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2018 Duramax Tire Thread

16K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  D.Camilleri 
#1 · (Edited)
Time for a new tire thread. What are you running? What power level? Towing or not? Traction in snow/ice? Noise? Handling? Mud? Size? And most important, tire life? Post up your favorite tires and size and your results.

There are some new tires on the market, who's running what. How are they lasting? Let's keep this thead limited to high torque diesels, because there is a huge difference in tire life.

My experience in the high torque duramaxes that tow, is that it is hard to get over 30k in usable tire life and some tires are done at 20k or less. Tire manufactures change rubber compounds often and don't tell us. What worked good last time doesn't always work good the next time. Tire wear in different parts of the country can be vastly different. In Wyoming the highway department attaches crushed rock to the surface of the highways resulting in a surface that is as abrasive as 16 grit sand paper.

My factory Michelin A/T2 have less than 10k on them and are less than 50% rubber 265/70r18

My winter tires are Goodyear Duratracs, approx 12k and still have 13/32nds of tread, they are studded and studs are like new. Tires are wearing even, but have gotten very noisy at slower speeds like 35-40 These are a 275/70r18 mounted on 18x9 Vision Manic wheels.

I am looking for something different probably in a 295/70r18. Tires on the short list are: Mastercraft CXT, Cooper STT Pro, OR ?
 
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#2 ·
I just sold my 275/70R18 Duratracs. They have been a good tire, relatively quiet, good on snow packed roads, fair in mud and fair in deep snow.

I am replacing the Duratracs with Cooper STT PRO in 295/70R18. Hopefully they fit. The wheels they will go on are vision Manic 18x9 with a +10 offset. These tires have a 4080 load capacity which will help give me a cushion with my 5th wheel hooked up and loaded. Pictures to follow, they should show up tomorrow.
 
#4 ·
Well, the offset screwed me. With the wheel at full lock, the tire contacted the back of the inner fender. Too tight! Luckily I only mounted one and tested it. Back to the 275/70R18, they fit with no issues. I switched gears and I am going to test the Mastercraft CXT. This tire is very similar to the Cooper ST Maxx with a couple of exceptions. The Maxx has a 3 ply sidewall, the CXT has two ply, both tires are pinned for studs and have similar outside lugs. The CXT has a more open center tread with more siping. This could mean better snow performance, but time will tell. I posted pictures of both of these tires in the best A/T thread and the forum won't let me post them again.
 
#5 ·
I am running the wild peak AT3's and they ride great, tow great, but am worried about the tread life. I had the rotated at just under 5k miles and the drive tires wore 4/32 while the steer tires wore 2/32. They have a 55k tread wear warranty but will lucky to get 30K out of them. I got 26K out of the stockers with 2/32 left.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for posting your experiences with the Falken Wild Peak A/T3. These high torque diesels are truly a challenge to get high mileage out of tires. The Duratracs have been pretty good and I have heard good things about the Cooper ST Maxx. I am hoping the Mastercraft CXT has the same tread life as the ST Maxx. I wanted to test the STT Pro, but listening to mud tires running down the road on long trips isn't as fun as when I was younger.
 
#7 ·
295 /75/18 Cooper st max on my 2017 on stock wheels. 15000 miles 90% towing. Still look new. I have 285-16 on my lly and they have 55,000 on them, hope to get another 10! (By the way they are st max also)
 
#9 ·
How much clearance do you have at full lock to the rear of the front inner fender with the 295's? Are you torsion bars cranked? Mine are cranked, but it isn't much taller than stock due to the heavy bumper and winch .


Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 
#8 ·
johnjr
On my 2011 I had 295/70's and they rubbed the back inside of the front wheel wells. My new '18 has 285/65's and they fit fine. Are you saying you can run 295/75/18's on your 2017, without a lift?
 
#10 ·
Well, as often can happen, the guy that wanted to buy my Duratracs backed out the night before I was supposed to meet him after I had already dismounted them. Oh well. So I have the Mastercraft CXT and also a set of Cepek Trail Country Exp sitting on the floor of my shop. The CXT is pinned for studs and the Exp is not. They appear to be a very similar casing, both being made by Cooper. The Cepek has a 45,000 mile tread wear warranty, the Mastercraft has none. I ended up re-mounting my Duratracs and I am returning the Mastercraft CXT, it is a nice looking tire, but the center tread is fairly open and I don't think it will hold up to the torque of the L5p as well as the Cepek or Cooper ST Maxx. The Cepek has a 100.00 rebate right now and it is being offered at a low introductry price, so in the spring, I will give the Cepeks a thorough review. I have already sold 3 other sets of these Cepeks to some friends, so we will see how they hold up.
 
#11 ·
I've got LT285/60R20 Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires on my 2018. They are whisper quiet and ride really nice. They do well on the ice/snow, rain and are great for towing. I tow a 40' fifth wheel and a 30' goose neck flatbed occasionally so they extra load rating (3,640lbs) is nice to have. I don't go off road much but what little I do they seem to get the job done. The only cons I have with them is they have some wide grooves in the tread and seem to throw rocks after driving on gravel roads. I prefer a more aggressive looking tire and these are not the most attractive tire out there but the nice quiet ride is worth it for me. I have a little over 30,000 miles on them and they still have a lot of tread left, here's a couple of pictures I took the other day.
 

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#17 ·
Just out of curiosity, how deep is your tire tread after 30k? They seem to be doing very well. Not sure if the outcome would be the same in WY though with the chip seal on our roads.
 
#13 ·
Time for a new tire thread. What are you running? What power level? Towing or not? Traction in snow/ice? Noise? Handling? Mud? Size? And most important, tire life? Post up your favorite tires and size and your results.

There are some new tires on the market, who's running what. How are they lasting? Let's keep this thead limited to high torque diesels, because there is a huge difference in tire life.

My experience in the high torque duramaxes that tow, is that it is hard to get over 30k in usable tire life and some tires are done at 20k or less. Tire manufactures change rubber compounds often and don't tell us. What worked good last time doesn't always work good the next time. Tire wear in different parts of the country can be vastly different. In Wyoming the highway department attaches crushed rock to the surface of the highways resulting in a surface that is as abrasive as 16 grit sand paper.

My factory Michelin A/T2 have less than 10k on them and are less than 50% rubber 265/70r18

My winter tires are Goodyear Duratracs, approx 12k and still have 13/32nds of tread, they are studded and studs are like new. Tires are wearing even, but have gotten very noisy at slower speeds like 35-40 These are a 275/70r18 mounted on 18x9 Vision Manic wheels.

I am looking for something different probably in a 295/70r18. Tires on the short list are: Mastercraft CXT, Cooper STT Pro, OR ?
Off topic but reading your sig, are you towing the Haulmark in tandem behind the 5th wheel? I know some states allow this. If so, got a pic of that setup?
 
#15 ·
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#16 ·
I was kind of bummed that the 295/70R18 hit the back of the front fenders on the 18x9 +10 offset wheels. I wanted the tires for the increased load capacity. I will just stay with the 275/70R18 with a 3640 capacity per tire for now. I sold my factory wheels and like the looks of my Vision Manic wheels.
 
#19 ·
I have no use for highway tires, they might last a while, but getting stuck on wet grass pushes my buttons. I have a hard time not running full on mud tires, but my better half doesn't like the wine when towing our 5th wheel.
 
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#27 ·
So I just sold the set of Cepek Trail Country EXP that I had sitting on the shop floorl and decided to try a set of Cooper STT PRO and this time in a 285/65R18, they are about 1/4 inch shorter than the 275/70R18, but a bit wider. I am hoping the wider tire will absorb some of the torque and last a little longer. Right now my Goodyear Duratracs are still doing ok, but I can measure tread wear every time I tow my 5th wheel. I have to tow my 5er about 3000 miles in a couple of weeks, so I am thinking the duratracs will be starting to look a little thin by then and they are getting increasingly noisy too. I wanted to try the Cepeks, but after watching some guys play in the snow with the STT PROS, these tires really have great traction. I still wish I could have run the 295/70R18, but I really can't lift this truck and be able to haul my 5er level. I found a special on the 285's that made them a little cheaper than the 275's, so I figured what the heck, lets see how they look.
 
#29 ·
I run the Cooper Stt pro's on my 06. 285/17's. 17x9 Method wheels. Tires are a little noisy but they look awesome. I went to these because the nitro AT's would tear belts in the center of the tire and leave me hanging when towing heavy loads.
 

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#30 ·
I just threw on some new shoes: Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT 285-75R18...



While I was at it I also installed an RC 2" leveling kit and Fox Performance 2.0 shocks.
 
#31 ·
Time to update this thread. I am a tire fanatic and have been that way my adult life. I like to try new tires and I will give praise or thumbs down pretty quickly.

So, I bought the Cooper STT Pro in 285/75R18 and mounted them on my Vision Manic wheels. They look very good and perform off road excellent. They are my hunting tires. In deep mud or slick mud, heavy application of the throttle and away you go. They seem to handle snow packed roads well. The tires are wearing well. Now for the bad, they are noisy, and I knew my wife would not approve for road trips towing our 5th wheel. She barely tolerates them for short trips. I have no regrets for a hunting/off road tire though. The vision wheels are good looking, but the biggest PIA I have ever experience for mounting and dismounting a tire on. The way the recess of the wheel is designed, makes the process a challenge. My wheels have some serious battle scars from being mounted and dismounted three times with my rim clamp tire machine.

To handle the noise issue, I bought a set of summer tires and wheels. I went with Dick Cepek Trail Country EXP in 285/75R18, mounted on Ultra Wheels and these have been a great combo tire. They are a hybrid mud terrain / all terrain and although they are not silent, they are relatively quiet. They have about 8,000 miles with a lot of towing and they are wearing very well. I highly recommend this tire to someone who needs a little more traction than the average all terrain tire.

I just purchased a set of tires as a gift for my daughter at my wife's insistence for winter driving safety. My daughter has a set of Goodyear Duratracs on her 2003 Duramax CCSB and while they have been a good tire, I will save them for her for next summer. I will replace them with General ATX All terrain tires and I will stud them this week. This tire is a mountain snowflake rated tire and with studs, they should handle icy roads very well. I will update this thread with how well these tires perform in the Rocky Mountain winter conditions.
 
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