Replacing Duratrac's

[CaptainCJ35]

I've been riding on the factory set of Goodyear Duratracs for 2.5 years now and have 36,000 miles on them. Frankly they have been a great performing tire and have handled everything I've thrown at them... snow and ice, mud, extremely low pressures in deep deep sand, etc. They've stayed perfectly balanced up to over 85 MPH and performed an emergency lane change that to this day I have no idea how we didn't end in a wreck. That all said, it's time for a change. I can't stand the road noise howl from these tires which has become progressively worse over time and now it's all one can hear.

90% of my driving is on paved roads, though roads in New England can pose plenty of their own challenges and snow and ice are possibilities from late October to early May. I guess you could say the Duratrac's are too aggressive for my tastes and needs... and now I'm flip flopping to some slightly "more civilized" AT tires with the 3-Peak Snowflake.

Falken Wildpeak AT3W's are the leader in the clubhouse, but are f'ing expensive right now ($340ish per tire... tariff/chicken tax maybe?). Both the BFG KO2 and General Grabber ATX are close behind but I worry they won't be any quieter than what I have now. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT intrigues me, but I've heard about them not performing to well in the snow... same for the Toyo's... is that true? I don't know... hence thread. Also, I don't feel like losing performance or efficiency right now (gas prices what they are) so I'm staying with 275/70R18's... I think... still mulling that over.

Yes... I know this topic has been a picked apart discussion on this Forum. I've read all the threads. I think because this topic has been discussed so much, there's a ton of contradicting info that is tough to parse. What I'm hoping to get is feedback specific to just noise and snow traction because those are the big differentiators to me. Responses like "ya, my Coopers didn't do so hot in the last snow storm" or "I live in Canada and my Coopers have been great in the snow... here's pictures!" would be most helpful. A fresh perspective on a very... maybe overly... discussed topic. Look forward to the responses. Thanks.

 

[securityguy]

Have you researched www.TireRack.com ? They have great reviews, road tests, and solid input from folks that have purchased tires and their impressions.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Have you researched www.TireRack.com ? They have great reviews, road tests, and solid input from folks that have purchased tires and their impressions.

For sure! Lots of conflicting data there too, at least in the Survey responses. Not to mention you have tires like the KO2 with like 20 million miles worth of survey feedback, and other tires with just 1 million miles or less... so the data sampling is an issue.

The road test are definitely helpful... they panned the Toyo AT3 pretty hard, which surprised me, for example.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Have you researched www.TireRack.com ? They have great reviews, road tests, and solid input from folks that have purchased tires and their impressions.

Fm my experience, the only reviews on tire rack that are worth reading are ones from owners of the same vehicle. People with different brands/models of vehicles are going to have different reviews as most reviews are people just comparing the tires to what they were running previously.

 

[mxz]

I am in the same situation, looking to replace the stock Duratracs as the road noise has become beyond annoying as they wear. Will be sticking with the same size 275/70/18 and aggressive AT tread. From my research I have narrowed it down to 2 choices. First is the Yokohama Geolandar X-AT, second choice will be the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T. Both tires are new designs and the Mickey Thompson is also 3 peak snow rated. Big issue I am having up here in Canada is both tires have been out of stock for over a month!
BFG KO2's are a good tire, have had them on a few trucks but tend to run small in actual size, plus it is a very dated design and am surprised that they haven't come out with a KO3 yet like their KM3

 

[CaptainCJ35]

I am in the same situation, looking to replace the stock Duratracs as the road noise has become beyond annoying as they wear. Will be sticking with the same size 275/70/18 and aggressive AT tread. From my research I have narrowed it down to 2 choices. First is the Yokohama Geolandar X-AT, second choice will be the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T. Both tires are new designs and the Mickey Thompson is also 3 peak snow rated. Big issue I am having up here in Canada is both tires have been out of stock for over a month!
BFG KO2's are a good tire, have had them on a few trucks but tend to run small in actual size, plus it is a very dated design and am surprised that they haven't come out with a KO3 yet like their KM3

I feel like both the Geolander and the Baja Boss would be comparable to the Duratrac noise-wise... I could be wrong. KO2's are just plain good, and durable, etc... so why change a good thing? But they do run small and I already sometimes wish for something a bit bigger like a 295/70R18... but KO2's aren't in that size. The cognitive dissonance is killing me!

 

[mxz]

I agree that all 3 tires would have around the same road noise when new. The issue with Duratracs is they get crazy noisy as they wear. Mine are at approx 50% tread and the road noise howl from them now is terrible. It is a known issue with Duratracs.

 

[Vilas15]

My dad had Cooper AT3s on a grand cherokee and those things were loud as hell after wearing some. I won't consider them. Im looking at hankook dynapro AT2s, firestone destinatuon AT2s, falken wildpeak AT3W.

 

[2020SD]

I've been riding on the factory set of Goodyear Duratracs for 2.5 years now and have 36,000 miles on them. Frankly they have been a great performing tire and have handled everything I've thrown at them... snow and ice, mud, extremely low pressures in deep deep sand, etc. They've stayed perfectly balanced up to over 85 MPH and performed an emergency lane change that to this day I have no idea how we didn't end in a wreck. That all said, it's time for a change. I can't stand the road noise howl from these tires which has become progressively worse over time and now it's all one can hear.

90% of my driving is on paved roads, though roads in New England can pose plenty of their own challenges and snow and ice are possibilities from late October to early May. I guess you could say the Duratrac's are too aggressive for my tastes and needs... and now I'm flip flopping to some slightly "more civilized" AT tires with the 3-Peak Snowflake.

Falken Wildpeak AT3W's are the leader in the clubhouse, but are f'ing expensive right now ($340ish per tire... tariff/chicken tax maybe?). Both the BFG KO2 and General Grabber ATX are close behind but I worry they won't be any quieter than what I have now. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT intrigues me, but I've heard about them not performing to well in the snow... same for the Toyo's... is that true? I don't know... hence thread. Also, I don't feel like losing performance or efficiency right now (gas prices what they are) so I'm staying with 275/70R18's... I think... still mulling that over.

Yes... I know this topic has been a picked apart discussion on this Forum. I've read all the threads. I think because this topic has been discussed so much, there's a ton of contradicting info that is tough to parse. What I'm hoping to get is feedback specific to just noise and snow traction because those are the big differentiators to me. Responses like "ya, my Coopers didn't do so hot in the last snow storm" or "I live in Canada and my Coopers have been great in the snow... here's pictures!" would be most helpful. A fresh perspective on a very... maybe overly... discussed topic. Look forward to the responses. Thanks.

Try Goodyear ultra terrain from discount tire.3 peak rated.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I have long been a fan of Yokohama tires. They are generally less expensive than other brands and have been great in snow, ice, or whatever they face. I recently got the Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 tires and have been very happy with them so far. Most of my driving is in town so I didn't want a really aggressive (and loud) tread pattern and the G015 fit the bill. They are still an A/T tire and the tread is more aggressive than stock, but quiet on paved roads. They are also 3 peaks rated.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

I've opted for the Wildpeak AT3W's and get them installed on Tuesday. Hopefully they're worth the extra $$. Thanks for the feedback!

Been driving in sloppy conditions for the past week or so... and I have to say... even with 37K miles on them, the Duratrac's are still really good in the snow and slush. Can't fault them at all for traction... but the noise is just over the top. The sound builds to about 45-65 MPH where they make a banshee wail that quiets down significantly at 70+. It really sours what is otherwise a well insulated cabin.

 

[Rammit]

I have the nitro ridge grapplers. They have worn fantastic. I have 60k miles on them and they still have tread, although they are starting to loose a bit of traction at times. The road noise has also gotten almost intolerable though. I think any aggressive looking tire is going to get loud as they wear.

 

[Rebelguy2020]

I've been riding on the factory set of Goodyear Duratracs for 2.5 years now and have 36,000 miles on them. Frankly they have been a great performing tire and have handled everything I've thrown at them... snow and ice, mud, extremely low pressures in deep deep sand, etc. They've stayed perfectly balanced up to over 85 MPH and performed an emergency lane change that to this day I have no idea how we didn't end in a wreck. That all said, it's time for a change. I can't stand the road noise howl from these tires which has become progressively worse over time and now it's all one can hear.

90% of my driving is on paved roads, though roads in New England can pose plenty of their own challenges and snow and ice are possibilities from late October to early May. I guess you could say the Duratrac's are too aggressive for my tastes and needs... and now I'm flip flopping to some slightly "more civilized" AT tires with the 3-Peak Snowflake.

Falken Wildpeak AT3W's are the leader in the clubhouse, but are f'ing expensive right now ($340ish per tire... tariff/chicken tax maybe?). Both the BFG KO2 and General Grabber ATX are close behind but I worry they won't be any quieter than what I have now. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT intrigues me, but I've heard about them not performing to well in the snow... same for the Toyo's... is that true? I don't know... hence thread. Also, I don't feel like losing performance or efficiency right now (gas prices what they are) so I'm staying with 275/70R18's... I think... still mulling that over.

Yes... I know this topic has been a picked apart discussion on this Forum. I've read all the threads. I think because this topic has been discussed so much, there's a ton of contradicting info that is tough to parse. What I'm hoping to get is feedback specific to just noise and snow traction because those are the big differentiators to me. Responses like "ya, my Coopers didn't do so hot in the last snow storm" or "I live in Canada and my Coopers have been great in the snow... here's pictures!" would be most helpful. A fresh perspective on a very... maybe overly... discussed topic. Look forward to the responses. Thanks.

Check these Canadian websites, 1010tires.com, pmctire.com and put in the tire size LT275/70R18 and you will see many tires available, you can select all terrain and it will eliminate all the street tires. Free shipping in Canada.
I bought my Bridgestone Blizzak tires and rims (looked Identical as the Rebel rims but are all mat black) from pmctire.com, it was shipped to my home with no extra cost.
I will also go to a less aggressive tire when my Duratraks are worn, I have 42,000 km on my truck but I run winter tires in the winter so I am still good for a few more years.
I had put Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure with Kevlar on my previous Ram, I could not believe how good they were in the winter, but those tires are about $400 each.

Good luck shopping.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Quick update - I got 275/70R18 Wildpeak's installed today and the results are staggering. I cannot believe what I had become used to for noise from my old tires.

There's also a considerable change in ride and steering feel, but I'm going to reserve anything declarative until I get a couple thousand miles on them. So far though... damn.

 

[NorthernArea51]

I specifically replaced the Duratracs on my rebel wheels with KO2’s and the noise level was dramatically reduced the moment I left the tire shop. It was night and day. I replaced the Duratracs at 8k miles. I now have 8k miles on the KO2’s and the noise level has not increased.

That being said, the Duratracs were great tires…the noise was the only drawback for me, but they were legit noisy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[drumexpert]

Quick update - I got 275/70R18 Wildpeak's installed today and the results are staggering. I cannot believe what I had become used to for noise from my old tires.

There's also a considerable change in ride and steering feel, but I'm going to reserve anything declarative until I get a couple thousand miles on them. So far though... damn.

I’m in the exact same situation. I have 35k miles on my Rebel, and all I hear on the highway is the tires. I’m looking to replace. I keeping going back and forth between the KO2 and Copper AT3 XLT (stock size and load rating). Any long term updates you can share regarding the Wildpeaks?

 

[outdoorco75]

Bringing this thread back to life. I am at 36k with Duratracs and was wondering if it is the tire or bearings. These tires kick *** in all Colorado conditions, especially snow, but the noise as they age! Any long term feedback of Falken’s or Geolanders would be appreciated.

 

[drumexpert]

Bringing this thread back to life. I am at 36k with Duratracs and was wondering if it is the tire or bearings. These tires kick *** in all Colorado conditions, especially snow, but the noise as they age! Any long term feedback of Falken’s or Geolanders would be appreciated.

At 35K, I went to my local tire guy and explained to him the noise. He checked the the tires, rebalanced, performed an alignment because it turned out I had some minor cupping on two tires.

Now I'm at 38K with 9/32nds still left on the tires. The noise levels improved now that the cupping has worn away, but the tires are definitely much louder than when brand new (specially above 50MPH). If tire prices weren't so expensive, I would have replaced the tires by now since it still sounds like a bad wheel bearing (though those have been checks and are in good shape).

P.S.

I hear the new BFG tire replacement for the KO2 (i.e. KO3) is going to get introduced this spring, plus the new Nitto Recon Grappler looks good too (if you don't need 3PMSF). I may hold out until then. Though the Falken's seems to be the most reliable tire from what I gather from everyone's feedback.

 

[WolfcatVader]

I am looking really hard at the Nokian Outpost AT tires. Nokian (Finland) is closing their Russian plants and opened a plant in Tennessee. They should be available sometime this summer again. At 50lbs a tire and designed for low noise while still being an aggressive tread AT, they look promising.

 

[WXman]

I've been riding on the factory set of Goodyear Duratracs for 2.5 years now and have 36,000 miles on them. Frankly they have been a great performing tire and have handled everything I've thrown at them... snow and ice, mud, extremely low pressures in deep deep sand, etc. They've stayed perfectly balanced up to over 85 MPH and performed an emergency lane change that to this day I have no idea how we didn't end in a wreck. That all said, it's time for a change. I can't stand the road noise howl from these tires which has become progressively worse over time and now it's all one can hear.

90% of my driving is on paved roads, though roads in New England can pose plenty of their own challenges and snow and ice are possibilities from late October to early May. I guess you could say the Duratrac's are too aggressive for my tastes and needs... and now I'm flip flopping to some slightly "more civilized" AT tires with the 3-Peak Snowflake.

Falken Wildpeak AT3W's are the leader in the clubhouse, but are f'ing expensive right now ($340ish per tire... tariff/chicken tax maybe?). Both the BFG KO2 and General Grabber ATX are close behind but I worry they won't be any quieter than what I have now. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT intrigues me, but I've heard about them not performing to well in the snow... same for the Toyo's... is that true?

The KO2s are "squares" according to the guy at our tire shop. He says they have trouble getting them balanced. I've never experienced that. It is true that the Coopers aren't quite as good in snow but they're still really good. And they will provide better ride and fuel economy.

BFG KO2's are a good tire, have had them on a few trucks but tend to run small in actual size, plus it is a very dated design and am surprised that they haven't come out with a KO3 yet like their KM3

There is a KO3. It's factory equipment on Bronco Raptor, Ranger Raptor, and many GM off road packages.

I feel like both the Geolander and the Baja Boss would be comparable to the Duratrac noise-wise... I could be wrong. KO2's are just plain good, and durable, etc... so why change a good thing? But they do run small and I already sometimes wish for something a bit bigger like a 295/70R18... but KO2's aren't in that size. The cognitive dissonance is killing me!

The Geolandar X-AT does get noisy. But they wear GREAT. I have a set in my barn that's been used on two full size trucks over the last two years and they still have half of the tread life remaining. I highly prefer them over the KO2 from BFG. The KO2 is over rated. They don't wear good, they aren't as durable off road as they're cracked up to be, and the snow traction is miserable.