Tires

[jgallo1]

I recently put the Cooper AT3 XLT on my f250. I thought I was loving the tire, but the snow started to fall and I find them to be horrible in compact snow and icy roads. I am coming from the Falken Wildpeak AT3W. I can say that for me the difference is night and day.
The coopers seem to feel extremely squirrely in these conditions. I also noticed the same feeling on some very wet roads.
The Falkens always felt more grounded.
Now the coopers are tough as nails and seem to to excel on gravel and dry logging/forest roads.
I am seriously considering replacing the coopers with only 8-10k on them.
I am wondering what tires others are getting good snow/icy traction with.
I am not looking for a designated winter tire just to be clear.
I am looking for a tire that does good on heavy-duty trucks and runs well in all offroad conditions.
I am considering going back to the Falkens, but also interested in something different.
Thanks

 

[IdaSHO]

No matter the tire, if it is a proper high load tire that wear great, you will need to have them siped a time or two during their life.

I'm a tried and true Toyo guy (AT2 currently) for our heavy truck and camper, and while they do great on ice and snow new, after 30k or so miles, they wear beyond the factory siping, and are nowhere near as grippy on the slick stuff as they once were. Having them siped brings back at least 75% of that grip

 

[Buddha.]

The Falkens get great reviews in snow/ice. I’d probably just go back to them if you liked them.

 

[skrypj]

I have not personally run wildpeaks but I did have 4 sets of Duratracs and they were great in the snow. I ended up switching to KO2 takeoffs I got from a Wrangler Rubicon and Raptor for cheap and that was a serious step down in snow performance.

Just because a tire has the 3PMS symbol doesnt mean much. Its a pretty low bar and even among tires with 3PMS, there can be a wide range of performance in snow.

 

[Todd780]

I have not personally run wildpeaks but I did have 4 sets of Duratracs and they were great in the snow. I ended up switching to KO2 takeoffs I got from a Wrangler Rubicon and Raptor for cheap and that was a serious step down in snow performance.

Just because a tire has the 3PMS symbol doesnt mean much. Its a pretty low bar and even among tires with 3PMS, there can be a wide range of performance in snow.

Agreed. The Duratracs I had on my previous truck were decent on snowy / icy roads. I found them better than the Toyo AT3's I have on this truck. Once the AT3's wear out I'm undecided between Nokian Outposts, The Wildpeaks and possibly going back to Duratracs. The only thing I didn't like about the Duratracs is they got quite loud as they wore...

 

[jgallo1]

I have always heard that Duratracs are great in snow. I have also always heard that they chip and get torn up very easily. They look tough.
Anybody have experience with Duratracs in non snowy conditions , gravel and logging roads.
My truck spends about 50-60% of its time offroad.

I have also heard from a few guys that the general grabber is one of the best all-around tires.

I was looking at the toyo at3, but the local tire guys, and a trusted friend said they would not run them on a HD truck.

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

I had a similar experience with the AT3 XLT's on our Ram 2500 -- super durable on gravel and dry forest roads in CO and stable with heavy truck camper loads but sketchy in winter conditions. I switched to Michelin Defender LTX's and found they were surprisingly capable and durable despite the tame looking tread pattern. For dry gravel and logging roads I found a really aggressive tread pattern isn't all that important, but chip and cut resistance is. I had duratracs on a previous vehicle and thought the traction was good for the first half of their life in wet/snowy/muddy conditions but agree with other posters that they were fairly soft and prone to noise. I'd really consider running the AT3 XLT's in the summer and getting a dedicated winter truck tire if you can.

 

[tacollie]

I liked the Duratracs on my 2000 4Runner but I wouldn't run them on a heavy truck. They were on par with Wildpeak AT3w in the snow but they lack in durability. AT3w beats KO2s, Toyo AT3, and Cooper AT3 in the snow in my experience.

 

[jgallo1]

I had a similar experience with the AT3 XLT's on our Ram 2500 -- super durable on gravel and dry forest roads in CO and stable with heavy truck camper loads but sketchy in winter conditions. I switched to Michelin Defender LTX's and found they were surprisingly capable and durable despite the tame looking tread pattern. For dry gravel and logging roads I found a really aggressive tread pattern isn't all that important, but chip and cut resistance is. I had duratracs on a previous vehicle and thought the traction was good for the first half of their life in wet/snowy/muddy conditions but agree with other posters that they were fairly soft and prone to noise. I'd really consider running the AT3 XLT's in the summer and getting a dedicated winter truck tire if you can.

Glad to hear its not just me

 

[yfarm]

Have 24k miles on my Falken AT3Ws, 31570/17 E, some hellacious ”ranch roads”in NM as well as snow,slush and ice. Zero complaints. On a F250.
Need a new set of tires on a raptor, have gone thru 2 sets of KO2s in 144 k miles, trying to decide which to buy. Have also thought about the MT 255/85/17 for it. Had a set of the Michelin LTX M/S on a taco used on the same roads and loved them.

 

[Todd780]

I have always heard that Duratracs are great in snow. I have also always heard that they chip and get torn up very easily. They look tough.
Anybody have experience with Duratracs in non snowy conditions , gravel and logging roads.
My truck spends about 50-60% of its time offroad.

I have also heard from a few guys that the general grabber is one of the best all-around tires.

I was looking at the toyo at3, but the local tire guys, and a trusted friend said they would not run them on a HD truck.

My Duratracs were fine on dirt / gravel.
I was running load range E on an F150 though. Not sure how they'd do on an HD truck...

 

[Tex68w]

Duratracs aka DuraCraps, hard pass. They are a cheap, dated design with weak sidewalls, they chip/chunk badly, they are squirrelly at speed on the HD trucks, they get louder with mileage/age and personally I think they look like a chicom knockoff M/T.

I am very happy with these new Toyo RT Trails for what it’s worth but I have no snow/ice experience with them yet. Have you looked at the Falken RT 01 HD? It’s a hybrid but more on the M/T side of the hybrid spectrum. I think they are the best looking tire on the market right now but they are kind of heavy in comparison to other tires in their class.

 

[Trestle]

Big fan of the Falken Wildpeak AT3W. Second vehicle with them now. It would be the third, but couldn't get them in a specific size I needed (they have them know...boo hoo) so I went with a Cooper product that has been durable but not as quiet or good in the snow. Had Duratracks in the past. Good in snow, but found them to be fragile over the long haul. I've towed/hauled/been off-road, and in snow/ice with the Falkens for over a combined 100k miles and recommend them to all my friends too.

 

[REF]

Been running the Goodyear Duratrac on our heavy E350 4X4 built rig for years, on my 4th set now after running Toyo and BFG’s, 315’s in E. Live in CO and been in conditions everywhere on/off road from AK to Baja
Getting great wear, solid on highway, fairly quiet for a high block, hybrid A/T. Been great in rain, deep siping for snow and mixed, 3 peak rated, aired down they’re solid off road in dirt/rock/sand/wet conditions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Buddha.]

Agreed. The Duratracs I had on my previous truck were decent on snowy / icy roads. I found them better than the Toyo AT3's I have on this truck. Once the AT3's wear out I'm undecided between Nokian Outposts, The Wildpeaks and possibly going back to Duratracs. The only thing I didn't like about the Duratracs is they got quite loud as they wore...

I considered the Duratracs but reviews are all over the place. Some claim they’re awesome in the snow but then say they’re scary in wet conditions.

I got a good deal on the Nokian outposts so that’s what I’m running.