Baja Boss A/T Or Duratracs I really like

So i did a ton of research and polling for my first set of AT tires and the Duratracs quickly became the top choice for my driving by far. A bit of off road, some mud but a lot of highway and snow/rain covered roads. The wet traction was a focus as well as snow and off road.

Duratracs have been amazing with over 40k on them but they are slowly exceeding my proactive replacement cycle so im looking to get new tires soon. They are also getting noisy, which is ok trade off for their performance.

I have heard some good things about the Baja Boss A/T and they have a similar tread pattern to my Duratracs but was wondering how they do at higher mileage and how they do in the rain/wet/snowy roads.

The other part of the equation is i don't want to go above a C load and i think the Baja Boss A/T seem to only come in XL or E which E is way too heavy for a 4Runner and the XL i don't think they will be as resilient as my Duratracs in C load.

Tough decision knowing i like what i have but desire trying something that "may" be better.

Thoughts?

 

If it helps make the decision, the Baja Boss has a mail-in rebate offer of up to $125 going on right now.

 

I was just in an off road shop and asked this question. Without hesitation all three mechanics said Baja Boss.

 

That seems to be true. But i heard the same thing about K02's and they would be a really bad option for me.

I usually check with my local snow plow and construction workers, they all seem to use Duratracs and have not tried the new Baja Boss.

The E load vs XL is a factor too.

 

I had a set of Goodyear Ultraterrains on my Taco and really liked them. They are only available at Americas/Discount Tire and are very similar to the Duratracs, but cost less. BTW they are both on sale now at the above mentioned locations.

 

they come in SL’s. I was just looking at their 285/70/17 bersion

 

So I've been digging the new DuraTrac RT tires and I actually rolled the dice with SL tires this time around. They are 3 peak rated, still have the same 3-ply sidewalls and reinforced tread plies as the heavier tires, but their road manners are excellent and they've held up so far in the desert. Very surprised with how good they've been.

 

@Ripper238 At least Goodyear has the 60 day exchange policy:
https://www.goodyear.com/en_US/support/tire-warranty/goodyear-satisfaction-guarantee.html

 

Hello, I figured I would share a little insight into the Duratracs. I've run these tires on 2 of my Jeeps ( JK and XJ ) and I will say they handled pretty well offroad, especially studded in the winter time. The caveat is they will get loud and rough in a very short amount of time, despite doing proper tire rotations every oil change. I currently run the Baja Boss in a 265/70/17 and I can't even hear them rolling down the highway. I would highly recommend the Mickey Thompsons.

 

Thank you. Yes love my Duratracs and agree with your assessment. I was lucky to prolong the noise but as with most AT's they just get noisy over time.

So the key here is, are the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T a XL or E rated, and how many miles do you have? If they are as good as the Duratracs in Wet and snow then it's likely i would switch, noisy or not, because they will be loud eventually.

 

I’ve had these Cooper Rugged Treks for almost 15k miles and they have performed great everywhere I’ve been. Have a slight hum at highway speed but nothing terrible and the tread reminds me of the Duratracs IMO. No shakes or shimmy’s at any speed

 

I have the XL rating on the Baja Boss A/Ts. I currently only have about 5000 miles on mine and, as far as I can tell, they are phenomenal in the wet. We haven't had snow up here quite yet but I do run a a set of studded Nokians for that occasion. Again, nothing wrong with the duratracs, I just wanted to try out a new style of tire and was pleasantly surprised.

 

Just something about that tread design that just works. Baja's also have a similar pattern.

Good info and exactly where i'm at. Love the Duratracs but want to try out a new style of tire that may be equal or better. Good on the XL since they won't be overly heavy like E loads.

 

Just got my MT Baja Boss put on this morning. Look way better then the stock Dunlop but definitely a lot louder!

 

Would love to hear more about your experience with the Duratrac RT’s in the XL load range. I’m beginning my shopping/research now for when my Nitto Terra Graps are finished. Have any pics of them on your rig? Not a lot of pics out there on a 4runner, especially in 265/70….thx!

 

These are actually the 255/75R17 which are SL... I wanted slightly taller tires and I'm a huge fan of 255s in general off road (255/80R17s are next in a few years now that I've sorted the lift). I've done about 500 miles off road on them (5k on them total) and they've done well with no chunking or anything from rocks and no punctures from the usual suspects in the desert. They ride much better than the KO2s I had in the past and the wider outside blocks cleared out mud nicely when we got caught in a storm a few weeks ago.

 

Duratracs are such a great all around tire. Which is why i am torn about trying the Baja Boss A/T

 

Thanks for the pics! 255’s look great on our rigs. The offset on your methods are just right for the skinnier profile as well.

I am too weighing the Baja Boss AT as top choice, but from I’ve gathered the siping only goes to about 3/32nd down into the blocks which would degrade the wet traction as they age. Not a huge deal for me since I do live in the SW, but still…plus the 3ply sidewall on the non-E rated Duratrac’s have me leaning towards them at the moment.

 

Welp, I reached out to MT and inquired about the XL in 265/70 r17, stated I was looking for an AT tire that balances on-road/off-road work. A senior tech rep responded that the non-LT were designed for “pavement only” and not recommended for off-roading. Soooo…I guess Duratrac RT vs. KO3 are my top two choices at the moment.

 

I was in an off road shop. Talking to some of the mechanics and asked them what tires they would put on their rigs. They all said Baja Boss.

 

Yup, I was under the impression that all variants of Baja Boss were “offroad” worthy…but I guess just the LT versions are. The LT versions do come with their 3 ply, reinforced side wall and other market jargon…the non-LT variants or, SUV versions apparently are for pavement only. There is an another thread around here of member also reaching out to MT about the SUV non-LT spec tires and was also given the same information. I just wanted to see for myself I guess. I mean, the XL would be perfect for 95% or most drivers here and would be a solid choice for sure. Just not what I’m looking for in an AT at the moment.

 

My Cooper Rugged Treks are XL and 3 peak rated and have been issue free with little wear on mostly highway driving. They have some hum to them on smooth pavement but have gone through mud/water/gravel with no issue.

 

The Rugged Treks seemed to be well received from every review I’ve read. Glad to hear the XL variant has been good for you, I may add these to my list! I’m primarily looking for AT’s for highway/road, lots of poorly maintained fire roads, back trails for fly fishing trips throughout the Rocky Mountain ranges out west here…looking for something not overly heavy or large, but tough enough for aired down treks throughout the back country. Hope I didn’t hijack this thread, as the Duratracs are still on my short list as well .

 

Cooper tires in general have good reviews. Having more siping on a bunch of their tires seems to help.

 

Well i guess that answers the question. No Baja Boss for me since the lighter XL are non off road. So much for Baja being a good off road tire.

Duratracs it is, now what version...

 

I came to recommend them as well. Just put a set in 285/70R17 on mine and love them.

 

If you have a chance to put your hand into a new umounted XL rated and compare to your fav C rated sidewall-you can feel the sidewall thickness. XL is surprising thick and may compare well to your C rated.
Plus your road tire pressure will probably be lower with XL than the LT C rated.
Lower pressure should provide better road ride.

 

Duratrac RT is serving me well in 255/80R17 load range E. I run them at 32 psi and they aren't harsher than the SL P265/75R17 BFG Winters they replaced.



The 60 mph steering shimmy with (worn) BFG Winters is gone. The highway howl I experienced with gen-1 Duratracs is gone.

 

I've always been a Duratrac guy (JLUR, Silverado, JGC) but this time around I am going to try the Baja Boss.

 

Of course Goodyear owns Mickey Thompson. So this is basically a decision between a milder AT tire and a more aggressive AT tire from the same company....