Down to 2 (elaborate on flaws)

I am switching to a larger 265/75 16 on the truck before winter. I do off-road the truck and we do get snow here occasionally. I will be making a trip to CO from TN for 2 weeks of backcountry driving next summer as well.

I have narrowed it down to Duratracs, and Hercules Terra Trac ll's because they are both offered in Load C in the size I want.

About half the TW reviews claim that Duratracs get really loud. The other half say they are quiet. I suspect those opinions are relative to what people are accustomed to. Can anyone try to elaborate more on the noise from them? Are they loud enough that it's hard to hear the passenger talk?

What I have found on the Terra Tracs say that they are really good and quiet. Of course they aren't as aggressive. Any opinions on this tire?

I would prefer the more aggressive GY, but not if its going to be loud enough to annoy the hell out of me by the time we drive it to CO.

Not really excited about the Cooper AT3 so it didn't make the short list.

Thanks for any insight.

 

Cooper ST MAXX they are very quiet and perform awesome...

 

Some Duratracs have balancing issues that cause uneven wear and noise from the get go. It's a gamble really whether you'll have problems. Incredible traction though on pretty much every surface but rock.

 

Well, the Hercules tires used to have great warranties. I am not sure about that now but their tires are made by Cooper. The Terra Trac II is essentially a modified Cooper AT3. Cooper has bought a lot of smaller tire companies over the years including Dick Cepek, Mickey Thompson, Mastercraft, and a few more. Cooper makes a good tire but I did have balance issues with my AT3s on my second gen.

As far as the Duratracs, that will likely be my next tire too. It will be because it is the most aggressive hybrid I can get in C load range. I don't need or want an E rated tire but if I did it would be the Dick Cepek Extreme County because their E rated tire has a lighter two ply sidewall and only weighs in around 48 pounds in 265/75/16. I have also heard mixed reviews on the Duratracs too but almost all tires get louder as they wear down. My Continental tires on my German cars were church pew quiet when new but would almost run me out of the car when it was close to time to replace them. Back to the GYs, there are a ton of them on the road and I have always had great luck with them so until I get some bad ones, I'm not going to shy away from them.

I'm really impressed with the Cooper ST MAXX but they only offer an E rated tire and they are heavier than I want. If they had a C load range or a lighter E like the Dick Cepek EC, is look hard at them.

Best of luck OP - keep us posted!

 

I've been doing some hard core browsing.

I found a Pirelli MT in a C load range that looks interesting... But I'm really looking for ATs.

I've had Dynapro AT's and they got "louder" but not anything that bothered me. I wonder if the Duratracs are similar or if they get legit loud.

 

They don't really get louder. I've had mine for 3 years now. One of mine had a balancing issue from that beginning and it got worse. I had to shave it a couple months ago to get the wear even. Like I said before... It's a gamble. You could be lucky, and if you are you will love them. I've been through every terrain with them from sand to snow.

 

My C load Duratracs never balanced right,would shake the wheel between 50-60mph. Even had them road force balanced. I sold them and went to the Dick Cepek Extreme Country in 255-85-16. These tires balanced great,and are only slightly louder than the Duratracs.