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So many people go for the duratrac because they want something that is winter rated. I don't know why more people haven't jumped on the Cooper A/Tw's for an All Terrain tire that works in winter. Their ice traction compared to duratracs is night and day. They're awesome. They're not anything close to a M/T but they're as aggressive as most A/T's out there and I have been really happy with the ride quality of mine. Good mileage warranty, not sloppy on dry pavement, good winter/ice traction.

 

I wrote a personal review on these a while back. I'll dig around and see if I can find it.

No question there are worse tires than the Duratracs. There are much better ones too.

 

Thanks for the picture trying to figure out if I should get a cab hi or the version you have.

 

OK I thought the Duratrac was part of this review I wrote a couple years ago but it's only mentioned. It's focused on the MTR and the KM2. However there might still be some relevant info here. Just keep in mind that the Duratracs don't have near the performance of either of these tires on the trails but are similar to the KM2 on the road with the exception of winter driving.


Having had both tires now there a some clear differences. Here's my take on the two tires in different areas.


On the road: KM2 is a better dry pavement tire. It's relatively quite for a MT type tire and has decent road manners. Seems to balance well and has even treadwear as long as they are rotated and balanced regularly.


The MTR is a louder tire on the road than the KM2. The tread pattern is slightly more aggressive with slightly larger voids. You can hear more tire noise and feel the tread blocks hitting the pavement more with than you can on the KM2. The MTR still has good dry pavement behavior and the stiffer sidewall feels more stable in the corners.


On the Trail: I prefer the MTR on trails with a mixture of dirt/rock. They go where you point them better than the KM2, particularly at faster speeds. I have noticed less slipping and loss of traction on trails with the MTR.


The KM2 is a great trail tire, and in most cases has good traction. In loose dirt/rocks they will break loose earlier than the MTR. I was never stopped or stuck with the KM2s but just noticed they would start to spin earlier than the MTR.


In the rocks: MTR is superior in the rocks. On technical rocky trails with both tires in the 10-15psi range, the MTR has better traction and control than the KM2. When I had the KM2s, I never had a complaint about them in the rocks. They are very good, but once I replaced them with the MTR, I have found that the MTR just outperforms the KM2 in the rocks. It's not a HUGE difference but noticeable.


In the Rain (pavement): Both tires seem about equal in the rain. I haven't noticed any tendency to hydroplane from either tire and both had good wet traction.


On Icy hardpack roads: Both tires are dismal in these conditions unless they have been siped. The large treadblocks on both tires are just not the right design for a tire used on icy roads. Siping makes a big difference and both tires can be an acceptable winter tire if siped. Even with siping neither tire is the best choice if you are looking for a tire specifically for winter driving. There are better tires out there for icy hardpack driving. The GY Duratrac and the Interco Trxus are superior MT style tires for winter driving.


In Deep Snow: The design of the treadblocks seems to make a difference here. The tread of the MTR has more sharp corners than the KM2 and the voids are generally larger on the MTR. These features seem to provide better deep snow traction and keep you moving forward better and longer with the MTR. Air pressure is a big factor here too. I like to run in the 8-10psi range for deep snow. This gives better floatation and I'm able to keep moving better than with higher air pressure that tends to make the tires dig and spin. There is a constant debate about whether floatation in snow is better or worse than a tire that will dig down to solid ground. The way I look at it, if the tire is digging down to solid ground that is putting axles, skidplates, wheel hubs and even bumpers closer to the snow that can drag and hinder forward progress. The more parts of the truck you have to drag through the snow the more you're going to get stuck. I am a believer in floatation in deep snow.


In the Mud: The MTR is a better Mud tire without question. I don't like to play in the mud and I typically avoid it at all costs but every once in a while it's unavoidable. In deep mud I would get stuck sooner with the KM2. I was shocked on a recent trip where we encountered LOTS of deep mud. I'm certain that the KM2s would have lost traction and left me stuck and needing a strap or winch in a couple spots. I never needed either one with the MTRs. I was able to drive through all the muddiest spots we encountered where other trucks needs help.


Bottom line for me on these tires is I have found that I like the MTR better is almost all areas except for icy roads and for the amount of road noise and road comfort. If you want a smoother riding, quieter tire, then the KM2 is a better choice that will still perform well offroad. But for me the extra benefits offroad with the MTR will probably make me buy another set of them instead of KM2s when the time comes to replace them.


The KM2 is better in the icy conditions when siped. So if you're looking at the biggest weakness of both tires its in icy hardpack snow. If you have both tires siped, the KM2 will still be slightly better in these conditions than the MTR. If you don't have them siped, they are miserable.

 

Nobody has given you fire yet. Here, have some fire.



Roofing nails, mangled fence staples, metal screws, shards of aluminum. They're going to go in. That's been my experience.

No doubt in my mind that there are better choices for tires.

Tire selection for the off road enthusiast is an interesting topic for sure. I think that a lot of variables factor into how a particular tire performs. And I've developed a theory that not all tires perform the same across all environments, i.e. the continental United States. I think that the asphalt, concrete, geology, soil composition, temperature, humidity, and all other forms of environmental variables can vary considerably between geographical locations and possibly play a big roll on how long a tire will last. Of course tire pressure, and driving style, proper rotation, and road type driven will have a large impact as well. The basis for my theory is from monitoring reports in the Goodyear Wrangler DURATRAC's thread.

There are common reports of the Duratrac lasting plenty. Such as these here: 69K miles here. And 55K here and counting, And 50K miles here and still going. Despite those reports, I've got 34K miles on mine now and they feel beat. I can't wait to replace them later this year.

I'm quite tempted to try the Cooper ST MAXX in the 255/85/R16 variety. They only come in load E, so it will be a heavier tire. It does have the 3-ply sidewall and that is good.

 

Grampa tires FTW

 

Thanks - it's been about a year

 

I wouldn't recomend MTRs for a dd. They are probably the best tire I've had Offroad but they wear odd due to the dual tread pattern and they don't last long.

The km2 is a better all around dd type MT tire IMO. Even if the MTR outperforms it in the dirt. The km2s are quieter and last longer and are some how better in the ice and snow.

If it's a more dedicated rig, MTRs all day

 

I have had bad experiences with KM2's. I understand my results are not typical, but the BFG Baja and the old BFG MT are bomb proof in comparison. They are a really poor design for an offroad tire (in my experience). I like the Cooper STT's on the FJ80, and the Nitto Trail Grapplers on the Duramax too.
Two flats at 80 mph, 43 seconds in.
https://youtu.be/2SgAzs9-hLk

 

#mallcrawler

 

Me too. That is an interesting tire. I ran BFG AT's on all of my 80's yota's and they were always a solid performer in our part of the world.

 

I had a set of MTR's on my daily driver Tacoma for almost 60K miles. Never had any odd wear, but I kept them rotated and balanced religiously. I do agree that they are a bit more noisy than the KM2s that are on the Tacoma now and that the KM2 *might* last a bit longer on average, but I've seen similar wear from both tires in my experience. Also, the cruiser has turned into more of a daily driver and I'm running MTR's on that too. I find the noise perfectly acceptable for a mud tire. They don't roll down the road quite as smooth as the KM2 but what do you expect from an aggressive tire.

I only have 2 complaints with the MTR. The rubber tends to get harder as they get older than some other tires, but that's with LOTS of miles on them so I really can't complain too much. And...............They suck on the ice and packed snow. But I found a solution for that...............chains.

 

In regards to All-terrains.....I've always been very impressed with the BFG AT's. I've had several sets of the AT KO. I have a couple friends who are now running the new KO2 and love them. The other AT that has really impressed me is the General Grabber AT2. That's what was on my Cruiser when I bought it and I think it's a great tire and pretty affordable. The guys at Expedition Overland ran the General Grabber ATs on their rigs last season when they went to Alaska and had lots of good to say about them as well.

 

and since we're talking about tires and punctures. This was a lucky *miss*.

 

Mine are lasting long but my dads, marcs and another friends on bigger trucks not so much.

Mine are louder then the km2s. And yes suck in ice big time. Haha

 

I have the AT2s and absolutely love them. I only have about 10k miles on them but they handled very well this past winter with all the ice we got here and the small amount of snow in Tulsa. They preform pretty well in the sand and mud (was very supprised at how well they cleaned). I'll be doing the High Water Mark Trail in the Ozarks on the weekend of June 13th with some other guys here from Tulsa so ill post some pictures and give an update on the tires when I can actually put them to the test.

 

URL=https://www.tacomaworld.com/media/14315950487_4691be21d2_b.465349/][/URL]

This is the result of a long day on the trail @ 25 psi with the DuraTracs running all types of terrain and speeds. The failure was probably due to operator error rather than the DuraTracs not being durable. I've never had much problem with offroad traction. The rear tires spin with no effort in wet conditions on road (expected). I'm satisfied with their overall performace, but I'm eager to try something different.

 

whoa

 

Ordered these the other day. Super quick shipping from LLBean.
Haven't set them up yet but they look sturdy. The top "spike" seems a little loose but it does stay in.
I like the "adjustability" of them too. The sections are nice, making them easy to stow away.

 

I've had my Cooper S/T Max's for over a year now, and they're great.