Goodyear Duratrac

rxc8154 · Nov 11, 2012

Need everyone opinion on the goodyear duratrac . Is this a good tire for pulling a 4 place trailer and how is the traction and handling. I have a 06 dodge ram 3500 . I've heard by reading reviews that this tire has soft side walls and poor handling .I'm planning on buying tires this week so your opinion is needed. Thanks.

Powderboy · Nov 11, 2012

Dogmeat swears by them and I've considered getting a set. Tire threads run the gambit seems like on here though. Tends to be strong opinions all over the map. I love reading all the different tire theory's though. Pretty entertaining.

MORSNO · Nov 11, 2012

I ran them on my last truck, great tire.

Chevy 1500 265/75R16 45psi

hivoltagesledhead · Nov 11, 2012

There is another thread on here somewhere that has mega opinions on this tire.

Dogmeat · Nov 11, 2012

Powderboy said:
Dogmeat swears by them and I've considered getting a set. Tire threads run the gambit seems like on here though. Tends to be strong opinions all over the map. I love reading all the different tire theory's though. Pretty entertaining.

I'm pretty well set on those or the BFGs.... I'll probably be putting a set of Studded Duratracs on here in the near future and just running the BFGs in the summer.

CapitalBruins#68 · Nov 11, 2012

i run a set of kumho road ventures and they are a cheaper tire and they have lasted over 30k and are still going stong they grip really well in the snow and ice and are quiet on the high way they are a good tire and i have duratracs on my half ton chevy and i like the kumhos a little better but that is just my opinion

FCR112 · Nov 11, 2012

285/70-17 Studded Duratrac's on a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Gasser. They are only offered in "D" load rating in this size. About 1500 miles on them so far.

First impression, Noticeably soft sidewall. If I change lanes moderately aggresive above 40 mph the whole truck sways. I aired them up over the recommended pressure on the sidewall. This helped some but it is still noticeable. I do not consider this a good thing and wonder if the center of the tire will wear faster going this route.
On the plus side I find myself driving less aggressively and the ride is smoother.

Noise, quieter than I thought. Hums down the road above 45mph.
I would not consider them loud at all and that's with studs.

Rolling resistance, They are very grippy and don't roll as freely as all terrains I have owned. Lost about 1-2mpg over some bald A/T's

And Lastly...
TRACTION, I literally just road tripped over Kenosha, Hoosier, and Loveland passes in a snowstorm. Zero weight in the back. Roads were snowcovered and icy. Deepest snow on the road was about 3-4" deep. I engaged my 4wd to pass people, these tires work VERY well under these conditions. Best traction I have ever had in a tire. I also went blasting through a few 2-3' drifts up a steep gravel road because well, that's fun too

The studs helped me to completely stop on my icy 15% driveway.
They work very well.

So IMO,
Winter Traction=Excellent.
Noise= Good
Sidewalls= Medium to Poor on the Highway, Great for off road at lower speeds.

Dogmeat · Nov 11, 2012

FCR112 said:
285/70-17 Studded Duratrac's on a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Gasser. About 1500 miles on them so far.

First impression, Noticeably soft sidewall. If I change lanes moderately aggresive above 40 mph the whole truck sways. I aired them up over the recommended pressure on the sidewall. This helped some but it is still noticeable. I do not consider this a good thing and wonder if the center of the tire will wear faster going this route.
On the plus side I find myself driving less aggressively and the ride is smoother.

Noise, quieter than I thought. Hums down the road above 45mph.
I would not consider them loud at all and that's with studs.

Rolling resistance, They are very grippy and don't roll as freely as all terrains I have owned. Lost about 1-2mpg over some bald A/T's

And Lastly...
TRACTION, I literally just road tripped over Kenosha, Hoosier, and Loveland passes in a snowstorm. Zero weight in the back. Roads were snowcovered and icy. Deepest snow on the road was about 3-4" deep. I engaged my 4wd to pass people, these tires work VERY well under these conditions. Best traction I have ever had in a tire. I also went blasting through a few 2-3' drifts up a steep gravel road because well, that's fun too
The studs helped me to completely stop on my icy 15% driveway.
They work very well.

So IMO,
Winter Traction=Excellent.
Noise= Good
Sidewalls= Medium to Poor on the Highway, Great for off road at lower speeds.

Did you get D or E tires? I have run the E's but never the D's .... I never noticed this with the E rated ones?

FCR112 · Nov 11, 2012

Dogmeat said:
Did you get D or E tires? I have run the E's but never the D's .... I never noticed this with the E rated ones?

They are only offered in "D" rating in sizes LT285/70R17 and 315/70R17

I'll add that above.

265/70R17's and 245/75R17's are offered in "E"

jsledder · Nov 11, 2012

I've got them on a '11 Megacab Cummins, (285/70-17) and have nearly 30k miles on them and they should get me through this winter yet. Very pleased with the mileage out of this type of tread and will likely be replacing them with the same tire when it comes time. I just wish they had more sizes available in "E" rating.

I pull a 36' Mirage with 6 sleds and am impressed with the traction these get loaded or empty.

rhalloran · Nov 12, 2012

I have 265/70-17 studded Duratracs on my 04 Dodge 2500 4wd longbed diesel. No complaints. I've not towed my big trailer (28'/6500# empty) with it yet, but with 60psi in the airbags & 2 heavy sleds on the deck, it is fine. 65psi front, 80psi rear.

Drove it on Shrine Pass Road yesterday, snow traction seems very good. Could get away with 2wd. I've not had a full-blown snow tire on this truck to compare, but part of me THINKS that they might be giving up something - not much - to a Real Snow Tire on packed snow. Not much at all, and they're wearing WAY better than real snow tires - about 9k on the tires, lost a max of 2/32".

Sidewalls/tread squirm is more noticeable compared to the set of tires that came on the truck - Michelin LTX M&S that were pretty worn. No surprise; the Michelins were worn out, nowhere near the big blocks to squirm around.

I'm pretty optimistic that towing the trailer will be fine - both of my sleds are about 1300# combined, plus ~400# of deck, that's WAY more than the trailer will put on the ball, and it is absolutely fine. More squirm than the old tires, but not bad at ALL - I don't even notice it anymore.

I lost about 1mpg. Again, no surprise. I think I lost a smidge of pure snow performance compared to a dedicated snow, but they're not as squirmy as a real snow tire, appear to be lasting a good bit better, shrug, I'm really happy with them. I was most concerned about the "soft sidewall," and while I do think the sidewalls are softer than other LRE tires, I think a LOT of the sensation is tread squirm.

I'd buy them again. At this point, I'm probably going to evaluate in the spring - if they're looking really good, I'll put some summer tires on different wheels & run these again next winter. If they're worn to the point that I want to replace them for the following winter, I'll run them all summer and try a dedicated snow next winter.

No wrong answer; they're very, very good so far.

97exc · Nov 12, 2012

I've had them for about a year and a half on a 01 Tahoe and they still look new. I'm usually pulling a two place open trailer with my sleds or RZR and traction has been great in snow and any loose dirt conditions I've run into. Goes anywhere in 2WD, very little slippage. I do notice the "soft" sidewall feeling but got used to it quickly. Tread wear has been very minor over 20k miles or so, actually took a 5000 mile trip cross country in the summer and had no complaints. There is a slight MPG loss versus less agressive treads though.

av8er · Nov 12, 2012

I just got some Toyo AT II's they are great

50,000 mile warranty good looking tire

wjl · Nov 12, 2012

I run 285/70/17 on a 07 Dodge Mega cab mounted on H2 wheels (17x8.5") they work great in Utah snow and ice. I only run these in the winter season and love them.
I had BFG ATs before and liked them but they packed with snow and would not clear. The Duratrac's clear and work a lot better even in 2 wheel drive.
As said above my milage decreased about 1mpg but traction in the winter is worth it.
Watch for Good Year to have a rebate on them and around here Discount tire matches it this time of the year.

SledsWest · Nov 12, 2012

I duratracs put on my duramax before a trip to Idaho this summer and they damn near got me and my family killed. I was coming down Spanish Fork Canyon this summer (curvy and windy during a rainstorm) pulling my enclosed trailer with dirt bikes in it. I tried to pass a semi at 60 MPH and the blast of wind from the semi and the side movement of changing lanes caused my trailer to start fish tailing which started playing crack the whip with my truck....all because of the stupid soft sidewall. I had the tires aired up to the max and had my anti-sway bar and equilizer hitch on too. Good thing I did or we would been rollin. I had to constantly watch my side mirrors when I had my trailer on because every time a truck or RV would pass me on the interstate, I'd have to take my foot off the accelerator and get ready for a game of crack the whip when the gust of air hit the side of my truck/trailer. Those sidewalls are horrible and I took them back and got BFGs put on. Haven't had that problem since.

jwentzer · Nov 12, 2012

I've run them before and honestly....there are better tires out there. A company I worked for in ND would put them on our work trucks. Most of us didn't like them because of the squirming/swaying they do. IMHO...it feels like the trucks rear-end is going to come around and pass you at times.

Only time it didn't do that was when we had the bed loaded down quite heavily. 1k to 2K pounds of oil field equipment.

Traction/noise they are great. It's that one downfall they have that makes them a subpar tire for me.

sideline · Nov 12, 2012

I have three sets of Duratracs on three different Silverado 2500 trucks. Love these tires and have never had a soft sidewall issue. They last around 40,000 miles with very heavy duty use. Atleast 25000 of the miles per set towing 8-15000 pounds. Winter traction is excellent. Until someone shows me a better tire I will continue to buy!

dp2826 · Nov 12, 2012

We have several sets of duratracs on work trucks and was looking into a set for my personal truck until I got a chance to drive on them. They tend to make the truck wander down the highway and have what I would call a dangerous sway or squishy feel. And it seems like it got worse when towing. I will be sticking with the all terrains, mine have 55,000 on them and should make it through this winter with no problems.

Blk88GT · Nov 13, 2012

To you guys complaining about wandering, I'd like to know what sizes you're running and on what width wheels. I read a bunch of complaints like this and bought E rated 295/65/18s on a 9" wheel and they show no signs at all of wandering, even at 55psi.

SledsWest · Nov 13, 2012

Blk88GT said:
To you guys complaining about wandering, I'd like to know what sizes you're running and on what width wheels. I read a bunch of complaints like this and bought E rated 295/65/18s on a 9" wheel and they show no signs at all of wandering, even at 55psi.

The death trap tires that I had on my truck were 295/65 R18 at 55psi and aired up to max 80 on a 9" rim with no change in the squirmy feeling.

Goodyear Duratrac

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