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I have Duratracs on my truck. I drove straight from the dealer to the tire shop to get them mounted on day one of owning my truck.

When I was researching tires for
my Tacoma before I purchased it there didn't seem to be nearly as much hate as there is now about them. I guess it's still a relatively new tire and now guys have had the chance to really test them out.

I personally haven't had a single issue with mine. I love the look of them and I bought them because of the snow rating. I do a lot of snowboarding in the winter and I needed something that could get me to the mountain safely and something that I could use on winter tire restricted highways. I didn't get that many opportunities to test them in the snow/ice this year because our winter was very mild in the northwest but when I did they held up great.

I just retired my truck as my daily driver with only 20,000km on it so it will be a while yet before I'm ready for a new set of tires but I'll probably make the switch to Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx's.
I still need a snow rated tire and the Cooper's seem to fit the bill. I've also haven't seen any bad reviews about the Coopers's.

Who else makes a snow rated tire comparable in thread design to the Duratrac and Discoverer S/T Maxx?

 

The st/maxx is only M+S rated, not snowflake rated like the duratracs. For pure winter driving the duratracs should beat the coopers hands down. The DTs are also a softer tread compound, where the coopers apparently get pretty hard/slick in the cold.

Like doording mentioned cooper just recently came out with the at/w which is basically an at3 with a crap load of siping and a softer tread compound to get the snowflake rating.

The DT or at/w would be much better choices for a pure winter tire. For offroading/ puncture resistance the st/maxx has the advantage.

 

I was referring to duratracs vs st maxx.

Disclaimer: I have no experience with the st/maxx or at/w, just the duratracs. My statement is based on that plus:
1. Duratrac had a softer compound that stays pliable in low temps, st/maxx reportedly gets pretty hard/slick in low temps
2. Duratrac has way more siping than st/maxx getting it the snowflake rating. It should outperform the st/maxx on packed snow/ ice.

I could be proved wrong, however my experience with the duratracs, their siping and tread compound should give them the upper hand

 

The duratrac overall resembles a snow tire more than the st/maxx. Not saying.the st/maxx is a bad winter tire, a bunch of locals run them with good results. But in terms of which tire more closely resembles a snow tire it's the duratracs. Also, I'm not ragging on the coopers, they will more likely than not be my next set of tires and I'm getting the wife a set of at/w's for her t4r.

 

Ah yes, I forgot about that little snowflake rating.

The at/w looks like it would make a great winter tire but it looks like it's lacking some of the characteristics that would make it a good off road tire.

I guess it's all about compromise when it comes to picking the right tire for your needs. I think I'll stick with my Duratracs. They might have their flaws regarding puncture resistance and I'm sure that is due to softer tread compound to meet the requirements for a winter tire. I can't find anything really comparable that has the snowflake rating and is still a decent at off road. Chains are a hassle to put on unless absolutely necessary and I need that snowflake rating to drive on some highways in the winter.

 

I don't have any experience with the Duratracs. The S/T Maxx's aren't snowflake rated, but they do pretty damn well in the snow.

 

I am sold on my ST Maxx. I have about 5-6k highway miles on them and they are super quiet compared to my KM2s. I also have had them on back roads, mud, rock, and snow covered trails and I don't see any noticeable difference in offroad performance compared to my KM2s. I am sure there is some but I am yet to notice it in my uses.

The only thing I dislike about my ST Maxx tires is that they are about an inch shorter than the KM2s in the same size.

 

X2

 

Nope, kind of bothered me as well. Not sure why it's so hard to find actual weights

 

X3. You can check out tread depot for a ballpark, but I've found that they always differ from what's listed on the manufacturer websites, sometimes pretty significantly.

 

Sounds like some good times are coming soon.

 

BTW you will love the comforter. I homemade one very similar a few years back for backpacking and it was the greatest thing ever. Had a friend talk me into selling it and it was the worst mistake I have ever made.

 

Love my WM bag.

 

What is a passport?

EDIT: Never mind just saw the pics. Thought passport was a term for something else.

 

Because it gets to -40 without windchill quite often in the winter. Why did you leave?

 

Yep down is the only way to go. Price is the original reason I made mine at home. You can source some good raw products for a decent deal through some ultralight backpacking sites and a little practice with the sewing machine and you are set.

 

I got mine for summertime light weight backpacking trips. It's the HighLite. Can't believe how small it stuffs!
I sometimes use it in the house to nap in during the winter and in my kids room when I have to crash on his floor when he's sick.

 

Ray Jardine

 

I added some quick release hing pins on the narrow side of the rear seat. If you plan on removing and replacing it often like me, I highly recommend this mod. It's super easy, and the pins are only a couple bucks at the local home center. I may do the other side as well.