265 65 18 Goodyear Duratrac

[sunrisehiker]

265 65 18 Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac for 2005 V8 LR3.
Since 265 60 18 are on the national Back Order , I would like to weight my options , regarding going a size up to 265 65 18.
As I always had two sets of tires , one for off road and one street oriented ,the Duratrac won't be my daily driver tire .I also don't wear any lifts, electronic and mechanical such as rods and so forth..I never had a need for a bigger tires as our independent suspension raises the whole truck(,always run 265 60 18 and it was sufficient enough to get me out of any situation). if needed to to a acceptable level with diffs and T case nicely tucked in inside the chassis .I understand the need for a bigger tires on solid axles trucks ,as that was the only way to truly lift those low hanging diffs and such.
Since time is running short and I need something by next Thursday , as I am going to a Event in NE , I wanted to know , what are a real life experiences with 265 65 18 Duratracks or any other tires off that size in terms of rubbing,wire harness adjustments and driving on the highways ?
I wanted to mention , that I will be using off road hight setting in most of the cases with usual highway or dirt road approaches to a trail side .Is rubbing marginal or I am risking something else ?
I understand that some of that thread will wear off to a acceptable level , but until then , I wanted to know if trade offs going bigger are worth it ?
Since I don't run any lift sor spacers ,is going on bump stops still drivable ?
Am I risking an ABS senor faults in certain situations ?
Should I move the front sensor harness or not in this case ?
Thanks

 

[sunrisehiker]

So, what that 's it ?104 views and nobody has an experience with this particular size of Duratracs ? C'mon now..

 

[Eniam17]

They're great aggressive at tires, probably best I've had. No rubbing issues but I run 40mm of lift and 1" spacers all the time. Even totally stock they might rub a little when turning here and there in front but doesn't hurt anything. Like any all terrain they are mediocre in mud but very good in most applications and no louder than most regular all terrains. If you're doing winter romp they are as good as you'll get for a true all terrain tire.

 

[Eniam17]

And no you don't need to be worrying about moving harnesses and all that . I've been running mine for over a year on and off-road and that size tire should be fine. Definitely get a full size spare and don't keep it hidden in the stock location under the truck for winter romp though

 

[GregInMI]

No experience with Duratracs, but I have been running 265 65 18 Cooper AT-Ws (it used to snow in Michigan) since fall on my 06 LR3. I have not experienced one rub and the clearance looks great everywhere. In my opinion the size fits a stock vehicle perfectly.

The tires ore on 18" LR wheels with no spacers. I moved the brake wire on the left front frame rail just to be sure, but it would have cleared anyway. Moving the wire is a one minute job with a couple wire ties.

The bigger tire size does impact the fuel mileage, but the performance in the bit of snow we have had has been fantastic compared to the old Bridgestone Alenza highway tires we had been using.

 

[sunrisehiker]

Thanks guys.
Yes I will be doing Winter Romp this year , it will be my third overall. I ran AT Nokian tires for that last two , but since they covered over 60 000 miles , in which many have been off road miles , so performance and grip wise , they past their prime .
Originally ,I wanted to stay with 265 60 18 , as I don't run any lifts and don't plan to, but quickly realized , that this particular size is on the national back order,so that is why I begin to think of resorting to a bigger size tire.After many phone calls all around NJ, a guy at local tire place found 4 Duratracs at one of their associated stores in PA, but to order to get them before Romp , i will have to drive up there for an installation .They also shipping a Fifth tire,that I requested from Allentown, to that other place , so I could have a full size spare.So overall, not a bad find that will just involve a little bit of driving to get it finalized.

 

[zelatore]

I ran Duratracs in 275/65 for a couple years, though I ran with the usual trimming and rods. It's late and I'm not on a real computer so I'm not up to doing a full write up...it's all been covered many times anyway.

The short of it is the smaller 265/65 is (imho) the go-to size for the LR3. You may need to do some minor trimming but nothing difficult or even visible.

It sounds like you don't use the truck hard in rocks, so the Duratracs should be a good choice for you. I liked mine, but they weren't tough enough for rock work. Very good in the snow though.

 

[zelatore]

I also just noticed you're running an '05. That makes things even easier since the frame horns at the rear of the front wheel wells should be removable on you truck vs. welded on the later models.

 

[USMCLR3]

I have had a set of Duratrac 265/65/18s on my 2006 since last fall and I love them. With no mods, I had zero rubbing or issues. As a precaution, I relocated the wire harness behind the left front tire (a 2-min job with a couple of zip ties). I also used my IID tool to add 25mm of continuous lift. Forum participants report that in full articulation, there is a risk of rubbing on the left rear inner fender well, with potential to damage rear a/c hoses. I haven't had any issues though during moderate off road and trail driving. Even at stock, I was still able to use access mode for lower clearance garages.

As for the tire itself, I really could not be happier. The traction difference is night and day from my summer highway tires. During the recent east coast snowstorm, I put it through a foot of unplowed snow with no problems, at a lower tire pressure. I lose maybe a MPG to the bigger, heavier tire but have been surprised at how quiet they are, even on the highway. After 5,000 miles, they look brand new. I shopped extensively and got the best deal from simpletire(dot)com and I had Wal-Mart install so I'll get free lifetime balance. And they look good.

 

[sunrisehiker]

Just had a 265 60 18 s installed yesterday , The last set in the Country in that particular size.Had to travel some distance to have it mounted, but overall it was worth it. It is on the back order possibly until June.
Decided to go with this size ,as i already have an alignment done on this size previous tires, that I had until recently. I just have to figure out the proper tire air pressure as I ran 36 front and 42 in rear for now.

 

[spikemd]

Another option is the new 265/65 r18s BFG AT KO2s. I just put them on my LR3 and they are great tires. A nice upgrade from the older tires with improved wet weather traction and an E rated tire. I blew out a Michelin AT2 and America's Tire gave me full replacement on the blown tire and 60% back on the other three (after 33k miles) since Michelin has discontinued them. Put that toward the BFGs which I originally wanted but weren't available last time. The main issue I have heard for the duratracs is that they wear quickly especially with the heft of the LR3. Sounds like u have a road set so shouldn't affect you as much. I gave up on running 2 sets of tires awhile ago. I found I was switching too often and just wasn't worth it.