When it comes to today’s truck camper rig, rolling on a good set of tires that you can trust is a must. This is because everything is riding on them—literally. The truth is we ask a lot of our tires. When you consider how much we have invested in our rig, going cheap on a new set of tires doesn’t make sense. Indeed, when you factor in the weight of an 8,000-pound truck and a 3,000-pound camper, you’re talking about a lot of weight. Of course, having a tire that can handle all of this weight is one thing, but when you factor in weather, road surfaces, temperatures, speed, and other road anomalies, having a good set of tires to roll on is critical.
When the good folks at Goodyear approached us about reviewing their new Wrangler DuraTrac RT (Rugged Terrain) tire we were intrigued. The 2009 DuraTrac had a terrific reputation off-road. Yet, as long-time devotees of Cooper Tires we weren’t looking to switch. When it comes to tires, confidence is everything and we were confident in our Coopers. Getting us to try a set of the new Goodyear DuraTracs wasn’t easy, but in the end we decided to do it because of the company’s reputation and the fact that its been years since we rolled on a set of Goodyear’s.
Duratrac History
Goodyear introduced the Wrangler DuraTrac RT in 2023. The tire was marketed as an improvement over the original 2009 Duratrac tire that was generally well-received off-road though it had a tendency to be loud on pavement and wore fast. Unlike the former tire, however, the new and improved Wrangler DuraTrac RT was designed not only for use off-road but on-road as well—meaning the DuraTrac RT is more of an all-terrain tire than a mud-terrain. According to Goodyear, the 2023 Wrangler DuraTrac RT uses DuPont Kevlar to prevent tread damage as well as a Durawall compound to resist punctures, abrasions and cuts. With a Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake designation, the tire features better traction and control in winter weather conditions with a tread pattern that has more biting edges for enhanced grip on slick surfaces.
What specific changes were made to the Wrangler DuraTrac RT over the original DuraTrac? First, the 2023 DuraTrac features a three-ply sidewall rather than two, providing more protection off-road. Second, the tread pattern has been improved. At first glance, the tread patterns between the old and new DuraTracs looks the same, yet a closer examination reveals several differences. For one, the outer tread is larger than the original DuraTrac tread and extends deeper into the voids. The outer tread also features a “super lug” consisting of two lugs reinforced with raised supports between the two for extra strength when cornering. The edging also provides a scoop between the alternating lugs, providing better traction in mud. Better yet, the sidewalls have been significantly improved with a more aggressive pattern which provides better traction when aired down.
The center patch on the 2023 Wrangler DuraTrac RT looks the same as the former too, yet there are significant changes between the two. Yes, there are six blocks like before, but these blocks are larger with better pitch sequencing overall. Moreover, the DuraTrac RT features smaller voids between the lugs, which results in a tire that is significantly quieter on pavement and provides better traction on snow. Even the siping of the tire has been improved with more siping than on the 2009 DuraTrac. Better yet, the DuraTrac RT siping is deeper, providing better water displacement in wet weather and better performance over time as the tread wears thin. Together, these changes result in more of an all-terrain DuraTrac rather than a mud-terrain DuraTrac like the 2009 version.
Available in 41 sizes from 30 to 35 inches and in five size rims—16, 17, 18, 20, 22—the Wrangler DuraTrac RT is compatible with a wide range of SUVs and mid-size and full-size pick-up trucks, so Goodyear has you covered. The tire is made in three countries: the USA, Mexico, or Chile with our particular 275/70R18E tire stamped “Made in the USA.” Unfortunately, these 33-inch tires are a bit pricey at $360 each, so this fact must factored into any tire buying decision.
Tire Specifications
For our 2013 Ram 3500 pickup truck, we went with the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT 275/70R18E tire. For this particular tire, the tread depth is 18/32-inch (or 14.2 mm). The load range E tire weighs 59 pounds (2 pounds heavier than the Coopers), has an overall diameter of 33.4 inches, a tread width of 9 inches, and a load index of 125 with a maximum load carrying capacity of 3,640 pounds. Rated for 80 PSI, we typically ran our tires with 65 PSI front and 80 PSI rear when hauling the camper. To improve the ride with the camper off the truck, we usually ran 65 PSI in the front, and 45 PSI in the back. Off-road, we sometimes aired our tires down to 30 front, 45 rear.
Tire Performance
We evaluated our set of Wrangler DuraTrac RT 33-inch tires over 17 months, driving over 10,000 miles on all types of surfaces and in all kinds of weather. We traveled in Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. We used the tire both on-road and off-road, though none of the dirt roads we traveled on are what we would call rough or extreme. You’ll notice the lack of cold weather states back east where snow and ice are the norm. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to test these tires in those extremes, but we suspect the tires would perform well in these conditions.
The Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT absolutely excels on pavement hauling a 3,300-pound truck camper. We have been incredibly impressed with how quiet and smooth the tires are and that hasn’t changed in the 17 months we’ve owned them. The DuraTrac’s are firm and inspire a level of confidence the equals and exceeds the Cooper Discoverers that we ran before. Indeed, this level of confidence never wavered even when traveling on snow and ice and on steep and twisting rain-soaked mountain passes. More importantly, wearability of the Goodyear DuraTrac RT has been superb with tread depths of 13 front and 12.5 back. While this shows an excellent tread wear rate it also shows how weight plays a role in tread wear and how important it is to regularly rotate your tires every 5,000 miles. Failure to to do can result in rear tires with excessive wear, something that we obviously didn’t quite keep up on.
How well does the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT perform off-road? Exceptionally well. We were particularly impressed with how well the tire maintained its grip on muddy trails. On one occasion near Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, the road was mired in deep mud, which caused our rig to fish tail in several locations. In spite of this, the tires and use of 4WD kept our rig centered on the road and prevented us from sliding off the road’s sloping shoulders. We also drove the rig on sandy beaches, which required us to air down. A critical aspect often overlooked in tire design is how well a tire resists cuts and chips when driving over sharp rocks—if you’ve ever driven on Sedona’s Schnebly Hill road you know how important this is. In this, the new Duratrac’s three-ply sidewall and rugged Durawall shoulders performed exceptionally well.
Are there any negatives associated with the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT tire? Not really. It does exactly what a good all-terrain tire is designed to do, though some in northern latitudes won’t like that the stud option in the new DuraTracs has been eliminated entirely. Yes, the tire has a tendency to wear a little faster than other makes, yet Goodyear offset this fact by providing a Duratrac RT tire with deeper, 18/32-inch tread. Still, Goodyear hit a home run when it comes to the new and improved DuraTrac, but don’t expect the impossible with this all-terrain tire. If you’re looking for the new DuraTrac to perform just as well in mud as the 2009 Duratrac, you’ll be disappointed, though the three-ply sidewall offsets this small loss in performance with less anxiety off-road. What’s the bottom line? When it comes to the new Wrangler DuraTrac RT, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
The Verdict
We were reluctant to try the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT, but we’re glad we did. To our surprise the DuraTrac performs just as well as our old Cooper Discoverer AT3-XLTs and that’s saying a lot. The DuraTrac RT is firm and maintains control on straightaways and curves both with and without the camper. And with its rugged sidewalls, the tire not only looks great, but performs well when aired down. Over the years we’ve tried several makes and models of tires and we can honestly say that these new DuraTracs rank in the top tier. Indeed, the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT not only met our expectations, but exceeded them. Goodyear really outdid itself when it redesigned the DuraTrac. As a matter of fact, we like the Wrangler DuraTrac RTs so much, we plan on putting them on our Jeep CJ8 when its time. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, we enthusiastically give the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT a rating of 5 stars. It’s a winner.
Thank you for this excellent review, I just bought my new Wrangler DuraTrac RT for my Toyota Four Runner and feel super happy about the way they look and feel! Hugs from Costa Rica Central America