Toyo Open Country CT vs Goodyear DuraTrac

Toyo Open Country CT vs Goodyear DuraTrac: Both the tires can be used in all seasons. Even though both are all terrain but Duratrac has the tread pattern more like a mud tire. That’s why it performs well off the road and its competitor does not disappoint on highways.

While testing these tires we found many interesting things about them.

CT of the Toyo Open Country AT Family, with narrower grooves performed really well on pebbles while Duratrac without any ejectors, performs good on mud and soft snow.

Let’s discuss all the facts that we found while driving with both these giants.

Side By Side Comparison

Following are the specs of both tires we compared here.

	Goodyear Duratrac	Toyo CT
Mountain snowflake ratings (3PMSF)	Yes	Yes
Tested size	LT215/85R16	LT215/85R16
Tread depth	18	17
Section width	8.6’’	8.5’’
Speed/load rating	115/112Q E	115/112Q

Tread Pattern Differences

Duratrac has an open tread pattern.

Its tread pattern is aggressive consisting big tread blocks surrounded by wide grooves.

The shoulder lugs are placed in pairs and the pair has empty space in between.

All the pairs are separated by massive grooves.

Central part has somehow closely placed blocks compared with shoulders.

The tread blocks here, are also placed in pairs separated by small grooves.

Longitudinal and lateral grooves are well connected for the better channeling of debris.

All blocks have deep sipes placed on them and this tire does not have any type of stone ejectors.

FYI: Its shoulder blocks reminds me of Falken Wildpeak AT3w.

Open Country CT has a closed tread design to increase contact patch and make this tire work well on road.

It has much broad shoulder lugs, having a cut on them.

The middle part has blocks placed in a row, in pairs.

Grooves of this tire are also connected with each other but they are much narrow compared with the other tire.

Central tread blocks have a deep and broad sipe engraved on them.

Shoulder lugs also have smaller sipes placed on them.

Long stone ejectors are placed between shoulder lugs while small triangular shaped emitters are placed on the corners of central tread blocks.

On Road Traction

The dry traction of CT is unmatchable. This tire provides a very good dry grip due to its closed tread pattern that increases the contact patch with the surface. Shoulder lugs are also broad and provide a lot of contact patch so the vehicle remains stable while cornering, even at high speed. This tire also has a good wet grip due to the presence of high contact patch and several sipes that help to wipe the water away from tread. Wet handling is also very good due to high contact patch from shoulders and the presence of sipes on shoulder lugs. The only thing under this section in which this tire lacks behind its counterpart is aquaplaning resistance. Although it can resist hydroplaning due to its lateral and longitudinal grooves but they aren’t as wide and deep as duratrac so its performance is lower than the opponent tire.

DuraTrac has open tread design and that’s why, it’s tread contact patch is lower than its counterpart and this thing makes this tire’s dry traction lower comparatively. As less contact patch results in lesser grip, moreover the shoulder lugs also have wide grooves in between them so the contact area from shoulders is also reduced resulting in bad handling on dry roads. On wet roads, it again lacks grip due to lower contact patch, though it has sipes and deep grooves but due to less contact patch it is behind its opponent. The hydroplaning resistance of this tire is very high, due to higher void ratio. As water has plenty of space to pass through without hindering the grip of the tire with the road.

Comparison of Off-Road Traction

Mud Terrain

Duratrac is an all-terrain tire but its structure is more like a mud tire. The wide grooves of this tire specially the grooves of the shoulders provide a lot of space for the mud evacuation. The more the empty space the more mud will be passed through, allowing the tire to move forward smoothly. The wide grooves throw the mud particles backwards and the tire moves in a smooth motion without getting stuck.

CT, on the other hand, does not perform well on muddy tracks, especially in the deep mud. This is because it has lower void ratio and very less space for the evacuation of mud. Its tread depth is also lower than its counterpart. While cornering in muddy tracks it will get stuck as its shoulder blocks are placed too close and very few spaces are available in between them for the evacuation of mud. This hinders this tire’s performance on mud and puts it behind Duratrac.

Snow Terrain

Duratrac again wins if we talk about soft snow, all thanks to its higher tread depth and void ratio that make this possible. The soft snow is grabbed by the grooves and as the tire rotates it is thrown backwards, clearing the path of the tire and pushing it forward. So more the empty spaces more soft snow will be thrown. On icy roads this tire is not able to grip as it has smaller footprint compared with its counterpart. To travel smoothly on ice, higher contact patch and deep sipes are required and this tire lacks both so it wont grip well on ice.

CT again loses in soft snow due to its lower void ratio, although it performs well compared to many other tires but competing with duratrac, it can’t win. As it has much lower void ratio than the opponent tire. And the ability of biting and throwing snow particles is limited, it is recommended not to take this tire in deep snow. On ice it grips really well due to its higher contact patch with the addition of numerous sipes. Sipes wipe away the water and improve the grip. Its handling on ice is also really well due to higher contact patch from shoulders and deep sipes engraved on shoulder lugs.

Rock Terrain

Rock climbing ability of Duratrac is also really good due to its higher void ratio that provides more biting edges. But as Duratrac does not consist any stone emitters so it does not have ability to emit stones. But as its grooves are extremely wide so small pebbles/rocks can’t get stuck in them. Its rock traction is good but while moving on pebbles it might face problem of grooves clogging.

CT, on the flip side has lower void ratio so fewer biting edges and less grip on rocks but it consists numerous stone ejectors, spread all over its tread. These ejectors emit any stones from getting into the grooves. This feature makes this tire’s performance extraordinary on pebbles. Talking about rocks, due to lower void ratio it can lose grip at several places.

Comfort

The on-road comfort of CT is really good, as it has lower void ratio so less air particles get stuck into the grooves, causing noise. Its counterpart makes a lot of noise due to higher void ratio. More air particles get in its grooves and collide with the tread block walls making loud noise. In terms of on road comfort CT ranks way higher than Duratrac.

Duratrac is comfier of the road due to its higher void ratio and tread depth. Due to both these factors, it feels like a lesser inflated tire and creates a bouncy affect, absorbing the jerks. It provides much smooth ride on harsh terrains. While on the other side, CT due to lower void ratio and lower tread depth feels rigid and isn’t able to absorb much jerks comparatively.

Durability And Treadwear

Both the products are durable and in fact CT is one of the most durable tires of Toyo. CT has a higher contact patch so it has more tread wear and rolling resistance. CT has lower tread depth than its rival so its tread will wear out earlier as it will take less time to level with the grooves. Duratrac has higher tread depth and lower contact patch so it has lower treadwear comparatively. CT comes with 5 years warranty while Duratrac offers 50,000 miles tread wear warranty.

	Duratrac	Toyo CT
Durability	High	High
Treadwear mileage warranty	50,000 Miles	60 Months

Quick Summary

Both are all terrain tires.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac…

• Has higher void ratio.
• Provides good traction on mud and light snow.
• Is very good at resisting hydroplaning.
• Is a good rock climber.
• Is comfortable off the road.
• Offers 50,000 miles warranty.

Open Country CT…

• Has higher contact patch.
• Provides good on road dry and wet traction.
• Performs well on icy paths.
• Provides comfier and quitter rides on road.