DURATRACS are my fallback, but I want the BAJA MTZs...Is this crazy 4 a daily driver?

[SURF RUNNER]

I joined this forum recently and love it. I have probably read every thread on here about tires plus many more on other forums.

I want to buy a more aggressive tire for my daily driver. I'm selling my '97 4Runner, so my 2001 T4R will be my only vehicle. If this was my weekend warrior runner I would definitely buy the MTZs, but I'm worried I might regret the purchase for a daily driver. I haven't hit any trails yet. I don't have any 4 wheeling experience to be honest. When I do go off-roading it will probably be just a few times a year.

I recently bought a 2001 Limited 4WD 4Runner. It still has the same tires that were on it when I bought it. They are BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A tires in the 265/70/R16 size. To me it looks like these tires have 80% - 90% of the tread remaining. I have no complaints and they ride great, but I want to buy a more aggressive tire.

I like the Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. I have stock 5-Stars, so I'll be getting 265/75/R16 in C load. These tires look great, have good reviews, and I was all set on them until I saw the Mickey Thompson Baja MTZs. WOW! The aggressive looks of this tire blew me away. It also comes in 265/75/R16, but is only available in E load. Unlike the Duratrac this is a true mud tire so I have some concerns.

I live in College Station, Texas (central Texas -actually it is southeast of the center of the state) so there is very little concern about performance on snow and ice. The price difference between the two tires isn't really a factor - I'll get the tires I decide on and sell the ones I have now. I went to Discount Tire this morning and they can get either tire for me. I wasn't sure they could get the MTZs because it wasn't on their website, but they confirmed that they can get them. I don't drive faster than 75 which is the speed limit on the highways in my area.

GOODYEAR WRANGLER DURATRACS :
Pros
- Aggressive looks, especially for an AT tire (or an AT/MT hybrid)
- Good reviews
- Should be a relatively smooth ride on the city streets and highways

Cons
- I usually like the white letters out, but not with WRANGLER. Obviously this word is associated with JEEP. I would probably just have the black letters facing out for this tire.
- Not sure how the ride would be compared to my current tires
- Doesn't look as aggressive as the MTZs
- There have been some concerns about quality/consistency since these aren't made in America. On the C loads the sidewall is relatively weak. I'll probably get the Discount Tire certs, so this isn't a huge concern

MICKEY THOMPSON BAJA RADIAL MTZs:
Pros
- Awesome, aggressive, cool factor, overkill makes me smile
- These would look great with the white letters out
- Reviews are good
- These are made by Cooper and I like the fact they are made in America

Cons
- Really the only concern is how they will feel compared to my current tire and/or the Duratracs.

Can anyone comment on the noise and vibration on these two tires compared to what is currently on my 4Runner? I like overkill (I used to own a C5 Corvette and it had long tube headers, high flow cats, Corsa exhaust - I had plans for a Magnacharger supercharger before I sold it), so being practical isn't always my top priority. Unless I find something I like more my default is the Duratracs. Do you think I will regret getting the MTZs on a 4Runner that will be on city streets and the highway most of the time?

GOODYEAR WRANGLER DURATRAC

MICKEY THOMPSON RADIAL BAJA MTZ

Below is my 4Runner with BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A tires

 

[tip]

In for feedback as well

 

[Rsamani]

I had a the MTZ on my truck. yes looks aggressive and cool but was to noisy and choppy ride for me. milage also wen't down 1-2 MPG

 

[SURF RUNNER]

Rsamani,

How noisy and choppy?

 

[thebrandon]

I just got some Duratracs myself. I have not put them on the truck yet though. Only feedback I can give so far is that they look cool .

 

[snivilous]

Does anyone have any snow reviews on the MTZs? I'm going through the same thought process for the future, and was pretty set on Duratracs but then saw the MTZs and liked them and I do a lot of wheeling so they seemed applicable. Only issue is that I have to traverse a lot of super snowy and icy terrain at home (Rockies) and driving to/from school going over the passes so the Duratracs seem the better option... I also don't like how the Duratracs are so "main stream" now (though there is a reason for that)

 

[Monomaniac]

I don't know much about the MTZ's but I had BF Goodrich KM2's on my 4R, which were supposed to be quiet, and I hated the way they sounded, felt and drove. I currently have duratracs and they look almost as good as a MT tire. These tires are the best of both worlds IMO. Great feel for daily driving, fairly quiet, and they look pretty bad ass. If it wasn't your daily I would say go for the MT tire but it is so it might drive you crazy after a while and start regretting it. My bro-in-law has the nitto'so on his wrangler and they are the quietest MT out there but still have a little vibration so look into those if you really want a MT. Other than that go for the duratracs and enjoy the ride.

I have a 97 C5 vortech s/c headers full exhaust yada yada yada. Thing is a beast but I wouldn't want it as a daily lol

 

[woodro]

I have 285 duratracs on my 99 4runner and love them . I have had them in the mud , sand and hard pack and the perform awesome. Just drove in a foot of snow and the are the best snow tire I have ever had . The performed very good in the mud , a lot better than the bfg at I had before .

If you are going to see a lot of mud than get a mt tire , but if it's going to be a dd and ran in the street for most of its use get the dura's , you won't be disappointed !

A friend has the Micky mt's and they are awesome off road but loud on the street . Mud tires get louder as the wear down too.

 

[SURF RUNNER]

Thanks for all of the feedback so far. It is starting to sound like I would regret the MTZs on my daily driver. Based on what I've heard so far I'm impressed with the Duratracs. If I don't get the MTZs I will be super excited to get the Duratracs. They are a great-looking AT tire with a bit of that MT look (because of the side biters).

Does anyone have any snow reviews on the MTZs? I'm going through the same thought process for the future, and was pretty set on Duratracs but then saw the MTZs and liked them and I do a lot of wheeling so they seemed applicable. Only issue is that I have to traverse a lot of super snowy and icy terrain at home (Rockies)

snivilous,

I've done way too much reading about these two tires lately... Anyway, I have read that the Duratracs are way better in the snow than the MTZs. The Duratracs have the snow performance symbol (or whatever they call it) on the sidewall.

 

[Holley]

Our 3rd gen 4R has 285/75/16 Mickey Thompson MTZ's and our 5Th gen 4R TE has 265 Duratracs.

We have bought 3 sets of MTZ's so far and have had them on various vehicles. They have been awesome tires and have taken us from south TX to Moab and Durango/Silverton and back without a single problem. We average over 40k miles on each set. As someone else said, they do get "loud" as they wear down. I dont mind tire noise so it doesnt bother me. 99% of the miles have been on road commuting.

We just purchased our 1st set of Duratracs. They seem like really good tires. They are obviously quieter and we expect them to last 40+k miles too.

so here's how it breaks down IMO
Looks= winner is MTZ hands down
Offroad awesomeness=I would put $ on MTZ but the Duratracs have never been offroad yet
Longevity=I am betting on the Duratracs
Noise=Duratracs are way quieter. they remind me of BFG AT's with a little more sidewall tread

Price=Duratracs are cheaper last time I looked.

Good luck and hope this helps, I dont think you can go wrong either way.

 

[SURF RUNNER]

Thanks Holley!

How much more noise/vibration do the MTZs have compared to the Duratracs?

How much more noise/vibration does the Duratrac have compared to a radial all-season tire (like my BF Goodrich Radia Long Trail T/A)?

 

[Holley]

Thanks Holley!

How much more noise/vibration do the MTZs have compared to the Duratracs?

How much more noise/vibration does the Duratrac have compared to a radial all-season tire (like my BF Goodrich Radia Long Trail T/A)?

Noise is significantly greater with the MTZ's. I have the ability to actually give you quantitative test results because i have access to high end sound level meters, if you really want some hard evidence.

The duratracs just barely have a slight hum to them. They are very quiet. The only quieter tire I have had is the BFG AT. I don't have any experience with the Long Trails so I can't really give you any help there.

 

[TCMach]

Ill leave this here. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/158105-great-debate-duratracs-vs-mtzs.html

Personally I run MTZs on my daily driver and the only thing I dont think I mentioned in the above thread was the sidewall molding. MTZ sidewalls will mold excellently when aired down. I run 10-15 psi and I've definitely gotten use out of the sidebiters. Oh and they fling mud like a beetch

[MENTION=92884]snivilous[/MENTION] I live in CO so I can give you a good rocky mountain review.
Street:
-good traction in pack snow once everybody has driven on it for a couple days. I dont slip and the tires dont wander around in the patchy stuff
-superb traction in the fresh stuff. I've run around in 5" of powder in 2wd and not slipped unless i got throttle happy and locked up my lockright.
-slush is like dry pavement

Offroad:
-good in the deeper stuff. Only time ive been stuck was when I decided to drive through a snowdrift I didnt know was about 4 foot deep. Had to go sledding on the budbuilts
-surprisingly good on snow covered rocks. I dont slip off even when its a super sloped poser shot rock.
-once again pack snow is no issue.

I have snow wheeled a couple times with a buddy in duratracs and neither tire really smashed the other one. There wasnt any time one of us walked through a section the other struggled with. albeit the trail was pretty easy so maybe as it gets harder there would be a bigger difference but then again I try not to crawl boulders when its snowing.

Tire porn
How they look in the snow featuring [MENTION=78892]FR4R[/MENTION]
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/102663750@N03/9859647706/player/eb1f46f4cb" height="600" width="800" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

mmm tread
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/102663750@N03/9859534555/player/80be4d8119" height="600" width="800" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

Snow shot. One tire had been cleared due to spinning (damn my lack of a front locker)
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/102663750@N03/9859597113/player/ff733b687c" height="600" width="800" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[SURF RUNNER]

Just thinking outside the box here...

I'm assuming Treadwrights uses tires with no tread/damaged tread and retreads them. Honestly I don't really know that much about Treadwrights so please correct me if I am wrong.

What if Treadwrights (or another retreader) took a MTZ tire and retread it with more of an All Terrain tread to make it smooth and vibration free on the street and highway? Then you would have sort of a hybrid between an AT and a MT - MT on the sidewall and AT on the tread.

Is this a dumb idea? Is it even possible? (Go easy on me... I'm just thinking out loud here)

 

[Holley]

IMO it sounds like you want the MTZ's. Don't be scared of a little road noise if that's what you want. Just pull the trigger and get them. :guitar3:

It's better to spend a little more and get what you want than to try and talk yourself into a tire that is a little more road friendly and try and save a couple of bucks.

 

[snivilous]

Ill leave this here. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/158105-great-debate-duratracs-vs-mtzs.html

Personally I run MTZs on my daily driver and the only thing I dont think I mentioned in the above thread was the sidewall molding. MTZ sidewalls will mold excellently when aired down. I run 10-15 psi and I've definitely gotten use out of the sidebiters. Oh and they fling mud like a beetch

[MENTION=92884]snivilous[/MENTION] I live in CO so I can give you a good rocky mountain review.
Street:
-good traction in pack snow once everybody has driven on it for a couple days. I dont slip and the tires dont wander around in the patchy stuff
-superb traction in the fresh stuff. I've run around in 5" of powder in 2wd and not slipped unless i got throttle happy and locked up my lockright.
-slush is like dry pavement

Offroad:
-good in the deeper stuff. Only time ive been stuck was when I decided to drive through a snowdrift I didnt know was about 4 foot deep. Had to go sledding on the budbuilts
-surprisingly good on snow covered rocks. I dont slip off even when its a super sloped poser shot rock.
-once again pack snow is no issue.

I have snow wheeled a couple times with a buddy in duratracs and neither tire really smashed the other one. There wasnt any time one of us walked through a section the other struggled with. albeit the trail was pretty easy so maybe as it gets harder there would be a bigger difference but then again I try not to crawl boulders when its snowing.

That thread is actually what turned me onto the MTZs, and that review is perfect! :thumb3:

 

[Nelsonmd]

I run Duratracs (that mine in your first pic) and I like them, but only for winter. If you are only going to hit the trails a couple times a year, then I think you will much better of with just a good all season road tire that has decent tread. The knobby tires will of course be noisier, but they also won't roll quite as smoothly, so will cost you some fuel, and worst of all, they are typically more expensive and wear faster on-road. You just don't need them 362 days of the year; don't buy tires for 3 days a year, and run them 362 days where they are just costing you money.

If you really want big nasty looking tires for your couple trail days, then get on craigslist and buy a spare set of wheels and put some knobby's on them. That way you can swap them out when you want, and you don't have to run down your big expensive tires on the road.

 

[SURF RUNNER]

IMO it sounds like you want the MTZ's. Don't be scared of a little road noise if that's what you want. Just pull the trigger and get them.

It's better to spend a little more and get what you want than to try and talk yourself into a tire that is a little more road friendly and try and save a couple of bucks.

Holley,

It really comes down to form vs function for me.

The Duratracs meet all of the criteria as far as looks, great all purpose tire, off-road performance, and a very reasonable ride on the street and highway.

The Baja MTZs are like the hot, sexy girl with a lot of baggage and ongoing emotional issues. You know you want her, but you also know that you will pay the price later dealing with her crap. I have no doubt I would initially love the MTZs when I first get them, but sooner or later I would get tired of the road noise and vibrations on the street and highway. It also sounds like the noise and vibration gets worse as the tires wear and that is not something to look forward to with a daily driver.

What I really need to do is get a C7 Corvette as my daily driver and my 4Runner with MTZs as my weekend warrior! I'm only about $65,000 short of making that happen...

 

[bsling]

I am running the BAJA STZs great tire no noise no loss of gas mileage excellent in snow and ice I live in mountains also.

 

[daDrumpf]

I like the Duratracs a lot. Have done some stupid driving in the snow and made it out every time.