E series tires - Page 4

DUKCSUN · 10-19-2009, 06:15 PM

Here is my next intermediate review of the E-Rated, 315/75/16 Wrangler DuraTracs. Took the 500+/- trip up to the sierras this weekend (again) and I'm still pretty impressed with them. There is NO DOUBT that they handle better on the road than the 315 BFG AT (D's).

There just isn't that squishy, mushy easily blown around by the wind feeling. Its hard to describe but I can tell you its real and frankly is a much more relaxing experience on the road.

Surprisingly, they seemed softer on the washboard, fully inflated, than the BFG AT's. I decided to not just air down right off the bat and wanted to see how they were and truthfully, they weren't bad at all. The traction was great. Now, its not like I went 100 miles on washboard, for that I would air down but running around the Owens Valley up and down the river I didn't bother. Which was nice since we could get back on the highway and go into town and not have to worry about tire heat up.

This is with the tire at full cold air pressure (65lbs)

I did find out (Jeffery) that the DuraTracs are 3 ply polyester sidewall. I still haven't found out exactly what the adv/dis of the construction is but I don't do the same things you do on a regular basis.

So far I would say that I'm pretty happy if for nothing else the load range has much more margin for error. I am trying to find a local scale that I can get actual weights for my van and dial in the going forward pressure as I would prefer not to run at max. but wanted to see how it handled with it.

Hope that helps someone....

Jeffrey · 10-19-2009, 08:19 PM

Great report, Bryan. I just heard back from a Goodyear Rep who confirmed what you were told, three ply sidewalls. That's the same as the BFG AT's, so I won't be going into a worse situation if I go with them. Next week I'm going to check them out at the tire shop.

cellularSTEVE · 10-21-2009, 01:13 AM

Bryanlaws,
A few questions:

1. Do you have the V10 or Diesel and is it 4x4?
2. Do you know what your gears are (i.e. 4.10s)?
3. Using 315-75-16 do you notice any loss of power over the 285-75-16 that presumably came with your van?
4. How is the noise of the new tires?
Thanks.

I have a V10 4x4 with 4.10 gears and 285-75-16 tires. I am mainly concerned about losing power by going up to the 315s. Any thoughts anyone?
steve

TwinStick · 10-21-2009, 09:56 AM

315's are supposed to be 35" tires- right ? That being said, the VAST majority of 35" tires are NOT 35" tall. It has been my experience that the 285's are a lot closer to 33" than any other stated size. So you won't find much of a difference between them- 2" at most. Anytime you go up in size without re-gearing , you will lose power, but honestly, unless you are towing a bit of extra weight, you probably won't feel much difference. I think weight has just as big an impact as a little extra height. We have BFG All-Terrain 285/70/17 stock on our Wagon. I also have Cooper STT 285/70/17 on seperate rims for winter/mud. Even though both are the same height (within 1") I can notice a difference with the Coopers. They are heavier, I'm guessing about 20lbs. When I rotate them I can really notice the difference while lifting them. I love the Coopers & hate the BFG. I will take the extra weight & 2mpg less of the Coopers anyday. The BFG are nothing but stone throwers. In one month our new truck looked as if it had been sandblasted on the lower quarters. That was the reason I put DuraBak on them. But this is just my oppinion.

DUKCSUN · 10-21-2009, 09:24 PM

CellSteve,

I actually took delivery of my van with 315's so I can't compare to the 285's like a lot of people run on their vans. The main reason I went with 315's (if memory serves, I'm on 4.10 gears) was that at highway speeds I run at a fairly low RPM which I am anectdotally convinced improves my mileage. I don't tow anything but I have never been want for power in the van and appreciate the bigger tires.

My van is the 6.0 diesel SMB 4x4. Still with the stock Old Man Emu shocks and springs (at least until I can afford Deavers)

On the noise front, Mary and I both noticed at one point that we heard the tires a little. It may be that we were sensitive to it and that's why we noticed but I can confirm that (especially with a diesel) the road noise is inconsequential. Nothing like a M/T tire or anything. And remember, that was literally straight out of the tire shop and my experience tells me that almost any tire is a little loud when first put on until the tread corners get rounded a little. I suspect that it will go away even though I could barely detect a hum and only on certain surfaces.

Hope that helps. Its not like I've done tons of miles on them but at least my early feedback is positive. With duck season starting next weekend I will undoubtedly be spending some quality mud-time in the van and will have a good idea of true traction then.

Gulliver · 10-23-2009, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwinStick

315's are supposed to be 35" tires- right ? That being said, the VAST majority of 35" tires are NOT 35" tall. It has been my experience that the 285's are a lot closer to 33" than any other stated size. So you won't find much of a difference between them- 2" at most. Anytime you go up in size without re-gearing , you will lose power, but honestly, unless you are towing a bit of extra weight, you probably won't feel much difference. I think weight has just as big an impact as a little extra height. We have BFG All-Terrain 285/70/17 stock on our Wagon. I also have Cooper STT 285/70/17 on seperate rims for winter/mud. Even though both are the same height (within 1") I can notice a difference with the Coopers. They are heavier, I'm guessing about 20lbs. When I rotate them I can really notice the difference while lifting them. I love the Coopers & hate the BFG. I will take the extra weight & 2mpg less of the Coopers anyday. The BFG are nothing but stone throwers. In one month our new truck looked as if it had been sandblasted on the lower quarters. That was the reason I put DuraBak on them. But this is just my oppinion.

I'm curious to know how the STT's perform on wet pavement, compared to the BFG's, or anything else you've run?

With the extra weight of the Cooper's, have they been difficult to balance? Any vibration issues at speed on the highway?

PatO · 10-23-2009, 11:56 PM

A few more comments on my BFG 285 16 E KM2 mud terrain experience now that I have about 1000 miles on them. I did San Diego to Black Canyon (I-15 to Las Vegas and over Hoover Dam) with 2 kayaks on top, 3 passengers and camping gear. I aired them up to about 72# cold all around. I have no noise issues at all with these tires at any speed. A bit more than the AT but not excessive. I did feel that I had to constantly correct the track. I-15 is fast and with the cross wind catching the kayaks and van I really had to concentrate on steering. I did have one emergency manuever at 70 mph when someone started pulling into my lane. I ended up fully half on a wide shoulder and maintained full control. I think that would have popped my worn out 295 D's. Upon return I dropped the pressure down to 62#'s and the tracking has improved immensely based on around town freeway driving. I think I might let a few more #'s out, especially in the back. My van is lighter than most. Maybe 8200#'s empty, no built ins; just a bench, 2 captain chairs and storage. I'm looking forward to some off road with these soon. All in all very happy with them and tuning the pressure seems to be the key.
Pat O

TwinStick · 11-01-2009, 10:14 PM

I personally have had no bad experiences at all with the STT's. Any tire with more sipes (BFG AT/KO have a lot more sipes than the STT's) will do better on wet or icy surfaces."Blizzak" type tires are unbelievable on wet,snow, & ice. Butttt, those tires with lots of sipes also have a MUCH softer rubber compound & wear out FAST. I think the Cooper STT's are excellent. I have used them in snow, slush, rain, mud. I also own a set of BFG AT/KO on stock rims (summer tires). I would take the Coopers ANY DAY in ANY conditions over the BFG. I have not rock crawled-yet, so I can't comment on that, but I would imagine they won't let me down there either. They have a 3 ply sidewall w/rim/bead protector lip. No balance problems-yet. No vibrations-yet. It is quite easy to rip some weights off while churning through the mud & slop & logs. Check them often.