Goodyear Wrangler Territory vs Duratrac: Both come from the same manufacturer and are all terrain tires. Both have completely different tread design. Territory has closely placed tread blocks with narrower spaces in between them while Duratrac has open tread pattern, more like a mud tire.
Territory having lower void ratio still performs really well on soft snow, interesting reason behind its unexpected performance on snowy paths is shared in the snow section.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
| Territory | Duratrac | |
| Tire type | All-terrain | All-terrain |
| Usage | On-road, off-road, all-Season | On-road, off-road, all- Season |
Table of Contents
Tread Pattern
Goodyear Territory
Goodyear DuraTrac
The tread pattern of Goodyear Wrangler Territory is relatively compact, the tread blocks are closely placed and grooves are narrower.
The shoulder blocks are of almost similar shape but half of the blocks are smaller in size. All the shoulder lugs have a cut dividing them into two parts.
The central blocks are placed in groups of four that are divided by lateral grooves.
The shoulders have wider grooves than central area.
Long stone ejectors are placed in between shoulder lugs and numerous sipes are placed all over the tread.
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac has a comparatively open tread design.
The shoulder lugs are placed in pairs and the pair has a wide space in between. (Its shoulder blocks reminds me of Falken Wildpeak AT3w.)
Central part has blocks placed in pairs; the pair is divided by a narrow lateral groove.
The width of voids in this tire is higher than the competitor.
Sipes are engraved on all the tread blocks and this tire does not consist any stone ejectors.
Off-Road Traction Comparison
| Territory | Duratrac | |
| Mud traction | Moderate | High |
| Snow traction | Moderate | High |
| Ice traction | Moderate | Moderate |
| Rock traction | High | Low-moderate |
Mud Terrain
Mud is a soft material and needs to be evacuated with the help of wide grooves. As Duratrac has more wider grooves so it will perform really well on mud. The mud particles are grabbed by the wider and deeper grooves of Duratrac and as the wheel accelerates, they are thrown backwards, pushing the vehicle in the forward motion. Its extra open spaces in the shoulders help the tire while cornering as when the vehicle take turns in the muddy area, the mud is evacuated smoothly through the open voids and it does no hinder the performance of the vehicle.
Territory due to its lower void ratio isn’t able to beat its opponent on muddy tracks. The lower void ratio hinders its performance and lowers the traction. As sue to the narrower grooves the mud particles can get stuffed in the tread in result tire can completely lose its grip. But this tire can be used in areas with thin mud and it will perform well. But if you take it in deep mud puddles then it might get stuck at any point.
Snow Terrain
Duratrac excels again if we talk about light snow. This is due to its higher void ratio and biting edges that improve the grip of the tire. As higher void ratio means more space for the snow to be entrapped in the tread and as the tire accelerates, they can be thrown backwards. The wide shoulder spaces help while cornering in the deep snow as the snow particles will pass through the wide spaces and tire will corner smoothly without getting stuck. On ice this tire can’t beat its opponent due to lower contact patch, as the lower contact patch decreases the grip and increases the chances of slipping.
Territory cannot perform better than its opponent on light snow due to relatively narrower grooves but it still provides decent traction. This is all due to its increased biting edges that increase the grip. And the same size grooves of shoulders help to bite the surface while cornering in soft snow. This tire is much better on icy paths as the higher contact patch improves the grip and sipes and lateral and longitudinal grooves wipe away the water and make sure that tread stays in touch with the surface.
Rock Terrain
Duratrac performs quite well on rocks due to its higher void ratio that provides more biting edges and the bite surface area is increased, this helps the tire while crawling on rocky surfaces. Although it does not consist any stone ejectors but there is no need of stone ejectors as its shoulders already have wide grooves, and small pebbles or particles can’t get stuck in them. The overall performance of this tire on rocks is very good compared with the rival.
Territory has a compact design so it has lower siting power and less bite surface area which decreases its crawling ability on rocks. As its shoulder grooves are comparatively narrower so it consists of stone ejectors to emit any stones particle that are trying to get into the grooves. Its performance is good on rocks but it can’t beat Duratrac.
On Road Dry Traction
The dry grip of Territory is much higher than the opponent this is due to its bigger footprint, as it has more contact patch and thus the grip is enhanced. Its dry handling is also better due to more contact area from shoulder side that helps the tire to maintain firm grip while cornering.
Wrangler also has a good grip but it can’t beat its counterpart as it has lower contact patch and so the tire isn’t able to grip as good as Territory, especially while driving at high speed. The handling of this tire is also good due to broad tread lugs available in the shoulders. These lugs allow more contact with the surface while cornering, but still as the contact of shoulders is lesser than the opponent so it will rank second in terms of handling as well.
| Territory | Duratrac | |
| Dry on-road Grip | High | Moderate-High |
| Dry on-road handling | High | Moderate-high |
On Road Wet Traction
The wet traction of Territory is also way better than its rival. The grip is improved by higher contact patch and numerous sipes. The contact patch improves the grip while sipes help to wipe away the water from the tread with the help of interconnected grooves. The handling of this tire on wet roads is extraordinary as well due to the sipes and cut engraved on the shoulder blocks that wipes away the water efficiently and makes sure that the tread always remains in contact with the surface. The aquaplaning resistance of this tire is also good but it can’t beat its competitor because this tire has relatively narrower grooves that allow a limited volume of water to pass through them.
Duratrac again ranks on second in terms of wet traction. It has numerous sipes but due to the lesser contact patch its grip with the road is minimized. The handling of this tire on wet roads is also not matchable with Territory due to open spaces in the shoulder lugs that decrease its contact patch. But if we talk about aquaplaning resistance than we can surely say that this tire is the best among two. Due to its higher void ratio, it allows more volume of water to pass from its grooves and the tread stays in contact with the road so the chances of hydroplaning are minimized.
| Territory | Duratrac | |
| Wet on-road Grip | High | Moderate-high |
| Wet on-road handling | High | Moderate-High |
| Aquaplaning resistance | Moderate-High | High |
Comfort
The on-road comfort of Territory is much higher than the rival as it has lower void ratio. The lower void ratio means lower space for the air particles to get trapped, as the air particles move into the groves and hit the walls of the tread blocks, creating noise. That’s why territory creates less noise on highways. Duratrac creates more sound due to higher grooves width that leads to more air entrapment.
Duratrac is comfier off road due to its higher void ratio. It gives the feeling of a lesser inflated tire and provides comfortable ride by absorbing the effect of jerks. While Territory is also comfortable but not as good as Duratrac because of its higher contact patch and lower empty spaces.
Durability And Rolling Resistance
Both the tires are durable and have different warranties offered by the manufacturer. The rolling resistance depends on the contact patch, more the contact area higher will be the rolling resistance. As discussed before Duratrac has lower contact area so it has low rolling resistance while Territory has more resistance due to more tread area. The territory will require more energy to be rolled so it will consume more fuel and have lower fuel efficiency while Duratrac will provide higher fuel efficiency.
| Territory | Duratrac | |
| Rolling Resistance | Higher | Lower |
| Durability | Moderate | High |
Quick Summary
Both are all weather and all terrain tires.
Goodyear Wrangler Territory:
- Has higher contact patch.
- Provides good traction on wet and dry roads.
- Provides good traction on snow and ice.
- Produces lower noise.
- Has lower rolling resistance.
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac:
- Has higher void ratio.
- Provides higher hydroplaning resistance.
- Provides good traction on mud and snow.
- Moves confidently on rocky surface.
- Provides better off road comfort.
