Duratrac quality issues

Ok....so I was dead set on duratracs while I was reading through old threads and seeing how much everyone loved them during their first few years of production. Although after reading through all these threads it has become pretty apparent that there are some quality issues with the newer run of duratracs. Is it as simple as a decline in quality? Does it have anything to do with size or load range? I was pretty excited to grab a set of these before the winter as they seem to be the best AT option, but I simply don't have the time or patience to go through the balancing issues that some of you have had. How widespread is this issue? Is it worth rolling the dice and hoping I get a good set?

That being said, what is my second best choice in everyone's opinion? BFG? I'm mostly concerned with snow driving both light and heavy, not a whole lot of offroading otherwise.

Would like to save some money but more concerned with quality.

 

I have duratracs load C 6 ply on both of my 4x4 toyotas and love'em. I balanced both sets and my buddies set personally and i had no issues. They are great in the snow. I've read here complaints that the sidewalls are too soft if you like the rocky trails. But for a aggressive tire they are quiet on the highway. I like'em.

 

Man. Those white letters are growing on me...

Anyways. Agreed. I love mines. No problems so far. No off roading so far, and very quiet on the road.

 

Chris i just mounted the tires on the taco and wasn't sure about the white letters out but it's growing on me too. I've had the duratracs on my 4runner for a lil over a year now and they show little wear for the mileage i have on them, that's why i purchased a 2nd set for my project tacoma.

 

So you guys have purchased duratracs recently? Like in the last year or two and haven't had any issues? Makes my head spin reading all the threads raving over em then all the threads about dumping em because the won't balance. Maybe a couple bad runs of tires??

 

yeah side wall it's weak ! planing to change mine soon !

 

I just mounted & balanced my new duratracs on my new wheels last week and roughly 4-5 weeks ago i installed 4 new duratracs on my buddies 2013 taco. So yea it was recent and no balancing issues. As sodoscott mentioned there are complaints of the sidewalls being weak, but from what i've researched only sidewall issues were when playing on the rocks.

 

I bought mine within the last year, 265/75/16 load range C, have put 9,000 miles on them so far. They balanced perfectly, not a single issue, glass smooth at any speed. I've taken them on everything from long highway road trips to off-road (mud, rocks, sand, no snow yet) and couldn't be happier.

 

ive had my 285s for about a year now n havnt had any problems with em they are awesome on the road and even better offroad and in snow...im stickin with em for sure

 

Thanks guys. This is the input I was looking for. The poor balancing threads scare me but it seems like much more people are happy with the tires than not.

For you guys running close to stock size. I'm planning on going 265/75/16 on stock OR wheels, load range C. How big of a hit should I expect in the gas mileage.

 

I've had mine for about a month. Love them. No steering wheel shake at all on the highway. They look GREAT.

As far as MPG, I am sure you won't take as big of a hit as my 285/75/16 load E's.

 

Yeah I really don't think I need the heavier load range E....summertime I'm driving 90% highway with the occasional beach run.

I'm really looking for an aggressive AT for the winter for lightly snow covered roads and some deeper packed trails and fields that I drive through to access some ice fishing spots. These things look like they will really shine in that deeper snow.

 

I've recently put 265/75/16 on my Level 8 MK6 wheels. E-Rated. Not lifted. It hasn't hurt my MPGs, maybe 1 mpg. But, my MPGs differ each tank about 1-2 mpgs depending on where I'm driving (mountains/dirt/rock/pavement).

Off-road they are awesome. A million times better than the stock BFGs.

 

Carry a spare or two, and you'll be alright.

IMG_1198 by flyin' B photography, on Flickr

 

Damn! How'd that happen? I'm assuming very rocky terrain...

I have 265/75/16 load range C Duratracs that I've purchased new in January 2014. I've put about 5k on them since and have zero balancing issues whatsoever. I chose them because of the fact that they have good snow ratings (also proven to be true) and because they are aggressive for an AT tire.
I'm no crazy off roader or rock crawler, but more about getting out and exploring in the mountains with occasional use of my diff lock. No issues, but I wouldn't have them if I explored extensively rocky terrain/ rock crawling, mainly because of the poor reviews of their weak sidewalls.

 

I concur. Had them (285/70R17) for about 7,000 miles and no issues thus this far. Been off road twice, handled pretty well, nothing too rocky. Very quite on the road. I've read they get louder as they wear, not sure how true that is... I also have the white lettering on the outside, look pretty sick with my white Taco and black wheels.

 

I bought a set in May and have put over 5K miles on them. I got a really bad vibration at about 70 MPH that made the passenger seat shake really fast and loud. Checked the tire pressure and all 4 were set at 42 lbs. Aired down to 35 and the shaking went away.

Overall I'm happy with them. They are louder than the stock Rugged Trails but I don't care about that.

 

Gravel road. Here is the road we were on.

IMG_1196 by flyin' B photography, on Flickr

 

I've driven them offroad on rocky terrain here in Colorado and I've bumped the sidewalls up agains rocks without an issue or puncture. (Again, I've got the E-Rated) I have a buddy who has them on his taco and he wheels pretty hard without issue.

They are great in loose gravely or sandy climbs and they do well over slick rocks. If you're worried about a sidewall blowout, get the E-Rated. The only cost a fraction more, and are more durable.

 

Mine took a lot of weights but balanced out fine. No issues with them at all yet.