The new Goodyear Duratrac is the most aggressive all-terrain tire we have seen from the company. In fact, it is closer to a mud-terrain tire than an all-terrain. From large lugs to high voids and deep tread depth, all the makings of a mud-terrain tire are here. But then again, we are taking into consideration the extreme amount of siping, the staggered tread shoulders, and highly angled center blocks that reduce road noise-we aren't sure whether we want to call this a mud-terrain tire or an all-terrain tire.
We got the tires and wheels from Discount Tire and they arrived at our door mounted and balanced only days after the order. The 15x8 V-Drive black-machined wheels are from Discount Tire's proprietary brand, MB Wheel. The sidewalls feature lugs that extend about 1/3 of the way towards the rim for good traction when aired down and added protection for the sidewall. There is also a rim protector that helps keep our aluminum intact.
We put 32 psi in them initially and dropped it to 30 psi front and 28 psi rear for on-road use. From rain to snow, sleet, and ice these tires stand up against most tires in both categories and they ride quietly to boot. Standing water isn't a huge deal for them, and if you find some snow or ice they can't handle, the tires are pinned for a number 16 stud. The angled center tread blocks really do work, because these tires are just as quiet as other, less aggressive all-terrains.
Off-road we had no problem getting the two-ply polyester sidewall and four-ply tread (two-ply polyester, two-ply steel) of these C load range tires to conform to obstacles with as much as 12 psi in them. They conform well to rocks, and while we wouldn't suggest them for rocks with sharp edges, they are great on slickrock and regular rock gardens. As you might expect, with all that siping they do great in the snow off-road as well, but we did get some chunking with the sharper-edged rocks. Less wheel speed was required to clear mud out than any other all-terrain we've tested, but it did take more wheel speed than about half of the mud-terrains. By blipping the throttle too fast the tires will dig into the sand, so as usual slow and steady starts are key.
Overall we are very happy with the Duratrac. We have about 12,000 miles on our testers and they are still quiet and round. The tire has many of the mud tire qualities we demand in our rolling stock, with none of the less desirable on-road traits. For a daily-driven weekend warrior, these tires are a great choice.
Pros:
- Great in snow and ice
- Blurs the all-terrain/mud-terrain line
- Works great in mud for an all-terrain
Cons:
- Sharp and heavy rocks cause chunking
- Can't keep up with real mud tires in mud
- Two-ply sidewall