Are duratrac sidewalls really that weak?

[CptFloridaMan]

In my never ending tire research, I’ve settled on a more R/T kind of tire instead of a full on MT.

Duratracs and kenda klever rts are the main tires i’m looking at.

Which leads me to the internet forums, just about everywhere I see duratrac sidewalls claims and that the old white lettered sidewalls are in fact 3 ply.

So are they actually as weak as the internet claims or is it just the vocal minority?

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[Strommen95]

I've never had a problem after driving them for over 6 years now. I don't play in heavy rocks though so one's experience may vary. I wouldn't scare away from them if you're not a rockcrawler. They've excelled for my use daily driving, driving in winter conditions and on trails.

 

[OnlyOne]

In my never ending tire research, I’ve settled on a more R/T kind of tire instead of a full on MT.

Duratracs and kenda klever rts are the main tires i’m looking at.

Which leads me to the internet forums, just about everywhere I see duratrac sidewalls claims and that the old white lettered sidewalls are in fact 3 ply.

So are they actually as weak as the internet claims or is it just the vocal minority?

I had a few punctures on them with my power wagon on gravel roads. Worst tires I’ve ever had. Ram should never use them on such a heavy vehicle. You might have better luck on a Jeep. I won't run goodyear.

 

[Gorilla57]

I had a few punctures on them with my power wagon on gravel roads. Worst tires I’ve ever had. Ram should never use them on such a heavy vehicle. You might have better luck on a Jeep. I won't run goodyear.

I ran them on my Ram 3500 and the Duratrac's most definitely can't handle the weight even though the load range says they can. I had punctures and 3 had belt separations. Discount Tire eventually bought them back/warranty replaced with a set of Nitto ExoGrapplers. The tread design and rubber compound on the Duratracs was amazing in the snow though, DAMN good tire for that purpose.

A lighter vehicle like the Jeep should work out fine, as long as others say the sidewalls can handle rocks. I'd run them on a vehicle that is light and will see lots of snow use.

 

[1quick1]

I used them on a 2 door JK for years and 40k miles with no issues. Your mileage may vary based on your specific use.

 

[texasrugby911]

I ran Duratracs on my last Jeep for about 5 years, and loved them. I wheeled a ton in sharp jagged rocks at an off road park near Austin, and never had any punctures or issues with the tires at all. My biggest issue with the tires were the cupping they started doing around 5 years in. The whine of the tires on the highway drove me crazy and caused me to pick a different set of tires.

 

[MrKnowitall]

Our JK came with duratracs. Best day of ownership so far was replacing them- Falken ATs.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

I had a THORN go through my stock duratracs sidewall on the truck. Switched to Toyo MT's and ran over everything in sight, never had another sidewall issue. YMMV

 

[Arterius2]

Duratracs are the only tires I will run on my Jeeps. Nothing comes close to them in terms of overall performance for the types of wheeling I do.

It's not a coincident they are the highest rated tires on many tire review websites.

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