The tires being discussed here belong to All-Terrain (A/T) family and provide confident traction in all type of conditions. The General grabber AT2 is designed to blend in according to terrain type and provide adequate performance.
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tread pattern is a little more on the aggressive side to favor off-road adventures. Both the tires come with unique features that favor different conditions. So, stick with the article to know about all of them.
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Comparing Goodyear DuraTrac with General Grabber AT2
Goodyear DuraTrac
General Grabber A/T2
Vs
The tread pattern of the General Grabber is specifically built to meet the requirements of all types of surfaces. Whether it is a smooth paved road or a rough, rocky surface this tire will not disappoint you. The innovative groove pattern comes with narrow spacing to provide maximum traction while maintaining stability on road. It comes with a five-row tread pattern in a symmetrical manner to provide satisfactory grip at high speeds and efficient performance on rough surfaces. The V-shaped grooves and twisting block edges increase the traction and sturdiness of the tire. The stone ejectors are placed between alternating shoulder blocks that prove to be quite efficient in rough and rocky areas. The tread pattern is also highly engineered to give an excellent acoustic performance and make the tire quieter.
Duratrac favors off-road conditions more than its competitor due to its wider groove pattern and innovative zig-zag design. The deep tread depth, massive lugs, and bold sidewall gives a splendid performance in severe mud or snowy conditions. The deeper cuts assist in providing tough grip in deep mud and snow. The tire comes with a center-angled tread block design that helps in providing additional stability on rough terrains. It also comes with a rim protector that helps in protecting the tires from accidental curb damage.
On-Road Traction Comparison
Since both tires are all All-Terrain tires so they give an excellent performance overall on highways but a tire having loftier footprint and more contact path will perform better on paved roads.
General grabber has more surface area in contact with the road as compared to its competitor, enabling it to provide a smoother and more comfortable ride. More contact patch increases the rolling resistance and gives better grip. The innovatively built narrow groove pattern helps in attaining maximum traction without compromising stability at high speeds.
The Duratrac has comparatively wider grooves in its tread pattern and shoulders. The higher void ratio in this tire reduces the contact patch a little bit as compared to AT2. The innovative center tread block pattern assists in stability and handling of the vehicle. The zig-zag sipes pattern helps the tire to perform efficiently on wet roads as the sipes play their role by wiping away the water from tread blocks and maintaining traction with the surface.
Both of the tires are suitable for driving on paved roads. However, AT2 performs slightly better on paved roads due to higher contact patch.
Off-Road Traction Comparison
Mud Terrains
A tire with wider grooves has an advantage in mud terrains. General Grabber comes with a balanced tread design with closely spaced grooves.
This compromises traction a little bit in mud swamps as the tire could get stuck in the deep mud, causing the tire to lose its grip. The narrower shoulder and lug design also affect the handling as mud could get stuck between them, affecting the handling of the vehicle.
Duratrac has wider grooves than AT2. This feature allows it to have a sturdy grip on muddy swamps. This tire comes with Tractive Technology being used at the bottom of grooves, which provides additional biting edges that enhance the performance of the tire while maintaining stability. The higher void ratio gives the tire advantage as it helps in the easy removal of mud and dirt through tires, allowing smooth navigation through the swamp. The aggressive shoulder and sidewall design provide lateral stability and side-impact protection while turning the vehicle.
Duratrac wins the competition when it comes to traction at muddy swamps. The narrow grooves of AT2 do not make it a perfect fit for deep mud places.
Snow Terrains
To maintain traction on soft snow, a tire with a higher void ratio will perform better again, the performance of General grabber is not so disappointing in soft snow but, having narrower grooves than its competitor, it is not that efficient in throwing the snow backwards as its competitor because the snow could fill up the densely packed grooves and decrease the traction of the vehicle.
Duratrac performs quite impressive in snowy areas. The wide groove channels give this tire an edge as they assist in scooping away the excess snow from tires and prevents the tire from skidding and getting stuck at one place. With Duratrac tires, the vehicle can navigate through the soft snow without much struggle.
Both the tires can give a satisfactory performance on snow terrains but Duratrac is more preferable as it has wider grooves that provide additional traction in snow.
Rocky Terrains
General Grabber comes with a cut and chip resistance compound that makes it tough and agile to withstand rocky surfaces. Moreover, the stone ejectors located at the shoulders prevent stone drilling and damage to the tires, its shoulders lugs assist in providing a sturdy hold on stones and rocks. The tread design and groove pattern provide adequate overall performance on rocky surfaces. The high void ratio also helps to enhance the mobility of tire while maintaining traction and stability on rocks. DuraTrac lacks stone ejectors so it does not perform well on rocks as small pebbles or rocks can get stuck in its grooves.
Which tire provides better comfort?
The tread pattern of AT2 makes it a lot more civilized on asphalt roads. Its highly-engineered acoustic tread pattern design gives passengers a smooth ride while going at high speeds.
The densely packed groove pattern produces less noise as narrow spacing between the grooves does not allow much air to get trapped inside the voids thus, increasing noise resistance and making the tire more comfortable, especially at higher speeds. AT2 has smaller incisions which makes the tire virtually inaudible and provide you with a smoother ride.
DuraTrac has a higher void ratio than the other one which makes it a little noisier on highways as wide grooves create more noise. The voids between the tread blocks of Duratrac make it less comfortable in terms of noise as more air gets entrapped inside these voids and strikes with the surface of the tread pattern which creates sound, thus compromising the comfort of the vehicle at high speeds.
AT2 has an advantage over Duratrac when it comes to noise reduction. The narrow groove pattern of AT2 helps it to provide maximum traction while producing minimal noise.
Durability and Treadwear
The advanced cut & chip resistant tread compound of AT2 makes the tire sturdier and promotes puncture resistance. It comes with twin steel belts and a two-ply polyester cord body which increases the durability of the tire. Furthermore, the innovative tread pattern design increases the lifespan of the tire and gives it an exceptional mileage of 55,000 to 60,000 smooth miles.
Duratrac does not disappoint us when it comes to durability. The aggressive shoulder design comes with the feature of self-cleaning which prevents any damage to the tire and increases dirt, snow, and mud traction. It comes with rim protector that acts as a shield to the tires and prevents them from accidental curb damage. Duratrac also has an impressive mileage of 50,000 to 55,000 miles.
Price Comparison
Duratrac is a bit costly than AT2, the features offered by both the tires are almost the same but the price of Duratrac is a bit high due to its exceptional performance in off-road conditions.
Quick Summary
- General Grabber AT2 and Duratrac, both are All-Terrain tires.
- AT2 provides more traction and stability on highways while DuraTrac is more efficient on muddy and snowy grounds.
- Both of the tires have almost the same mileage and durability
- The slightly high price of DuraTrac can be justified by its splendid performance on off-road surfaces.
