Another TIRE thread...

[CWLONGSHOT]

OK guys, we have beaten this one to death. But the offerings are constantly changing. There is a new "trend" going on with a tread that's more than a AT but not quite a MT... The MTR was one of the first. If you didn't know its classified by its maker and an All Terrain tread. Pro-Comp has the AT EXTREME, now Good Year has the Dura Trac. This is what I'm very seriously considering for the MJ.

 

I picked up a set of nice Ruby rims and tires as I want to go to 16" tires. As for size, thats narrowed to 285x75x16 (32.8x11.3x16) and 315x75x16 (34.6x12.2x16) sizes. I prefer a narrower tire, so the 285 is likely what I will end up with. Stuffing a 12+ " wide tire isnt easy. :roll: ;)

 

As most of you know, I have been and supporting BFG tires for many years. If this was more of a wheeler the MT would already be on the truck. But its not, as much as I would LOVE a rugged MT tread look. Sensibility is creeping up on me in my "older" age. An AT is really want I should be putting on the MJ. SO, that's why my interest in these tires and this thread.

 

When I began looking I was AMAZED to see the popularity of this new Goodyear Dura-Trac tire. (Just google it and see!!)

 

Here is a 67 page thread on the tire... there are many more shorter threads.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f15/good ... ac-701455/

 

Here is the tire in the 315 size: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... &tab=Sizes

 

What do you guys think of these new designs and what size do you think, I should I go with?

 

CW

[glundblad]

I have a set of Goodyear Silent Armor on my MJ. They run very quiet. According to GY website, they rated them very high in all season traction and stopping. I went with those and was pleased until recently.

 

Regarding the dura trac, my son wanted something more aggressive than the silent armor for his grand cherokee so we went with the dura trac. They seem to wear very well and traction is exceptional. He tested them out many times in deep snow in our back field. He has no LSD or locks. If I recall, according to the GY site, they were rated very well in most road circumstances but they performed equally well off road.

 

The dura tracs would look much better on my MJ than the silent armor. I know nothing about BFG but I would consider the road noise as a factor due to my driving style. I assume the BFG would be quieter than dura trac but that is only an assumption. I would absolutely get dura trac for the JK and if I off road the MJ, I would get them for it too. But make no mistake, there is road noise in the grand cherokee with these tires. I would imagine the MJ would be worse.

 

But they look so cool...

[CWLONGSHOT]

I have a set of Goodyear Silent Armor on my MJ. They run very quiet. According to GY website, they rated them very high in all season traction and stopping. I went with those and was pleased until recently.

 

Regarding the dura trac, my son wanted something more aggressive than the silent armor for his grand cherokee so we went with the dura trac. They seem to wear very well and traction is exceptional. He tested them out many times in deep snow in our back field. He has no LSD or locks. If I recall, according to the GY site, they were rated very well in most road circumstances but they performed equally well off road.

 

The dura tracs would look much better on my MJ than the silent armor. I know nothing about BFG but I would consider the road noise as a factor due to my driving style. I assume the BFG would be quieter than dura trac but that is only an assumption. I would absolutely get dura trac for the JK and if I off road the MJ, I would get them for it too. But make no mistake, there is road noise in the grand cherokee with these tires. I would imagine the MJ would be worse.

 

But they look so cool...

I put a set of those Goodyear Silent Armor tires on the wife's Libby. :thumbsup: I do like the tire, but as you mentioned. But like your son, I too want something a bit more aggressive.

[landlubber]

The next set of tires I get that are in the M/T category will be the Firestone Destination MTs, that is waiting till 4x4 and lift kit probably. I have a few sets of wrangler rt/s (which suck imho) to burn through, re-evaluate the tire market when those are spent.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... mpare1=yes

 

 

edit: interesting article http://www.hummerguy.net/hummer-news/hu ... -duratracs

[jpdocdave]

hankook makes a really nice one, and obviously attractively priced. i think its the at/m, we put them on my boss's excursion 6 months ago or so.

 

i've been dealing with hankook for a few years now, i will recommend them to anyone, zero complaints, great tires and a great price.

 

edit: at/m rf10 http://www.discounttire.com/tireInfoHan ... MRF10.html

[mkbruin]

My next set are coming from Treadwright.

[HOrnbrod]

I don't know CW, it may be just coincidence, but every experience I've had with Goodyear tires over the years has been negative. In several instances with new cars and trucks the factory Goodyears were so out-of-round they could not be balanced, and the replacement warranty tires were even worse. Goodyear GSA's are a joke for this same reason, and I've tried other Goodyear ATs and had the same problems. Never again. I love BFG ATs and MTs, and have also used similar Firestones with good results.

 

So unless Goodyear has changed and finally manufactured a round tire w. good tread wear, I'd stay away. :cheers:

[jpdocdave]

i'm still not a fan of goodyear

[mnkyboy]

My next set are coming from Treadwright.

 

We just brought in a set of treadwright tires for a customer. only thing i can say good about them is they are dirt cheap,but then i would never run a retread on anything.

[Incommando]

OEM goodyears suck, but try to keep in mind that the vehicle manufacturers set the specs for those tires and they are often different then the same-named tire than is offered in the aftermarket. There is a large body of evidence that OE Rubi MT/R's do not last as long and have more balance issues than ones purchased aftermarket. I bought a -0- mile set of five OE Rubi MT/R's and they sucked very badly in wear, traction, and the ability to stay blanced. A buddy has a set of 265/75/16 MT/R's purchased aftermarket on his KJ and he has 40,000 miles on his without these same issues.

 

A guy I know & have 'wheeled with has the Duratracs and can't say enough positive things about them. I can say that his tires at 10K are showing very little wear. They are much more aggressive than the hankook's linked above and they are still a good street tire.

[WBKrazy]

the only goodyears i've ever run are wrangler td's on my fullsize chevy, and they were ok but never balanced right and wore down to nothing quick... i replaced them with a set of kumho road venture kl78 at's and like them really good so far... when the mj is ready for new tires i think i'm gonna get another set of them for it...

[CWLONGSHOT]

Stopped at the local Good-Year today. They didn't have one of these Duratrac's in house to see.... no MTR's.. as a matter of fact, not a single tire any of us would even consider for our trucks!!!

 

I priced them in 285x75x16 size... $260 a tire!!! Then 50 bucks extra for removal of old tires and balancing mounting was included in tires cost. I told them I was keeping my old tires and didn't need balancing. The guy said take $25 off.... I questioned him again about his math. He said I still wanted them mounted right? I said yes, he said someone has to pay for it... I didn't say another word to this geneious... Guess I'll check out Sears and Town fair Tire. Worst case, I can get them for just under 900 shipped to my door.

 

CW

[jpdocdave]

why are you deciding to continue to deal with idiot hokey tire shops? have you thought about buying the tires you want on tirerack.com and then decide where you want to have them mounted and balanced. there's no need to save money on balancing. call around to some real repair shops, and have someone that knows what they're doing on the other end.

[whowey]

The next set of tires I get that are in the M/T category will be the Firestone Destination MTs, that is waiting till 4x4 and lift kit probably. I have a few sets of wrangler rt/s (which suck imho) to burn through, re-evaluate the tire market when those are spent.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... mpare1=yes

 

 

edit: interesting article http://www.hummerguy.net/hummer-news/hu ... -duratracs

 

 

I have the Firestone Destination MT.... nice wheeling tire.. not a good street tire... and definitely not a winter tire for us Northern Folk. Them southern boys might be okay.. but once the white stuff starts flying those destinations start making me nervous. But I run a 33 x 12.5 on my Cherokee. Something smaller might be less butt-puckering.

[CWLONGSHOT]

why are you deciding to continue to deal with idiot hokey tire shops? have you thought about buying the tires you want on tirerack.com and then decide where you want to have them mounted and balanced. there's no need to save money on balancing. call around to some real repair shops, and have someone that knows what they're doing on the other end.

 

Around here, bringing your newly bought tires to a shop for mounting is akin to bringing a steak in to the local resturant and asking for it to be cooked. :doh: :shake:

 

I can mount myself. I'm only having it done as in most places, its included in the tires cost. That and These are MTR's on the rims now... I don't know if you have had anything to do with them, but MTR's are a MAJOR PIA to mount and dismount cause the sidewalls are so freaking stiff!!!

As for the balancing, I run Centramatics, I don't need my tires balanced, so why pay for what you do not need. :dunno: ;)

 

Worst case, I can get them for just under 900 shipped to my door.

 

I know! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

CW

[CWLONGSHOT]

I have the Firestone Destination MT.... nice wheeling tire.. not a good street tire... and definitely not a winter tire for us Northern Folk. Them southern boys might be okay.. but once the white stuff starts flying those destinations start making me nervous. But I run a 33 x 12.5 on my Cherokee. Something smaller might be less butt-puckering.

 

I agree, I had a set of 30x95.0x15 Firestone's years ago and they worked very well in everything but the snow! :roll:

 

 

Like I said at the beginning of this post, being practical, I need to stay with a AT, an aggressive AT. ;) ON ROAD performance and reliability is 80% of what these tires are going to be asked to do. I have a very well build TJ for the hard core wheeling. I also like the BFG's, but have always said that the MT's on road snow performance isn't that great. I've had BFG AT's, more than a couple sets. I like them, but I like change and want to try something else. I really like what I'm seeing with these new style AT tires. You get the aggressive "look" while still excellent on and off road performance.

[over2land]

I have the Duratracs on my XJ, and my girl's LJ.

 

I have the Silent Armors on my Dodge Ram

 

I have the new MT/Rs on my Jeepster and my YJ

 

And the old MT/Rs on my MJ and my other YJ.

 

While this might make me seem to be a huge Goodyear geek, er, well, I guess I kind have become one.

 

I had the old MT/Rs on my XJ, and liked em, so I put em on my YJ. I knew all about the weird wear and helicopter noises at higher mileage, and figured with rotation, no issues. Well, the XJ had a bent axle so that went out the window.

 

Then the new MT/R came out, and I had the Jeepster with dry rotted tires, no brainer. And, I liked the MT/R with Kevlar enough over the old MT/Rs that I put it on my other YJ. The Jeepster doesn't get driven daily... the YJ more so, and after 10K miles I noticed the new MT/Rs are starting to get loud. Not as loud as the old ones were, and maybe I should have rotated more... but anyway.

 

Then it came time to put new tires on the Dodge (which spends it time in Reno, NV), and I didn't want something as aggressive as the MT/R, but I liked the kevlar idea, as it was to be driven on the ranch a lot, and I didn't want to worry about burrs or anything, and they have done fine, no punctures, no rips, even with a full bed and driven across many ditches and stream crossings. However, I need 4WD a lot more than I would like.

 

So, when it came time for my girl's LJ (which is in NJ), the Duratracs were available, with a more aggressive tread pattern and tread blocks that overlapped more than the MT/R (likely quieter) and the same kind of construction I'd already abused. 8K miles later, no complaints from either of us, and we are both stoked at how the LJ does in snow both on-road and off.

 

So when it came time for new tires on the XJ, rather than go back to MT/Rs, I went to the Duratracs. The XJ sees more mud and high speed desert than the LJ does. In the desert, no problems at all with the tires. In the mud, for an AT, I'm still happy. Sure, they don't clear out like an MT/R does, but they are quieter on the road, and I picked up 2mpg over the old worn MT/Rs that were on the Jeep (which went to my MJ to replace the dry-rotted tires on it)

[WahooSteeler]

i've said it before and i'll say it again, bridgestone dueler a/t revo's. awesome tire...

[CWLONGSHOT]

Tonight I stopped at Town Fair Tire. Now I don't generally like these guys. they heir kids with no knowledge and have been known to not balance, over tighten lugs and not mount correctly. Again, I don't need balancing, bring them rims in the bed of the truck. (Don't really want any of them driving my rigs either. LOL) will advise as to proper mounting. Yea, that little blue/white dot on the tire is the lightest side of the tire. its where the valve stem gets lined up.

 

Anyhow, there prices where right in line with the online places once you factor in the shipping costs. ($150+-) $1250.00 for 5 Dura-Tracs, mounted. $1350 for 5 Cooper STT's. (I have been reading very good things on these too. :roll: )

Probably make the plunge next week... :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :banana:

 

CW

[CWLONGSHOT]

i've said it before and i'll say it again, bridgestone dueler a/t revo's. awesome tire...

 

We ran many sets of these on out plow thrucks. they don't wear very well, but did work well enough!

 

We now use COOPERS, the tread is almost identicle, but the things are siped like nobodys business!!! Resemble a Blizzak snow tire!! AWESOME snow/rain tire!! Too mild for my needs on the MJ.

 

CW

[dasbulliwagen]

I have the Duratracs on my XJ, and my girl's LJ.

 

I have the Silent Armors on my Dodge Ram

 

I have the new MT/Rs on my Jeepster and my YJ

 

And the old MT/Rs on my MJ and my other YJ.

 

While this might make me seem to be a huge Goodyear geek, er, well, I guess I kind have become one.

 

I had the old MT/Rs on my XJ, and liked em, so I put em on my YJ. I knew all about the weird wear and helicopter noises at higher mileage, and figured with rotation, no issues. Well, the XJ had a bent axle so that went out the window.

 

Then the new MT/R came out, and I had the Jeepster with dry rotted tires, no brainer. And, I liked the MT/R with Kevlar enough over the old MT/Rs that I put it on my other YJ. The Jeepster doesn't get driven daily... the YJ more so, and after 10K miles I noticed the new MT/Rs are starting to get loud. Not as loud as the old ones were, and maybe I should have rotated more... but anyway.

 

Then it came time to put new tires on the Dodge (which spends it time in Reno, NV), and I didn't want something as aggressive as the MT/R, but I liked the kevlar idea, as it was to be driven on the ranch a lot, and I didn't want to worry about burrs or anything, and they have done fine, no punctures, no rips, even with a full bed and driven across many ditches and stream crossings. However, I need 4WD a lot more than I would like.

 

So, when it came time for my girl's LJ (which is in NJ), the Duratracs were available, with a more aggressive tread pattern and tread blocks that overlapped more than the MT/R (likely quieter) and the same kind of construction I'd already abused. 8K miles later, no complaints from either of us, and we are both stoked at how the LJ does in snow both on-road and off.

 

So when it came time for new tires on the XJ, rather than go back to MT/Rs, I went to the Duratracs. The XJ sees more mud and high speed desert than the LJ does. In the desert, no problems at all with the tires. In the mud, for an AT, I'm still happy. Sure, they don't clear out like an MT/R does, but they are quieter on the road, and I picked up 2mpg over the old worn MT/Rs that were on the Jeep (which went to my MJ to replace the dry-rotted tires on it)

 

 

I guess I don't know Jeeps like I thought I did, so I have a question.... what is an LJ????

[88pioneer]

^ the unlimited TJ, the longer wrangler

[over2land]

Ya, what he said.

 

Technically, it is a TJ-L.... if you talk to someone inside Jeep/Chrysler... but most of us know it as an LJ.

[CWLONGSHOT]

I have the Duratracs on my XJ, and my girl's LJ.

 

I have the Silent Armors on my Dodge Ram

 

I have the new MT/Rs on my Jeepster and my YJ

 

And the old MT/Rs on my MJ and my other YJ.

 

While this might make me seem to be a huge Goodyear geek, er, well, I guess I kind have become one.

 

I had the old MT/Rs on my XJ, and liked em, so I put em on my YJ. I knew all about the weird wear and helicopter noises at higher mileage, and figured with rotation, no issues. Well, the XJ had a bent axle so that went out the window.

 

Then the new MT/R came out, and I had the Jeepster with dry rotted tires, no brainer. And, I liked the MT/R with Kevlar enough over the old MT/Rs that I put it on my other YJ. The Jeepster doesn't get driven daily... the YJ more so, and after 10K miles I noticed the new MT/Rs are starting to get loud. Not as loud as the old ones were, and maybe I should have rotated more... but anyway.

 

Then it came time to put new tires on the Dodge (which spends it time in Reno, NV), and I didn't want something as aggressive as the MT/R, but I liked the Kevlar idea, as it was to be driven on the ranch a lot, and I didn't want to worry about burrs or anything, and they have done fine, no punctures, no rips, even with a full bed and driven across many ditches and stream crossings. However, I need 4WD a lot more than I would like.

 

So, when it came time for my girl's LJ (which is in NJ), the Duratracs were available, with a more aggressive tread pattern and tread blocks that overlapped more than the MT/R (likely quieter) and the same kind of construction I'd already abused. 8K miles later, no complaints from either of us, and we are both stoked at how the LJ does in snow both on-road and off.

 

So when it came time for new tires on the XJ, rather than go back to MT/Rs, I went to the Duratracs. The XJ sees more mud and high speed desert than the LJ does. In the desert, no problems at all with the tires. In the mud, for an AT, I'm still happy. Sure, they don't clear out like an MT/R does, but they are quieter on the road, and I picked up 2mpg over the old worn MT/Rs that were on the Jeep (which went to my MJ to replace the dry-rotted tires on it)

 

Thanks for the post. Very informative and helpful!! The only thing up in the air for me is actual mileage. Ito have run these newer Good Years and find that there mileage is shorter then my beloved BFG's. But along the way they are just as good. Its almost that the BFG's last too long. :D

 

CW

[Incommando]

I was so disappointed in the OE Rubi MT/R's I ditched them after 10K. They are not a great mud tire ( Goodyear stated MT was for Maximum Traction, not Mud Terrain). They sucked on wet pavement & winter conditions. And as I mentioned above the wear/balance issue rep. was well earned on these.

 

I know run some Definity Dakota M/T's, an off-brand Cooper. They are heavily siped and are worlds better on the road than the MT/R's. They clean true mud very well. I do have concerns about side-wall strength and puncture reisitance, but not because of any issues known to me, just because they are an unknown factor for this tire. Their on-road performance on wet pavement and, according to friends, on snow/ice would make me recommend them for someone wanting an A/T for road manners but M/T performance.

 

Believe it or not, the Goodyear Authorty, a Wally World/Sam's house brand, has been getting some good reviews as an aggresive AT at a reasonable cost. :dunno: