Just picked up a set on Black Friday. Awesome price. Now looking for tires. My RW are setup for off-road and want something for street, great 3 season good in rain. Any thoughts?
BBS TRD Pro 18" Tire Recommendation
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K02s. Worth every penny. 285/65/18
Michelin Defender LTX is a great road tire option. Run them as my street tires now
For Street Michelin Defenders are the best. Had them on my 16LC and running them on my wife's 4Runner. On my 20LC running now KO2. Looks much better, comfort down and noise up.
BTW how good was the deal you have mentioned? I didn't catch any deals on those.
BTW how good was the deal you have mentioned? I didn't catch any deals on those.
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I have the KO2's on the RW wheels. Those are great! And, I have Defender LTX on my Tundra. I will probably go that route. I want a little bigger than stock tires though.
I paid $1872 for a set of 4. Brand new. I'm happy with that.
I paid $1872 for a set of 4. Brand new. I'm happy with that.
Great deal! Well done. Definitely I would go one size up. Stock size looks too small. in both 18 and 20" wheels.
I went with BFG KO2 in 275/70/18. I've run them on all my trucks for over 15 years. I used to get 50k out of them easy but I think they made some changes about 5 years ago that softened them up and reduced the life a little. I still love how well they handle on and off road so I stick with em.
305/65r18 KO2's on the BBS wheels. Might swap to 285/75r18 ExoGrappler for a more common size with better clearance and snow/ice performance.
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KO2s were first available in 2014. I assume you were also running the old KOs, which were also decent, but softer tread???
The KO2s have a much harder compound than the KO they replaced (hence the advertised 15% better tread life on pavement). I ran them on my 2012 4runner, and when I sold them the tread was down to 10/32 after over 35k miles, which is crazy good tread wear, and they were good off road.
The downside, compared to many other ATs, they are not as good on snow (but ok), are poor in rain (hydroplaning issues) and are simply horrible on ice as we discovered during an ice storm in PDX, when my wife almost slide off the road near a steep drop off/hill and could not get up the small incline (no traction) even with good samaritans trying to help push her up the incline . I was able to get my 03 4runner with General Grabbers and tow her up the small incline (a sketchy experience, but the fact the grabbers were moving me and helping move her was impressive). If I didn't live in a area where I drive through a lot of snow (15+ ski trips a year with at least 1-2 long trips to Whistler, Banff or Revelstoke), I'd run them no question. But the tremendously better ice traction I have gotten with Grabbers, Duratracs and Falkens, there is no way I'd go back to KO2s. I now have Falkens on all 4 of my 4x4s, and while they lose tread faster, it is at a very acceptable rate.
The traction issue on ice with the KO2s my wife experienced scared her so much she now runs Blizzak DM-V2s in winter, which are a huge upgrade over any AT in winter.
Overview of my experience:
KO2: Horrible on ice. OK in packed snow. Amazing off-road and amazing tread life. Between the hard compound, and minimal siping (ice snow traction works best when you have snow buildup in the tire) compared to many other ATs. Better balancing compared to the predecessor KOs. I went through multiple sets of KOs on different rigs to get balanced tires. If I lived in a snow free climate, this would likely be my go-to. Hard to find many sizes in P rated. Very expensive.
Michelin LTX MS2-Great treadlife, quiet, (didn't off road with them), good ice and snow traction, good in rain. If you don't off-road, these are some of the best out there. Very non-aggressive tread. Very expensive.
Grabber AT2: similar tread to the old KO, but softer compound, good in snow and ice. Requires lots of rotations and treadwear is high. Price is decent.
Duratrac: Great tire, super soft, probably the best in winter, but get loud, even with regular rotations. Fastest tread wear of tires I have run. Expensive.
Cooper AT3 (have not tried the newer versions). The Cooper is a bit less aggressive, but has amazing traction in every condition. I was surprised how great they were off road. They were more prone to flats/punctures (or maybe it was just my luck) but I had two sidewalls puncture off-road in conditions I wouldn't expect it to happen. Not snowflake rated (which is a farce if you look into it-10% better traction that essentially a summer radial and fees are what gets it certified), but great winter traction. May be one of the best tires out there. Very reasonable cost.
Falken Wildpeak AT3: This to me is the winner. Winter traction is simply amazing for an AT, much more siping, a silicate compound on the p-rated tire for better traction and wear (have not run the LT version). Tread wear has been decent and no increase in road noise after many miles. And you can usually find these for a bargain if you look around. I now run these on all my 4x4s.
Cooper ST Maxx: minimal experience on a car I sold after install. These were noisy and hard to balance, but otherwise a great tire. Expensive.
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The KO2s for me were great in fresh snow, but horrible on packed snow and ice. IIRC, @Markuson and @coleAK had similar experiences with packed snow and ice with the KO2s. They are a great tire, but with the hard compound and minimal siping for long life, there are trade offs.
That isn't to say they won't perform in most conditions if you drive carefully, but there are better options for those who deal with snow and ice (and even heavy rain). The KO2 made my wife scared to drive for an entire winter after a scary event that should not have occurred when a much cheaper tire performed much better. I have no issue with BFG, but based on my experience, I will continue to advocate that people driving in winter conditions choose different tires.
No argument that there are better winter tires, and maybe even better AT tires for winter use. I find the BFG AT KO to be the sweet spot for a do it all tire for all driving conditions, on and off road. For me they are readily available, fairly priced and durable. I drive like an old man most of the time (maybe because I am an old man, lol), so maybe I don't experience the same issues. I used to ice race a little bit, so have a great appreciation for the lower limits of adhesion in the slippery stuff. I slow the heck down when there is snow on the ground.
We've had good luck with dedicated winter tires and studs for hard packed winter conditions (other family vehicles, not our cruisers). I've had good luck with the Nokia/Nokian offerings. Studs are about the only thing that work reliably on ice and hard packed stuff. You just have to live with the noise.
We've had good luck with dedicated winter tires and studs for hard packed winter conditions (other family vehicles, not our cruisers). I've had good luck with the Nokia/Nokian offerings. Studs are about the only thing that work reliably on ice and hard packed stuff. You just have to live with the noise.
Here in Idaho, I run dedicated winter tires on our 200. Nokian Hakka R3 SUV. KO2s are rubbish on packed snow/ice. Great in fresh powder. But I would not recommend KO2s as a winter tire to anyone.
Well, I've run them for a long time in a snowy environment - on four land crusiers (2 @ 80 series, 1 @ 100 series, and my current 200 series). I've also run them on multiple F250s (3x), Tundras (3x) and Tacomas (2x). Much of that time I had a 25 mile commute on two land roads, plus lots of recreational time on snowy dirt roads and back and forth slogs to the ski areas. I have a lot of experience with them in in wintery conditions. That doesn't make me special in any way, but it does mean I have an informed opinion.
Clearly my experience varies from that of several others here. I'm absolutely not saying I'm right or others are wrong, just that there are clearly varying opinions about how well they work on in snow.
My personal opinion is that it doesn't make sense to rule them out as an option if you are looking for a versatile, year round tire.
As they say, YMMV.
Edit: I don't know what the OP means by street use (requirements: something for street, great 3 season good in rain). If these are just for urban/suburban use, my experience is irrelevant. I live in a rural area, and I need a 4 season tire that works well in all weather and road conditions, paved/dirt/trail.
Clearly my experience varies from that of several others here. I'm absolutely not saying I'm right or others are wrong, just that there are clearly varying opinions about how well they work on in snow.
My personal opinion is that it doesn't make sense to rule them out as an option if you are looking for a versatile, year round tire.
As they say, YMMV.
Edit: I don't know what the OP means by street use (requirements: something for street, great 3 season good in rain). If these are just for urban/suburban use, my experience is irrelevant. I live in a rural area, and I need a 4 season tire that works well in all weather and road conditions, paved/dirt/trail.
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I am on first set of K02 and have not tried them on yet in winter conditions but have noticed a different behavior from them based on PSI. Initially started with recommended PSI of 48PSI on 20" wheel. In the wet conditions I thought they were dangerous and didn't grip well and the ride was very harsh. As an example hitting manhole bump on a curve would shift back of the truck. I am down to 43-44PSI and saw an immediate improvement. Could it be the different experience on snow/ice is related to PSI they are being run at?
Is your experience with KO, KO2 or both? They are substantially different tires.
I've run many winters with KOs and the KO2s, as I said above, they are ok in most winter conditions, except for the slick packed snow and ice. As I write this, I recall having a good spin out in a canyon in Utah on the way to ski on the original KOs. I was young and probably going a tiny bit too fast (maybe 5-10 mph faster than I should have for the conditions), hit an ice patch and did a 180 into the oncoming lane (thankfully no cars coming). As a one off thing, this doesn't say much, but compiled with all the additional experience I've had with them, it starts adding up.
That said, there are worse tires for sure, and may be fine if you drive minimally in ice and snow and excel in all other conditions. I do think, having direct comparison, real life data compared to the KO2 and Generals, I saw how poor the KO2s performed. So I do think I have a more informed opinion having seen the vast difference in traction first hand. And the Falkens have simply been amazing in snow comparatively. The KO2s are tough, and last a long time. Maybe the best tire for off-roading and non-winter conditions.
I think the biggest issue is the stiff rubber on the KO2, built to last, stiff rubber will get stiffer in cold and not perform as well, just the trade off with KO2s.
And two answer the query above from @luke27617, airing down will likely help, but, I keep a deflate tool/core tool in all my rigs, and had her deflate a good amount before I put my todder in icy conditions to go tow her. It made little to no difference (she was still stuck). And this is on a very small incline where many vehicles were passing her and making it up the hill.
From first hand experience-If you drive in snow, and don't switch to dedicated snow tires, there are much better ATs out there for winter traction, which I have seen first hand.
I really wish the tire standards for the snowflake were in tiers, as clearly there is a HUGE difference between an AT with snowflake compared to a dedicated snow with the snowflake, just as there are also big differences between one AT and the next. Consumers have no data to make an informed decision. Only that a tire stops 100% better than test radial tire. I actually read through the whole testing requirement, and IIRC, the test tire was akin to a summer radial.
Same here. 46 (cold) psi was just not comfortable. I have found 42 psi to be perfect!
As @bamma mentioned I run KO2s as my summer tire in Alaska. I use them because they are a good all around on road/off road/all season tire. A few winters ago I got caught running them a few weeks longer that I liked waiting on a new set of studded Nokian Hakka’s (the best winter tire for AK). They were ok in fresh snow but terrifying on cold packed snow and ice. We haven’t used salt up here for a long time so our roads stay ice/snow packed pretty much all winter and my theory on winter driving is “thrive not just survive”, yes i survived with the KO2 but it was white knuckle survival much of the time. Next summer I’m due another set and I’ll probably go with the cooper or Falken mentioned above. I ran the coopers on my g wagon and they were great all around and off road.
I’ll also mention I tow and off road a lot in the summer and have never understood why people run KO2 (or any AT) or an LT that don’t need the off road capability often or increased load capacity.
Lastly don’t mess with PSI for daily street driving. It isn’t a matter of wanting a softer ride so drop the PsI or your LT tire. Remember the Firestone/explorer mess with under inflated overheating exploding tires? Want a softer ride get a p-metric.
I’ll also mention I tow and off road a lot in the summer and have never understood why people run KO2 (or any AT) or an LT that don’t need the off road capability often or increased load capacity.
Lastly don’t mess with PSI for daily street driving. It isn’t a matter of wanting a softer ride so drop the PsI or your LT tire. Remember the Firestone/explorer mess with under inflated overheating exploding tires? Want a softer ride get a p-metric.