Duratracs… anyone try a different size than stock?

RCF71 · January 4, 2022

I know everyone is thinking I’m joking, insane or an idiot right now…

I’m honestly curious if anyone has ever tried a different size Duratracs ? The stockers are “C” rated, so I’m curious if the “D” or “E” rated Duratracs wear better/different and thus have less noise than the stock ones? I’m most interested in the 275/70R18 (D rated) as they are not a lot heavier but are about 1” taller and have better load ratings.

edited to add - Not planning to lift my truck but may do a 1”-ish level & UCA upgrade in future. I have the stock 18” wheels and just ordered 1.25” Bora spacers.

Edited January 4, 2022 by RCF71

jayvnh · January 4, 2022

I had the same thought, love everything else about the duratracs except the tire

noise and wondered if it’s just the quality of the ones GM is getting.

shanemoon · January 5, 2022

Sticking with the stock wheels and tread width, you can fit 35-36" tires on a stock TB without any cutting, modification or additional lift.

Once you open up the world of aftermarket wheels, everything goes out the window.

Duratracs are loud regardless. BFG KO2's are known to be slightly quieter. But if you're just not used to an AT/MT tire, it is what it is.

shanemoon · January 5, 2022

On 1/3/2022 at 8:08 PM, RCF71 said:

I know everyone is thinking I’m joking, insane or an idiot right now…

I’m honestly curious if anyone has ever tried a different size Duratracs ? The stockers are “C” rated, so I’m curious if the “D” or “E” rated Duratracs wear better/different and thus have less noise than the stock ones? I’m most interested in the 275/70R18 (D rated) as they are not a lot heavier but are about 1” taller and have better load ratings.

edited to add - Not planning to lift my truck but may do a 1”-ish level & UCA upgrade in future. I have the stock 18” wheels and just ordered 1.25” Bora spacers.

Sticking with the stock wheels and tread width, you can fit 35-36" tires on a stock TB without any cutting, modification or additional lift.

Once you open up the world of aftermarket wheels, everything goes out the window.

Duratracs are loud regardless. BFG KO2's are known to be slightly quieter. But if you're just not used to an AT/MT tire, it is what it is.

Transient · January 5, 2022

I've been debating on whether or not to get 285/70/18 or 285/75/18. Not doing anything until the original tires need replacing. No point in wasting money on tires.

Dmax3 · January 28, 2022

I swapped out my Denali 22's and chrome rims for AT4 sized Falken Wildpeak AT3's, and have been really happy with them for wear/ noise/ grip (especially in the snow), but also would like to size up. Unfortunately, it looks like they gain 10 lbs per tire going up to 275/70-18's. Interested to hear if anyone has experience with the size Duratracs you're talking about.

TxTruckMan · January 28, 2022

All sizes will be equally loud. I was curious about the same thing a while back. New Duratracs have slightly rounded lugs which helps with road noise. But as the tire wears down, these rounded parts flatten out and increase the noise. I don't think there's anything that can be done about it. I agree that it's a nice performing tire, but I probably won't buy another pair because of the noise.

GMCSierra99 · February 2, 2022

I went up to a 275/70 R18 Load E Duratracs. The noise is about the same as the stock duratracs. No rubbing at all. I did notice a hit in MPGs with is to be expected with a heavier taller tire. I have no complaints and they are wearing just fine. Key to good wear on theses tires is rotations. I rotate every 5,000 miles.

RCF71 · February 6, 2022

Well, I’m up almost 9k miles on my truck, and have not noticed any noticeable increase in tire noise to this point. Maybe some folks just aren’t used to more aggressive tread tires. I’ve been running ‘em for going on 30yrs myself. This tire does make more noise than BFG AT KO’s (have had 5-6 sets of these), but not obnoxious in my opinion. If they don’t get much louder than they currently are, I’ll gladly buy another set.

Gangly · February 7, 2022

17 hours ago, RCF71 said:

Well, I’m up almost 9k miles on my truck, and have not noticed any noticeable increase in tire noise to this point. Maybe some folks just aren’t used to more aggressive tread tires. I’ve been running ‘em for going on 30yrs myself. This tire does make more noise than BFG AT KO’s (have had 5-6 sets of these), but not obnoxious in my opinion. If they don’t get much louder than they currently are, I’ll gladly buy another set.

The lugs on the Duratracs are angle cut from the factory which reduces the noise. As the tires wear, the angle cuts become non existent and the lugs become blocks with 90 degree edges and the noise increases. Thats why you will hear a lot of people state the Duratracs seem to get louder around the 20k mark, as that's about the mileage when the tread wears below the factory angle cut on the tread blocks leaving 90 degree edges.

superhighsierra · February 9, 2022

275/60/R20’s here.

2” lift front 1.5” blocks in rear. Don’t rub, aren’t loud and look like a million bucks. Don’t listen to the hall monitor pencil pushers about the noise. Negligible at best over stock and look 100x more aggressive.

Now gas mileage on the other hand took a ~2mpg nosedive. But that’s to be expected with any 2-3” lift and bigger tires.

If you haven’t already, do it. Best looking non MT tire on the market by a wide margin. Open country’s and KO2 are nice, but there is a pretty big difference in how aggressive the treads are on the Duratracs and a negligible difference in noise & mpg between the two.

Enjoy