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It's not at all a "certification / red tape thing". XL tires are built differently than SL tires, reinforced with extra layers of material / thicker carcass and generally stiffer, especially around the shoulders, to better withstand extra loads, bumps on the road, curb strikes, rock incursions... They may look similar on the outside and the numbers on the sidewalls may sound deceivingly similar as well (xxxx lbs at 50 PSI max simply means the tire is guaranteed not to blow up until you reach 50 PSI, not that it should run anywhere near that pressure.) but SL and XL tires are quite different in the way they're built, in the recommended inflation rate that's directly related to their strength, and in the additional stiffness that can also greatly affect ride quality and speed rating between otherwise identical - or nearly identical - sizes, such as the above examples.
Bottom line is, do NOT second guess the engineers that built your car and run a SL/ standard load tire if it requires XL or greater, it could spell trouble on-road and especially off, besides possibly invaldating your factory warranty / insurance if the dealer / adjustor can somehow blame the unsuitable tires for a breakdown, blowout or accident.
Here are a couple of good articles that explain the difference between SL and XL tires, in plain English.
Tires aren't built like that anymore, stronger tires don't necessarily have more plys to keep them strong, XL is a very old rating certification. The information on that page specifically says that SL tires can't carry as much weight, and have a lower Max PSI rating. I was pointing out that the 275's have the same load rating and the same max PSI, and therefore as just as capable. There isn't any other toughness advantage from being branded XL that i can see.
I just switched out the stock tires that came with my 2020 Defender SE for the Wrangler Duratrac and really like them. Aside from looking much better/more aggressive they give me much more confidence when going off road. As far as road noise, all I can say is that the original tires didn’t really make any noise and these do. It’s not annoying, it’s not overly loud, but it’s there. I’ve owned Wranglers with similar tires and the Defender is much quieter. If you’re doing mild off roading or simply want the ability to do so I think these are worth the $$. Hope that helps!
What size wheels are you running? Do you know if your new tires are severe snow rated -- it seems most, but not all, Duratrac tires are... but what I'm seeing on tirerack suggests to me that the 19s that fit the Defender are not. Must say... incredibly annoyed how few tire options there are for this particular size wheel. Highly likely I'll switch out the wheels unless selection improves over the course of the year.
Duratracs are great tires and a significant improvement over the Wranglers. I have already blown 2 Wranglers in less than 2k miles. One side wall puncture on the trail and one ran over some metal in the road and couldn't be repaired. I do not recommend them for any serious offroading. I am getting General Grabbers X3s installed today 265/70r18. They are much more aggressive and a mud terrain tire, but I bought my new defender for overlanding and offroading.
I just switched out the stock tires that came with my 2020 Defender SE for the Wrangler Duratrac and really like them. Aside from looking much better/more aggressive they give me much more confidence when going off road. As far as road noise, all I can say is that the original tires didn’t really make any noise and these do. It’s not annoying, it’s not overly loud, but it’s there. I’ve owned Wranglers with similar tires and the Defender is much quieter. If you’re doing mild off roading or simply want the ability to do so I think these are worth the $$. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. As you get more miles on the Duratracs an update would be helpful. I’m looking to make a change in the next few weeks.
I just got a set of Duratrac’s for my 2021 Defender 255/60/20 and I’m not getting on with them at all.
They look great, and the increased road noise isn’t too bad (noticeable but it’s quite a quiet hum).
However the good news ends there.
Perhaps I got a faulty batch, or one or more faulty tyres but there is a noticeable vibration in the steering wheel at 50-60mph. The wheels were professionally fitted and balanced and they’ve been back to the shop for a rebalance twice, but the shake remains.
It’s not a violent shake, more of a rapid vibration. The kind of thing that would make your hands go numb on a longer trip. Goodyear describe the tyre as ‘quiet and stable on road’. This is not my experience.
Has anyone else has this issue with the Duratrac?
The other issue is mpg. I was ready to take a bit of a hit in mpg but I’m seeing a 40-50% reduction in mpg compared with the factory fit road tyres 😲
I have no feedback as I came here following the info thread. Wondered why you had no answers and I see you just posted today. We'll have to see if posting to a 1 yr old thread is not a good idea (start new thread). I'm on some other boards where they suggest not adding to >6 month old threads.
Did you use a big national outfit for your tire change? Have you gone back to them to have them check the seating/balancing? What kind of return policy?
Duratrac v. Nitto no snow/mud - rocks/gravel - which is generally thicker/durable?
Hi everybody,
I have the 2021 Defender 110 P400 with 20 inch sexy wheels and the Good Year Wrangler All Terrain Adventure (255/60R20). I've taken it to some high clearance roads in Death Valley and have been criticized about many things, one of them being the "urban tires I'm using."
1. The Duratrac was going to be my upgrade choice (then Seahawk posted about vibration in the post above)
2. No snow for me THANK YOU FOR M+S LESSON!
3. Question - I think the Nittos are neato looking. They may void my warranty though - am I hearing that?
4. Question - Any tire can go flat, you cannot avoid every hazard. But if my speed is slow on a rock crawl and the path/approach I take while going over rock is watching out for sharp encounters Duratrac are more resistant to damage than my Wrangler All Terrain and Nitto may be even more resistant than Duratrac?
5. Question - With a 20 inch wheel would you even try to air down? Am I risking wheel damage more airing down or more with a stiffer tire that can slide off a rock and scrape the wheel (a slip I cannot control)?
FWIW my personal experience: I had Duratracs and then BFG KO2s on my last two SUVs. I found the Duratracs to be very slightly better on road (less noise, felt like better handling but maybe just my imagination) and the the BFGs very slightly better on trail (they seemed tougher, less worry about rocks and punctures). It was only trail driving, not full on rock crawling or anything. BFGs also wore less in the same amount of time, for me at least.
02-12-2021 | 02:15 PM
