First snow, my tires suck!

Good information everybody! I was thinking Duratrac's to begin with based on all the positive feedback I've seen, but wanted to make sure before I put that much money down on new treads.

 

I just put a set of Duratrac's on my GMC Duramax, they have been incredible in the snow so far here in CO. Depending on the kind of mileage I get out of them, I would buy them again, I am hoping for around 35-40k. The KM2's on the Tacoma are no where near as good in the snow and icy roads, but then again I do not have any weight in the back of the Tacoma yet either.

 

My vote: Nokian WR-G2 All-Weathers! I have 10k on them and I can say they are holding up great!

I did go searching for the ultimate A/T tire - and decided I was after more of an "All-Weather" Tire. It depends on the reality of your driving habits. Do you actually go off road? Do you just hit the occasional trail or hobble over boulders? gravel/sandy roads too? I pound pavement most of the time - have to face it - I do not get off the asphalt nearly as much as I used to (or want to). I of course would have liked a tire that looked like it could claw the hardest tundra, tackle the biggest rocks, and generally scare away the smaller trucks and old people. In reality though, the toughest looking tread pattern does not then mean the toughest tire with the greatest ability.

I wanted a tire that excelled in the winter, on ice, and in the rain - but also something that wouldn't excessively wear and sacrifice itself to get that kind of traction. So I feel this tire met in the middle, not as "sexy" or aggressive as some (ok well, most) of the other tires, but what it lacks in show-offiness it makes up for it in traction (tank tread like traction).

I did a right up:

Nokian WR G2 All Weather Reviewed

 

Are the Duratracs considered a M/T?

 

I have 26K miles on my Duratrac's and will easily get 40K out of them if not more. They go great in the snow or on ice. When I bought them from discounttiredirect.com they were $163 each. Now, they are $206 each. If the price of oil goes up, the price of tires goes up.

 

make the duratracs better and sipe them !

 

The Duratracs come pre siped from the factory. Im not sure how far down it goes and wether you will have to re-sipe them as the tire wears, but they are pretty well set up.

To the OP, if youre looking for daily driver, the GY Silent Armors do well for daily driving on the highways with comparable traction to the Duratracs. IF you intend to go into deeper stuff off road though, they may not hold up as well as the Duratracs.

 

fwiw, i posted some tire reviews from Jp magazine (March 2012 issue) in another thread, i will repost them here. Jp is a jeep enthusiast mag, with an emphasis on offroading, but the editors drive the snot out of dozens of tires every year and then post their comments in various issues. this latest issue had a review of 27 tires.

here is a repost of the review of the duratrac

One of the most aggressive all terrain tires we've seen from Goodyear, we think the Duratrac blurs the lines between all terrain and mud terrain. As such, our staffers subjected the tire to a whole assortment of surfaces including rocks, sand, snow, mud, and ice. The pattern stood up to heavy rains and ice-covered asphalt, and returned a quieter than average road noise. In conclusion, the tread scores highest in snow and ice traction - probably because of the plethora of multi angle siping on every lug. However, the pattern also proved worthy of mud, sand and rock. Just don't get too deep into rocks with sharp edges as the compound will chip and cut easily and the 2 ply sidewalls are more vulnerable than you might expect. For a daily driven weekend warrior, these tires are a great choice.

i would have gotten a set of duratracs when i replaced the stock dunflops on my truck 2 months ago, but they were almost $40 a tire more expensive than the hankook dynapros, i just couldn't swing that.

FYI the Jp review on the BFG KM2 noted that while snow performance was good, icy road conditions were not to this tire's liking. not surprising because these tires are not siped. did best in sand and heavy rock. personally i would never use an MT tire for a dd that wasn't siped. i mean, there are too many other comparable tires that are siped that will do better, like the Mickey Thompson MTZ. i also ran Maxxis Bighorns for a few years, those were great tires until they got just as expensive as everyone else's.

for those driving BFG at's? your tire is rated poor and prone to hydroplaning vs. more modern all terrain offerings, due to the lack of circumferential grooves, and only average in snow conditions. it does better on ice (due to micro siping), is good in sand, is poor in mud (voids fill quickly and difficult to clear) and is rated highest on dry pavement and tread life. my family actually got 100K on a set of these a few years ago on an H2, so that's incredible value. in my opinion, though, people who stick with bfg at's over and over do so because they don't know what they are missing on better designed at alternatives, or they just like the mileage they get from these tires.

the goodyear silent armors were also VERY highly rated for a dd tire, just not as highly rated for aggressive deep mud and heavy rock offroad use (you can't have it all, i guess). got the highest recommendation (4 stars, or in this case, 4 tires) for winter snow and ice use. this was also attributable to a compound that stayed soft and flexible at low temps. overall rated 4 stars/tires for street use. also decent (3 tires) for sand.

hope this is helpful.

 

No, they are a true "All Terrain"

I got some mainly hoping for them to be about the best I could get in muddy slushy situations, but I didn't expect them to make such a huge difference on wet pavement. TONS more traction than my old HT's that weren't even worn out yet.

 

although many of the tires mentioned in here are also great in the snow, i just put on a set of 265/70/17 general grabber at2s (that aren't severe snow rated) and they've been the best i've ever had. I haven't even had to use 4WD yet in as much as 3-4 inches of snow. They come in SL too so they won't really affect MPG or performance. Plus their like $155 a tire on discounttiredirect w/ free shipping, or atleast they were when i got them a month ago

 

I had bfg ta ko's on 2 trucks in the past and loved them in everything but snow! Got duratracs now but havent had much snow yet but will test soon hopefully.

 

Hankook Dynapro ATm 265/75-16

 

I think some people need to learn the difference between driving in "snow" and driving in ice. A knobbier tire like a Druatrac or KM2 is going to outperform a less aggressive AT tire in the snow. However, on compact snow and ice they are going to be way worse than a less aggressive AT.

The whole point of a snow tire is to pick up snow and lock it in the tread pattern because nothing sticks to snow like ... snow. Of course, that's assuming you can't get down to pavement or gravel for traction.

A typical AT tire will work better on compact snow/ice than a more aggressive AT tire like a Duratrac, KM2 or Coopers ST Maxx. They will easily outperform in deep snow however where you need to dig for traction, if you can get it. If you can't, then you want to float and again your back to a less aggressive AT.

That's why manufacturers, and most review sites, don't suggest a MT or these new aggressive AT's for daily commuters who frequently drive over compact snow and ice. A cheaper true AT tire will perform way better there.

Seen to many people with stock Dunlops or Michelins, a highway tire, get in a little compact snow and ice and freak out. Then they run out and buy Duratracs or even a MT and are surprised when over the same compact snow/ice they have no improved traction and give the tire a bad review.

 

same here. my wife has them on her h3 and they did great in the snow last year. they are the non revos.

 

Toyo Open country all terrains. Best tire I've ever owned. Last year I had em with 3/4 of the tread gone. Only slid once on a day I shouldn't have been out anyway it was so shitty. Needless to say its the tire I'll be using from now on.

 

Don't be so soon to assume that. Think about it, what are the main differences between snow tires and regular tires? Lots of tiny sipes, and a softer grippier compound. Mild AT tires have very slightly more siping and smaller tread blocks than aggressive ones like duratracs do, but they typically also use a much harder rubber compound. The less aggressive tires get 50k+ miles out of 12/32" of tread whereas something like a duratrac gets 30-50k out of 18/32" of tread.

I believe that the large difference in grip due to the different rubber compounds overshadows any tiny advantage in siping a mild AT would have.

 

Yep ... BFG All-Terrain T/A KO's. Great all around performance on and off road. And they last forever. Had them on my trucks for the last 15 years.

 

It's not an assumption Your comment about the rubber compound being softer is true but you need a lot more than softer compound to make a good snow/ice tire. The reason Duratracs, KM2's etc receive poor reviews on light snow/ice is because they don't collect snow, the lugs are to big and to far apart. they only collect snow in deeper snow.

You want your snow tire to get packed with snow, minus the edge. See below.

Look at the reviews, professional and consumer, more aggressive AT's perform worse on light snow/ice across the board.



That's the perfect snow tire, even without the studs, because it gets packed with snow but leaves all of the siped edges to contact the ice. In a typical compact snow/ice or light dusting situation, which most people drive in far more than the deep stuff, aggressive AT's won't do that and your left with the siping alone, which there are more of on a less aggressive AT due to the smaller lugs and more surface contact.

 

Yes, a dedicated snow tire will perform better in the snow than something like a Duratrac, but they will also wear alot faster on dry, warm roads. Therefore, they should be removed once your winter season is over, or more than likely they won't have much tread, or siping, left come the next winter season.

I can't afford two sets of tires a year, even if it means I will get twice the wear out of each set.

So, I still think, in my own experience, the the Duratracs, with the severe snow rating (mountain/snowflake emblem), are the best snow tire that is an AT that I have ever run. Next in line would be the Grabber AT2's, again with the severe snow rating.

No tire is great on ice without studs though there are quite a few studdless snowtires out there that are rated quite high on icy roads. I think my choice there would be one of the Blizzaks.

I still love my Duratracs!

BTW, the pictured tire looks like a fantastic snow tire, but if I went dedicated snow tire I would stud them where I live.

 

firestone destination A/T