305 70 16 Duratracs on the way!
- Thread starter TheFuzz
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Sorry I beat you to it.....305 KM2s went on today, no lift, no rubbing. Pics are in the picture thread.
I cannot concur in ice and snow (everywhere else yes), I ran'm last winter and there were ok in general snow for an all season snow biased tire. But they did not meet my expectations in winter, so I bought a set of FS Winterforce for Dec thru Mar. If you only set a few dustings a year ok, but anywhere you get >20" of snow a year they just don't cut it. Braking threshold on snow w/ the Winterforce (generally) has been half that of the Duratracs...
- Thread starter
- #26
We get 3 or 4 "major" storms around here per season, with a few dustings in between. Hardly enough to run a softer, dedicated winter tire like the Winterforce IMO, but there are people who do it on less-capable (read: non-4WD/AWD) vehicles.
I'd imagine the snow performance of the Winterforce is better than the duratracs for several reasons (since they're a winter tire and all...), but I don't have the need for two separate sets of wheels and tires. The Duratracs seem to be one of the most capable/aggressive "AT" tires out there without going to a full blown MT tread, which is why I chose them. Winter performance is important, but half of the year here is snow-free and very hot.
Of course, I'll be able to give a much more well rounded opinion in a couple of months.
I'd imagine the snow performance of the Winterforce is better than the duratracs for several reasons (since they're a winter tire and all...), but I don't have the need for two separate sets of wheels and tires. The Duratracs seem to be one of the most capable/aggressive "AT" tires out there without going to a full blown MT tread, which is why I chose them. Winter performance is important, but half of the year here is snow-free and very hot.
Of course, I'll be able to give a much more well rounded opinion in a couple of months.
I've seen a good number of e-series ford vans and suvs up in the mountains running the duratracs, so they cant be that bad.
They consistently get extremely high ratings (excellent/superior in all catagories) on tirerack.com too...1,201,580 miles worth of reviews can't be all that wrong.
On gravel they they are pretty amazing for the $ We pre-run gravel rally stages with'm and they are very predictable at most all speeds and water content. And very low road noise on tarmac.
Just not so good for snow...their compound gets quite hard <20F and traction drops off significantly below that. But to each their own....I run Nokian Hakkas on my other two cars, so my performance requirement/expectation for the northeast may be much higher than many in other parts of the US...
- Thread starter
- #30
Tires are on!
Well, finally got the tires installed today. First impression when the DT guys rolled one out for me to take a look at:
HOLY SH*T these things are massive! When sitting next to the stock wheel/tire in the parking lot, I'm pretty sure the guy thought I was on crack and was wondering if this would really work since the 305's are substantially bigger...but I knew they would fit.
The pictures really don't do the size justice...they are huge. But here's what I have:
A couple of before pictures for reference:
Still on the lift
After a quick bath:
The photos pretty much suck, sorry. I was in a hurry and just had my cell phone with me.
As for driving impressions, on road there is no discernable rubbing. The DuraTracs do rumble ever so slightly on the road, but overall they are very quiet. Obviously louder than the Nitto's I had on the Yukon, but I was expecting that. They only take a slight bit more pedal to get moving, but the rig does slow down quite a bit faster than before when decelerating due to the increased rotational mass and contact patch (again, things that I was expecting). One thing that surprised me a little was the lack of depth on the siping. I'd imagine after 10-15k miles it will be gone, but I could be wrong. I'll have to see how their performance is after that point.
I now need a lift and an alignment to fully take advantage of these beasts, but the appearance really is night and day. Can't wait to get them into some snow! Overall I am extremely pleased.
The 5th tire is arriving tomorrow, so they kept the spare wheel for me and will have it mounted up tomorrow morning.
Well, finally got the tires installed today. First impression when the DT guys rolled one out for me to take a look at:
HOLY SH*T these things are massive! When sitting next to the stock wheel/tire in the parking lot, I'm pretty sure the guy thought I was on crack and was wondering if this would really work since the 305's are substantially bigger...but I knew they would fit.
The pictures really don't do the size justice...they are huge. But here's what I have:
A couple of before pictures for reference:
Still on the lift
After a quick bath:
The photos pretty much suck, sorry. I was in a hurry and just had my cell phone with me.
As for driving impressions, on road there is no discernable rubbing. The DuraTracs do rumble ever so slightly on the road, but overall they are very quiet. Obviously louder than the Nitto's I had on the Yukon, but I was expecting that. They only take a slight bit more pedal to get moving, but the rig does slow down quite a bit faster than before when decelerating due to the increased rotational mass and contact patch (again, things that I was expecting). One thing that surprised me a little was the lack of depth on the siping. I'd imagine after 10-15k miles it will be gone, but I could be wrong. I'll have to see how their performance is after that point.
I now need a lift and an alignment to fully take advantage of these beasts, but the appearance really is night and day. Can't wait to get them into some snow! Overall I am extremely pleased.
The 5th tire is arriving tomorrow, so they kept the spare wheel for me and will have it mounted up tomorrow morning.
Nice looking treads! Odds are the shops set the pressure low which is contributing to the 'slows down faster' comment.
What are you guys running your DTs at? The shop set mine to 40 and I have not had a good chance to do a chalk test.Also , how much wider are the 305s compared to the 285s? They look great and you will LOVE them. We should go wheeling sometime.
- Thread starter
- #36
How about meet in the middle? Then you two can compare sizes
I'll give ya something to compare, @sshat...
Thanks shaggy. Once my work stuff settles down a little I'd be happy to get out and test em...not in the cards for a few more weeks though I'm afraid. The 305s are appx. 20mm wider, which translates to just over 3/4" wider - 285s are 11.22", while 305s are an even 12"...of course, those numbers are approximate based on a perfect world where tolerences/variations don't exist. I suspect that it varies quite a bit based on the manufacturer and the individual tire profile. The DuraTracs HAVE to be at least a little wider than that...they look huge. I wish I would have thought to snap a pic while we were comparing the unmounted tire in the parking lot...Ryan at DT called them "Duratractors".
Sidewall height is just about dead even with 285s due to the different aspect ratio (285/75 vs 305/70). In fact that 285s are actually .02" taller, which isn't noticable but is rather amusing given how crazy big the 305's look.
Now if only they'd make a 305/75...
Old thread.
Just wondering how you guys with 305.70's were fairing on MPG. How much of a hit did you take? And for those with 98-02 with 4-sp auto, did you notice a difference in performance?
My 265.75.16 BFG's are on their way out. Need to get new tires and was thinking of going 305's. But it is the wife's daily driver for now, so it sees regular city driving.
Just wondering how you guys with 305.70's were fairing on MPG. How much of a hit did you take? And for those with 98-02 with 4-sp auto, did you notice a difference in performance?
My 265.75.16 BFG's are on their way out. Need to get new tires and was thinking of going 305's. But it is the wife's daily driver for now, so it sees regular city driving.
- Thread starter
- #39
Yep, see my update thread here:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/523624-duratracs-getting-chewed-uca.html
Due to variences in tire shape and manufacturing tolerance, the 305 DT's are unable to fit on the 100 series without either running wheel spacers, or making significant modifications to the strike face of the steering knuckle...neither of which is worth it IMO. Not for a 33" tall tire at least. The DT's are just an extremely wide tire for their size. I was also getting lots of rubbing near full steering lock on the UCA's, effectively limiting my turning radius quite a bit.
No other brand of tire in the 305-70-16 size causes these issues as far as I know. You might get some rubbing at full lock with other 305s, but none of the other brands contact the steering knuckle.
The duratracs are a fantastic tire, and I have since switched to 285-75-16, regained my lost turning radius, and I have NO rubbing on the UCA (tons of room now, actually), and zero rubbing at full lock. I can whip the truck around with confidence now, actually. The sidewall height is the same, I just lost a little width. No big deal as far as I'm concerned. I'm much happier with the overall performance of the truck now.
To answer your question about MPG, I didn't lose very much at all, surprisingly. I was averaging 14.5-15 mixed with stock Michelin LTX M/S tires with no mods, and with the 305s, a mild lift, and an ARB combo bar I was averaging 13.5-13.8. I could eek it out to over 14 with lots of flat highway miles, but that was rare since I don't travel much. I will say that the 305's look fantastic on a 100, and you don't lose much in the way of mileage over something like a 285...but they just weren't feasible for me if I wanted to continue running the Duratracs. I don't have a full tank on the 285's yet but I'll have to compare notes when I get to that point. Then I'll switch out my front bank 02 sensors and see where the numbers go.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/523624-duratracs-getting-chewed-uca.html
Due to variences in tire shape and manufacturing tolerance, the 305 DT's are unable to fit on the 100 series without either running wheel spacers, or making significant modifications to the strike face of the steering knuckle...neither of which is worth it IMO. Not for a 33" tall tire at least. The DT's are just an extremely wide tire for their size. I was also getting lots of rubbing near full steering lock on the UCA's, effectively limiting my turning radius quite a bit.
No other brand of tire in the 305-70-16 size causes these issues as far as I know. You might get some rubbing at full lock with other 305s, but none of the other brands contact the steering knuckle.
The duratracs are a fantastic tire, and I have since switched to 285-75-16, regained my lost turning radius, and I have NO rubbing on the UCA (tons of room now, actually), and zero rubbing at full lock. I can whip the truck around with confidence now, actually. The sidewall height is the same, I just lost a little width. No big deal as far as I'm concerned. I'm much happier with the overall performance of the truck now.
To answer your question about MPG, I didn't lose very much at all, surprisingly. I was averaging 14.5-15 mixed with stock Michelin LTX M/S tires with no mods, and with the 305s, a mild lift, and an ARB combo bar I was averaging 13.5-13.8. I could eek it out to over 14 with lots of flat highway miles, but that was rare since I don't travel much. I will say that the 305's look fantastic on a 100, and you don't lose much in the way of mileage over something like a 285...but they just weren't feasible for me if I wanted to continue running the Duratracs. I don't have a full tank on the 285's yet but I'll have to compare notes when I get to that point. Then I'll switch out my front bank 02 sensors and see where the numbers go.
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