Anybody have issues with Duratracs?

I have a set in the shop (265/70R17 6 Ply) I'm gonna install soon but every time I do a search in other forums there is a lot of complaints "they wear too fast" "impossible to balance" "squirmy on the highway" "sidewall is too soft"... But on this forum they seem to be gods gift to earth. I've done quite a few searches on TW and everyone seems to love them. I'm just wondering if anybody has had a bad experience with them? If you have had issues what tire do/did you like better?

 

Goodyears rubber is softer, thats just the way it is... but people ar egetting 30+ K OUT OF THEM???? IF I GET 30 ILL BE HAPPY. THEY ARENT THAT BAD TO BALANCE, IM A TECH TOO. AND only thing ive noticed is u have to keep up on your rotations and make sure u align. other than that i love them sry about caps stupid work computer

 

I love mine. I'm sure it may wear faster, but they're awesome in the snow. Anywhere from deep stuff to ice on the highway, they do great.

 

Yeah they are great tires i have 15,000 miles on mine with over 80% tread left. the side walls are soft for rock crawling I have a few cuts in mine but nothing too bad.

 

Good to hear from a tech on this matter. I can deal with the wear but I hate vibrations.

 

I have about 21k on mine, and this is the third winter I've had them on. Over 50% tread left, no major issues, had one die on me with a weird cut tread/sidewall puncture last week, had to drive flat on it on the interstate for 2 miles and it held up. Goodyear covered it under warranty for 50% of cost. Saved me over $110. My tire shop does balance and rotation for free every 5k, so no issues with vibration. Pretty great tire overall.

 

30k out of a set of $1000 tires is too little for me. I much prefer BFG All Terrains. But they aren't as good in snow, sand or mud (though they certainly aren't bad). It all depends on what you do. If you're offroad a lot, Duratracs are great. If your vehicle logs a lot of road / highway miles and MPG matters, look elsewhere .. though I would take Duratracs over Mud Terrains any day.

 

I have about 8,000 miles on mine with minimal wear. Not too loud, and don't notice any instability on the freeway. Overall I really like them and wouldn't hesitate to buy them again.

 

My daily commute is only 15 miles round trip daily. All stop and go. My main reason for these is snow and the occasional offroad adventure. I am actually hoping to get a little better MPG as I am taking off my 20" BMF's with 305's for 17" with the 265's. We'll see though.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I was doing some more searches on other forums and it's mainly the guys with 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks that were the most issues. The Tacoma/4Runner/FJ and Jeep guys seem to like them a lot more. I guess they're just not for the heavier vehicles.

 

I'm too lazy to read through what everyone else said on this post but I'll just say what I know. I have the same exact size, class c. They have much harder rubber then most tires in its category, although they are difficult to balance. I had them balanced and payed for an allignment, and my steering still has a shake, that it didn't have before. I have heard GREAT things about the tires, in how well they perform and how long they last. I have only had mine on for about a month, so I can't tell you they have lasted for a long time, yet. They are great tires so far though.

 

Didn't have any trouble balancing mine. 235/85/16 on TRD OR wheels.

 

I've noticed 'squirmy' and sidewall issues from full-size truck guys. As far as I know, they are a Light Truck tire, so the complaints from full-size trucks makes sense.

 

I put a set on a neighbor's rubicon, in the 285-17 size, with giant studs for the ice. He felt they were lousy climbing an icy, gravel, mountain road to his house on top. However, after a winter and a piece of use, they still look new.

Howard

 

I put a set on my sons 4Runner. The Toyota dealership said they were the worst set of tires and wheels (factory toyota) that they had ever tried to balance. They said they were close but admitted they were not able to get them perfectly balanced.
Plus they are LOUD as hell-but hey isn't that what you want.

 

I loved mine.

 

I love mine and have had no problems with them

 

I think mine are the best snowtire I've yet to run, (studless). I have about 17,500miles on mine with what I would consider minimal wear. I expect to get at least 40,000 out of them, if not more. Aired down a little, they perform very well in just about any terrain, though I haven't done any rockcrawling with them.

The tread pattern is kind of a mix between an all-terrain and a mud-terrain tire. Lots of sipes too.

Keep them balanced and rotated and pay attention to your pressures and they will serve you well.

I love mine and would buy them again. I wish I could afford a studded set just for winter!

 

Loud as hell is an over-statement.

MTGirl has th post of the thread if anyone wants to know about Duratracs.