Jeeze 'gentlemen'

buy what you want for your car - so far we can still do that, no need to fight on a ford truck forum about what the lil explorer is or needs...

it's my wife's daily driver and about to make someone a NICE used car (maybe us if they allow us to buy it at end of lease for a reasonable number !)

 

I find a vast difference between "fighting" and "discussing" and am in discussion mode myself. Duratracs are a bad choice for a new Explorer crossover IMO and I am stating why I believe that in the context of other vehicles.

Of course you can go put 35" mudders on an Explorer if you want. The OP wanted input re Duratracs on an Explorer; why would you not want me to give him input? You just said you don't want us to discuss what the Explorer wants or needs? Are you serious? Is your post meant to be a joke?

George

 

I agree. This forum is for discussion with people of a common interest. There aren't winners and losers.

 

If it helps, my Escape that I put duratracs on, mileage wise i actually picked up a bit, but that was due to decreased rolling resistance more than anything (went one series narrower, plus the tire sidewall is much stiffer) else. The only noticeable change in the vehicle (maintenance, ride quality, etc) was road noise, but that as shown varies between vehicles as well as the drivers.

Size for size, the duratracs won't be significantly heavier then the stock tires, not enough to effect mileage anyway. The only major downside to the tire will be the *slightly rougher ride due to the stiffer side walls, but with the tire pressures some people put in their tires this will be hardly noticeable, and it won't cause noticeable, increased wear on parts, as like i mentioned the overall weight/size difference if comparing a size for size comparison is minimal. When you are talking a significant increase in size (10%+) this is a whole different story.

I had a 2010 explorer for work that had factory sized duratracs installed, I will followup with the statement again, that these are the best all around snow/ice tire you can buy that is also excellent all year round and wear like iron on these smaller vehicles.

 

Just curious....doesn't noisy tires mean more friction? And friction is rolling resistance, which hurts fuel mileage?

 

Duratracs have a 16/32 tread depth and looking at the OP's proposed size, he will be picking up over 10 lbs in weight on each tire, which will be primarily at the outer perimeter of the tire.

This weight will absolutely cause more rolling inertia (harder to accelerate and stop). And the thicker, deeper tread elements will squirm around more and create more heat and drag. This is not a tire designed for a crossover. I would bet that an Escape or Explorer with Duratracs will lose significant gas mileage and have a much harsher ride due to the stiff sidewall and thick tread. And the extra weight which is NOT insignificant. If you look at eco tire designs, they do have softer sidewalls and a shallow tread that is meant to conform to the road without flexing. And they are very light.

Goodyear does have a 30 day exchange policy on it tires, so I would encourage anyone who wants to try these do a GOOD and SOLID study of performance and gas mileage before and after the change. 10 lbs per tire is a substantial gain and will stress suspension components like shocks and balljoints as well, causing the suspension to wear out earlier. If you really find you like them, cool. If not, Goodyear will let you exchange for an appropriate tire like a Fortera or something.

Not as big a deal in an old time 4x4 pickup or huge SUV with 2 solid axles, but when dealing with car-derived suspensions, the engineers put a LOT of effort into calibrating the ride and gas mileage to optimize those factors.

I am in Detroit and have engineer friends at all of the big 3 including a Ford engineer retiree bud who designed the I beam geometry on my E150 and worked on the IRS for the pre-2011 Explorer. Tires are a major part of a car or truck's suspension and making major changes in tire characteristics would ideally require a recalibration of the car's suspension. If you want good snow performance, go for an automotive mud and snow designed tire, not a huge blocky commercial truck tire.

I would advise the OP or anyone else interested to call Goodyear and ask if the Duratracs are appropriate for a crossover type vehicle. I know what answer they will give.

Good luck,
George

 

I guess someone with Duratracs on a 2011 Explorer should weigh in. I have p245/70r17 Duratracs on my wife's 2011 Ford Explorer on aftermarket 17x7.5" rims. They look great, it rides much better than with the factory 20" rims, and I would be willing to bet that the Duratracs on 17s are lighter than the tires and oem 20" rims that came on it. It came with Goodyear Eagle RS-As in a 255/50r20 which weigh in at 36 pounds per tire. The p245/70r17 Duratracs weigh in at 37 pounds. That's 1 pound extra per tire. Now, going from 20" rims down to 17" rims, probably dropped 5 pounds (being conservative).

As for fuel mileage, my wife and I drove around for about a week on the stock 20s before the new rims and tires were in, I haven't noticed any fuel mileage change.

The reason why I went with Duratrac is for a couple reasons. Number one reason was the fact that, even though still being a "p" tire, they are significantly thicker than most car tires and we have to drive 180 miles of gravel to get in and out of our town. Now if my wife has to travel alone, I have a lot less worries about her getting a flat tire. Number two reason is the fact that I've driven many different tires on my work vehicles and in the winter, the Duratracs are great. So I have less worries about my wife driving around in the winter and losing control of her vehicle. My wife also is really glad that she has a good set of tires on her Explorer.

While I do agree with YoGeorge about the Explorer not being a truck, I do not agree that Duratracs do not belong on an Explorer.

 

I guess I should add a picture of it

 

Randy, 180 miles of gravel is not a typical use for an Explorer and for that use the Duratracs or a similar tire may be the best compromise. Good move with the mudflaps front and back to keep your paint from being sandblasted off.

I have a Ford E150 and a Subaru and if I was regularly driving 180 miles of gravel, I would put on some much beefier tires on both of those as well. However, for the typical city/freeway use of a crossover vehicle, a more streetable tire makes more sense. I love the Michelin LTX M/S2's on the van as an all-round road and light offroad tire.

Your needs are not typical and I think you made a good tire choice for your needs, Randy. But you chose 245 wide Duratracs on 17" rims and the OP was talking about 265's on 18" rims and that is a significant size increase--I think he would pick up more weight than you.

George

 

No, the noise is due to their being more void between the tread. Has nothing to do with friction.

 

OK we understand that YOU dont drive on gravel roads, we get it. The OP specifically stated he drives on snow and gravel roads. Im not sure how you know whos needs are typical or not. That being said I have had great experiance with the Duratracs in snow and dirt as well and they last a long time. I have 40K miles on mine and they still have plenty of tread.

 

A more streetable tire? It is obvious you have never used the Duratracs

 

The OP has 18" wheels and is looking at a huge upsize from stock which probably won't fit. I suggested that he call Goodyear and ask them about the application and/or buy a set and take advantage of the 30 day return policy if they don't work out.

I am serious about the 30 day warranty--only you can know if they are the right compromise for your actual use.

Would you also put Duratracs on a Taurus?

George

 

George, the 265/60r18 Duratracs weigh in a 42 pounds and come in at 30.5" tall and 10.7" wide. So in reality, the OP might be adding 10 pounds per tire or less. I don't see the big deal of that because I'd be willing to bet that those tires on factory 18" wheel still dont weigh more then the factory 20" rims and tires I have sitting in my garage.

And to answer your question about putting Duratracs on a Taurus, if they had a size that fit, I'm like the lady in the Frank's redhot sauce commercials, "I put that **** on everything".

 

I looked up the weight and your are right; this is one of the few sizes that is not an E load range tire. Same diameter as your 245/17's but almost an inch wider makes me guess they will hit in the front while steering.

Just noted the mfr description "The Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac is an on and off-road tire made for commercial vehicles, vans and full-sized pickups."

An Explorer is not a commercial vehicle, van, or full-sized pickup so IMO it is still pretty "out there" to consider Duratracs for an Explorer. Police use a lot of Explorers and they have high speed street tread tires. With AWD and traction control, they can get thru a lot of weather but also go around corners and cruise at high speeds.

For everyday use in my world where gas mileage, noise, cornering, and rolling resistance matter, I think of these tires as "clodhoppers" kind of like putting size 16 heavy leather army boots on your 5' tall girlfriend.

In the last 3 weeks, I drove my Subaru Forester 4500 miles to Florida and back (plus a lot of touring around), and if I had BFG AT's, Yoko ATS's, General Grabbers, or some other heavy tires (which people do put on Subarus), I am guessing that my gas mileage would have been a lot lower and the trip would have been noisier. My Continentals (oversized but street treads) did great on the sand beaches with my AWD.

If the OP is still here I will again note that Goodyear does have a 30 day guarantee *if* the dealer will even mount them on an Explorer. You'd probably have to get them from an official dealer to make good on the warranty.

Have a good day,
George