New Goodyear Duratrac RT review

Replaced my old C load Duratracs with the new RT Duratracs after much deliberation.

As many of us, i do mostly on road daily driving but i also like to do some heavy off roading trips. I also get decent amount of snow/rain so i really needed the best all around tire. The old Duratracs cetanly met that need but revisiting options is though with SL loads and not enough durability for off road and E loads being way too heavy. C load is what i went with before and they did great, but others complained about thin side walls which is a concern for off roading even though i didn't have any issues.

To my suprise Goodyear decided to make an XL load Duratrac RT but with all the characteristics of a LT/C load. 3 ply, a little heavier (2lb over C load) and even have a Kevlar weave for added strength.

As with any new AT (or in this case RT) the noise and smoothness is a shock compared to worn out old AT's. But in this case it was truly shocking, like driving on butter shocking. Soooo quiet, smooth and grippy. It will likely get noisier over time, but wow what a difference that may actually continue long term.

I also noticed the additional 2lbs. It appears to just change the tires responsiveness slightly. Now i know why so many think the 4R is slow, E Loads must really weigh this vehicle down. lol This tire is also awesome in the rain and i think the added 2lb actually helps with this.

So initial impressions is its far superior to the old duratracs even though it kept the same rubber compound and tightened up the tread pattern slightly. It also seems to handle better and is fantastic in the rain. I think these will also be great for mud like my old duratracs were, but we will see.

I also have to say they are the best looking off road (AT/RT) tire i have ever seen. Aggressive, nice tread pattern and deep. The side wall also has some serious protection and will be awesome for when i air down.

30psi


Just look at that beautiful pattern and robust side wall.


I ended up going with 35psi and they feel great.

Update: Did some snow and Ice driving since we had a big snow and ice storm a few days later and the tires have done great. Solid traction and breaking. Haven't had super deep snow but definitely a tire that conveys confidence.

One of the most impressive aspects is the handling and how solid they feel around curves and bends in the road at high speeds or any sharp terns. Didn't relies how much only 1-2lbs of meet on the tire would make it feel so different and solid. Super glad i went with these over the Baja Boss.

 

Thanks for the review

 

Stock size all season are about 39 lbs.
Lots of SL/XL All Terrain are around 42/43 lbs.
So adding 3 to 4 lbs. So maybe 8% more weight when comparing stock size All Season to stock size All Terrain. Minor change in weight (rotation mass). But probably noticable.
What will really be noticable is grip to road in nearly all aspects. Braking is related to rubber in contact with road. AT has bigger voids than AS.So braking on smooth dry road AS should rate better.
Wet, muddy, snowy roads the grip of AT should be better.
This is best case tire upgrade over stock.
Going to bigger size AS and LT tires can increase weight even more.

 

Small update now that i have a few hundred miles on them. These handle so much better, likely due to the stronger side wall and they are of course great in the rain still. I can take turns at higher speeds and really feel KDSS and how it enhances handling with these tires. Deadins bumps really nicely as well.

I should be getting some snow soon and can't wait to really test these out!

 

Keep us posted on the snow performance - that's 99.9% of what I care about.

 

I've got about 40k on the factory Dunlops and I've been eyeing the Duratrac RTs for about a year now, just waiting to get enough miles on the tires for me to justify ditching them (including the spare). I forgot how horrible they were in snow until this last week when it finally snowed an appreciable amount where I am...hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to replace them with the Goodyears.

If I replace the factory steelies on my 4runner (SR5 Premium) with TRD wheels, the extra 4 or so pounds per tire will be offset by the 4 or so pounds lost in switching to the alloy wheels...that should work out.

 

I went with TRD alloys as well, but had the old C load which were 2lb lighter than the RT. Think your going to love the RT's, had an icy driveway to deal with and they were surprisingly good. Still waiting for a good heavy snow.

I actually kept my Dunlop spair. But it will start dry rotting soon so i'll probably switch for an RT spair. lol

 

Any update in snow?

 

Got a few inches of snow and they did excellent, but not enough milage in the snow to give enough feedback yet. Should have a good snow storm next weekend, hopefully.

 

Keep us posted. I'm still torn between these and the Baja Boss. Snow will be the ultimate determining factor. The 3 ply sidewall is also a massive positive. I just can't help seeing all the great reviews of the BB.

 

Yeah, me too. But the extra width of the BB and the tread pattern just didn't really scream i am good in the snow like the RT's. Rubber compound in ght RT's should help too.

So far so good, but i'll be sure to get some miles in the next storm. So little snow here in CT the passed few years.

 

Got in some snow driving on video finally. First now was light and of course the RT's did great. About 6" last night and the drive home was cake. Problem is CT is way too proactive cleaning snow so i had to go out to find some to video today. Packed Icey snow up hill video was impressive, didn't slip once, even when i stopped 3/4 of the way and restarted tires gripped impressively well and breaking was awesome too. Went through a small snow bank and went through it like it was not there. Wish i had better video but maybe next time.

All in 2wd.




I may do more on the way home when i have more time, but with this and the few other snows i have 100% confidence, these are even better than the old Duratracs.

 

Still loving them after the recent snow?

 

Yes, very impressive. No issues in the snow at all and hope to do some off-roading in april.

 

A quieter, better road-mannered DuraTrac that also looks just as good? Goodyear must have read my mind. The 4Runner's Toyos are getting on as are the factory Wranglers on the Tacoma. This is welcome news.

 

Maybe I missed it
What size load etc did you actually get?

im perplexed how their Kevlar is what allows this tire to be so light in comparison to others

 

265/70/17 XL load. Pound for pound Kevlar is a much stronger and lighter material which is more durable, durability is why it was added. The XL is not what i would call light, but it is only 2lb more than stock. I really didn't want to go heavier but only 1lb over my old Duratracs, i cant complain.

Info on kevlar: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-makes-kevlar-so-stro/