LOTSOFTOYS PANDA BUILD

well I know who to call if/when mine shits the bed LOL

 

X2

 

Hey jace, how are you liking your duratracs? I'm looking at some for my next tire.. Do they live up to the hype in the snow? Thanks bro.

 

Dude I hate to break in, but my budy in a second gen with duratracs really caught my attention. We just did some basic trails and obstacles but was impressed by the grip and contact he had.

 

They look like a sweet tire, it's between those and the bfg km2s.. Hmmm... Thanks for the info!

 

I have km2s and while I have enjoyed them, they chunk pretty easily and the rubber looks to be getting really dry despite having lots of tread left. I will be going with coopers or hankooks next time.
I know you didn't ask me, but that is my $.02. If just between those two tires, go with tracs.

 

What's that saying? opinions are like assholes, everyone has one...haha me too! The Duratracs are great man. I drug the sidewalls all over rock aired down and never had any sidewall issues (E rated). They are "all that" on snow imo, especially the inbetween deep and hardpack conditions where most M/T's struggle. I think we're up to .06 cents of opinions now haha but i'm sure Jace has good info on them since he's had them in more snow I think.

 

yeah i love them. second set actually they do very well in the snow just like everyone says. the softer goodyear rubber is siped on the tread blocks which allow it to excel in icy snowy conditions. the tread pattern has larger blocks on the outside that just continue to bite in the deep snow.
with the rubber being of softer compound, it is a minor trade off. you wont be seeing 80k out of duratracs.... they r quiet on the road and balance fine. load range e is the way to go though. better sidewalls, over kill for our trucks weight but not when u plan on beatin on them. if you r looking for an all around great tire get the duratrac. the km2 will make u extremely angry the first time it snows.

that being said^ i am looking at tryin out some Cooper st maxx for my next set. if i immediately hate them, ill be coming back to gy

 

Hey man thank you for your advice I'm thinking of doing the duratracs after all of the good reviews, but the sales guy was trying to convince me to go with the Cooper ST Maxx, I just haven't read very many good reviews about them. And I'm nervous to throw $1000 a set of tires I haven't seen many people running

 

Very helpful thanks man how are you liking the new suspension?

 

yeah i suggest u go with the duratracs then. and the new suspension is saweet..... little gettin used to though. with the poly lca bushings it allows the suspension to move alot more freely. so going around corners got a little more interesting the Toytec co's ride a touch softer than my old man emu. i need to get it off road to get a real good idea of how it is. looking forward to hitting my front bump stops!

 

I went with some 33 10.50 km2s dude, I has the duratracs getting mounted when they found out my rims r only 7" wide

 

ah.... 15 inch wheels huh? damn....

 

Yeah man.. I might get them siped but I'm pretty bummed they didn't work out..

 

yeah that sucks. id get them siped for sure to help in the winter

 

long day....... tore the transmission out. removed the old clutch. wore it down to the rivets, it was time for a replacement

found the rear main seal housing was leaking too. so removed that and resealed it, replaced rear main seal. installed the new pilot and throw out bearings. installed the 15lb heavier flywheel from LC Engineering, and the dual compound disc and pressure plate. also replaced a bad t because shifter seat.
During the whole deal i sent out my driveshaft to Rocky Mountain Drive line to have it balanced. They are very cool and explained it was not smart to balance it the way it was. with the rear suspension the way it sits, the slip yoke had extended a good 1.5 inches further than factory at ride height.

so they cut and retubed the rear half of the shaft with a longer shaft 1.5 inches longer. new carrier bearing and both outer ujoints and then it could be balanced.... so much better, no vibes

the clutch is super smooth. the heavier flywheel is cool, really resists stalling and the rpms dont fall as fast when shifting. you can tell it is a little bit more grabby than an oem clutch for sure. only drove it 10 miles home, so in a few weeks ill have a better review. cant wait to have it on the rocks though!

 

and the final product

 

got my Marlin stainless clutch line in the mail today. excited to see what it does for clutch feel

 

what's that gonna do?

 

there wont be any hydraulic pressure loss in the factory rubber line. with the stiffer pressure plate, the rubber line I think is droppin the ball. we'll see... cheap upgrade that's all. should compliment the new clutch