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TIRES!! (again): Goodyear Duratrac vs. Cooper ATW death match

kidwoo

kidwoo

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
I've got a 96 chevy k1500 heavily modified with a flatbed for 2 sleds. I'm about to put some blizzaks on the thing but have some other truck buddies with bro-dozers and sled decks that keep bringing up one of these two tires. Just figured I'd get some feedback before comitting. I'd like to get something I don't feel I need to switch out in June but it's hard to debate blizzaks.

I live in mountains. And it sometimes snows 5 feet in a day. Not really looking for 'what gets me from minnesota to togwotee on salted highways' stuff. I need grip on hills and on the daily. Sometimes just to get out of my neighborhood.

I know with two sleds on the back I'll have some bite. I'm more worried about good grip with truck unweighted. What do you know?

Thanks!
 
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Other factors at play, like compound, siping, and temp.

But long story short, it kindda boils down to fresh snow traction vs packed and/or icy traction. In regards to tread aggression.


Out of the 2 tires you posted. Duratrac would probably get out of the lot a little better on a big dump day, and the ATW would do better on packed snow and iced up stop signs.


So how many days are you dragging the axles in the snow, vs how many days of knucklehead drivers around town on packed streets and icy stop signs and stop lights.

And then i guess you could factor in what you want them to do the rest of the year?
 
I've had the Duratrac's, no good on ice. I have nothing good to say about them. I actually pulled a new set off in the middle of winter and went with a set of Hankook RF10.

I have cooper AT3 on the work truck (1500 silverado) those have been a really good all around tire, good on snow and ice. The ATW looks like it would have better ice traction.

[emoji507][emoji192]
 
I run the ATW all last winter and all around a real good tire. will do them again. do well on ice but have enough to get a 3 place in 15" of snow out of the lot. They have the snow rating and are a bit on the softer side so you do get a bit less miles out of them. I take them of at the end March and put them on at the first of Dec.
 
Yeah design-wise the cooper atw looks like a snow tire. I just have a bunch of people telling me the duratracs are the shizz. To be fair though, it's mostly friends who drive TO snow, not wake up in it so much. I'd say ice stability is more a priority over trenching it up in fresh snow. Slamming on brakes for other idiots on an icy road is a bigger issue.

Honestly, I've never had an issue with blizzaks in deep, un-tracked snow. That's on trucks with clearance and the V2 versions. So I'm not sure the big lug all terrain is something I really need. Our snow is coastal wetter heavy stuff usually, not that super cold light snow that kind of has its own traction sometimes.

Basically I'm just looking for the closest thing to a blizzak that doesn't turn to mush in warm weather and start to fall apart. I think right now the ATWs look the best. I do drive the thing in the summer but it's not my main vehicle.
 
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something else is the ATW was available in an E rated tire for the f250 the blizzak only comes in a C rating i believe.
 
I'm on my 3rd set of 10 ply ATW's. Use them on a 2 wheel drive service van. They are great on slippery roads, and pretty good in deep snow. Also a very quiet tire.
 
The duratrac's are pinned for studs. Not sure about the coopers. If I was in your situation I would buy the most aggressive tire I could find that's stud able install the studs and sipe the centers. Best of everything.
 
gonehuntnpowder said:
The duratrac's are pinned for studs. Not sure about the coopers. If I was in your situation I would buy the most aggressive tire I could find that's stud able install the studs and sipe the centers. Best of everything.
Click to expand...
U can stud practically any tire, pretty easy task.
The proper sipping and rubber compound are the most influential components to a great snow/ice tire.

[emoji507][emoji192]
 
kidwoo said:
I live in mountains. And it sometimes snows 5 feet in a day. Not really looking for 'what gets me from minnesota to togwotee on salted highways' stuff. I need grip on hills and on the daily. Sometimes just to get out of my neighborhood.
Click to expand...

I had Duratracs on my Dodge. Liked them but they were expensive and didn’t come in an E Rating. Now I have Cooper ST Maxx in a 255/80 17 studded. Studs are now burned off so I’ll keep this set for summer and probably stud another set.

I think I can relate to your conditions :face-icon-small-win:face-icon-small-win
 
Tire has to be pinned for studs to be stud able. There is a hole, but more than that a little groove to hold the stud in place. Siping and the rubber compound made a big difference on winter roads. If you look at most winter tires they have close tread blocks and lots of sipe. They also have a unique rubber compound that keeps them soft at colder temps. What is the very best on slick roads is a winter tire studded. Where you are thinking about loose snow no just roads IMO I would center sipe a more aggressive stud able tire. Years ago I had a set of cooper ST's setup that way I loved. Stay away from wide tires. Narrow as possible. You aren't looking for flotation you want increased PSI. Everyone is a tire expert and we have our opinions. There is my 2 cents.
 
Use to own a tire shop that my brother managed for a decade.
I say that probably gives me a little more knowledge than most.
Feedback from thousands of customers, not just "my experience".
Have a great father's day. [emoji4]


[emoji507][emoji192]
 
Murph said:
I had Duratracs on my Dodge. Liked them but they were expensive and didn’t come in an E Rating. Now I have Cooper ST Maxx in a 255/80 17 studded. Studs are now burned off so I’ll keep this set for summer and probably stud another set.

I think I can relate to your conditions :face-icon-small-win:face-icon-small-win
Click to expand...

At least getting out of your hood is downhill. :face-icon-small-hap


Definitely not going studs as I'm looking for a tire I don't feel obligated to take off in spring.

I gotta show you the new fun mover.

bedleft.jpg
 
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gonehuntnpowder said:
Tire has to be pinned for studs to be stud able. There is a hole, but more than that a little groove to hold the stud in place. Siping and the rubber compound made a big difference on winter roads. If you look at most winter tires they have close tread blocks and lots of sipe. They also have a unique rubber compound that keeps them soft at colder temps. What is the very best on slick roads is a winter tire studded. Where you are thinking about loose snow no just roads IMO I would center sipe a more aggressive stud able tire. Years ago I had a set of cooper ST's setup that way I loved. Stay away from wide tires. Narrow as possible. You aren't looking for flotation you want increased PSI. Everyone is a tire expert and we have our opinions. There is my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Tire can be drilled. My buddy picks his tires and has them drilled. Whole new level of stuffing compared to mine. Expensive.
 
turboless terry said:
Tire can be drilled. My buddy picks his tires and has them drilled. Whole new level of stuffing compared to mine. Expensive.
Click to expand...

Probably number 2 on my personal list of 'things I will never do'


I think hitting myself in the nuts with a baseball bat while listening to opera is number 1.
 
kidwoo said:
Probably number 2 on my personal list of 'things I will never do'


I think hitting myself in the nuts with a baseball bat while listening to opera is number 1.
Click to expand...
Happens more often than u would believe.
Mostly for mud terrain tires but sometimes people would want to stud used tires, cheaper than buying new tires.

[emoji507][emoji192]
 
I've never owned the Coopers but have owned the Duratracs. Based on your priorities, I'd buy the Coopers.
 
F150 just pulled off a set of ATW's E's that had 48k on them. Summer is hard on them. Inflation is key. Burned the center of them up in on one warm road trip with a car trailer load of wheelers. I am pretty religious about alignment and inflation and one lazy 5-600 mile road trip to wheel cost me probably another winter out of them.

If this isn't a daily driver in the the summer I would absolutely put the ATW's on. I did go to a different tire this time, but it was to zero fault of the ATW's. Changed how long my commute was and knew I had more daily highway miles than previous.

Even when the tires were shot they were super quiet. I could hear the intake on my ecoboost and the rear end whine while I couldn't hear any howling from the tires.

Any other questions?
 
Another vote for the ATWs

I have been running the ATWs for a year now in Idaho on my Cummins Ram. I run them year round and they are my favorite tire for year round in this area as well.
 
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