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Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac vs Sumitomo Encounter AT — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 303 + 26 owner reviews. How we score

Encounter AT leads, 71–69 Narrow edge

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Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 69

    Dry

    Encounter AT +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler DuraTracEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7075

    Wrangler DuraTrac: 60% × 68.7 (est.) + 40% × 69.5 = 69

    Encounter AT: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 75 = 73

    No road tests of dry for Wrangler DuraTrac. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 71

    Wet

    Encounter AT +4
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler DuraTracEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online7177

    Wrangler DuraTrac: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 71

    Encounter AT: 60% × 74.3 (est.) + 40% × 77.2 = 75

    No road tests of wet for Wrangler DuraTrac. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Snow

    Wrangler DuraTrac +6
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler DuraTracEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7666

    Wrangler DuraTrac: 60% × 72.6 (est.) + 40% × 75.6 = 74

    Encounter AT: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 66.2 = 68

    No road tests of snow for Wrangler DuraTrac. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

    No road tests of snow for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 64

    Comfort

    Encounter AT +3
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler DuraTracEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6166

    Wrangler DuraTrac: 40% × 67.7 (est.) + 60% × 61.2 = 64

    Encounter AT: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66.4 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 61

    Noise

    Encounter AT +6
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler DuraTracEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5368

    Wrangler DuraTrac: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.5 = 61

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 68.2 = 67

    No road tests of noise for Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Wrangler DuraTrac +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler DuraTracEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7366

    Wrangler DuraTrac: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 70

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66 (est.) + 40% × 65.8 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for Wrangler DuraTrac. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 73

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler DuraTracEncounter AT
    Reviews found online73–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear Wrangler DuraTracSumitomo Encounter AT
Relative Score 69 71
Dry 69 73
Wet 71 75
Snow 74 68
Comfort 64 67
Noise 61 67
Treadwear 70 66
Handling (owners) 73 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Wrangler DuraTrac

± 8

Encounter AT

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Wrangler DuraTrac

Pros

  • Exceptional traction in deep snow, slush, mud, and loose dirt
  • Surprising on-road quietness and comfort for an aggressive all-terrain design
  • Strong gravel and off-road performance with good self-cleaning capabilities

Cons

  • Increased road noise and drone as the tires wear down
  • Uneven tread wear and cupping if regular rotations are neglected
  • Reduced traction on wet pavement or light ice, particularly as the rubber ages
All owner themes in the Wrangler DuraTrac review

Tire B Encounter AT

Pros

  • Smooth and exceptionally quiet on-road ride
  • Great value and attractive price point
  • Aggressive, appealing sidewall and tread design

Cons

  • Polarizing winter and snow performance despite the 3PMSF rating
  • Inadequate mud-clearing ability in heavy or sloppy conditions
  • Occasional balancing difficulties reported by some users
All owner themes in the Encounter AT review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
CategoryMud-Terrain tireAll-Terrain tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available1515
Rim diameters16″ – 20″16″ – 20″
Tread depth14 - 18/32″13/32″
UTQG320 - 500 A - B B660 A B
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi60,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Serrated Black LetteringBlackwall
Max pressure35 - 80 psi51 psi
Sizes in common33

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Narrow edge: Sumitomo Encounter AT — better noise, dry and wet. Pick the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac if snow and treadwear matter most to you.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac scores 74 vs 68 on snow.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 67 vs 61 on noise.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac scores 70 vs 66 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 73 vs 69 on dry.

Tire A · Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac
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Tire B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
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Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT?

Which is better in the wet, Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 75 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 73 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT?

Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac, 74 vs 68 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 67 vs 61 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 67 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Wrangler DuraTrac or Encounter AT?

Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac, 70 vs 66 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology