Goodyear MTR vs Duratrac - Longevity.

[spressomon]

Can't vouch for below 0F performance but the MT/R Kevlar is a huge improvement in/on snow, hardpack snow, ice and general winter conditions compared to the original MT/R. Around here we get plenty of snow (greater Reno area including Tahoe) but air temps are typically above 10*F even at night...

I'm on my 2nd set of MT/R Kevlar in 285/75R18 size and getting right at 32k miles out of them. My LC isn't a DD so the miles these tires see are typically Nevada, Utah & California with stretches of highway in between off-road destinations. Wheel'n in Utah, namely the greater Moab area, can accelerate tread wear...but that's typical of most tires that have any semblance of decent on-road performance.

I've had two tires replaced under warranty (Discount Tire extended warranty coverage) from gash wounds (1-sidewall which was my fault and 1-tread side); they're certainly not indestructible but a fair amount lighter in weight than the Toyo Open Country MT in the same size.

But the BIG problem with this tire IMO: In the 285/75R18 size I run the tires have gone from $330 each to $458 each in about a year. Crazy expensive.

 

[some_dude]

I love all the "I heard this and i heard that". My Duratracs with 3ply sidewalls are doing fine on my very heavy cruiser. Super traction in all road conditions. Great traction off road except the heaviest of mud where of course a true mtr would be better. DT is snow rated. It's really a remarkable tire.

I was just reading up on the difference between C and E rated Duratracs.

C = 50psi, 6 ply tire w/ 2 ply sidewall.
E = 80psi, 10 ply tire w/ 3 ply sidewall.

Got the information off a Jeep forum where everyone recommended the C tire because the sidewall was softer and would provide a better ride than the stiffer E rated tire. Kind of makes me wonder if those are the same people complaining about punctured sidewalls?

 

[RobRed]

Could be the same ppl. Obviously i have the E rated tire and I find the ride to be very comfortable. No one in there right mind is putting 50 or 80 psi in these tires. I run 38/39 and the ride is very compliant. If I run 42 the ride becomes significantly stiffer.My Land Cruiser is 6000 lbs. with gear and no ppl.

My experience has been any tire cuts a side wall under the right conditions - I have a friend with the new style GY MTR kevlars and has had 3 warranty's for damage. I know plenty of folks with Terra Grapplers and BFG AT that have had same. Bottom line for the DT is, it's a great do it all tire. Those 5% circumstances where there is a better choice - 95% of the time it isn't the better choice, if you follow my thinking.

 

[some_dude]

Those 5% circumstances where there is a better choice - 95% of the time it isn't the better choice, if you follow my thinking.

I follow.

Right now I'm not seeing a whole lot of reasons to go for a pure MT. Every type of terrain an AT excels at I have in my backyard while every type of terrain an MT excels at only exists in very small quantities (and can generally be driven around). No sense in buying MTs because there might be 100 yards of clay on a 10 mile sand trail. The wear rate was the one thing that had me really concerned, but after reading up here and elsewhere it seems they're fairly comparable (depending upon driving style) so that's not an issue anymore. Duratracs it is.

 

[AxleIke]

I love all the "I heard this and i heard that". My Duratracs with 3ply sidewalls are doing fine on my very heavy cruiser. Super traction in all road conditions. Great traction off road except the heaviest of mud where of course a true mtr would be better. DT is snow rated. It's really a remarkable tire.


Sent from my iPad 2 using Tapatalk

Where did you find a set of Duratrac's with a 3 ply sidewall? I would be interested in the Duratracs if you could get them with a 3 ply.

I'm running the new MT/R's in a 265/75 16, and for a radial tire, they have the best sidewall out there currently. I always used to run BFG's for the 3 ply, but the 2 rubber 1 kevlar ply in the MT/R's makes them far better than my BFG's

They are a bit noisier on road (as expected) than the BFG AT's, but not much, and they are great in snow. I've run them at 50-60 mph on packed snow and found them to be comparable to my BFG's. They aren't an ice tire, like a Blizzak, but they work pretty well for what they are.

I like the price of the duratrac's a lot better, but didn't want to risk the sidewall punctures. However, if they have a line with 3 ply, I'd be all over that.

 

[cchoc]

I've had the 1st and 2nd gen MTR's on my FJ Cruiser and on my Defender 90 before that. I got more miles from the older MTR's than with the newer Kevlar ones (around 60K vs 40K). I am now running Duratracs and they seem to be wearing well but I only have a few thousand miles on them.

 

[Qrex]

My Duratracs with 3ply sidewalls are doing fine on my very heavy cruiser. Super traction in all road conditions. Great traction off road except the heaviest of mud where of course a true mtr would be better. DT is snow rated. It's really a remarkable tire.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Tapatalk

With these 'E" load rated Duratracs on your Land Cruiser, how is the road noise inside the cabin at Highway speeds? I sort of want those too, but I don't think my 2011 Grand Cherokee is heavy enough, even with 4 people and all thier ski gear, to warrant getting 'E' load rated Duratracs and dealing with extra road noise... Then again, thin-walled 'C' rated tires kind of scare me too if I'm out there on trails in the summer.

 

[raintoy]

I run the 275/65r18 duratracs on my '10 tundra, and have put about 20k on them in the last year or so. Tread life is better than I expected, probly get another 15k out of them.

I live in rain country and these things stick like crazy. My only complaint is that the first 10k miles or so the tread squirm was feirce. Long sweeping corners at posted speeds on dry pavement would set off the nannies. Never felt the truck lose it, but when the computer takes over I get a little nervous.

 

[brianwj]

I have the E rated Duratracs on my 04 Grand Cherokee and the only road noise I here is with the windows down from 35-55 mph with no radio and it's only a small hum. I run mine with 36lbs of air and haven't had any major wear in 20,000 miles that concerns me but when I towed my 5k lb camper they did heat up a lot and got really soft. I don't think you would get a long tread life with a very heavy vehicle but the traction is great in all conditions.

 

[Qrex]

I have the E rated Duratracs on my 04 Grand Cherokee and the only road noise I here is with the windows down from 35-55 mph with no radio and it's only a small hum. I run mine with 36lbs of air and haven't had any major wear in 20,000 miles that concerns me but when I towed my 5k lb camper they did heat up a lot and got really soft. I don't think you would get a long tread life with a very heavy vehicle but the traction is great in all conditions.

Interesting.... I had sworn off ever getting 'E' rated tires ever again. I had 'E' rated BFG Mud Terrains on my lifted '06 Liberty, and they were so loud and obnoxious I had Discount tire swap 'em out after a week cuz I couldn't take it anymore, lol...

 

[Falkon]

I was reading this thread while I was trying on some 275/55 Duratracs for fit at Discount tire...missed it by thaaat much. Damn, they looked good too. Would not fit without some minor trimming of the front and back corners of the front wheel wells, which I am not willing to do, yet.

These were E load 3 ply sidewall. Obviously cannot speak on the durability. But they are still top on my list.


...now, new wheels or a different shoe...

 

[RobRed]

Where did you find a set of Duratrac's with a 3 ply sidewall? I would be interested in the Duratracs if you could get them with a 3 ply.

I bought my DT's at the local GY shop - nothing special.



As stated above the E rated duratrac has a slight hum on the road but it's no where near annoying.

When I bought them I had pretty modest expectations but have been shocked at how well they preform in a variety of traction conditions.

 

[Derek24]

Soon I will be buying DT in 315/75/16 for my Tundra, and the same time my brother will be buying DT in 295/65/18 for his 2008 Tundra! Thanks to this thread it has convinced me that much more DT are the way to go!

 

[voodoojk]

But the BIG problem with this tire IMO: In the 285/75R18 size I run the tires have gone from $330 each to $458 each in about a year. Crazy expensive.[/QUOTE]

$458? They are $388 on tire rack. Ditch the 18" wheel. My 37x12.50x17 MT/R k are cheaper @$368. The 35x12.50x17 are $319 right now.

 

[RobRed]

My 285/75-16's were $1300.08 OTD for 5 tires. Mounted balanced installed. Whats that about 250ish each That was Sep 2011.