DuraTracs or snow tires?

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dlundblad

dlundblad

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Happy upcoming New Year BITOG!

Goodyear DuraTracs are around $850 installed. I have a bit over 90,000 miles on mine, but they look to be getting a bit long in the teeth. The tread is decent yet, but they are pushing 7 years old and have some severe areas with dry rot. I realize these aren't actual snow tires, but they sure did great in snow and ice when they were in their prime.

Firestone Winterforces are around $500 installed. Obviously, they won't last as long as the DuraTracs. I am having a hard time finding an actual mileage rating, but my driving habits are about 1200 miles a month and they'd be used about 3.5-4 months give or take depending on the season.

Looking for a cost effective and/ or logical choice.
Any and all input is much appreciated. Thanks everyone.
 
Normally I'd suggest snow tires, but DuraTracs are really awesome in snow and ice. I'd even say they are better than Winterforce in snow and ice. They are also severe snow rated.

I just bought a set of 4 of these tires - 2 are really good, 2 are kinda done-for but they are sooooooooooooo much better in the snow in their current state than the mud tires I was running.
 
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Based on my experiences in similar mileage situations with winter tires I would say at least 3 winters should be easy. I've never ran past that but wouldn't be surprised to hit 4 or 5.
 
Might take a look at the newer Cooper ATW tire if you don't need such an aggressive tire but the Duratrac is a great tire from my experiences.
 
The only downside to these tires is the flimsy sidewall. It had to be designed in on purpose so they would sell the more expensive MT/R to people who go off road frequently. These are the only tires I have ever seen blow asidewall ... and frequently
 
Something which may not have been on your radar is the Falken AT3W. Its an AT tire with strong wear rating and designed for "wet, winter, wear" (hence the 3W in the name). Running them on my truck for the past few months and so far nothing but good things to say...
 
I would recommend checking out Treadwright. They offer a Kedge grip which is walnut shells and glass mixed in. Offer better rock and winter performance but does wear around 10-20% faster. I have friends that have gotten over 100k miles on the Wardens. I bought guard dogs for my montero and have been awesome. Check them out at least. You save some money too. They have frequent sales with at least 10% discounts around holidays normally. I have no affiliation with them.

https://www.treadwright.com/
 
Winterforce are god-awful. They are a cruel joke. Thump, thump, thump. They have one job, winter traction, and fail at that!

Pulled mine and put some generic champiro things on which are night and day better.
 
Have you looked at the goodyear Authority tires? they are similar to the duratracs but seem to be quite a bit cheaper and have good reviews.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Winterforce are god-awful. They are a cruel joke. Thump, thump, thump. They have one job, winter traction, and fail at that!

Pulled mine and put some generic champiro things on which are night and day better.


"Thump thump thump" sounds like a balancing issue.

Also did you have them in the right direction? They are directional tires.
 
Originally Posted By: volk06
Might take a look at the newer Cooper ATW tire if you don't need such an aggressive tire but the Duratrac is a great tire from my experiences.


x2. I just replaced a set of Goodyear Silent Armors with Cooper Discovery ATWs and I am very impressed with their snow performance. It was between them and GY Duratracs, ended up going with Coopers. Though I love how GY has the Duratracs with load range C's for us not needing E's.
 
After more thinking, I think I'll stick with the DuraTracs. Up front, the cost will be much higher, but I wouldn't have to worry about keeping the miles off of them either. I could run them from November to March if I really wanted to.. With my driving, I am not sure how long the snow tires would last.

I called around and Tire Barn of all places is the cheapest.
 
There ya go - at the start of the thread that's what crossed my mind - long runs tend to happen on less aggressive tires. In several decades of nonstop 4WD ownership - never made a great run on something also good in the goo ...
Good pick ...
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Winterforce are god-awful. They are a cruel joke. Thump, thump, thump. They have one job, winter traction, and fail at that!

Pulled mine and put some generic champiro things on which are night and day better.


"Thump thump thump" sounds like a balancing issue.

Also did you have them in the right direction? They are directional tires.



Bad belts are quite common on Winterforce. I ended up with 6 of the things before I had a set that was driveable. And still, there was one tire that had to be run on the rear. 3/4 tires I bought had bad belts right from the get go.
 
I've been running DuraTracs for 4-1/2 years (46K miles). Very pleased with winter traction; one of the best. Perfect for most off-road situations, plus decent on the highway. Love 'em.

Currently has ~3/16" tread left and started noticing poor traction on wet roads. I know rubber hardens over time and that's what's causing the tread to become less pliable. Had my tires siped in the hopes of gaining better traction, and extending their life. It made a noticeable difference, but still not gripping like brand new. I'll definitely buy another set when these are done
 
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