That's all it took to change my mind. Living in Montana I need a solid tire that can perform in the winter. I used to have an Xterra in which I ran some 33'' ProComp M/T's and they were the absolute WORST here. Guess I'll be sticking with the Duratracs
Personally I think thats a good decision. I live just above you in Calgary, Alberta. We probably have similar winter conditions. I only went with Treadwright beacuse I felt I had to give them a try. I like that they were recycling tires and saved me money. I'm also not the biggest fan of the way the Duratrac looks, but that shouldn't mean much.
The only "good" thing I can say about these wheels in winter are they can be somewhat predictable. I drive slow and cautiously and it's not really an issue but I have gone around quite a few mountain pass corners sideways, not exactly as I intended to. Just have to be quick to react and drive accordingly.
When going to one of our shooting locations in the winter we have to climb a moderately steep hill. One with 4-12" of snow with a bit of a crust. I was the vehicle who had the most trouble getting up and the only one with a rear locker. Hell, a stock tacoma on stock wheels beat me up the hill.. Brutal.
I understand these aren't snow tires, but if you think performance improves in the dry and warm, you're wrong. They are loud, which I don't mind. I constantly have balance issues and they are balanced properly as per their instructions. The last two times I've went into the shop and watched the tech do it. I need balancing again. The weight required is rediculous.
I've had to replace one tire because it started making a "ticking" noise that turned into a slapping noise at 3000kms. Of course they replaced it at no charge, but they don't cover installing and balancing (which gets expensive in Canada (80-100$).
Whenever I hear "good return policy" or "no hassle replacements" it usually means bad quality control. I believe this holds true for Treadwright.
I'd only buy these tires for a trail rig only. One that doesn't see winter use. Probably do reasonably well in places like Moab, Colorado during the summer, etc.
I'm now stuck with the wheels till they are worn. I can't sell them to others knowing how bad they are even if they have decent tread left. Next set of wheels will be "new".
