So I did my first big road trip in the truck this weekend and it performed great. We ran into a monster hail storm but whereas other vehicles had to pull over because they were sliding all over the road I did not have any issues. I was considering getting rid of my stock tires because they are so loud they sound like they are from the 80's but they really handled the crappy weather well. I wanted to hear from others to find out their experiences with the Duralouds?
Duratrac question
- Thread starter Sparky01
- Start date
Dickie Dunkelberger
Member
They were a bit loud to me initially as well, but I have mostly gotten used to them. Wish we had speed volume auto adjust in these trucks (like every other competitor has and GM trucks had for years even on lesser models) which would help.
Performance in heavy rain and snow was surprisingly good for me. The back end can chatter and slide a bit on just some road slick (but with the 6.2 this can happen on dry pavement too if you get heavy on the throttle from a stop) and I find they wander a bit on fast highway large arc ramps so I pop it into 4auto to give me some comfort even on dry pavement.
I will see how these wear after about a year, but plan to keep them until around 30-40k miles. Too expensive to throw away and too much of hassle for me to try and sell as takeoffs.
Performance in heavy rain and snow was surprisingly good for me. The back end can chatter and slide a bit on just some road slick (but with the 6.2 this can happen on dry pavement too if you get heavy on the throttle from a stop) and I find they wander a bit on fast highway large arc ramps so I pop it into 4auto to give me some comfort even on dry pavement.
I will see how these wear after about a year, but plan to keep them until around 30-40k miles. Too expensive to throw away and too much of hassle for me to try and sell as takeoffs.
Scottnweeze
Member
Just went through a Colorado winter with the Duratracs, and they handled it well. The snow was no problem, we get a fair number of days with skating rink roads and even those didn't throw them. I have to say I really don't get all the complaints about the noise from these tires. I've always had KO2's and these don't seem any worse to me. It's a frickin truck and off road centric at that, get an RST and put street tires on if the noise bothers you.
theUSAchevy
Active member
I had my duras on for about 6 months or so and they handle weather really well. I think this whole group will have the same opinion on the road noise they are a bit loud. I switched over to Terra grapplers and they are way less noisy but they dont hook up as good in heavy rain or snow/ice. That being said I daily my TB so the noise was a big deal for me.
I absolutely loved my duratracs, minus the persistent hum over 60 mph.
When I drive off road, it's primarily sugar sand and mud, and the Duratracs performed excellent in both conditions. I've only had the pleasure of driving on ice once during a 3 day ordeal, and they performed well in that situation too but my experience in snow and ice is minimal. As far as grip is concerned, it is possibly the best tire I have ever owned and I have ZERO complaints regarding traction. Noise on the other hand got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and I swapped wheels/tires back to my original Bridgestones. I'll swap them back if I do an off road trip any time soon, but for now they are in my storage unit because I cant deal with the hum and I do a lot of highway driving.
When I drive off road, it's primarily sugar sand and mud, and the Duratracs performed excellent in both conditions. I've only had the pleasure of driving on ice once during a 3 day ordeal, and they performed well in that situation too but my experience in snow and ice is minimal. As far as grip is concerned, it is possibly the best tire I have ever owned and I have ZERO complaints regarding traction. Noise on the other hand got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and I swapped wheels/tires back to my original Bridgestones. I'll swap them back if I do an off road trip any time soon, but for now they are in my storage unit because I cant deal with the hum and I do a lot of highway driving.
The Raven
Active member
From a guy that has been through A LOT of "off-road" tires - the Duratrac is among the very best out there. It is also among the loudest, unfortunately. I am going to be trying out the new GY Territory MT just to get something lighter and quieter, but I fully expect to lose some all-weather performance vs the Duratrac. I'm ok with that because the Duratrac sets the bar pretty dang high.
So yeah - don't expect to get a better performing tire by switching to something else. Do it for quiet, or comfort, or weight...but if you prioritize all weather traction far above those things, i'd just stick with the Duratrac.
So yeah - don't expect to get a better performing tire by switching to something else. Do it for quiet, or comfort, or weight...but if you prioritize all weather traction far above those things, i'd just stick with the Duratrac.
Agree 100%.
Bought it to wheel it and enjoy it every time. I'm old and I'd take this truck with the Duratrac's. If I wanted quiet I probably would have considered the Subaru Brat, the Honda truck or the new Hyundai truck all with street tires at the time. Like before will I stay with Duratrac? Not sure. For what I bought it for I need a more aggressive tire.
OP
OP
Sparky01
New member
Wow! To the guys who just offered me sound advice thank you. To the two guys who used my post to troll me I hope you feel more manly now. This is a daily driver for me for me but I like to go way out in the woods away from annoying people to camp so I wanted tires I could trust so I just wanted some friendly advice.
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Honestly, I would get a second set of rims and tires if you do a lot of highway driving, that's what I did. I have the duratracs on one set and a set of Bridgestone AT's on the other. If I plan on doing any extended off road driving that is going to require significant grip above and beyond my AT's, then I swap to the duratracs. I know it's a luxory and most people dont have the room to store an extra set of wheels and tires, but it sure is convenient sometimes to be able to swap back and forth if needed.
Dickie Dunkelberger
Member
I don't think its a fair assessment that if you think the duratracs are too loud you are wuss or bought the wrong truck. The ZR2 comes with the Wrangler Territory, which perform similar if not the same as the Duratrac off road and are a bit quieter. The duratrac is an older design, and leans a little MT over pure AT, but I think newer tread blocks will be able to have the best of both worlds. The next gen of aggressive all terrains are coming out and I will be watching those (the BFG KO3s look intriguing).
theUSAchevy
Active member
I have been considering doing the same! I kept the aftermarket set up i had on my 16 Z71 when i traded for my TB so I've been wanting to put something like the Bridgestones you have for roadtrips or just daily driving.
theUSAchevy
Active member
I just saw the KO3's and they look nice as hell!!!
I bought my 2021 trailboss 6.2 with the stock territory Mt on them with 28000 miles on the truck. Not sure what kind of driving the previous owner did in northern Michigan, but they were shot. I purchased the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT's as the replacement. Have not tried out off road other than a little mud and farm field driving, but they are silent on the road and look like an aggressive MT.
customboss
Member
Same experience. I live at 9000' in a very remote area and have to drive a good distance up mountain on dirt and rock roads. After they break in they are awesome tires, prior to wearing them in they sucked in icy snow. I am a disabled veteran with poor hearing so I just rotate them often and drive the shit outta them if the sound bothers me I turn off my hearing aids. LOL I can't seem to wear them out after 32000 miles.
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