Buying new Duratracs. Only E rated available.

Hey man, just got back to checking replys. I'm a Powerline Technician. I wen't down to Leominster Mass in anticipation of a big storm. Needless to say, I spent the weekend sitting around the hotel waiting for a storm that never came. I'm back in PEI now, and I actually found my C load Duratrac's!

I got a hold of a real helpful guy in Sussux NB who works at Canadian Tire. He was able to find some of them in stock from one of the suppliers that no one else could find. He offered to meet me in Moncton on the weekend to meet him and pick them up! He said his wife always is wanting to go on shopping trips to Moncton so it's no problem for him to throw the tires in for the trip. What a nice guy.

 

Haha hope the tires turn out to be a fact... most store employees don’t meet ppl on a wknd to personally deliver tires that aren’t stolen.... good luck

 

If your not set on Duratracs, with 90% road use, I would go with Michelin, or a comparable high quality tire.

 

Ahh I figured that might be the case. Talk about a dud of a storm..

 

Picked up the tires yesterday afternoon. This guy drove 45min out of his way on a Sunday to bring me my tires. Huge thank you and shoutout to Brad at Sussex New Brunswick Canadian Tire! Feel free to give this guy some recognition any way you can.

We look after one another up North.

 

Hey guys. Just curious what psi would be best to run these at? Shop installed then and put in 40psi which sounds high to me.

 

I ran mine at 32psi.

 

34 lbs is about right for me on the highway. 10 lbs when I got the truck stuck last week.

Chalk line and see how they ride.

 

I had 265/75r16 load range C duratracs for 51k miles. Went to 285/75r16 load range E Cooper STT PROs. Ride quality is FAR BETTER. Gas mileage did decrease about 1mpg. That is easily explained by larger diameter/wider and more aggressive tire. Made the switch at 101k miles. Now on 2nd set of STT PROs. 72k later, ZERO issues...no noticable drivetrain wear. 173k on the truck. Only repair so far was an alternator diode. Just routine maint items. SO...broad strokes condemnation of load range E tires is a myth.

Personally, no longer a fan of Duratracs.

 

Ya this whole load range debate from guys who don’t run tires that are rated D or higher is comical. I regret getting the sissy version of the Falkens now. My cooper ST Maxx tires were the best driving truck tires I’ve ever had. And they didn’t wear out my truck or Jeep!

 

Any tire will feel better than a duratrac in my opinion. I have a feeling you switching from the duratrac to the STT has to do more with the feel than going from C to E. My duratracs were horrendous.

 

My point exactly.

 

It's physics though, you went from a 45lb 31" tire to a 61lb 33" tire. That's a lot more rotational mass, of course it's going to add extra stressors to the suspension/brakes/drivetrain, especially if you are taking it off-road. I'm not pooping on E-Range tires, I've ran plenty,, but lets not kid ourselves into thinking they are not going to require a bit more maintenance in the long run.

 

Not trying to "kid ourselves" , but am looking at reality.....You ARE looking at major difference in quality of tires. Duratracs are rough riding old technology tires. Not all tires are created equal. Not "apples to Apple's comparison". It's not as simple as just weighing tires.

 

Love the Duratracs so far. Drive is smoothe, no noticable loss in mpg, AND they look badass. What reason would I have had to choose an E rated tire over a C rated on a Tacoma? None that I'm aware of.

 

How long/how many miles have you had them? Almost all tires are great when new. Some start to fall off sooner than others. My Duratracs were loud and rough riding long before they were worn out. Also, E rated tires tend to be a tougher, more puncture resistant by their nature. C's are great for mostly road miles. E's are less apt to puncture or fail in abusive off road use. I've found a few different E's that in addition to being more durable, simply ride better than some C's. For your uses, maybe a C is sufficient. Others may find even an E to be marginal.

The Duratracs I had were extremely rough riding from day one. They rode like they had flat spots. 2 of them needed to be replaced at less than 500 miles because they simply would not balance. Obviously, not ALL Duratracs were that bad....I just got "lucky"....

 

Most people give "reviews" of tires a couple days after getting them. What good is that? By 7k miles my duratracs were so loud I had keep the radio at almost max volume just to hear it.

 

Tacoma owners are pigeon-holed into purchasing E-load rated tires due to the availability of them in plus sizes. I still stand by they are not required in anything but a dedicated trail rig or if you're near the max GVWR either by payload or trailer. (Majority of the mall crawlers that just want a nice looking truck and may take it off-roading once/twice a month.)

By design, the sidewalls won't flex nearly as much at the same psi as a comparable LT-C tire. There is also inconsistency in overall off-road toughness. One load C could be as tough as another load E because the load range spec is only about ability to contain air pressure (in use) and is not a true designation of sidewall durability or puncture resistance.

 

But...bottom line is....Duratrac C's have a well earned rep of weak sidewalls and being prone to puncture and chunking, in addition to relatively poor balancing. E STT PRO's have an equally well earned rep as being tougher than a $2 steak, being easy to balance, and FAR better ride quality. (Not to mention quieter) What "could be" and what IS in reality aren't interchangeable. Broad strokes generalities vs actual proven facts aren't interchangeable.

Had BOTH (Multiple sets) ...ran 'em a LOT of miles, both on and off road. MUCH prefer the STT PRO E's over mediocre Duratrac C's for a litany of reasons. After having BOTH, no longer consider Duratracs, E OR C as a viable option . What is "required" is less of a determining factor as is which one is simply a better quality tire.