Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac VS Good Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar

[Grench]

I WAS planning to tame down my 80 & get Duratracs in time for winter this coming 6mo out - but with all the flap over the wear issues I may just stay with MTRs again.
...
I kinda would have liked the Duratracs for teh severe service/snowflake icon & better snow grip than MT-Rs, but I have a full set of mini-skidder chains I can toss on in under 20mins, so really rethinking Duratracs from all the posts of guys who wore out Duratracs / tread cupping out. IDK, not my only rig.

Wear issues?

I put 5 of them on mine (315/75R16E) and my wife's (265/75R16D) trucks each in October of 2009.

She puts on more miles than I do and I replaced 3 of her's and brought the spare into the mix last year. (Relegating the best of the other 4 as spare.) Her old ones didn't cup or wear unevenly (much). There was a bit of outer tread scrub on the front tires - normal for a 5800 lb truck getting cornered hard. She got just under 40,000 miles out of her's. But - she did wear them down to where there wasn't much left for discernible tread. I kept her's at 45 psi. Looking up the specs, Goodyear doesn't sell this size in D load rating anymore. Only C or E - pity.

Mine now have 37,000 miles on them. They are not as worn as her's were, but they're to the point where they have noticeably less traction in anything that isn't paved. Maybe 3/32 or so tread left. They aren't cupped and have no abnormal wear. I run mine at 50psi in the summer, 40psi in the winter, 15psi on trails.

Something to maybe consider... If you're thinking of using Duratracs for a winter-only tire - they have stud holes. I haven't ever studded any of mine. We get far more snow than ice. But if you're in a zone where it would be appropriate - it could be a factor.

So - I have no complaints about wearing out Duratracs at 6 and 7 years in the 40K mile zone. Yeah, Goodyear warranties them for 50K miles or 6 years whichever comes first. I ran out those on time before miles.

If I like them so much, then why have I been considering options? I would really love to have a narrower 35" tire and keep my factory 16x8 wheels. My 315 Duratracs have a 12.5" wide contact patch - I would like to have an option to try something closer to 9" wide tread, 35" tall with a stronger sidewall. There are some swampers that meet that spec - but those tend to fail on the road manners and/or cost side of the equation.

So, it looks like I'm going to be buying my 4th set of Duratracs (5 Wifes, 5 Mine, 3 Wifes, 3 Mine) later this Summer. In 6-7 years I'll be re-evaluating options again.

 

[AlaskanWheeler]

I'll throw another one out there... the Hankook Dynapro AT-M, good reviews, available in 315, less expensive then BFG's, more tread then BFG's. The only down side for me is they are only available in load range D...315's run around 230 a tire...

 

[LINUS]

@Grench -

Think I mis-spoke. I want to say we had a thread in the last month (@shocktower I believe was involved) -I saw his last post here in-thread & it may have been sidewall- not tread as I remembered- prior to that thread I never knew DT's had any issue & was kinda liking the idea of a set for Winter '17/'18.

What stuck with me was how common it seemed (5-8 people gave supporting claims) - and it made me think "Hunh, glad I waited & have MT-Rs" b/c of a shortage of the 315's when they rolled these out back in 2011(???).

Duratracs weren't out yet when I got the MT-r's & I'd always kinda wanted a set but my MT-R's really do suit me better seeing as if we get record snowfall like last winter I have the chains & can still get into Mt Baker on them.
But I clearly know in snow the Duratrac > MT-R, all day long.

 

[retrofive]

I know the DT's get a good and bad wrap around 'mud. My sister put a set on her '91 toy pickup. No wheeling, purely for winter driving in Aspen. (She has 45min commute daily over a pass). While they worked well, they developed a horrible out of round scenario. We chased vibes and wobbles for sometime before she bit the bullet and just went another AT. YMMMW, but enough I'm not sure I would try a set personally.

Im running MTr's now, but will probably go to the new Ko2/AT's when the time comes.

 

[half k cruiser]

Ok, I'll play. Out of curiousity I decided to check my 285/75/16 E-range Duratrac's and see where they were at for tread life. Here's the breakdown.

Vehicle : 94 LC, OME factory height lift, no other mods
Location : Kansas, weather ranges from miserable hot and humid to cold.
Driving : 99% on road/highway
Current Mileage : 239,007
Mileage at Install : 202,919
Total Mileage : 36,088
Average Tread Depth : 11/32 - 13/32 (measured 3 times over each tire)

I'm not sure where these start there life at tread depth wise, but obviously mine appear to have a long ways to go. The fact that my rig weighs in almost stock is probably a huge advantage on that front. The tires themselves have never given me an issue. As others have noted they are quite good in the rain and downright exceptional on snow. One thing I have noticed as they age is discoloration around the side biters. I noticed this happening about a year ago. Instead of the tire being black it has turned a dull brownish color. Normal perhaps, or just bad hygiene on my cruisers part, I don't know. When these do finally go I will try something else. Goodyear and BF Goodrich are swinging to the far end of the value per dollar spectrum with there offerings. That said, I have never had an issue with these and feel like I have at least gotten my moneys worth out of them.

 

[shocktower]

Ok, I'll play. Out of curiousity I decided to check my 285/75/16 E-range Duratrac's and see where they were at for tread life. Here's the breakdown.

Vehicle : 94 LC, OME factory height lift, no other mods
Location : Kansas, weather ranges from miserable hot and humid to cold.
Driving : 99% on road/highway
Current Mileage : 239,007
Mileage at Install : 202,919
Total Mileage : 36,088
Average Tread Depth : 11/32 - 13/32 (measured 3 times over each tire)

I'm not sure where these start there life at tread depth wise, but obviously mine appear to have a long ways to go. The fact that my rig weighs in almost stock is probably a huge advantage on that front. The tires themselves have never given me an issue. As others have noted they are quite good in the rain and downright exceptional on snow. One thing I have noticed as they age is discoloration around the side biters. I noticed this happening about a year ago. Instead of the tire being black it has turned a dull brownish color. Normal perhaps, or just bad hygiene on my cruisers part, I don't know. When these do finally go I will try something else. Goodyear and BF Goodrich are swinging to the far end of the value per dollar spectrum with there offerings. That said, I have never had an issue with these and feel like I have at least gotten my moneys worth out of them.

You must have the good one's, O have gotten about 20K out of mine and they are nearly done, I used to run Toyo's on my F350 and would get at least 50K, @LINUS great in mud and snow, great on the street, but life is short on my rig SMH so disappointed 238500 install one failed at 248K and now another at 253

 

[Smaddox]

I've got/had the duratrecs on my FJ Cruiser 285/75r17 for about 50k miles and they still have at least another 15-20k left. I did rotate and balance them every 10k. My only complaints on them are that they've become super noisy after about 30k miles. Like mud terrain tire loud. And they've never been amazing in the rain.

Would that stop me from buying another set? Probably not. They're less expensive, lighter weight, and more available than other hybrid / aggressive all-terrains.

 

[half k cruiser]

Would that stop me from buying another set? Probably not. They're less expensive, lighter weight, and more available than other hybrid / aggressive all-terrains.

I would say you should do a bit more research on that. They are one of the most expensive hybrid tires you can find.

 

[plutonius]

Duratracs start their life at 18/32. I am down to less than 8/32 at the deepest treads, with around 37k on them. SoCal, Mojave, and Sierra driving, and I live in a windy canyon - freeways, deserts, dirt roads, snow, but I think the hot summers really put a dent in the tread life. And the hotter it is, the squirmier they feel. My rig is over 7k when laden for trips. They are amazing in the snow, ok on dirt roads, puckering on rock roads (like Laurel Lakes for example), and squirmy in the desert in triple digits. I do like them, but I don't love them. Their weight at 65-ish pounds feels night and day vs a tire 10-15 pounds heavier when ascending Tejon or Sherwin at freeway speeds - why I'm staying away from heavier tires. There is definitely not one ring to rule them all, and ideally I'd run DT's in winter, and a MT the rest of the year. Tempted to go that route, but the MT/R is a strong contender.

 

[iptman]

I have over 50k miles on my 285/75/16 Kevlar MTRs with maybe 12 wheeling trips. I just went to price 315s and they're ~$360 per tire. The KM2s are ~$100 less. I've driven the KM2s and other than packed snow/ice they were good, low road noise and great off road. If cost wasn't a factor I'd go with the MTRs again but damn are they spendy.

 

[Smaddox]

They have gone up over the past few years. They're still not as much as many that fall in a similar category. At least not at discount tire. I bought the Cooper ST Maxx tires a few months ago 315/75r16, they were more than the Duratracs. As were the grabbers, toyo, open country, etc, etc..