The "Cons" of Duratracs

[RonMAIDEN]

I'm up to 20k on mine and I fully expect another 20k from them with no problems. They are a tad noisier than new but only at around 60mph. The onlu ohter con I can think of is how expensive they've become since '09;I paid under $900 out the door with road hazard warranties and now they're close to $1100 from Discount. Yikes.

 

[zidaro]

they kick ass in the snow and ice department.

cons-
they really seem to be wearing much faster than i expected. less than 20K on the tires and i am not anticipating them lasting thru the winter for me. Thats only 2 years on a set of low use tires.
noise (though it doesnt bother me) is increasing with wear.

I forgot to mention- my set is on a 10 tundra, load E, and i carry a pop up camper on it and drive alot of rocky roads. I feel these tires are not long wearing on heavier vehicles. Lighter weight rigs they are amazing.

Previously i ran duratrac load C on a 96 Taco and they were awesome with mileage wear.

Hope that clears it up.
I will be trying out the Falken Wild Peaks on my 10 runner when the time comes.

 

[fenrisx]

I'm up to 20k on mine and I fully expect another 20k from them with no problems. They are a tad noisier than new but only at around 60mph. The onlu ohter con I can think of is how expensive they've become since '09;I paid under $900 out the door with road hazard warranties and now they're close to $1100 from Discount. Yikes.

I Just priced load C's in the 265/75 16 flavor at a Goodyear shop down the roard and was going to be able to get them for ~$926 mounted, lifetime balance and rotation, and an alignment. He was price matching TireRack and Discount on price per tire. This was only because GY is running $160 mail-in-rebate if you sign up for a GY credit card. You can still get an $80 mail-in-rebate if you don't sign up for the card. This doesn't include road hazard warranties. Tires in general have gotten pretty expesive as of late. Definitely a con!

 

[rebelbowtie]

the biggest con for me was that when i went to buy a set of hurradurratracs for my 4th gen was that every store had to special order them in 265/70/17 and i needed tires before a road trip. So I purchased the proven and reliable T/A KO's instead.

 

[giguchan]

Hmmmm,
yeah most shops around here dont have them in stock... I can give the shop a week to get them... i have E procomps now... i've had better tires... i want a soft ride so i think i will go C . I drag a pop up, jetski. when it's time. I think C is is not as hard as E.

 

[zidaro]

fixed it for ya

This is very disturbing... I like this AVATAR very much. I hope they dont wear as fast as every body says but everyone cant be wrong.

 

[Gerdo]

Any new reports on your Duratracs?

 

[giguchan]

Gerdo,
I had them installed and put about 100 mi on them.. and then i left directly for Japan for Vacation. I have not driven on the truck since.it's in my driveway sitting... I have my neigbhors trained on it so i will know if any of the local kids want to have a go at it.

I had an issue with rubbing at semi Lock the inside part of the tire would rub again the aftermarket control arms so the wheels had to go back to the shop i got them from and i was given a set with i guess a wider offset.it fixed one problem and created another.I know have rubbing on the inside plastic pieces which will be fixed 2 ways. by my dremel when i get back to the states and also when i have the OEM bumper removed and have my bumper from shockworks installed. The bumper has been ordered but wont be ready until christmas time- well december..i guess you cannot rush greatness.

if you are looking for a basic report on the DT's that i can give you... in those 100 Mi i did notice that they are TAD noisy. coming from Procomps i guess anytire is going to be that way the PC's were pretty quiet.

The tires sing. period. they are aggressive not as much as some but they will sing... what i am worried about is when they start getting some use i heard they will get worse. as for handling... the do handle pretty well.. i had them in the rain a few times and they seem to hold up and not skid too much. tried to lock em up and i could not...

i'll give you a better report when i get back.. sorry for the rambling.

 

[JeepWinch]

Coming from the stock tires the DTs in a 285 are pretty loud. An even hum would be ok however, I get a pulsing humming which is kind of annoying. They definately make my rig feel heavier. I wont be b!tching when i am ripping through 30 inches of unplowed snow this winter though.

 

[giguchan]

I should have guesed that there might be a diffrence. in tires.. I mean i went up in size and out and not to mention about the Agressive tread.. (well in my world) i hope that we here on Long Island get some snow this winter too.. last winter all i needed was a skateboard.

 

[t4r4life]

sidewall sucks ass, don't buy them if you wheel on tight trails, i swear the side walls on my GG at2 are thicker than the duratrac's sidewall. other than that the tire is awesome for an AT

 

[Gerdo]

I have "heard" that the sidewalls are weak but I'm not sure if anyone that has DTs has truly had sidewall issues. I wonder if this is true or just a rumor.

 

[giguchan]

More great news.....
I'll have to keep an eye on this..

 

[hambone575]

What is the size i should get if have 07' sport v6 with daystar and spider trax? Size i should avoid?

 

[jsketoe]

Bump for giguchans avatar. Lol

 

[Doozi]

Yes... nice avatar! I forgot what I was going to post... oh yeah...

People have mentioned the fact that the DuraTracs have a 2-ply sidewall versus 3-ply. I've read a bunch of posts regarding "P" versus "LT" tires and load capacity, but I'm still a bit confused about the "toughness" of a tire. Basically, I'm considering the DuraTracs (LT285/70R17) as one of my options for the next set of tires and I want to make sure that I go with a "tougher" tire than my current P-series Silent Armors which, by the way, have never let me down. My assumption was that an LT would naturally be a tougher tire, but I'm sensing that's not necessarily the case. My confusion is around an LT needing so much more air pressure than a P... leading me to believe that an LT has a "softer" sidewall, but that doesn't make sense.

A lot of our trails out here are loaded with jagged chunks of granite and I'm always nervous about popping a tire so I'd like to take a step in the direction of a tougher tire. Can someone help me to better understand tire toughness?

 

[JB.]

People have mentioned the fact that the DuraTracs have a 2-ply sidewall versus 3-ply. I've read a bunch of posts regarding "P" versus "LT" tires and load capacity, but I'm still a bit confused about the "toughness" of a tire. Basically, I'm considering the DuraTracs (LT285/70R17) as one of my options for the next set of tires and I want to make sure that I go with a "tougher" tire than my current P-series Silent Armors which, by the way, have never let me down. My assumption was that an LT would naturally be a tougher tire, but I'm sensing that's not necessarily the case. My confusion is around an LT needing so much more air pressure than a P... leading me to believe that an LT has a "softer" sidewall, but that doesn't make sense.

A lot of our trails out here are loaded with jagged chunks of granite and I'm always nervous about popping a tire so I'd like to take a step in the direction of a tougher tire. Can someone help me to better understand tire toughness?

As far as sidewalls go, toughness basically comes down to the amount of cord material and the thickness of the rubber.

LTs are designed to handle more load which means more air pressure, which means more cord material, which means stiffer sidewall. Thicker rubber and differing contruction techniques can affect sidewall stiffness, also.

Some pics and more detail in <a href="http://www.toyota-4runner.org/performance-zone-tires-wheels-exhaust-superchargers-more/89432-ongoing-review-revo-2-lt-load-e.html#post989511" target="_blank">this</a> post.

 

[Acidmeld]

Yes... nice avatar! I forgot what I was going to post... oh yeah...

People have mentioned the fact that the DuraTracs have a 2-ply sidewall versus 3-ply. I've read a bunch of posts regarding "P" versus "LT" tires and load capacity, but I'm still a bit confused about the "toughness" of a tire. Basically, I'm considering the DuraTracs (LT285/70R17) as one of my options for the next set of tires and I want to make sure that I go with a "tougher" tire than my current P-series Silent Armors which, by the way, have never let me down. My assumption was that an LT would naturally be a tougher tire, but I'm sensing that's not necessarily the case. My confusion is around an LT needing so much more air pressure than a P... leading me to believe that an LT has a "softer" sidewall, but that doesn't make sense.

A lot of our trails out here are loaded with jagged chunks of granite and I'm always nervous about popping a tire so I'd like to take a step in the direction of a tougher tire. Can someone help me to better understand tire toughness?

Dont doubt the toughness of the Duratrac sidewalls. You saw the damage to my rim and i had no issues with the sidewall after that hit. Mine are the 2-ply 265s and i chose them over the 3-ply. I believe the 285s are 3-ply as well.

Btw, I had an opportunity to test them in 14" deep, thick mud last weekend. These tires just clawed right out.

 

[Gerdo]

I'm believing that the whole "weak sidewalls" is all a bad rumor. I have yet heard someone, firsthand, say that they had sidewall failure. And if someone has had a failure, was the damage expected due to the object that caused the failure.

True, I drag sharp rocks on my sidewalls all the time. WHEN I tear a sidewall, it will not be unexpected. (granted, I'm not running DTs)

 

[Lus06SR5]

I have a set if duratracs..285/70/18 that come on a set of limited wheels I just bought. I wanted to lift the runner and use the tires cause they are SUPER nice...family problems has arose and I am going to sale the tires and keep the limited wheels. Tires have approx 5-7k on them...very little wear..make me an offer!!