Goodyear Wrangler Authority, The Ranger's Review

MtnFisher · Feb 22, 2019

Still available:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Goodyear-Wrangler-Authority-Tire-LT265-70R17E/11983164

steelhd · Feb 23, 2019

At Walmart the LT265/75R16C is out of stock but it looks like they may still have some LT265/75R16E. It also looks like when the Authoritys were discontinued other Goodyear tire sellers bought and sold excess stock so somebody somewhere may have the tire you want laying around. Search by size using a search engine instead of at Wal-Mart.

HB Taco · Feb 24, 2019

Anyone have a LT265/75R16C in decent shape (at least half tread) for sale? One of mine got punctured on the shoulder. I have it plugged but not too confident with it for long trips. In fact I might buy 2 if you have them?

MtnFisher · Feb 28, 2019

steelhd said: ↑

At Walmart the LT265/75R16C is out of stock but it looks like they may still have some LT265/75R16E. It also looks like when the Authoritys were discontinued other Goodyear tire sellers bought and sold excess stock so somebody somewhere may have the tire you want laying around. Search by size using a search engine instead of at Wal-Mart.
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Do you have any proof or a link the Goodyear Wrangler Authority tires were discontinued? Or is just certain sizes discontinued?

I called Goodyear's warranty department and the rep stated the Authority tire was still being built, she had not seen or heard of any bulletin that stated this tire was being discontinued. She also confirmed the Authority was the same tire as the Duratrac but sold by Walmart.

Not sure where you heard remaining stock was being sold?????

HB Taco · Mar 6, 2019

MtnFisher said: ↑

Do you have any proof or a link the Goodyear Wrangler Authority tires were discontinued? Or is just certain sizes discontinued?

I called Goodyear's warranty department and the rep stated the Authority tire was still being built, she had not seen or heard of any bulletin that stated this tire was being discontinued. She also confirmed the Authority was the same tire as the Duratrac but sold by Walmart.

Not sure where you heard remaining stock was being sold?????

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Only a few sizes are available now, my guess that's all that's left. It is similar to the duratrac but NOT the same. Search yourself. Cant find a replacement anywhere.

steelhd · Mar 6, 2019

HB Taco said: ↑

Only a few sizes are available now, my guess that's all that's left. It is similar to the duratrac but NOT the same. Search yourself. Cant find a replacement anywhere.
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Yep, none in my size at Wakmart. Tire sellers other than Wal-Mart were listing them but they are also sold out.

Mike G · Mar 26, 2019

Just saw these in Walmart, they said they are coming back in stock. I ran a set of them(E load) on my 2010 4Runner and was really impressed with them.
They had a set of E load and a set of C load, the C load sidewall was thin and flimsy just like Duratracs, the E load sidewall was very stout.

Naumoff42 · Mar 26, 2019

Nice to see them coming back. I've been very happy with mine aside from being a little noisy on the highway

iK0NiK · May 16, 2019

Seeing these pop back up again. Our local Walmart has a set in 265/75R16 load E for $150 a tire. Multiple sets in 31-10.5-r15.

Tempting.

Rod03 · May 17, 2019

iK0NiK said: ↑

Seeing these pop back up again. Our local Walmart has a set in 265/75R16 load E for $150 a tire. Multiple sets in 31-10.5-r15.

Tempting.
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I have them now for over 2 years and 20000 miles. Tires still look good, they are a bit noisy but it doesnt bother me much. I run them on C Load, but seems like they discontinued that on went with Load E only now.

They have excellent traction on wet/snow, live on the Midwest and havent had a single issue with them.

crazyfingers · May 17, 2019

Nice Review!!!

iK0NiK · May 17, 2019

Rod03 said: ↑

I have them now for over 2 years and 20000 miles. Tires still look good, they are a bit noisy but it doesnt bother me much. I run them on C Load, but seems like they discontinued that on went with Load E only now.

They have excellent traction on wet/snow, live on the Midwest and havent had a single issue with them.
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Wonder how bad of a MPG hit the load E's would cause?

HB Taco · May 17, 2019

Rod03 said: ↑

I have them now for over 2 years and 20000 miles. Tires still look good, they are a bit noisy but it doesnt bother me much. I run them on C Load, but seems like they discontinued that on went with Load E only now.

They have excellent traction on wet/snow, live on the Midwest and havent had a single issue with them.
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Same here on C load LT265/75/16. One of mine has a plug on the shoulder. I like to replace it with one with similar mileage if possible. I asked before but if anyone swaps out their tires and has a load C for sale I'll pick it up or two possibly. I don't put too many miles on her these days so that would be sweet. Not feeling too confident when far away with that tire and the stock spare that's 8 years old now.

Rod03 · May 17, 2019

iK0NiK said: ↑

Wonder how bad of a MPG hit the load E's would cause?
Click to expand...

Not sure i have never run an E Load tire, with the ones i have there wasn't enough difference for me to notice.
I was more concern of a rough ride, since i dont have any added weight on mine.

Rod03 · May 17, 2019

HB Taco said: ↑

Same here on C load LT265/75/16. One of mine has a plug on the shoulder. I like to replace it with one with similar mileage if possible. I asked before but if anyone swaps out their tires and has a load C for sale I'll pick it up or two possibly. I don't put too many miles on her these days so that would be sweet. Not feeling too confident when far away with that tire and the stock spare that's 8 years old now.
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Exactly what i am looking for to have as spare. I feel like a dummy when i bought it was around the time they went out of the market, they were on sale and did not realize it.
Hate that i miss the opportunity to get a second set to store.

exportexp · Jul 3, 2019

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/texas-classified-sticky.209832/page-1879#post-20970073

Cross post if anyone is interested in a set 5 mounted. 4 still have the sensors in them. Located in Central Texas

Maticuno · Jul 4, 2019

Very cool to see that these tires have come back on the market. They are a great aggressive AT on a budget. That being said, I think the Falken Wildpeak AT3W outclasses them a bit in all categories, especially availability of different sizes. I'll probably be sticking with the Falkens UFN.

HB Taco · Sep 24, 2019

Gauging interest in a set of these LT265/75/16C's. I'm thinking of switching to another tire. These have about half of the tread remaining with approx 25k mi on them. One is plugged on the shoulder but has held air for about 6 months now without having to add air anymore than the others. The other 3 are perfect. Anyone interested? Especially since you cant get them anymore in load C in this size. Prefer local pick up. Still on my truck now. Spares anyone? I may keep one so 2 good ones available. I'll just scrap the plugged one.

glazer1972 · Nov 3, 2019

I did see 265/75r17E in Walmart the other day. I like the Cs but may have to get Es next time.

harbrown · Nov 4, 2019

Maticuno[OP] initial post: ↑

After a long search for the right replacement tire for the Dunlop AT20's currently on my truck, I decided to give the Goodyear Wrangler Authority tires, exclusively from Walmart, a try. There are many great user reviews about this tire. There are also a host of others with complaints, but most of those seem to stem from the user driving a heavy diesel truck with tons of torque. Other people have also said that they would never drive on a Walmart tire. Well, it's not a Walmart tire. It is made by Goodyear. It has Goodyear's name on the sidewall. A long time ago I ran the Walmart exclusive "Liberator A/T" on a Ford Ranger and they were great. I have read multiple rumors about the Wrangler Authority sharing the same basic carcass and design as the DuraTracs and the Kelly Safari TSR. While I found no hard evidence to support these claims, a visual side-by-side comparison shows many similarities.

I paid $170 a tire plus tax and California environmental fees. Installation is included. Because the 265/70R17 Load Range C tires I wanted were not in stock, I ordered them online with the free shipping option where you pick them up in store. I placed the order yesterday morning (Thursday, August 9th) with an estimated arrival time of August 18th - 28th. Imagine my surprise when I get a text message on my phone from Walmart today (Friday, August 10th) that the tires have arrived and are ready to be installed!

Because of my work schedule, I will not be able to have them installed until this coming Monday, but I thought I'd start my review right now since I am so far astounded with their shipping time. I know not to get my hopes up too high regarding the quality of the tire technicians that Walmart employs, but with lifetime balance available at any Walmart Tire and Lube Center across the country, I'm willing to take the chance. I will certainly be bringing my torque wrench along to re-adjust the lug nuts once I get the truck back.

Installation:
A quick note on Walmart's pricing. $170 each including installation means they will put the tire on the wheel. Balance and road hazard are extra. This puts the total cost up to $765 out the door without any of the extended coverage.

I must say that I am extraordinarily impressed with the level of quality at this particular Walmart Tire and Lube Center. The tech, of course, called me back to inform me that I had ordered the wrong tire size and that if we continued with the installation of these tires that I would experience rubbing. I assured him that the 265/70R17 would fit just fine, thanked him for his concern, and signed the paperwork stating that I accepted full responsibility for going away from the stock tire size. When I got the truck back, he complimented me on how great it looked. After I got home, I immediately checked the tire pressure and lug torque to find that all tires were filled to an acceptable 36psi, not pumped up to 50psi like I was expecting. I am a nut when it comes to lug torque (see what I did there?) and was surprised to find that they were not jacked up to 5.6X10^9 Newton tons as is typical from a tire place. They were all very close to the 85 ft/lbs recommended. I still backed them all off and re-torqued just because I'm crazy like that. The tech's also did a remarkable job with the balance. It is spot on with maybe the slightest hint of a shimmy at highway speeds. I think I will have a road force balance in about 500 miles or so, just to make sure.

Street:

There is definitely a noticeable howl with these tires. It's a little louder than I was expecting honestly. It's not unbearable, and a little bit of extra volume from the stereo easily drowns it out. They seem to make more noise on cement and smooth asphalt. I believe the reason for my surprise is the fact that pictures don't quite show the tread lug spacing. It is much wider and deeper than it appears. I'm 6', 180 and have moderate sized hands, so keep that in mind in the below picture where the spacing engulfs my finger:

Aside from the noise, the Wrangler Authorities handle exactly as an all-terrain should. Planted, confident, and smooth. I took a drive through California Highway 138 between Silverwood Lake and Interstate 15. If any of you are familiar with that stretch of road, you know how curvey and fun to drive it is. At no time did the tires squeal, chirp, or lose traction. The steering response isn't quite as sharp as the original Dunlop AT20's, but it is much more predictable.

Off-Road:

Going from a flimsy passenger tire to an LT, C Load tire, I was expecting a significant increase in off-road harshness. This is not the case. The Wrangler Authorities are riding just as well as the old highway tires, if not slightly better. I am still playing around with the air pressure to find the perfect balance of off and on road comfort, currently at 34 in the front and 32 in the back.

Hard packed dirt roads feel no different than the tarmac as far as stability and control. The Authorities also seem to like the soft sand as overall traction was excellent. Drifting through the corners in the soft sandy washes was enjoyable as the tires let go predictably and regained linear traction almost as soon as the curves ended. The rocky roads translated to a bit of a jarring ride, but I'm sure decreased air pressure would have eliminated that. Washboarded stretches of roads and cattle guards were traversed with an amazing smoothness that I haven't felt in any other tire.

The Goodyear Wrangler Authorities seem to have the desert wildlife stamp of approval as this little Horned Lizard was completely indifferent to my presence atop "his" mountain.

Mud and Snow:
It will likely be a long time before I can test the Wrangler Authority's performance under these conditions, but a hopeful trip to the mountains of Colorado sometime this winter will potentially change that.

Bottom Line:

So far I am very happy with my purchase. For the price, they definitely seem hard to beat. Time will tell how well they hold up. It's still too early to start recommending these to others, but my instincts say these will be great tires.

7,500 MILE UPDATE:
Just did the first tire rotation. Not even the slightest sign of wear. The road noise has neither increased nor decreased. Traction is incredible in all conditions I have tested (no mud yet). At this point I can definitely recommend the Wrangler Authority to anyone looking for an aggressive all-terrain, especially as an alternative to the BFG All-Terrain.

15,000 MILE UPDATE:
I can confidently report that these tires are absolutely amazing. They still look nearly new. Flawless traction in all terrains and road conditions I have tested. Since the last update, I have had them in heavy rain, fresh snow, and light mud. I purposely gave the truck more throttle than necessary, just to see what the breaking point was and I'm very confident that under normal driving conditions you would have no chance of slipping and sliding. I estimate at least a 40,000 - 50,000 mile life span out of these, maybe even more.

Took the family up to play in some snow.

20,000 Miles

I know this may sound silly, but I was finally able to find the time to do the tire rotation. From now on I hope to be able to do it every oil change. Even still, the Authorities look almost new, and still handle as well as I've come to expect.

40,000 Mile Update!

It seems as though the tires have stopped wearing. Usually that's a sign that you've worn down to the harder rubber and are going to experience more noise and bad traction. Not the case here. They still handle in the wet, dry, dirt, snow, and mud just like they were new. Average tread depth is currently 11/32's with very even wear when rotated every oil change. I cannot recommend these tires enough!

End of Life 56,377 Update:

The time has come to finally lay the Goodyear Wrangler Authorities to rest. Their performance, even up until the end, has been quite good. They have developed some cupping and a balance issue that can't be fixed over the last 6 months or so, and the harder rubber causes tire squeal when driving over road paint lines, such as when turning into an intersection. Even still, the grip has been commendable. I took a winter trip to Colorado and faced fresh snow, slush, and city streets completely covered in solid ice. While 4 wheel drive was necessary to control acceleration, proper throttle control and well planned breaking kept me from sliding into any ditches or trees.

I can still say, without a doubt, that the Wrangler Authority is the best all-terrain tire I've ever used. If my truck hadn't turned into my long commute daily driver (and if I had a better personal budget) I would absolutely get them again. Because of this, they will be replaced with the Cooper Discoverer A/T3 and a new tire review will be written.
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awesome write up.. need more of this kind of stuff for sure!!!

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