuxdiesel
New member
I went with P255/75 Duratrac's, and they are louder by far than the OEM tires, but not as bad as a mud tire for sure. They are very difficult to balance well.
DuraTrac owners
- Thread starter WindomEarles
- Start date
mr.walleye
New member
I LOVE that hum, I replaced my factory tires right away with the same size duratrac 265/70/17 not sure what im buying next I want to go up one size to 275/70/17 but they don't make duratrac tires that size.
Terra Firma
New member
I am torn between these two exact tires: Duratrac and Toyo ATIII LTC, both 33'".
Why did you get the Toyo's after having the Duratracs, and do you regret going to a more AT oriented tire?
The Toyo ATIII is a new design, not that the Duratracs are old. The Duratracs were a stock size but LTs. I wasn't overly concerned about the 60 mph steering vibration but I would expect it to be worse if I upsized them. I also don't see deep mud or need the ability to stud a tire, so they were a bit overkill for my needs. I felt the Duratracs are a MT trying to be an AT "hybrid", while the Toyo ATIII is an AT trying to be an MT "hybrid", which fits more of my needs. Also when I originally got the Duratracs I was running two sets of tires with the original AT20s so the road "discomforts" weren't a big deal. Once I ran the AT20s out I didn't replace them with a dedicated highway/road tire. I was happy I got so many miles out of the Duratracs with their aggressiveness. The Toyo ATIIIs fit a good middle ground for me. Thus far I'm happy with my decision but to each their own and I don't have enough real mileage to give a good review of the ATIIIs (currently no complaints, definitely been very positive for me so far).
Terra Firma
New member
Awesome insights - thank you for taking the time to reply and in a detailed manner as well. I think I'll be joining the ATIII group here shortly and see how they do in the rough stuff.
MAST4R
New member
I understand tire preferences are very subjective and probably no tire is as polarizing as the Duratrac but in terms of construction, going from Cooper STT Maxx to Duratrac would be a big downgrade when you look at both tread and sidewall plies. Unless Duratrac got updated in 2020, it is a tire with 4 (four) tread plies and 2 sidewall plies. That's it. I think it is the only big name tire offered without a cap ply. Even SL AT tires have 5 ply tread. And then there are the Duratrac sidewall forum discussions.
I know many people like the Duratracs and they may be great for many parts of the country, but a tire issue on a typical CO mountain trail would be "interesting" to say the least.
As for the Toyo AT III, I waited and waited and waited and got the ATZ P3. Then the AT III came out. I am very happy with my ATZ P3 but I am a Toyo fan as well from 10 years ago when the AT II were brand new.
I don't think comparing your Coopers to the AT III is apples to apples. I would expect the Toyo to be a great all-around AT tire; the tread looks outstanding and if Toyo maintained the harder-than-most compound, they should also last longer than most as AT II used to (per Discount Tire store data, not internet talk).
However, the STT MAXX/ATZ P3 has a stronger carcass and sidewall than the milder AT III and should also perform better in difficult trail conditions. The Toyo equivalent to the Maxx would be their commercial tire, the Open Country C/T. I have read complaints about the Maxx on road, but I have had none with the ATZ P3. The Toyo C/T seems to be liked in northern climates more than elsewhere. The Coopers/MTs are the quintessential desert and mountain trail tire. The KO2 is just as good in the desert but not in the mountain in my experience.
Anyway, it seems that Toyo did their homework really well with the AT III. I very much doubt the AT III would have any strength issues unless it is run too low (especially the SL version). The AT II used to have 6-ply tread vs 4 for the Duratrac. I am not sure if AT III retains the second nylon cap ply but it helps with durability. The MAXX/MTs also have 6 tread plies but are stronger because it is 3 carcass plies + 2 steel + 1 cap vs 2+2+2 for Toyo AT II. I very much doubt they went to a 3-ply carcass for the AT III because that is not their heaviest duty AT (the CT is).
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Terra Firma
New member
That is a very valid point. I've never heard of someone flatting a ST Maxx off road on the forums due to sidewall issues at low pressure, though I've heard of all sorts of Duratrac flats. The Toyo's will definitely not be on the same level of tire at the ST Maxx. I've had ST Maxx for almost 50k miles and again no issues with countless off road miles. Though over those five years the ride has always been terrible on road. Looking forward to trying a lighter duty tire, paired with some Method 703's (lets see if this bead grip talk is BS or not), and anxious to see what a C-load modern AT tire can handle at 15-17 psi. If they keep letting go, I think the ATZ might be next up
If they can grip well and conform to the rocks, and the sidewall holds up on all but the most ridiculous CO trails, we might be on to something.
MAST4R
New member
That is a very valid point. I've never heard of someone flatting a ST Maxx off road on the forums due to sidewall issues at low pressure, though I've heard of all sorts of Duratrac flats. The Toyo's will definitely not be on the same level of tire at the ST Maxx. I've had ST Maxx for almost 50k miles and again no issues with countless off road miles. Though over those five years the ride has always been terrible on road. Looking forward to trying a lighter duty tire, paired with some Method 703's (lets see if this bead grip talk is BS or not), and anxious to see what a C-load modern AT tire can handle at 15-17 psi. If they keep letting go, I think the ATZ might be next up
Hmm...I have not had complains with the ATZ P3 on road either. The ride with my current setup was borderline too stiff with SL WIldpeals but the LTE ATZ fixed that by being heavy. I was apprehensive about the 3rd ply in the sidewall on road but it has not been an issue. I was surprised about that. I wonder if KDSS makes the overall setup with ICONs too stiff for road comfort?
I am curious to see if a lighter tire fixes rough ride because my guess is that it might worsen the ride. The heavier the wheel/tire combo the better the ride quality in a old Tire Rack comparo. Sure, that used a BMW but it was their conclusion that got me into thinking about heavy tires working better with a stiff suspension and in my experience that proved true.
I am not saying it will necessarily be so in your case due to the many variables.
What would be the combined weight of the new vs old tire/wheel setup?
May be ask DT to let you test drive a set for 10-20 miles before you commit? And then take it to the worst pavement you have around?
Terra Firma
New member
They get installed next week! Total wheel/tire weight should be the same as the new wheels are heavier. Toyo has a 45day return policy if I don't like them, so we shall see. Honestly i entered tire research paralysis this summer. Too many variables and subjective findings for it to be a straight forward choice. I'll report back with results!
MAST4R
New member
I can totally see the issue with research paralysis! Same here when it comes to tires. It is very hard unless you have been with one platform for a long time and experienced a variety of suspensions and tires with it already.
Yeah, 45 day guarantee is awesome. You will definitely know about pavement manners in a week anyway.
Good luck!
DaddySteve
New member
At around 20k they started to make more noise with a vibration throughout the vehicle. I swapped them out for Nitto Ridge Grapplers. What a difference! Very Very quiet and no vibration at all.
Jdog
Member
I have had nothing but luck with my set of 285/70r17 load E. I didn't notice a noise increase but knew I was putting a hybrid tire on so I expect some noise. I have spent some time in Wyoming and Colorado rocks and several trips to Moab with mine and they hold up great. I am also really conscious of the sidewalls and try to keep them in mind on obstacles. Their ability in the snow is for me one thing that makes them great.
Once these wear out/chunk out I will go with an mt only because there have been a few times where an mt was needed over the dirty tracks. But that is just personal preference. The chunking part is just from Heavy use and real tall gears, skinny pedal. As mean to them as I have been to mine they have held up, enough to make me consider the Goodyear MT/R.
Once these wear out/chunk out I will go with an mt only because there have been a few times where an mt was needed over the dirty tracks. But that is just personal preference. The chunking part is just from Heavy use and real tall gears, skinny pedal. As mean to them as I have been to mine they have held up, enough to make me consider the Goodyear MT/R.
loud not loud any db
Has anyone found a chart with the decibel rating of tires. If we could get an idea of decibel reading using your smartphones then we could get ideas of what people think are loud or not. I know there are other variables like type of road, speed, distance on tire. etc.
Has anyone found a chart with the decibel rating of tires. If we could get an idea of decibel reading using your smartphones then we could get ideas of what people think are loud or not. I know there are other variables like type of road, speed, distance on tire. etc.
Just got the Toyo ATIII standard size 245/60/20 on my 2017 Limited. I am very happy so far.
Love going off road on North Ga trails. Crossing 3’ deep streams, 1’ deep mud, gravel, steep up slope, and ordinary on road including rain performance has been beyond my expectations. I had read the ATII’s had rain issues. They changed the compound and added more sipes which seems to have addressed this issue. I am glad to finally have an all terrain choice on standard Limited 4runner. Also, I notice no noise difference from the Michelin LTX MS.
Love going off road on North Ga trails. Crossing 3’ deep streams, 1’ deep mud, gravel, steep up slope, and ordinary on road including rain performance has been beyond my expectations. I had read the ATII’s had rain issues. They changed the compound and added more sipes which seems to have addressed this issue. I am glad to finally have an all terrain choice on standard Limited 4runner. Also, I notice no noise difference from the Michelin LTX MS.
