Both Toyo Open Country AT3 and the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac are All-terrain tires, that provide you with a distinctive experience in various lands. They feature a unique tread design that enhances their off road capability while keeping things smooth on road.
The Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac differs to a large extent from the other. The tire is a hybrid with bulky shoulder blocks and compact placement of blocks in the middle (hybrid tires are also sometimes called rugged terrains).
On the other hand, the Toyo Open Country AT3, provides you with less open tread design which allows this tire to have better on road orientation.
Let’s check out both of these tires.
Table of Contents
Tread Appearance
Toyo AT3
Goodyear DuraTrac
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac is undoubtedly a great off roader because of its aggressive tread design and unique outlook. Due to the tire’s aggressive design, it’s odd that’s it’s marketed as all terrain and not a hybrid like the Nitto Ridge Grappler for example.
The central area of the tire is prominently divided by wide jagged circumferential rings.
In the middle, the tire features squared off blocks which have chamfered edges, interlocking siping, offsets to their sides and reinforced foundations underneath.
The tire actually makes 3 unique blocks where they all make mirror images of each other.
The tire also features Tractive Groove Technology where a mini version of tread pattern is embedded in it’s grooves.
These provide extra biting off road.
On the other hand, on Toyo AT3, the tire provides you with S shaped blocks in the middle which are surrounded by other with notches facing on all sides.
All these blocks are also supported by foundations underneath and they make a similar full depth siping pattern like the DuraTrac.
If we move towards the shoulders of both tires, the Goodyear DuraTrac again presents more aggressive design with staggered blocks.
Both blocks are joined together with foundations underneath and they look like a semi-circle.
Other than this, all blocks here have chamfered edges, offset sides (like the blocks in the middle) with a more wavy pattern of siping.
The Toyo AT3, on the other hand, also makes staggered shoulder blocks with traction scoops, but they are not as aggressive.
All blocks on this tire, are tightly packed together with ridges/connectors in between. And they have reinforced foundations underneath and their varying length make jagged circumferential channels containing inner blocks.
Both tire’s do not provide you with any designated stone ejectors.
Watch our video to get a better understanding, of what’s going on with these tires.
Can these tires handle Mud?
Starting with off road. In Goodyear Duratrac, the mud traction is pretty insane because its design offer phenomenal tread with deeper grooves.
The wider grooves provide clear pathway for mud to escape while the smaller blocks in the middle with offset sides and chamfered edges cut down the mud.
The lodged mud in the grooves is also further broken down with the help of mini tread (Tractive groove tech).
Even when the tire is aired down deep in mud, the mud scoops of the tire, digs the tire out.
On the other side, the Toyo Open Country AT3, although, also provides you with serrated shoulders having scoops, it’s tightly packed shoulder blocks don’t allow efficient self cleaning of the mud.
Traction on Snow
On snow, both tires have an advantage of being branded with 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating, which means they provide good acceleration values.
The Goodyear DuraTrac, being a skinnier tire with less tread width provides more pressure on snow, and the lodged snow in it’s grooves is able to make better snow to snow contact.
Note: Snowflakes intermingle with each other and enhance friction/traction.
But Toyo AT3 is better at getting packed, with it’s less wider grooves, so the tire is also good enough here.
But with less wider grooves, the tire is not able to deal with heavier snow, and that’s where Goodyear DuraTrac comes in.
DuraTrac also has an upper hand with it’s higher silica compound rubber which is softer in comparison and it does not get stiffer with lower temperatures, whereas the Toyo with it’s harder compound can not bear as much temperature in comparison.
Durability & Rocks
Rocky terrains is highly reliable on the inner construction and the toughness of the tire, that’s why I added them both under a same heading.
Let me start off by saying that, on gravel, both tires, despite not having conventional stone ejectors, do great as they have cut/chip resistant rubber.
But the Toyo AT3 is not as confidence inspiring as the Duratrac as the tire is weak overall.
Both have 2 ply polyester casings, which are covered with 2 broad steel belts. But in case of Goodyear DuraTrac, the steel belts are reinforced with 2 layers of nylon, while on Toyo Open Country AT3, there is just a single layer.
And sure, the nylon coverings don’t wrap on the sidewalls, the overall structure does get a little weaker. And besides, for the sidewall protection, the Duratrac has another advantage, as its able to push sharper rocks away, which would otherwise hurt the most vulnerable part of the tire.
The bulkier lugs also help the tire during flexing sidewalls, as they provide extra traction (with more rubber to rocks contact).
And although both tires provide sufficient biting edges, the DuraTrac with it’s wider grooves provide bigger mouth which bite in to the rocky surface firmly, rendering the tire a better climber in comparison.
The tire also has a softer compound and this provides better stickiness as well.
Comfort Comparison
Comfort is 2 parts where there’s noise and then how well the tire takes on the impacts.
Now DuraTrac is good with the later, as it’s softer compound provides better cushioning to the impacts.
But the tire is very loud on road, you would hear them even with a nicely insulated cabin as well.
The Toyo Open Country AT3 on the other hand, offers you with whisper grooves technology, where the ridges between the shoulder blocks dampens the noise level.
(Though, note that the term Whisper Groove is actually used by Cooper, which is now owned by Goodyear).
Noise is actually just air pumping in and out of the grooves, and with ridges it’s flow is blocked a little, so the sound waves don’t amplify.
life of Tread Wear
These tires have a pretty strong makeup. The constituent materials, along with the tread design, make both the tires provide good mileage.
However, the tread of the Goodyear Duratrac wears off a bit earlier than Toyo AT3 tires, as the tire has a softer compound.
Both tires have a significant mileage warranty of at least 50,000 miles for Goodyear Duratrac and up to 65,000 miles for the Toyo AT3.
The durability of the Duratrac being comparatively less is because of its much more aggressive design, and thus its tread wears off earlier relatively.
Ending Note
Goodyear DuraTrac is a bit more expensive than Toyo AT3, but the tire justifies it’s price tag with it’s great off road performance.
The tire is also good on road, but it’s very noisy here.
On the other side, the Toyo AT3 is better suited for less aggressive off road terrains and provide you with a very satisfactory experience on road.
