Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac

[soccernut]

Hey guys,
I keep hearing good things about these tires and was wondering if anyone who has them installed on their 4x4 can tell me about their experience with them.

They seem like a good all around tire that can perform great in winter.

I have many questions that I will add as the discussion goes on.

I am mostly interested on how they handle on ice with/without studs.

would love to hear your experience with this tire

[ghostS10RT]

I ran the Wrangler Silent Armour for winter because they have the "Mountain Snowflake".
I really liked them. Worked well in deep snow/mud and a very nice ride in the summer.
Goodyear (http://www.goodyear.ca/goodyeartireselectorca/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Wrangler+SilentArmor&mrktarea=Light Truck)

[RX-7_TWINTURBO]

I run a set of 285/70/17 unstudded Duratracs on my Tacoma and they also bare the mountain/snowflake symbol.
FYI the duratracs ROCK in the snow!!!
For not being a dedicated snow tire I must say that these are probably the best truck tire I've used in the snow.

Incredible control/stability/stopping distance .
The tread is quite aggressive, self cleaning and rated for Mud+Snow so you will probably notice a drop in fuel mileage as well as a minor howl from the tires on the highway, but they are way quieter than any other tire with a comparable tread.
I cant comment much for studding them but if you think you need it, go for it.

And if I may suggest a shop as fountain tire seems to have a monopoly on goodyears, I would say the location on Macleod/Glenmore treated me awesome and went the extra mile for my business.
They even pulled out my TPMS sensors out of my old rims and installed them in my new ones free of charge, where other shops wanted to charge me at least $200 to swap them.

edit: more Toyota owners views on this tire (38 pages worth)
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/74843-goodyear-wrangler-duratracs.html

[Cooked Rice]

I have a studded set. They are awesome in deep snow. The siping makes them good in wet and slush. And well, if you stud them, they are just as good on ice. This entire winter has been a breeze. If you're not a CT4WD member already, please sign up and become a member. There are a lot of perks to it, and as well, some good discussion about the Duratracs on the forums.

[hampstor]

Mine are not studded and i've run them for just about a year now.

Specifically for winter driving, I don't think i've ever felt more confident on snow and ice. I can easily get moving from a stop on an up hill covered in ice (I did it on Monday). Packed / deep snow has not been a problem either.

I haven't had a lot of experience with driving on a lot of ice, however the ice patches around Calgary have not been a problem for me.

The tire is definately not a substitute for driving at a reasonable speed and with have a proper following distance in the winter tho.

I actually find I'm a lot more comfortable with these on my truck in 4wd than I was with my STi with Pirelli snowsports.

[ExtraSlow]

a buddy has these on a 3/4 ton pickup and he says they aren't great on ice due to being pretty hard rubber. Obviously if you stud them, that helps a lot.
I have the wrangler SilentArmours on my expedition and they are fantastic on snow and ice.

Both are great tires,but I would think the softer rubber on the SA's would be slightly better on ice, all other things being equal.

[CelicaST-162]

I have the Duratrac's on my 4Runner and they've been AWESOME so far in this snow-deep freeze weve had. Contrary to what ExtraSlow said, I find the tread compound to be fairly soft. That would make them much better in the snow, and perhaps may wear a tad quicker than say a BFG AT / MT would. Driving around as of late in this great weather? It's been fun! These tires grab and chuck the snow but when it comes to ice it's mediocre... can't compare to an X-Ice or something like that.

http://i1033.photobucket.com/albums/a413/Reeeno403/Stampede%20Toyota/SAM_0923.jpgp

[Masked Bandit]

A similar product you may want to consider is the Nokian Vatiiva. Kal-Tire has the exclusive on them so there aren't really any deals to be had but from what I've read online they seem to be a premium product. I get mine on Saturday so we'll see what they're like.

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone have firsthand experience with both the silentarmours and the duratracs? I'm just going on hearsay in regards to compound softness. Since they are in different categories on tirerack, it's hard to compare the survey results.
.

[chrispl]

Originally posted by ghostS10RT
I ran the Wrangler Silent Armour for winter because they have the "Mountain Snowflake".
I really liked them. Worked well in deep snow/mud and a very nice ride in the summer.
Goodyear (http://www.goodyear.ca/goodyeartireselectorca/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Wrangler+SilentArmor&mrktarea=Light Truck)

agreed, they are a pretty awesome tire in all seasons imo.

[custom91yota]

i have the on my f150 for about a year now and love them good in the snow and mud i drive with no weight in the back and get around town with no problems in 2wd and if you use 4x4 there is no problem

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by custom91yota
i have the on my f150 for about a year now and love them good in the snow and mud i drive with no weight in the back and get around town with no problems in 2wd and if you use 4x4 there is no problem
you have the what on your F150?

[Kardon]

I run a set of studded duratracs and it is definitely a pretty nice driving tire, slight howl on the highway but its very minor for the size of tire. I haven't had the slightest issue with traction once this winter in my hdj81.