Duratrax Deep Woods 2.2" Crawler Tire

Standing tall at 5.9”, the Duratrax Deep Woods 2.2 crawler tire is a good looking and well-crafted product from the Duratrax line of RC tires. Found at many hobby shops, the Deep Woods is a popular choice for many RC crawler enthusiasts.
One of the first things you will notice when shopping for tires is the low price point of the Duratrax offerings. On average, the Deep Woods tires run about $23.00 per pair whereas a premium brand like Proline Racing retails their Hyrax crawling tire for $35.00 per pair.
With a 30% lower price than other brands, Duratrax Deep Woods tires are understandably quite attractive to the budget-minded and novice RC crawler.
With such a price difference between the Duratrax line and other similar products, some will question the overall quality and performance of this brand. Can they still be a good tire while costing so much less? To answer this and other questions, we will dive deep in this review, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the Deep Woods tire, as well as reviewing their performance on a variety of rock surfaces.
One of the first things you will notice when shopping for tires is the low price point of the Duratrax offerings. On average, the Deep Woods tires run about $23.00 per pair whereas a premium brand like Proline Racing retails their Hyrax crawling tire for $35.00 per pair.
With a 30% lower price than other brands, Duratrax Deep Woods tires are understandably quite attractive to the budget-minded and novice RC crawler.
With such a price difference between the Duratrax line and other similar products, some will question the overall quality and performance of this brand. Can they still be a good tire while costing so much less? To answer this and other questions, we will dive deep in this review, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the Deep Woods tire, as well as reviewing their performance on a variety of rock surfaces.

The Duratrax Deep Woods are offered in two configurations: one as a pair of tires with foams and the second option as a pair of tires with foams mounted on set of plastic wheels.
For this test I went with the basic tires and factory foams to start, opting to use a set of aluminum beadlock wheels for the testing process.
As part of the Horizon Hobbies family of products, Duratrax has always represented a good price point for a fair quality tire. I have used the Duratrax products on my 1/8 desert buggies and short course trucks with excellent results, but this is the first crawler tire I have tested from their product line.
With that in mind, I was curious as to how these would perform on the 2.2 Wraith.
For this test I went with the basic tires and factory foams to start, opting to use a set of aluminum beadlock wheels for the testing process.
As part of the Horizon Hobbies family of products, Duratrax has always represented a good price point for a fair quality tire. I have used the Duratrax products on my 1/8 desert buggies and short course trucks with excellent results, but this is the first crawler tire I have tested from their product line.
With that in mind, I was curious as to how these would perform on the 2.2 Wraith.

Testing Setup
With the Wraith patiently waiting on the rack, I pulled the factory foams from the Deep Woods tires and touched them up with a heat gun, removing a few of the dents and lumps resulting from being carelessly stuffed into the tires. Letting the foams sit to the side to cool off, I turned my attention to the tires.
Inspecting the tires, I found these to be in pretty good shape and free from defects. There was the usual light white dusting of the mold release agent on the outside of the tires, and a bit of rubber flashing running down the middle of the tread where the mold seam is located. I looked over each tire and I could not find a defect of any kind.
Featuring a tall, symmetrical, and directional lug pattern, the Deep Woods incorporate many scale details of a full-sized off-road tire. Rock ejector ribs run between the large outer lugs, while the inner lugs are spaced closer together without rock ejectors. Running halfway down the sidewall are tapering lugs in a spaced pattern, with a staggered open and closed tread pattern.
Looking close at the top row of lugs running along the top outside edge of the tire, you will notice a slight radius which creates a scooping-effect when rolling forward, adding a bit more bite for traction. This shape helps hold onto the smaller rock points while flushing wet or sandy material away and out from the center of the tread pattern.
With the Wraith patiently waiting on the rack, I pulled the factory foams from the Deep Woods tires and touched them up with a heat gun, removing a few of the dents and lumps resulting from being carelessly stuffed into the tires. Letting the foams sit to the side to cool off, I turned my attention to the tires.
Inspecting the tires, I found these to be in pretty good shape and free from defects. There was the usual light white dusting of the mold release agent on the outside of the tires, and a bit of rubber flashing running down the middle of the tread where the mold seam is located. I looked over each tire and I could not find a defect of any kind.
Featuring a tall, symmetrical, and directional lug pattern, the Deep Woods incorporate many scale details of a full-sized off-road tire. Rock ejector ribs run between the large outer lugs, while the inner lugs are spaced closer together without rock ejectors. Running halfway down the sidewall are tapering lugs in a spaced pattern, with a staggered open and closed tread pattern.
Looking close at the top row of lugs running along the top outside edge of the tire, you will notice a slight radius which creates a scooping-effect when rolling forward, adding a bit more bite for traction. This shape helps hold onto the smaller rock points while flushing wet or sandy material away and out from the center of the tread pattern.

Looking inside the tire, you will find that the interior is completely smooth and without any engineered ribs or structural support. This omission is a common element in budget-friendly tires, greatly reducing the mold cost and complexity to manufacture, but in turn tends to hinder the overall performance of the tire.
The tire carcass itself is thin and quite soft, allowing the cleats to bend and fold with relative ease. Standing the tire up, the weight of the tire alone is enough to slightly bulge the sidewalls, giving good indication that foam selection will be critical to get the most out of these tires. This is a soft and floppy tire with virtually no reinforcement, and while not a red flag, it is a bit concerning.
Moving on to the tire bead, this area is well formed and should mount without much fuss for most beadlock wheels. The beads are firmer than other budged friendly tires, but not quite as firm or defined as premium tires.
Another unusual aspect to the Deep Woods is the rounded crown at the top of the tire. Most crawler tires favor a flat, squared off crown in order to apply the largest contact surface area to the rock as possible. I point this out because crawler foams for the most part also follow this squared-off shape at the top, so getting the optimal fit of foam to tire will be tricky. With some foams, you may need to slightly trim the outside edge to prevent lumps.
My plan was to run the OEM foams to get a first impression of the tire, and then make any necessary adjustments or replacement of the foam later on.
Following my standard approach with crawler tires, I placed three venting holes ( 3mm diameter) in each tire evenly spaced around the circumference. The aluminum beadlock wheels also have small venting slots located around the inner seam where the two wheel-halves meet in the middle. From there I mounted up the tires with the factory foams and headed back out to Badrock Ridge for a first look to see what these Deep Woods could do.
The tire carcass itself is thin and quite soft, allowing the cleats to bend and fold with relative ease. Standing the tire up, the weight of the tire alone is enough to slightly bulge the sidewalls, giving good indication that foam selection will be critical to get the most out of these tires. This is a soft and floppy tire with virtually no reinforcement, and while not a red flag, it is a bit concerning.
Moving on to the tire bead, this area is well formed and should mount without much fuss for most beadlock wheels. The beads are firmer than other budged friendly tires, but not quite as firm or defined as premium tires.
Another unusual aspect to the Deep Woods is the rounded crown at the top of the tire. Most crawler tires favor a flat, squared off crown in order to apply the largest contact surface area to the rock as possible. I point this out because crawler foams for the most part also follow this squared-off shape at the top, so getting the optimal fit of foam to tire will be tricky. With some foams, you may need to slightly trim the outside edge to prevent lumps.
My plan was to run the OEM foams to get a first impression of the tire, and then make any necessary adjustments or replacement of the foam later on.
Following my standard approach with crawler tires, I placed three venting holes ( 3mm diameter) in each tire evenly spaced around the circumference. The aluminum beadlock wheels also have small venting slots located around the inner seam where the two wheel-halves meet in the middle. From there I mounted up the tires with the factory foams and headed back out to Badrock Ridge for a first look to see what these Deep Woods could do.

Badrock Ridge
Starting out on a mild trail which winds its way up through a series of sandstone blocks and gentle rock transitions, the Deep Woods tires gave the Wraith a good and solid feel cruising over the rocks.
The soft C3 compound gripped the dry sandstone surface firmly, and I didn’t feel any slipping of the lugs in their new condition.
Some drivers will comment that with certain tires, there is a need to scrub in the tread and have the top surface of rubber wear a bit for maximum traction. With these Deep Woods, they felt like pretty good right from the start without any slipping or loose feel.
Working my way up the trail, I started to pick out larger steps of rock to pull the Wraith up and over, looking to see if the tires had traction to keep things moving along. Right away I could hear the Deep Wood’s large rubber lugs pulling and grabbing at the rock’s face, delivering good traction, but they were surprisingly noisy.
Starting out on a mild trail which winds its way up through a series of sandstone blocks and gentle rock transitions, the Deep Woods tires gave the Wraith a good and solid feel cruising over the rocks.
The soft C3 compound gripped the dry sandstone surface firmly, and I didn’t feel any slipping of the lugs in their new condition.
Some drivers will comment that with certain tires, there is a need to scrub in the tread and have the top surface of rubber wear a bit for maximum traction. With these Deep Woods, they felt like pretty good right from the start without any slipping or loose feel.
Working my way up the trail, I started to pick out larger steps of rock to pull the Wraith up and over, looking to see if the tires had traction to keep things moving along. Right away I could hear the Deep Wood’s large rubber lugs pulling and grabbing at the rock’s face, delivering good traction, but they were surprisingly noisy.
In spots where the rock had a few defects for the tires to grab hold of, the Wraith could climb some relatively steep rock walls.
|
|

As the slope on the rocks increased in steepness, the Deep Woods started to slip and struggle to find traction.
Where there were features or outcroppings for the tire to grab hold of, the tires would hook in and pull the Wraith up the side of the hill. If I found myself in a relatively smooth and steep section, I had to really search with the steering to the right and left in order to catch a hold of the rock.
The basic foam and thin carcass of the tire conformed to the rock’s surface and provide a solid amount of grip when traveling in a straight line, but once you encountered any substantial sidehill or off-camber line, the tires would flop over significantly, allowing the lugs to slip to the inside and allow the truck to slide. I was always leery of pushing the limits, knowing all of a sudden the tires would fold and send the Wraith tumbling down.
I had wheel weights on all four wheels, and I made a note to pull the rear hub weights before the next crawl. The Wraith has always been on the heavy side, and I was getting the impression that with these soft tires and foams, the extra weight hindered the performance. With that mentioned, foams were for sure the first thing to address after getting a few more runs completed.
Working my way up a few familiar trails around the rock, the Deep Woods felt good and predictable, not causing any concern on most of the terrain. Once again as things became more technical, where the rocks were larger with more pronounced edges, the tires would struggle to find grip.
I continued to poke around Badrock Ridge for a half-dozen more sessions, and as long as I avoided anything too tricky, the Deep Woods did pretty well. I felt that the most frustrating part was needing to avoid tough lines that I had climbed in the past, and I added a few more dings and scratches to the body from sliding off the side of a few rocky sidehills.
Where there were features or outcroppings for the tire to grab hold of, the tires would hook in and pull the Wraith up the side of the hill. If I found myself in a relatively smooth and steep section, I had to really search with the steering to the right and left in order to catch a hold of the rock.
The basic foam and thin carcass of the tire conformed to the rock’s surface and provide a solid amount of grip when traveling in a straight line, but once you encountered any substantial sidehill or off-camber line, the tires would flop over significantly, allowing the lugs to slip to the inside and allow the truck to slide. I was always leery of pushing the limits, knowing all of a sudden the tires would fold and send the Wraith tumbling down.
I had wheel weights on all four wheels, and I made a note to pull the rear hub weights before the next crawl. The Wraith has always been on the heavy side, and I was getting the impression that with these soft tires and foams, the extra weight hindered the performance. With that mentioned, foams were for sure the first thing to address after getting a few more runs completed.
Working my way up a few familiar trails around the rock, the Deep Woods felt good and predictable, not causing any concern on most of the terrain. Once again as things became more technical, where the rocks were larger with more pronounced edges, the tires would struggle to find grip.
I continued to poke around Badrock Ridge for a half-dozen more sessions, and as long as I avoided anything too tricky, the Deep Woods did pretty well. I felt that the most frustrating part was needing to avoid tough lines that I had climbed in the past, and I added a few more dings and scratches to the body from sliding off the side of a few rocky sidehills.
This basic line on the sandstone rock was surprisingly difficult with the Deep Woods slipping more than I had anticipated.
This was one of the reasons I felt that the foams needed to be replaced. Just not enough support on the side edge of the tire to stick to the rocks. The rounded cleats also tend to slide off hard rock easily. |
|

Foams
Two weeks into testing, I could not stand the factory foams any longer. Their performance on the side-hilling had become flat-out miserable and I was not sure how much more damage the aluminum body panels could take before I needed to replace them.
Rummaging around in my foam bins, I decided to take a moderately used set of Crawler Innovations Deuces Wild closed-cell foams and fit them with a soft outer open-cell foam which I trimmed to shape. The CI Deuces Wild foams are the go-to foam for my rock racer, and the dense closed-cell foams is the same foam used in their two-stage crawler foams, so I simply made a two-stage setup from extra foams on hand.
After installing these into the tire, and the difference was immediately noticeable. Now the tire did not want to fold right at the wheel bead on the side hills, and it did not squat as deep into the rear when starting steep climbs.
Back on the sandstone again at Badrock Ridge, a pronounced improvement was immediately apparent. What I did find interesting was that with the new foams installed, the slipping of the tire's lugs was more noticeable. With the sidewall supported much better, I was able to drive the crown lugs into the rock a bit more, and again on the steep ascents, they would start to slip on the smooth rock. That said, in instances where I used the sidewall lugs to scrape along the side of a rock to help get up and over, the results were indeed improved.
Two weeks into testing, I could not stand the factory foams any longer. Their performance on the side-hilling had become flat-out miserable and I was not sure how much more damage the aluminum body panels could take before I needed to replace them.
Rummaging around in my foam bins, I decided to take a moderately used set of Crawler Innovations Deuces Wild closed-cell foams and fit them with a soft outer open-cell foam which I trimmed to shape. The CI Deuces Wild foams are the go-to foam for my rock racer, and the dense closed-cell foams is the same foam used in their two-stage crawler foams, so I simply made a two-stage setup from extra foams on hand.
After installing these into the tire, and the difference was immediately noticeable. Now the tire did not want to fold right at the wheel bead on the side hills, and it did not squat as deep into the rear when starting steep climbs.
Back on the sandstone again at Badrock Ridge, a pronounced improvement was immediately apparent. What I did find interesting was that with the new foams installed, the slipping of the tire's lugs was more noticeable. With the sidewall supported much better, I was able to drive the crown lugs into the rock a bit more, and again on the steep ascents, they would start to slip on the smooth rock. That said, in instances where I used the sidewall lugs to scrape along the side of a rock to help get up and over, the results were indeed improved.

Adventure to Boise, Idaho
With the long summer days on full display in Boise, I took advantage of the opportunity to bring the Wraith along on a business trip and enjoy some afterwork crawling.
During this time, I was able to hit some new terrain and local trails, and one of the more interesting spots was Lucky Peak reservoir.
Starting off late one afternoon at Lucky Peak, we crawled along the lake’s edge, navigating the jumble of eroding lava rock. This rock surface was heavily weather and eroded, spending part of the year submerged under water.
Sediment, plant debris, and organic growth filled in some of the cracks and voids in and around the rock, and the Deep Woods tires worked through this mixed terrain very well. It was the first time where the tires seemed to be in the perfect terrain.
With the long summer days on full display in Boise, I took advantage of the opportunity to bring the Wraith along on a business trip and enjoy some afterwork crawling.
During this time, I was able to hit some new terrain and local trails, and one of the more interesting spots was Lucky Peak reservoir.
Starting off late one afternoon at Lucky Peak, we crawled along the lake’s edge, navigating the jumble of eroding lava rock. This rock surface was heavily weather and eroded, spending part of the year submerged under water.
Sediment, plant debris, and organic growth filled in some of the cracks and voids in and around the rock, and the Deep Woods tires worked through this mixed terrain very well. It was the first time where the tires seemed to be in the perfect terrain.

In between some of the rocks were areas of soft, sandy soil mixed with chunks of rock, and the large lugs of the Deep Woods was able to work their way into the terrain and effortlessly move the Wraith just about anywhere I pleased. Even some of the steep chunky transitions along the trail were no problem to scale.
I ended up running a pair of battery packs there because the terrain was so enjoyable. Nothing too extreme and plenty of chunky rock to crawl, and as an added bonus, much of this was in the shade! Over the course of this hot summer, the cooler temps were greatly appreciated.
I ended up running a pair of battery packs there because the terrain was so enjoyable. Nothing too extreme and plenty of chunky rock to crawl, and as an added bonus, much of this was in the shade! Over the course of this hot summer, the cooler temps were greatly appreciated.

The next afternoon we headed out to a small creek and adjoining grassy area which had been developed as a walking path. Along the creek’s edge and just past a wide strip of short grass, there was a large, jagged retainer wall built from chunks of granite.
These walls were about four feet in height and a few hundred yards long, butting up against a hillside. The top of this wall created a narrow rock crawling path running along the rocks, with an average width between 15” to 18” in most spots. Some areas narrowed to only 10” and a few others were a generous 22” wide on the rock’s surface.
In the realm of technical rock crawling, I found this to be one of the most challenging areas I have crawled in recent memory. The transitions between rocks are very steep with some kind of gap between most large rocks. The goal is to stay on the rocks and not slide into the dirt on the far side or fall off to the grassy area four feet below on the near side.
Some of the rocks have chunks of old fence post, barb wire, and other junk which added a unique element to the challenge.
Starting at the far end of the rock wall, I carefully maneuvered the Wraith with a slow crawl across the top of the rock wall, working from peak to peak, trying to minimize the grinding of the links and skid plate as the truck would break over the tops of the rocks. At times I seems like I was driving across the top of the Himalayas mountains because every rock seems to have a sharp peak at the top.
The links and axle housings were taking a serious beating, especially when the rock’s surface was so steep that you had to punch the throttle to hop from rock to rock.
These walls were about four feet in height and a few hundred yards long, butting up against a hillside. The top of this wall created a narrow rock crawling path running along the rocks, with an average width between 15” to 18” in most spots. Some areas narrowed to only 10” and a few others were a generous 22” wide on the rock’s surface.
In the realm of technical rock crawling, I found this to be one of the most challenging areas I have crawled in recent memory. The transitions between rocks are very steep with some kind of gap between most large rocks. The goal is to stay on the rocks and not slide into the dirt on the far side or fall off to the grassy area four feet below on the near side.
Some of the rocks have chunks of old fence post, barb wire, and other junk which added a unique element to the challenge.
Starting at the far end of the rock wall, I carefully maneuvered the Wraith with a slow crawl across the top of the rock wall, working from peak to peak, trying to minimize the grinding of the links and skid plate as the truck would break over the tops of the rocks. At times I seems like I was driving across the top of the Himalayas mountains because every rock seems to have a sharp peak at the top.
The links and axle housings were taking a serious beating, especially when the rock’s surface was so steep that you had to punch the throttle to hop from rock to rock.

Throughout the course there were a number of times where I had to give it full power and spin the tires up the surface of the rock, just to slam on the brakes to prevent falling down into the gap on the other side of the rock. The Deep Woods would rip and claw at the rock’s surface until something caught, then the locked differentials did the rest, propelling the Wraith up and over.
Half-way thought I had to creep around a few downed pieces of fence post and a tangle of barbed wire. Luckily, this area has plenty of smaller rock surrounding the downed fence post, allowing a bit of maneuvering room on what was turning out to be a rather frustrating trail.
The rest of the crawl was just more of the same; scrambling from steep rock to steep rock, trying to pick carefully around the gaps and steep sides, and trying not to break a rod end.
By the end of the trail, I had snapped two rod ends and added countless scratches to the Vanquish axles. Surprisingly, I did not tear a sidewall or have any tire failure to speak of, but the cleats were really starting to break down.
Half-way thought I had to creep around a few downed pieces of fence post and a tangle of barbed wire. Luckily, this area has plenty of smaller rock surrounding the downed fence post, allowing a bit of maneuvering room on what was turning out to be a rather frustrating trail.
The rest of the crawl was just more of the same; scrambling from steep rock to steep rock, trying to pick carefully around the gaps and steep sides, and trying not to break a rod end.
By the end of the trail, I had snapped two rod ends and added countless scratches to the Vanquish axles. Surprisingly, I did not tear a sidewall or have any tire failure to speak of, but the cleats were really starting to break down.

For the remainder of my trip, I spent the crawling time back at Lucky Peak. It’s such a great spot and well worth checking out.
As a side note, Action Hobbies in Boise, Idaho, is an excellent hobby shop and not far from Lucky Peak. Check them out if you get a chance.
www.actionhobbies-rc.com
As a side note, Action Hobbies in Boise, Idaho, is an excellent hobby shop and not far from Lucky Peak. Check them out if you get a chance.
www.actionhobbies-rc.com

Back at Badrock Ridge
The trip to Boise packed in four long afternoons of crawling, and the punishing hours on the rock wall had blown out most of the fluid from the Proline Scaler Shocks.
By the end of the trip, the Wraith was starting to feel a little springy without the fluid to help dampen the shock movement. Seeing an improvement after I swapped out the shocks on the Vanquish VS 410 Pro, I’m about done with “scaler” shocks and these Proline Scaler shocks on the Wraith needed to be replaced with a more robust set of shocks.
The Wraith 2.2 is just too large of a crawler for small-bore scaler shocks.
Also, worth mentioning is the extra weight I was hauling around on the Wraith. As much as I like the cool front stinger bumper and steel sliders, I’m just hauling extra weight around for no real reason other than it looks pretty nifty. These were removed, as well as a few parts of the frame which supported the front bumper assembly.
Along with these changes, I complete stripped down the Wraith and serviced all the bearings, replacing the heavy upgraded parts for lighter weight options.
Once the process was complete, I had dropped from 4206 grams to 3669 grams, saving 537 grams from the overall weight and ending up with the balance to 56 / 44 weight distribution with a battery installed. It still felt heavy, but it was a step in the right direction.
The trip to Boise packed in four long afternoons of crawling, and the punishing hours on the rock wall had blown out most of the fluid from the Proline Scaler Shocks.
By the end of the trip, the Wraith was starting to feel a little springy without the fluid to help dampen the shock movement. Seeing an improvement after I swapped out the shocks on the Vanquish VS 410 Pro, I’m about done with “scaler” shocks and these Proline Scaler shocks on the Wraith needed to be replaced with a more robust set of shocks.
The Wraith 2.2 is just too large of a crawler for small-bore scaler shocks.
Also, worth mentioning is the extra weight I was hauling around on the Wraith. As much as I like the cool front stinger bumper and steel sliders, I’m just hauling extra weight around for no real reason other than it looks pretty nifty. These were removed, as well as a few parts of the frame which supported the front bumper assembly.
Along with these changes, I complete stripped down the Wraith and serviced all the bearings, replacing the heavy upgraded parts for lighter weight options.
Once the process was complete, I had dropped from 4206 grams to 3669 grams, saving 537 grams from the overall weight and ending up with the balance to 56 / 44 weight distribution with a battery installed. It still felt heavy, but it was a step in the right direction.

Fruita, Colorado – Loma Granite
I had the chance to run up to Fruita, Colorado and spend a few days with friends on the granite outcroppings which dotted the landscape.
Most of the weekend was spent with 1.9’s which were the focus of another project currently underway, but one afternoon I was able to run the Wraith on a few of the same trails to see how the Deep Woods tires would hold up on the Loma granite.
Headed over to a twisting trail of rock hugging a steep mountain side, Kyle lead the way with his Wraith outfitted with the excellent JConcepts 2.2 Scorpio tires. I have quite a bit of experience with the Scorpio tires, and they are a superb performer on technical rock.
Like most trails, this area started out by having us snake our way through smaller rock piles and a few stone bridges built by other drivers to reach the taller slabs. Once up off the ground, we were crawling along large slabs of coarse basalt rock speckled with lichen and bit of moss and dirt. These slabs were sitting on steep angles, and right away I was struggling to keep pace with Kyle through the twists and turns.
I had the chance to run up to Fruita, Colorado and spend a few days with friends on the granite outcroppings which dotted the landscape.
Most of the weekend was spent with 1.9’s which were the focus of another project currently underway, but one afternoon I was able to run the Wraith on a few of the same trails to see how the Deep Woods tires would hold up on the Loma granite.
Headed over to a twisting trail of rock hugging a steep mountain side, Kyle lead the way with his Wraith outfitted with the excellent JConcepts 2.2 Scorpio tires. I have quite a bit of experience with the Scorpio tires, and they are a superb performer on technical rock.
Like most trails, this area started out by having us snake our way through smaller rock piles and a few stone bridges built by other drivers to reach the taller slabs. Once up off the ground, we were crawling along large slabs of coarse basalt rock speckled with lichen and bit of moss and dirt. These slabs were sitting on steep angles, and right away I was struggling to keep pace with Kyle through the twists and turns.

Some lines which seemed simple for Kyle’s Wraith proved to be too steep for my Wraith.
The Deep Woods tires would twist and spin under load, with the tread unable to grab a firm hold on the rock’s surface.
Unfortunately, the rock is quite coarse on the surface but lacks any large outcroppings for grip and spinning tires on this surface quickly peels away small bits of rubber from the tire’s lugs.
The lugs continued to flex and roll, and I spent the next hour trying to scramble my way up the rocks rather than crawl.
It was quite frustrating and finally I decided to cut the testing short instead of ruining the tires and focus on a different truck for the remainder of the day.
The Deep Woods tires would twist and spin under load, with the tread unable to grab a firm hold on the rock’s surface.
Unfortunately, the rock is quite coarse on the surface but lacks any large outcroppings for grip and spinning tires on this surface quickly peels away small bits of rubber from the tire’s lugs.
The lugs continued to flex and roll, and I spent the next hour trying to scramble my way up the rocks rather than crawl.
It was quite frustrating and finally I decided to cut the testing short instead of ruining the tires and focus on a different truck for the remainder of the day.

After returning home, I pulled the Wraith apart again, relocating the electronics and swapping out the shocks to the Traxxas big bore shocks.
The new shocks were set up with softer Axial springs to help with slow crawling control. I was also able to remove the rear receiver box and a few bits of plastic, a bit more wire from the ESC / battery connection, shaving a little more than 100 grams off the overall weight, reducing it to 3580 grams without battery.
Anxious to test out the changes, I headed back out to the original testing trails at Badrock Ridge and give these tires one last run before I tied up the review.
The summer has been unusually hot, even by Las Vegas standards, so I started out at first light to spend a few hours at Badrock before temps passed triple digits.
Rolling up into the first leg of the sandstone trail, the new upgrades on the Wraith felt pretty good with an easy step up a small ledge in the rocks. I could feel the weight more oriented to the front tires, and the tires were hooking up quite well.
You will notice in the photos that the front edges of the lugs have significantly worn, and the coarse exposed rubber underneath seemed to be a touch more grippy than the before. I was starting to wonder if these tires needed a serious scrubbing before they started to shine on the rocks. It would help the traction some, but the folding of the tread under load would not be helped; that is a tire carcass issue.
The new shocks were set up with softer Axial springs to help with slow crawling control. I was also able to remove the rear receiver box and a few bits of plastic, a bit more wire from the ESC / battery connection, shaving a little more than 100 grams off the overall weight, reducing it to 3580 grams without battery.
Anxious to test out the changes, I headed back out to the original testing trails at Badrock Ridge and give these tires one last run before I tied up the review.
The summer has been unusually hot, even by Las Vegas standards, so I started out at first light to spend a few hours at Badrock before temps passed triple digits.
Rolling up into the first leg of the sandstone trail, the new upgrades on the Wraith felt pretty good with an easy step up a small ledge in the rocks. I could feel the weight more oriented to the front tires, and the tires were hooking up quite well.
You will notice in the photos that the front edges of the lugs have significantly worn, and the coarse exposed rubber underneath seemed to be a touch more grippy than the before. I was starting to wonder if these tires needed a serious scrubbing before they started to shine on the rocks. It would help the traction some, but the folding of the tread under load would not be helped; that is a tire carcass issue.

Curious as to if these Deep Woods had finally broken in, I headed over to a challenging climb tucked away on the east side of Badrock Ridge.
Known locally as Miller’s Joint, this long 30’ joint running up between two massive slabs of sandstone have caused me all kinds of grief over the past year. It’s not impossible to climb, but due to the sheer length of the climb and very steep sides, a bad line will pop the crawler off the rock and send it rolling down, shedding parts along the way.
I’ve broken four rod ends on a single bad roll some time ago, so I’m always a bit anxious when nearing the top. The sides are too steep to walk up behind the crawler, so you are standing at the bottom or top during the climb.
Starting off in the V-notch, the Wraith made short work of the first ten feet, easily working its way of the rock. As things became a bit steeper, I had to drag the front driver’s side tire along the edge to keep from tipping back over and rolling down the hill. I was surprised that the tires were holding firm on the rock, and it seems that the wearing of the cleats help on the dry sandstone.
Near the end, I was really struggling to get up one last steep and smooth rock face. The Deep Woods just could not find anything to grab onto, but I was close. A bit more probing around for a hold on the rock face, and the front tires caught and popped the Wraith up over the top. I was actually surprised considering how many issues I was having before.
I continued to work on a few technical spots on the trail, and I could see that these tires had indeed worn-in to the point where they hooked up to the rocks better than before, but sharp-edged technical rocks were difficult.
Known locally as Miller’s Joint, this long 30’ joint running up between two massive slabs of sandstone have caused me all kinds of grief over the past year. It’s not impossible to climb, but due to the sheer length of the climb and very steep sides, a bad line will pop the crawler off the rock and send it rolling down, shedding parts along the way.
I’ve broken four rod ends on a single bad roll some time ago, so I’m always a bit anxious when nearing the top. The sides are too steep to walk up behind the crawler, so you are standing at the bottom or top during the climb.
Starting off in the V-notch, the Wraith made short work of the first ten feet, easily working its way of the rock. As things became a bit steeper, I had to drag the front driver’s side tire along the edge to keep from tipping back over and rolling down the hill. I was surprised that the tires were holding firm on the rock, and it seems that the wearing of the cleats help on the dry sandstone.
Near the end, I was really struggling to get up one last steep and smooth rock face. The Deep Woods just could not find anything to grab onto, but I was close. A bit more probing around for a hold on the rock face, and the front tires caught and popped the Wraith up over the top. I was actually surprised considering how many issues I was having before.
I continued to work on a few technical spots on the trail, and I could see that these tires had indeed worn-in to the point where they hooked up to the rocks better than before, but sharp-edged technical rocks were difficult.

In Reverse
I have seen people run this tire backwards, and by doing so in loose conditions, debris will be packed into the center of the tread rather than clearing out the sides, and the slight radius on the outside edge of the crown lugs will have the tire slipping rather than holding.
While it may seem like a good idea at first glance, chances are that you’re going to make the tread perform worse in all-terrain conditions rather than seeing an advantage. Taking this a step further, running the tire backwards reduces the amount of total lug engagement on flat rock edges due to the inward sweeping of the crown lug’s inside edge. Just food for thought before you flip them around on the truck.
All of that said, of course I had to run them mounted backwards just to see if my assumptions were correct. Starting with the same trails at Badrock Ridge, I started off by attacking a few steep lines which had proven to be difficult earlier on in the testing. With the Deep Woods running backwards, I couldn’t see any improvement in performance. The tires struggled to bite into the rock’s surface, all while making considerable noise during the process. Eventually I made it up to the top, but after a few more runs on the same trail, nothing was standing out for performance.
I switched over to some chunky, technical rock, thinking the lugss might hook into these a bit better. After a few passes through the rocks and low sandstone shelves, still nothing amazing was happening with the Deep Woods running backwards. The Wraith wasn’t crawling any worse than with the tires running the correct direction, just noticeably louder with a distinct snapping sound to the lugs when the slipped off a rock.
By the end of the session, I had become convinced that running the Deep Woods backwards offered no appreciable advantage in any of the terrain in my area. Besides, it looks goofy.
I’ll go out on a limb and speculate that tread life may be slightly shorter when running them backwards, but that’s about as far as I will go without dedicating more testing time, and at this point I’m ready to wrap up the testing.
I have seen people run this tire backwards, and by doing so in loose conditions, debris will be packed into the center of the tread rather than clearing out the sides, and the slight radius on the outside edge of the crown lugs will have the tire slipping rather than holding.
While it may seem like a good idea at first glance, chances are that you’re going to make the tread perform worse in all-terrain conditions rather than seeing an advantage. Taking this a step further, running the tire backwards reduces the amount of total lug engagement on flat rock edges due to the inward sweeping of the crown lug’s inside edge. Just food for thought before you flip them around on the truck.
All of that said, of course I had to run them mounted backwards just to see if my assumptions were correct. Starting with the same trails at Badrock Ridge, I started off by attacking a few steep lines which had proven to be difficult earlier on in the testing. With the Deep Woods running backwards, I couldn’t see any improvement in performance. The tires struggled to bite into the rock’s surface, all while making considerable noise during the process. Eventually I made it up to the top, but after a few more runs on the same trail, nothing was standing out for performance.
I switched over to some chunky, technical rock, thinking the lugss might hook into these a bit better. After a few passes through the rocks and low sandstone shelves, still nothing amazing was happening with the Deep Woods running backwards. The Wraith wasn’t crawling any worse than with the tires running the correct direction, just noticeably louder with a distinct snapping sound to the lugs when the slipped off a rock.
By the end of the session, I had become convinced that running the Deep Woods backwards offered no appreciable advantage in any of the terrain in my area. Besides, it looks goofy.
I’ll go out on a limb and speculate that tread life may be slightly shorter when running them backwards, but that’s about as far as I will go without dedicating more testing time, and at this point I’m ready to wrap up the testing.

Final Thoughts
It is best to see at the Duratrax Deep Woods 2.2 as a good, general purpose all-around trail tire. The cleat pattern handles loose rock and most trail conditions well, keeping you from getting stuck in ruts or bound up over moderate rocks. The large lugs dig into loose soil very well and look pretty sharp when mounted on a set of aluminum beadlock wheels.
I don’t want to say that you absolutely must upgrade the foams, but running the factory foams will be a serious handicap which can lead to frustration out on the trail.
My suggestion would be to take the money you save on the tire and invest in good, high quality foams. Considering the tall stance of the tire, go with a two-stage foam with a closed-cell inner core.
When it comes to technical crawling on steep surfaces or sharp-cornered rocks, I was anticipating that the widely spaced lugs would grab hold and help pull the Wraith up and over, but what I found was that the tires spent more time clawing and groaning as they slipped on the rock’s surface rather than making forward progress. This is almost entirely due to the thin layer of rubber forming the carcass of the tire and lack of internal ribs or any support structures. On steep ascents or sidehills, the lugs simply fold back or to the side when meeting resistance, slipping and losing their hold.
It is best to see at the Duratrax Deep Woods 2.2 as a good, general purpose all-around trail tire. The cleat pattern handles loose rock and most trail conditions well, keeping you from getting stuck in ruts or bound up over moderate rocks. The large lugs dig into loose soil very well and look pretty sharp when mounted on a set of aluminum beadlock wheels.
I don’t want to say that you absolutely must upgrade the foams, but running the factory foams will be a serious handicap which can lead to frustration out on the trail.
My suggestion would be to take the money you save on the tire and invest in good, high quality foams. Considering the tall stance of the tire, go with a two-stage foam with a closed-cell inner core.
When it comes to technical crawling on steep surfaces or sharp-cornered rocks, I was anticipating that the widely spaced lugs would grab hold and help pull the Wraith up and over, but what I found was that the tires spent more time clawing and groaning as they slipped on the rock’s surface rather than making forward progress. This is almost entirely due to the thin layer of rubber forming the carcass of the tire and lack of internal ribs or any support structures. On steep ascents or sidehills, the lugs simply fold back or to the side when meeting resistance, slipping and losing their hold.

Often times the only way I could clear a steep rock was to smash the throttle and spin the tires until something caught hold and launch me up and over.
This technique quickly eroded the tire lugs and put a few more dents in the body panels when I failed to stick the landing. It’s not something I recommend making a habit of; your tires will not last long.
While listed as a “crawler tire,” I do not consider the Deep Woods to be a top-tier performer on difficult crawling trails. Some of the lines which I had conquered with different tires proved to be too much for the Deep Woods, forcing me to pick an alternate route which was not quite as steep or technical.
That said, there are some indications that the tires improve as they wear in, but from my experience they needed much more wear than what I consider “scrubbing in.”
As a general truck tire, I think the Deep Woods will fit the bill for most new drivers with casual trail trucks, trail buggies, or those who enjoy cruising along with their 2.2 rock racer. For any kind of aggressive driving or technical crawling, these tires are going to come up a bit short when compared to other offerings.
This technique quickly eroded the tire lugs and put a few more dents in the body panels when I failed to stick the landing. It’s not something I recommend making a habit of; your tires will not last long.
While listed as a “crawler tire,” I do not consider the Deep Woods to be a top-tier performer on difficult crawling trails. Some of the lines which I had conquered with different tires proved to be too much for the Deep Woods, forcing me to pick an alternate route which was not quite as steep or technical.
That said, there are some indications that the tires improve as they wear in, but from my experience they needed much more wear than what I consider “scrubbing in.”
As a general truck tire, I think the Deep Woods will fit the bill for most new drivers with casual trail trucks, trail buggies, or those who enjoy cruising along with their 2.2 rock racer. For any kind of aggressive driving or technical crawling, these tires are going to come up a bit short when compared to other offerings.
Evaluation Results
Technical Rock: 15/30
Large Slab ( Slick Rock ): 13/20
Tire Construction Quality and Appearance: 15/20
Rubber Compound: 15/20
Tread Life: 3/5
Versatility: 3/5
Total Score: 64/100
Technical Rock: 15/30
- Given the aggressive tread pattern and beefy looks of the Deep Woods tire, much to our surprise, it was rather disappointing on Technical Rock terrain. The main driver behind this lack of performance can be attributed to the poor tire construction design, allowing the tire to fold and twist around its thin carcass. On moderately difficult rock, the Deep Woods were ok, but when the trail turned steep, they just didn’t have the traction needed claw their way to the top. This was seen with single and dual-stage foams.
Large Slab ( Slick Rock ): 13/20
- Following up their poor showing on the technical rock, the Deep Woods didn’t fare any better on the slick sandstone. The lack of “stickiness” prevented the lugs from developing any kind of hold on the rock, resulting in the crawler sliding to the side rather than moving up the incline.
Tire Construction Quality and Appearance: 15/20
- With a solid curb appeal, this 2.2” tire looks the part of an aggressive, off roading mud tire. The tread pattern is wide, with tall outer lugs and in-set rock ejectors. Unfortunately, the carcass is far too thin, resulting in minimal support for the tread pattern which allows it to fold back into the foam rather than conforming to the rock. The bead is well formed, but there were bits of extra rubber left from the molding. It’s a small nit, but premium tires address this detail.
Rubber Compound: 15/20
- The C3 Super Soft compound used by for the Deep Woods is quite soft, almost floppy due to the thin tire carcass, but it’s not sticky. You’ll notice it by the tire remaining clean when driving through the sand, whereas other tire compounds will have bits of sand stuck between the lugs.
Tread Life: 3/5
- After a number of outings with the Deep Woods, the tires were showing some serious signs of wear. Tall lugs and poor traction caused the sharp, squared edges to be rounded off quickly. The C3 is a soft rubber and will most likely have a short lifespan on abrasive rock surfaces.
Versatility: 3/5
- The Deep Woods are best suited to casual trail driving and crawling on moderately technical rock formations. They struggle to handle steep, slick rock terrain or many of the technical sections at Badrock ridge. It’s a decent tire but limited in functional scope.
Total Score: 64/100
Pros
Cons
- Excellent Price Point.
- Good performance for most trail and general rock crawling terrain.
- Easy to install.
- Soft, grippy rubber compound.
- Excellent tread pattern and quality molding.
Cons
- You need to invest in premium foams to support the sidewall, substantially increasing the overall cost of running these tires.
- Limited traction on very steep ascents
- Rounded crown can feel squirmy on sidehills.
- Lugs fold back into the tire on sharp technical rock.
Specs
Test Crawler
- Duratrax Deep Woods CR 2.2" Crawler Tires
- Part Number: DTXC4062
- Weight: 136 grams per tire.
- Rubber Material: C3 Super Soft Compound
- Directional: Yes
- Size: 5.9” ( 150mm )
- Retail Price: $22.99
- Purchase Source: A Main Hobbies
Test Crawler
- Axial Wraith Spawn
- Hobbywing AXE 1800 kv combo
- Savox Black Edition 2290 SG Servo
- 3s 1600 mAh lithium battery
- Vanquish upgrades throughout
Author’s Note
Horizon Hobbies was not involved in any financial or technical support for this project. I did reach out a few times for technical questions, and while Horizon Hobbies did return my requests, they were unable to share any development or technical details about the tire.
Also please excuse the photo quality. For whatever reason Weebly reprocesses uploaded images, making them slightly blurry. This is a known and long-standing problem with Weebly, and I do hope they resolve this at some point in the near future.
Horizon Hobbies was not involved in any financial or technical support for this project. I did reach out a few times for technical questions, and while Horizon Hobbies did return my requests, they were unable to share any development or technical details about the tire.
Also please excuse the photo quality. For whatever reason Weebly reprocesses uploaded images, making them slightly blurry. This is a known and long-standing problem with Weebly, and I do hope they resolve this at some point in the near future.