Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac Reviews: Excellent Overall Performance

Goodyear’s Wrangler family of tires has been a favorite among truckers and SUV owners in North America for a very long time. The combination of toughness, durability, on/off-road performance, and good looks make them very tough to beat. 

The Wrangler DuraTrac is the workhorse in the range, designed for owners that want a reliable solution in most conditions they encounter. Goodyear designed this product to work equally well on the highway and on slippery terrain, but also for towing and hauling.

The on/off-road commercial traction category consists of some really great tires, which begs the question – how good is the Wrangler DuraTrac? To answer it, I prepared a detailed review of the product: Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac reviews.

Down below, you’ll read about every aspect of the tire, including how it performs on the street and on various terrains. I’ll also cover toughness and durability and comfort levels. Let’s dig in!

What are the features of the Wrangler DuraTrac?

According to Goodyear, the Wrangler DuraTrac is a workhorse tire for rugged off-road terrain and snow traction, but one that still offers a noise-free ride on the road. Furthermore, the tiremaker says that thanks to the aggressive design, the tire is great for towing and hauling.

Goodyear used its TractionGroove technology, which enhances traction in deep mud and snow. Moreover, the Wrangler DuraTrac has highly-angled tread blocks to reduce noise and increase lateral stability. Like most off-road tires, it also features self-cleaning shoulder blocks and a rim protector.

Ultimately, the tire received a 3PMSF certification for better longitudinal snow traction. Besides, LT-metric sizes are pinned for metal studs, further improving ice traction.

What are the maintenance indicators?

The Wrangler DuraTrac comes with the regular tread wear indicators (TWI’s), which are small rubber bars recessed into the grooves of the tire. When the tread depth decreases to 2/32-inch, the bars will be completely flush with the surface. At that point, you should replace your tires immediately.

Fortunately, the Wrangler DuraTrac comes with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is among the best in the category. And, even if you don’t trust Goodyear, owners of the tire are generally very satisfied with the treadlife.

How does it behave on a dry tarmac?

When choosing tires for your truck, you always need to set your expectations right. In other words, if you want a good off-road tire, you should be prepared for slightly worse on-road performance, and vice-versa. There are always compromises.

Goodyear designed the Wrangler DuraTrac to perform both on- and -off-road. What this means is that the tire won’t be the best in either category and, instead, will offer a more balanced approach. Thus, you simply can’t expect sporty handling or performance.

With that said, the Wrangler DuraTrac is among the best commercial on/off-road tires for on-road driving. Stability is excellent, even with heavy cargo on board, and there is ample acceleration traction. Cornering grip is good, but certainly not on the level of commercial highway tires. Not that you should expect it to be, of course.

The best thing about the Wrangler DuraTrac is that it works with a very large trailer attached or with very heavy cargo in the bed.

In terms of drivability, the tire isn’t overly responsive, and the steering feel isn’t great. Anyway, considering the type of tire we’re talking about, it’s completely fine.

Overall, the Wrangler DuraTrac is a good on-road tire, provided you know its limitations. For regular daily driving, it’ll do just fine – just don’t push your truck through the corners, and you should be fine.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

Tires with a large void area, such as the Wrangler DuraTrac, usually suffer on a damp pavement but work quite well in deep water. That’s because the former requires a larger contact patch, while the latter requires better hydroplaning resistance.

Despite the aggressive tread pattern with deep grooves, the Wrangler DuraTrac performs very well on damp surfaces. It’s not exceptional, yes, but it’s still safe and doesn’t require a lot of corrections from the driver. The only area where I’d like to see improvement is braking, but even then, the tire performs fine.

Things change in heavy rain. The excellent hydroplaning resistance helps with stability and traction, keeping the tire in contact with the road at all times. Now, even then, a set of highway tires will work even better, but for the category, the Wrangler DuraTrac is among the best products out there.

Overall, you shouldn’t have issues with how Goodyear’s commercial tire performs in wet conditions. It won’t break any records – far from it, but for daily driving, it will be completely fine.

With that being said, how is it on snowy roads?

We’ve had many visitors on our website ask us about 3PMSF all-season (all-weather) tires and if they can replace a proper winter tire. In most cases, the answer is no. Winter tires are designed only for harsh wintry conditions, and therefore, provide absolutely the best performance there.

But what about the Wrangler DuraTrac? Well, Goodyear’s tire is certainly closer to winter tires than what I expected. Traction on both packed and unpacked snow is excellent, and the stopping distances aren’t very long. Moreover, thanks to the large tread blocks, the tire can eat through deeper snow.

Goodyear’s decision to include zig-zag sipes certainly paid dividends here. While not a direct replacement for winter tires in places with very harsh winter weather, the Wrangler DuraTrac is a safe choice for most places. Your truck will accelerate, steer, and brake (almost) as you expect. High praise indeed.

Also, LT-metric models are pinned and accept #16 studs, which improve matters on icy surfaces tenfold. Metric sizes, though, might suffer on ice.

Winter tires provide much better traction and braking in these conditions. For that reason, I strongly recommend going for winter tires if you live in areas with extreme winter weather.

Is it suitable for off-road driving?

Hey, that’s one of the reasons why people buy these tires! So, sure, it’s suitable for off-roading. But how good is it, exactly? Well, that requires a slightly deeper dive since off-roading includes various surfaces.

For hardpacked surfaces, which Wrangler DuraTrac owners encounter most often, the tire performs excellently. Traction is sufficient when the surfaces are slightly wet. Also, there is ample stopping power, so you shouldn’t worry about pushing your vehicle to the limits. Stability in the corners is also excellent, and the tread is very good at cleaning itself.

The Wrangler DuraTrac still performs well in mud, but it has its limitations. Shallow mud isn’t an issue – traction here is more than sufficient. However, the tread blocks are simply not deep enough for very deep mud. There is traction, but far from what a specialized off-road tire will give you.

But that’s when we compare it to aggressive off-road tires. Compare it to similar products, and the Wrangler DuraTrac will emerge on top. In other words, it’s always about perspective in tires. You simply can’t measure this all-around tire against specialized products. It’s simply not fair.

With that said, the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac is a very capable off-road tire, especially if you are an average truck driver.

Is it comfortable and refined?

Well, I certainly wouldn’t call it that. However, it’s not like customers expect refinement from the Wrangler DuraTrac. This tire is primarily designed as a workhorse, not for comfortable daily driving. Moreover, currently, there is no commercial on/off-road tire on sale that provides a refined ride.

With that said, yes, it’s noisy. Wherever you go, no matter the speed, you’ll hear the tires. Those large tread blocks produce a lot of noise because they compress air between the grooves and the pavement. It’s physics; there is not much engineers can do about it. But, is the Wrangler DuraTrac noisier than similar tires? Well, it’s not, but it’s not much better either. If you are concerned about that, I suggest trying them for a test drive.

As for ride quality, I was pleasantly surprised. Again, a set of the highway or regular all-terrain tires will perform better, but as far as tough commercial tires go, the Wrangler DuraTrac is excellent. The ride is firm, sure, but still bearable. More importantly, there is not much vibration coming from the road or the tread.

You can see more Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac reviews here: Video created by AutoServiceWorld

Should I buy the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac?

Well, if you own a full-size pickup, medium-duty pickup, commercial van, or a large truck and want a balanced tire that will work on- and -off-road, the Wrangler DuraTrac is among the best out there.

Goodyear’s super-tough product not only provides good performance in most conditions, but it also resists punctures and cuts and comes with excellent treadlife and treadwear warranty.

You really can’t go wrong with it – the Wrangler DuraTrac is a product with no direct competitor in overall performance.