Goodyear Wrangler Dura Trac or Firestone Destinations 33's
- Thread starter Mirage
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I'm also interested in any experience with the Dura Trac tires. I know they are very new so member experience with them is expected to be minimal. I want a more aggressive offroad tire than an AT but better wet and packed snow traction than an MT with siping. The Dura Trac is severe snow rated, mountain/snowflake symbol branded on the tire's sidewall, and from the look of the tread pattern I would expect them to work quite a bit better on packed snow and ice then the Firestone Destination M/T. This Dura Trac characteristics are important for me based on my climate but also because I live in a state that has approved that all tires meeting the Rubber
Manufacturer Association definition for "Tires Suitable for Use in Severe
Snow Conditions" would be considered "traction tires" and allowed for
their use in place of studded tires when traveling through Oregon snow
zones. I would also expect the Dura Trac tire to run a little quieter at speed. The Firestone looks like it would work better in deep mud and snow as the tread would clean out better with rotation.
The Dura Trac tread looks to be very well designed. At this point I'm mainly waiting to hear how the tread wears and how the sidewalls react to rocks.
Manufacturer Association definition for "Tires Suitable for Use in Severe
Snow Conditions" would be considered "traction tires" and allowed for
their use in place of studded tires when traveling through Oregon snow
zones. I would also expect the Dura Trac tire to run a little quieter at speed. The Firestone looks like it would work better in deep mud and snow as the tread would clean out better with rotation.
The Dura Trac tread looks to be very well designed. At this point I'm mainly waiting to hear how the tread wears and how the sidewalls react to rocks.
murf
Lifer
I prefer Goodyears over Firestone from personal experience.
I ran some Goodyear silent armors previously in the 33" and was very impressed by the traction, ride, quiet considering design, and the sidewall strength. I put them through some brutal rocks many times with never a cut.
They also balanced up well. You may want to see some user reviews on Tire Rack and get some feedback from a better sample size than just me.
I ran some Goodyear silent armors previously in the 33" and was very impressed by the traction, ride, quiet considering design, and the sidewall strength. I put them through some brutal rocks many times with never a cut.
They also balanced up well. You may want to see some user reviews on Tire Rack and get some feedback from a better sample size than just me.
Goodyear Duratrac Snow
I purchased a set of Goodyear Duratracs for our 2002 Jeep Wrangler this summer. The tire has been absolutely sensational on the highway, on rock and dirt.
However, now that we're into snow season, it's really awful. It just slides, doesn't grip at all. We get better traction on the regular passenger car tires on the Subaru Outback and Audi Q5. The snow doesn't clear between the treads. As a result, it also doesn't track very well - very slippery. It's especially bad with temperatures around freezing but also didn't perform well in colder temperatures.
Just wonder if anyone else has had the experience?
I purchased a set of Goodyear Duratracs for our 2002 Jeep Wrangler this summer. The tire has been absolutely sensational on the highway, on rock and dirt.
However, now that we're into snow season, it's really awful. It just slides, doesn't grip at all. We get better traction on the regular passenger car tires on the Subaru Outback and Audi Q5. The snow doesn't clear between the treads. As a result, it also doesn't track very well - very slippery. It's especially bad with temperatures around freezing but also didn't perform well in colder temperatures.
Just wonder if anyone else has had the experience?
I have had my 285 Duratracs on for a couple of weeks now, and am completely amazed at how well they ride, even compared to the LT/X that were on it before. I think they are perfect!
We just had 6-8" of snow in our area this past week, and 4 consecutive days of nothing over 15 degrees. These tires, for me performed flawlessly. I didn't notice them loading up, and I had to try hard to get them to break traction. My driveway is fairly steep, and if I back down halfway then stop, I slide the rest of the way down until I stop in the road. I intentionally tried this with the duratracs and stopped within a foot which really impressed me. I think they are great, and have had no problems yet. That is my experience with these so far.
I have never run the goodyear's but have the firestone on my 62. I love them off road and was suprised at how well they ride on the highway for a MT. In the snow they are terrible. It can be fun sliding aroud but not always! I've been meaning to get them siped, just havn't got around to it. When I buy another set I will make sure it has the snowflake on it or, more than likely, get another set of Treadwright's.
smittycrusher
"Hey big guy, you a golfer" - Roger Dorn
I would go with the GY for two reasons:
1. I had a set of GY Wrangler Silent Armors that were awesome! 285/75/16 that had around 50k miles on them when I sold them with 7/32nd tread left (started at 17/32nd I beleive). They were great on road, in rain, on ice, in snow and wheeled out west a good bit and never had an issue (very grippy on rock). They were aweful in mud, but what all terrain isn't. Sidewall was very strong in my many off road experiences. I decided that they were the perfect tire for out west (only wish they looked more aggressive on the sidewall...like the duratrac). Now that I am in the south east, I had to get a mud terrain.
2. I have wheeled with a FJ Cruiser that has the Firestone's in 285 size. I must admit I thought they wee great until entire lugs started flying off! He doesn't wheel super hard and the tire still had a ton of tread (prob 10-15k miles on them). This was not just one tire either...3 of the four had multiple lugs missing. I will admit that I have heard many raving reviews on the firestones though.
I know the dura trac is different from the Silent Armor, but I still would choose either the Dura Tracks, Wrangler SA, or the Nitto Terra Grappler if I were going the all terrain.
My $.02,
Smitty
1. I had a set of GY Wrangler Silent Armors that were awesome! 285/75/16 that had around 50k miles on them when I sold them with 7/32nd tread left (started at 17/32nd I beleive). They were great on road, in rain, on ice, in snow and wheeled out west a good bit and never had an issue (very grippy on rock). They were aweful in mud, but what all terrain isn't. Sidewall was very strong in my many off road experiences. I decided that they were the perfect tire for out west (only wish they looked more aggressive on the sidewall...like the duratrac). Now that I am in the south east, I had to get a mud terrain.
2. I have wheeled with a FJ Cruiser that has the Firestone's in 285 size. I must admit I thought they wee great until entire lugs started flying off! He doesn't wheel super hard and the tire still had a ton of tread (prob 10-15k miles on them). This was not just one tire either...3 of the four had multiple lugs missing. I will admit that I have heard many raving reviews on the firestones though.
I know the dura trac is different from the Silent Armor, but I still would choose either the Dura Tracks, Wrangler SA, or the Nitto Terra Grappler if I were going the all terrain.
My $.02,
Smitty
I have the 285 firestone's, have had them on for 4, maybe 5 years now.
anyway- they grip like a fat kid grips a cupcake. I've wheeled them in everything from Iowa mud to moab slickrock. I've never had a problem with them once I learned that you really have to AIR THEM DOWN because they are so stiff.
They suck in snow.
However, I just had mine siped (plenty of tread even after 40k miles) and in recent snows they have been great as such. I still would not call them a snow tire, but they stop a lot nicer now. Never had a problem moving forward in the snow with these, only stopping.
Surprisingly quiet for a M/T. They do get louder with milage though. Siping quited them down quite a bit as well.
My tread is still impressive. I think I'll actually loose the tires to dry rot before I loose them to wear out.
But, when it comes time to replace them I'll be looking at the KM2's.
anyway- they grip like a fat kid grips a cupcake. I've wheeled them in everything from Iowa mud to moab slickrock. I've never had a problem with them once I learned that you really have to AIR THEM DOWN because they are so stiff.
They suck in snow.
However, I just had mine siped (plenty of tread even after 40k miles) and in recent snows they have been great as such. I still would not call them a snow tire, but they stop a lot nicer now. Never had a problem moving forward in the snow with these, only stopping.
Surprisingly quiet for a M/T. They do get louder with milage though. Siping quited them down quite a bit as well.
My tread is still impressive. I think I'll actually loose the tires to dry rot before I loose them to wear out.
But, when it comes time to replace them I'll be looking at the KM2's.
