Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac VS Good Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar
- Thread starter shawnee81
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Which are also extremely tough tires.
ChaseTruck
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My experience that MTRs start to go after about 3 years in the Phoenix heat applies to both old style and the Kevlar. No road failures, but cuts from sharp rocks. The Kevlar feels like it has more grip compared to the old style, though. I would probably not call them 'extremely tough'. They not a Swamper SX...
Sometimes I can't help thinking that the Kevlar part of that tire is like the Vermouth part in a dry martini - you know,where you just wave the bottle past the glass w/o actually pouring
When it's time for our here '80 to finally get trail shoes, I'm thinking MTR Kevlars or Nitto Trail Grapplers.
Well, they're extremely tough in comparison to the Duratrac.
I had a set of the old-style MT/R tires on my Jeep for a couple of years. Sidewall seemed roughly comparable to the Toyo MT's I have on my Land Cruiser, and I remember people remarking about the MT/R sidewall thickness. I would hesitate to buy them only because availability of spares is very very slim. I wanted a matching spare for my Jeep in 33x12.5R15 not long after they were discontinued, and nobody in the country could get them for me.
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Thanks for all the info..I went with the M/T R Kevs 305/70 16s....I wanted to get the 35s but was worried they wouldn't fit...I think they would have though....either way the 33s look much better than the old. I also threw on the mb tko in matte...much improved! I've had the TLC 6 months and I'm getting addicted!
Old thread but I am reading up on MT/R's. My Duratracs (mounted Nov 2012) are about done after about 35k - lots of tread wear and a bit of chunking. No sidewall slices, but those sidewalls always have me a bit nervous, and they've always felt a bit squirmy, at any speed and any psi but especially at freeway speeds.
Can anyone update with a comparison with the new MT/R's? Are they pretty squirmy too?
I'm drawn towards a burlier tire, but the Duratracs probably make the most sense - it's not a daily driver, but I'm on the freeway alot, hit snow in the High Sierra's quite a bit, and don't rock crawl it often...plus I'd only need to buy 3 as my Duratrac spare is unused. They just feel squirmy to me.
Can anyone update with a comparison with the new MT/R's? Are they pretty squirmy too?
I'm drawn towards a burlier tire, but the Duratracs probably make the most sense - it's not a daily driver, but I'm on the freeway alot, hit snow in the High Sierra's quite a bit, and don't rock crawl it often...plus I'd only need to buy 3 as my Duratrac spare is unused. They just feel squirmy to me.
I put diratracs on my dodge/Cummins 2500 six years ago and they felt more stable than any tire I ran previously. I'm now in the second set. It sounds like the duratracs served your purposes well. Perhaps you could run a higher psi next time in order to stiffen up the sidewall.
I was recently getting a rotation so I stepped inside to look at the tires on display and I did notice that the duratracs sidewalk felt sort of wimpy compared to the bfg KO2.
I have run two sets of the new MTR's and one set of the older original MTR's. I liked them but I think I liked the original MTR's best for all around use. The MTR's are not too loud on the road but, like all aggressive tires, they make more noise as they were and sustain damage like chunking.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
On my 80, I've run original MTRs, new Kevlar Mtrs, Duratracs, and now---BFG ATs. Honestly, I like the New style BFGs the best. Good road ride, easy balance, trips through Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Death Valley, and Rubicon. Excellent all around. My close second favorite was the Kevlar MTRs. My least favorite was the Duratracs. Decent road ride, but they wore the tread fast, and I lost 2 to side wall punctures-just the usual sharp rocks and roots. I lost 1 original MTR the same way.
I may be jinxing myself, but the BFG ATs have been great. This set is 3 years old, wearing great, and I'll likely get another set when the time comes. Super quiet road ride-almost car like. And I run the Load Range E tires with the beefy sidewall.
But I avoid mud and there really isn't any where I normally go (with one memorable exception). So if you're really into lots of mud, a more aggressive tire may work better.
I may be jinxing myself, but the BFG ATs have been great. This set is 3 years old, wearing great, and I'll likely get another set when the time comes. Super quiet road ride-almost car like. And I run the Load Range E tires with the beefy sidewall.
But I avoid mud and there really isn't any where I normally go (with one memorable exception). So if you're really into lots of mud, a more aggressive tire may work better.
Right on Cruiserdrew - I've had BFG AT KO's on 4 different rigs. Love 'em when they're new, but not so much as they age and you get 'em into cold and wet conditions. My wallet is leaning toward a repeat Duratrac, but my conscience is saying MT/R Kevlars.
I know I know...tires!!! At least I'm not overheating.
I know I know...tires!!! At least I'm not overheating.
Right on Cruiserdrew - I've had BFG AT KO's on 4 different rigs. Love 'em when they're new, but not so much as they age and you get 'em into cold and wet conditions. My wallet is leaning toward a repeat Duratrac, but my conscience is saying MT/R Kevlars.
I know I know...tires!!! At least I'm not overheating.
Lots of good options out there if you aren't fixed on just those two. My most recent tire buy, a few weeks ago, included the Duratrac which I run on another 80. It got the boot due to my concerns about the sidewall. KO2's got the boot due to there price/value ratio being so out of whack. I finally went with the new MT hybrid from Kumho because it had everything I wanted for what I felt like was an exceptional value. The Falken WildPeak at3w was the only other tire in the running with it at then end. It got the boot because it wasn't quite as aggressive as I wanted but it was a close decision.
Grench
SILVER Star
I'm in the same boat. Worn out 315/75R16 Duratracs with an unused spare.
My conclusion? They lasted the lifetime of the tires and it's VERY hard to beat the price on only having to buy 3 replacement tires to match up to the unused 5th one and relegating the best of the other 4 to being the spare.
I keep toying with the idea of going to a more aggressive trail tire. The lack of on-road manners of the bias ply tires scares me off of those. The insane $325-$400 per tire price for aggressive radials times 5 pushes me off of the trail radials.
So - I think I'm going to do another round of Duratracs. Frankly, they're not stupid expensive, they're good on the highway, amazing in snow, and not entirely sucky on the trails. It all winds up having to balance out - there is no one tire that checks all the boxes of cost, highway manners, snow performance, trail performance with perfect grades.
I'm really interested in this new hybrid style tire. Looks good on your wife's GX, now if they would make it in a 315...
Thank you. I was also a bit bummed to see they don't offer it in a 315. However, its a relatively new tire ( 2016 ) and I'm assuming we will see it in other popular sizes in the next year or so.
LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
I'm on 315's now of the current MT-R/Kevlars & have had the previous gen MTR's in 305/70r16's(33's).
For me here with significant amounts of percentage wet asphalt & far cooler temps the tires run (big difference onroad running 15-20K here than AZ guys) - no issues at all with MTr's either gen - ran decently quiet, smooth & even tread wear, stayed balanced excellent (brought in cleaned wheels, taped over adhesive weights w/ foil furnace tape).
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.
As cool as ambient temps are here, we can run softer Goodyears & no issue vs AZ/NM/CA guys who cup out/ chunk tread. Converse is we hate BFG's because they never get warm to grip, but the harder compound is great in AZ/NM/etc.
Old BFG (1990's) was a deathtrap if you had AT's out in say Forks /Oly Nat Forest - rainfall would overcome the asphalt & you hydroplaned to the ditch anything faster than 50mph.
So we really should qualify our posts with our locations as it changes user experience, I think.
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.
For me here with significant amounts of percentage wet asphalt & far cooler temps the tires run (big difference onroad running 15-20K here than AZ guys) - no issues at all with MTr's either gen - ran decently quiet, smooth & even tread wear, stayed balanced excellent (brought in cleaned wheels, taped over adhesive weights w/ foil furnace tape).
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.
As cool as ambient temps are here, we can run softer Goodyears & no issue vs AZ/NM/CA guys who cup out/ chunk tread. Converse is we hate BFG's because they never get warm to grip, but the harder compound is great in AZ/NM/etc.
Old BFG (1990's) was a deathtrap if you had AT's out in say Forks /Oly Nat Forest - rainfall would overcome the asphalt & you hydroplaned to the ditch anything faster than 50mph.
So we really should qualify our posts with our locations as it changes user experience, I think.
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.
I poked holes in just about everything until I got Toyo Mud tires. They have the thickest sidewalls of any time I have owned. A BFG KM2 in a 315 weighs 67 lbs. A Toyo M/T in 315 weighs 76 lbs. It is just a much more substantial tire.
I view the BFG KM2 superior to either Goodyear tire for wheeling and the Toyo is in another class altogether. It is also very quiet on the highway!
I view the BFG KM2 superior to either Goodyear tire for wheeling and the Toyo is in another class altogether. It is also very quiet on the highway!
I like the way, they handle, in both mud snow and road, but I have had 2 fail with separation, without hitting anything , I will not buy them again, there is only one Goodyear tire store here, and they do not help
