Tires have very loyal followers and recommending one over another invites a differing opinion. That said, have you considered BFG AT TKO’s? I would certainly consider these over the GoodYear product but that‘s just me. As there is no best of both worlds tires tht I’m familiar with these are my favorite “better of both world” tires.

Most modern tires are “PLY ratings” as opposed to actual tire PLYS. C loaded rated are the equivalent to 6 ply ratings rather than an actual 6 PLY.

 

Yes I have. It's an option and not ruled out. Soo many opinions on both tires and articles comparing each other. They both seem similar. I'm originally from Ohio so Goodyear would win. But I do like Michelin's and BFG is Michelin.. just never loved the look of the TKO.

 

"Looks" can trump specs and recommendations if most fellas are honest. [emoji6]

You just revealed that fact.

And I'm guilty too. Although the tires you just wore out certainly are "lookers", the sets I've had always served me very well on pavement.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

 

The LTX are great tires! That was my 2nd set just need something a little better for my driving extreme needs. The Goodyears do on average seem to get better reviews for deep snow which is what originally pushed me to research that tire. Hopefully someone knows why the S appears stronger than the C and how the E fit in. Didn't want to start another tire comparison discussion. Thanks!!

 

I’ve been running Duratracs on my 15 Screw 4x4 Lariat for the last 4 seasons and live in Denver, making similar trips. So hope to provide useful feedback without starting the comparison all over.

I run E range/10 ply since I went 1size up (to 275/70r18). Ride COMFORT is only marginally rougher than the oem Goodyear’s were. This is the same exact tire size and load range as used on the new Ram Rebel, and everyone seems to love the ride on those. Degradation is noticeable, but nowhere near as bad as I expected. Wife didn’t even notice, but I did. Oddly enough, ride improved greatly once I bumped up to 55/50 psi front/rear, as the shop only put them to 38-ish. On that note, one thing to know if you go any higher than standard load range is your psi goes up for the same given load. Ask your shop for the inflation tables for whatever you end up with if you change.

So the ride doesn’t take too much a hit with a higher range.

Also, I only have about 11k miles on them, but they look dang near new. So Treadwear seems to be really good.

But I’d still advise against them for 2 reasons:

Handling: folks say handling is surprisingly good, but compared to what? Super Swampers? It won’t be anything like the LTX you come from. Constant corrections at the wheel at all speeds. Endless toying with pressures (great improvement at 50+ psi, but still bad). “Squirmy” with a load of towing. Squirrelly high speed transitions, like quick lane changes. I never feel confident at the wheel any more. Super fatiguing on long trips. This was apparent day 1.

I mention this not to offer another comparison, but as it relates to the load ranges, I suspect these issues would be exacerbated with fewer sidewall plies/lower load range. Just something to keep in mind.

If you want to assess these tires in C range, go test drive a Chevy trailboss or gmc at4. For E range, drive a Ram Rebel. The ride quality will be apples to oranges & an irrelevant comparison, but the transient response and handling impressions should translate.

Secondly is the snow traction, which is a double edged sword. Indeed, deep, fresh snow capabilities are astounding!! I’m a native and have driven on lots of different tires over the winters. Nothing has ever seemed so unstoppable; I feel like I have tracks!

But!: packed snow and ice traction, especially lateral traction, is super disappointing. And as you know, roads are cleared pretty quick here, so most winter weather driving is on snow packed, wet, and/or icy roads, not deep snow. Most of the A/T tires I’ve run in the past surpass this performance in this regard. This makes plain sense just looking at the tread pattern, and how the siping is limited to the shoulders only, and the inner voids are huge.

Though this aspect shouldn’t change based on load range. In fact one reason I selected these because they retain their 3pmsf winter rating across load ranges. Many others lose it for e range. Which my final note is to ensure you ask for the 3pmsf version of this tire, as they also make non-certified versions.

Good luck!

 

I’ve been running Duratracs on my 15 Screw 4x4 Lariat for the last 4 seasons and live in Denver, making similar trips. So hope to provide useful feedback without starting the comparison all over.

I run E range/10 ply since I went 1size up (to 275/70r18). Ride COMFORT is only marginally rougher than the oem Goodyear’s were. This is the same exact tire size and load range as used on the new Ram Rebel, and everyone seems to love the ride on those. Degradation is noticeable, but nowhere near as bad as I expected. Wife didn’t even notice, but I did. Oddly enough, ride improved greatly once I bumped up to 55/50 psi front/rear, as the shop only put them to 38-ish. On that note, one thing to know if you go any higher than standard load range is your psi goes up for the same given load. Ask your shop for the inflation tables for whatever you end up with if you change.

So the ride doesn’t take too much a hit with a higher range.

Also, I only have about 11k miles on them, but they look dang near new. So Treadwear seems to be really good.

But I’d still advise against them for 2 reasons:

Handling: folks say handling is surprisingly good, but compared to what? Super Swampers? It won’t be anything like the LTX you come from. Constant corrections at the wheel at all speeds. Endless toying with pressures (great improvement at 50+ psi, but still bad). “Squirmy” with a load of towing. Squirrelly high speed transitions, like quick lane changes. I never feel confident at the wheel any more. Super fatiguing on long trips. This was apparent day 1.

I mention this not to offer another comparison, but as it relates to the load ranges, I suspect these issues would be exacerbated with fewer sidewall plies/lower load range. Just something to keep in mind.

If you want to assess these tires in C range, go test drive a Chevy trailboss or gmc at4. For E range, drive a Ram Rebel. The ride quality will be apples to oranges & an irrelevant comparison, but the transient response and handling impressions should translate.

Secondly is the snow traction, which is a double edged sword. Indeed, deep, fresh snow capabilities are astounding!! I’m a native and have driven on lots of different tires over the winters. Nothing has ever seemed so unstoppable; I feel like I have tracks!

But!: packed snow and ice traction, especially lateral traction, is super disappointing. And as you know, roads are cleared pretty quick here, so most winter weather driving is on snow packed, wet, and/or icy roads, not deep snow. Most of the A/T tires I’ve run in the past surpass this performance in this regard. This makes plain sense just looking at the tread pattern, and how the siping is limited to the shoulders only, and the inner voids are huge.

Though this aspect shouldn’t change based on load range. In fact one reason I selected these because they retain their 3pmsf winter rating across load ranges. Many others lose it for e range. Which my final note is to ensure you ask for the 3pmsf version of this tire, as they also make non-certified versions.

Good luck!

I have not had these issues with my Duratracs. My Jeep's were certainly a little softer but it was also a 32" tire on a 16" rim on a Jeep with a 3" lift, so there was a LOT of sidewall and suspension there. But that thing never handled well, even stock. On the 20" wheel on my truck they have been very good and have never felt the need to go to an LT e range for stability. I run them at 35-40 psi and I tow a 5500 lb travel trailer around Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, etc and never had an issue with them being unstable. My current set was installed in October and have 10,000 miles on them. 5000+ miles of those are towing.

On hard packed snow, I agree, they are not as good. I dont really have a ton of experience with other A/T tires though. Deep snow, 100%, they are beasts. My cousins driveway here in Utah is probably a mile long going up the side of a mountain. Some parts are probably in excess of 10%(definitely more than 7%) and he plows the thing with a Bombardier snow groomer. There is a continuous snow pack on it all winter and they claw their way right up it no problem. His wife has a BMW X5 with Blizzaks and gets stuck a lot.

I did have a 2019 Ram Rebel quad cab in San Antonio as a rental last summer, and that truck rode like a lumber wagon to me. I did not like it. OEM inflation pressure on the door stickers was something like 55 and 45 psi. It handled fine to me though.

 

I have had two sets of 275/60R20 Duratracs on my truck, aa well as a set of P265/70R16 and LT265/75R16 C range on my Jeep.

The LT’s(even the C range) are a lot burlier looking with the deeper and, i think, more open tread blocks. I liked them a lot more but unfortunately they do not sell a C range in a 20” wheel size and I dont want an E range.

Ive had good luck with mine. They are certainly great in the snow but mine have not seen much mud. I had a set of Blizzaks on my Jeep prior to my Duratracs and I do not miss them. I live in Park City UT and I would say that the Duratracs are probably the most popular tire here.

 

I'm a Cooper man. All made in the USA. They have some good offerings for the conditions you mentioned. You should go on tirerack.com and discounttiredirect.com and read ratings and reviews.

 

Thanks! I have been to using Tirerack, Discount Tire and BigO websites. The one thing I can say is none of them seem to agree. The Pirelli Scorpion At+, Cooper AT3 4s, Ko2 are still in the hunt. Cooper as a company has a lot of bad reviews and unsatisfied customers which worries me but that tire does seem nice and I like made in the USA. Cooper did move some manufacturing to China which is disappointing.

 

I didn't see bad reviews and haven't read about manufacturing any tires in China. Not Cooper branded tires. Look at the AT3 XLT.

 

Company Review Overall

Cooper Tires Reviews: See What Customers Are Saying

On June 15, 2012, my family and I were on vacation driving to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. About 10 miles outside of St. George, UT, the tread ...

www.consumeraffairs.com

China - Lots of info if you do a search. Based on what they are doing it looks to me like they will move everything there eventually.

Cooper Tire moves r&d center to Kunshan

FINDLAY, Ohio -- Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has moved its technical center in Shanghai to Kunshan, which also is the site of its tire factory. The 5,017-square-meter center houses 65 engineers and materials scientists. It is one of four technical centers that Cooper maintains worldwide and will...

www.autonews.com

Cooper Tire to get truck tires from Chinese company

<strong>Cooper wants to expand production of performance and specialty light truck tires at the Albany plant.</strong>

www.walb.com

 

Also, in regards to the SL's vs the LT C-range, I wonder if the difference in load capacity is a result of how they rate the load capacity based on pressure. I believe the SL's reach maximum load capacity before the reach maximum inflation pressure. An LT tire's capacity is directly tied to inflation pressure and reaches its maximum rating at its maximum pressure. Because LT-C's are limited to 50psi, their load rating is lower.

I am not sure that I would assume the LT-C is a less durable tire is what I am trying to say.