Duratrac User Experiences Requested

Duratrac owners - Greetings! I have been on the fence about tires for several months but should order a set in a few days. I have narrowed my search down to Duratrac's or BFG Rugged Terrains (NOT Rugged Trails, which have been replaced by the improved Rugged Terrains).

I have a 2012 TRD Sport (4WD) Access Cab...completely stock, to include the stock TRD Sport wheels. I have no intent of lifting the truck, spend at least 95% of my time on city roads with some highway mixed in; 5% off-road is way overkill, hence my interest in the Rugged Terrains. My off-road use it mainly limited to camping which is still not anything that a street tires would not be able to handle; I am still using the OEM Bridgestones.

My interest in the Duratrac's are their A/T design and winter rating, although Northern VA doesn't get enough snow to really warrant a winter but there can be a fair amount of ice. They also look fantastic but looks alone do not warrant buying a tire for just the rugged looks, at least for my needs.

I have read a lot of people have trouble keeping them balanced, which I don't want to deal with. I want want to sacrifice fuel economy (losing a mile per gallon is not an issue), not do I want to hear or feel like I am riding on M/T's.

Basically, I want a single set of tires that have good highway manners, low noise, low maintenance (other than routine rotations), are good in the rain (alot of that in Northern VA), good in snow and ice and, if possible, look good.

Based on your experience, are the Duratrac's a suitable tire or are they overkill for my needs? I am still undecided on going up a size to the 265/70R17 or remaining with the 265/65R17 looks seem to be the only benefit of going up a size for my needs).

I appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

 

I ran 285/70/17 D Load Duratracs from 5,000 to 55,000 miles from the winters in the Pacific North West to Summers in Charleston, SC. Discount Tire, where I purchased the tires from had no issue balancing them. They were great on the road, riding smooth and quiet. In dirt and gravel they performed well however they did retain rocks and stones more than my other tires but I never had any issues with stone drilling. They were fantastic tires in dry and packed snow. They were average performers in wet conditions as I felt they did not offer as much traction as other tires I have had, and were very easy to spin. At 55,000 miles they still looked fairy new and had an appreciable amount of tread left (I never measured but I would say at least 8/32"). They did begin to get noisy at about 50,000 miles. I replaced them at this time because I hit a small object (still unknown what it was) that took a chunk out of the tread, and the resulting pressure split the sidewall. The sidewall of the Duratrac to me is their only failing. I just replaced the Duratracs with the BFGoodrich KO2.

I think that the Duratracs would be good for your needs but I think other tires would be better. I highly recommend the Cooper Discoverer A/T3. I purchased them a year ago for my wife's vehicle and they are the best performing tire I have ever driven on in the rain (compared to Wrangler Duratracs, BFG KO2's, Toyo A/T's). It is very difficult to get the vehicle to break loose in wet conditions with the Coopers.

I hope that helps.

 

This is a good review. I would also recommend the Cooper A/T 3 for the type of driving you do. My neighbor, a co-worker, and my mom all have A/T 3's and love them. They also come in a P rated tire which would fit your needs as well. Much lighter than a C or E rated Duratrac.

 

Thanks for your recommendations. I opted for the Cooper AT3's...great tires.