BFG KO2 or Toyo open country MT or BFG KM2 (1 Viewer)

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I am considering BFG KO2 in 285/75/16 or a set of Toyo Open country MT in the same size. The truck will mostly be used for "expatiation" style exploring. I now the two tires are a little different but they both appeal to my. I have been using a older set of BFG KO and have been really happy with them. They are great on the road, just fine off road except for in mud. My only real complaint is the i badly sliced the side wall on one tire and have chunked a few others. I would really like something with tougher sidewalls and a little better off road and in mud. The Toyo MT is supposed to have super tough side walls. People say that although it is a MT it actually wears very well and is reasonably quiet on the highway. The KM2 i know next to nothing about. I do drive about 15-20,000 miles a year and do need to get some mileage out of them. The BFG KO i am using now have been good in this aspect. I would really like something a little tougher and more aggressive. I can live with a little more noise but i don't want terrible vibration or anything. And i would really like to continue to get good mileage life out of them. What do you think?

PS, Sorry mods i think i posted by mistake in the wrong forum. I think it would be better in tires.
 
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Unfortunately, you are not going to find anyone with first hand long term experience with all 3 options.

I've got KO2's on my FZJ80 and absolutely love them. The sidewalls are the same as their KR2 race tire, and Canguro Racing proved that durability on the Baja 1000 in 2015 when they had a surface-sliced right front sidewall at the midpoint of the race, but DID NOT change it and finished.

I just drove my loaded FZJ80 to Moab, wheeled a couple days, and drove back. Great road manners, zero complaints offroad. It's FAR improved compared to the earlier KO I ran for a few months...handling, sidewall, noise, traction, and yes...even mud. It's NO true mud tire, but it cleans out noticeably better (tested that some at Overland Expo just getting around camp!)

All three of your choices are great options...wish I had some Toyo experience to compare the BFG to.

I've got older KM's on my just purchased BJ74, and while I know they are older and worn, they still have more noise than I want. I know BFG is coming out with a new KM in a year or so, and I'm betting improvements in tire design will result in a quieter and more durable KM3 (or whatever they call it)...but might be too far out for you to wait.


I've also got the KO2's on my Ram 3500 megacab tow rig, same experiences...and when you've got a 9000#+ dually truck loaded with a 4500#+ truck camper and towing a 10,000# trailer, you want GOOD tires. My prior Rugged Terrains had ZERO issues for 62,000 miles on that truck.
 
That is good info. I am leaning forwards the toyo. But still really considering the ko2. Your comments push me a little more to look at the ko2
 
Toyo it's heavier, harder, and therefore it will last longer ( that might be good depending on your standards ) and IMHO better in wet road ..
 
Where I'm at, the Toyo's are 33% more expensive then the bfg's.
 
I just put KO2's on my 97 FJZ. SO far only wheeling is in wooded, wet creeks but no real mud. The sidewalls are important to me too since the Yokohama Geolander MT's I had got all sliced from Ozark rocks at SMORR. I'm hopeful the KO2's will stand up better but cannot tell you yet. Highway driving they are great. Except.... I get small anti-lock brake vibes when slowing and not locking up the tires. Is this due to tread pattern? Does anyone know of or heard of this. Otherwise I've loved all the BFG's I've ever owned. M/T's and KO's and hopefully now KO2's.
 
Where I'm at, the Toyo's are 33% more expensive then the bfg's.

This is true for me also. I don't mind if they cost more if it really is the best for me. But if the KO2 will do what I need it would be great to save $500.
 
This is true for me also. I don't mind if they cost more if it really is the best for me. But if the KO2 will do what I need it would be great to save $500.

Dana,
My LX450 has the Toyo's on it. You are welcome to drive/inspect before you buy for yourself to see if you like them.

-Rob
 
The Ko2s will be better for highway driving with the occasional wheeling trip. The only problem that they have is that once they get mud in the thread, they are basically useless. But they will probably last longer than the toyos on the road driving. Toyos have a more aggressive tread so they seem to grip well even when covered in mud. They will definitely be louder than the KO2s though, but are not as loud as other tires such as Goodyear Kevlars. The toys do have very strong sidewalls. I think both are good considerations, but it comes down to what you expect to get out of them.
 
I have been a huge BFG AT for a long time. I was out of 4x4 for a while and got back into it last year. I needed new tires and wanted 295/75/16, which were not available in AT KO2 in Feb of this year, and BFG had no plans to manufacture them. So, even though I really wanted then, I went with Toyo AT2. They are a rugged, well built tire, that took hardly any weight to balance them, and are fine on the highway. I am totally happy with them EXCEPT they are noisy at 40 mph and above (the 100 series needs more sound deadening anyway) The Mud version would be very loud.
 
I had BFG KM2 MT's on my 2004 F150. I found them noisy, and had a huge effect on my mileage. I removed them and
bought something else then sold that truck.
I've got 45000 kms on my Toyo MT's, I just got beck from a 8000+ km trip up to Inuvik and Yukon and some of the worst
dirt road highway conditions you can find. The tires are fairly quiet, handle extremely well on dirt, snow, ice and in the mud.
I left home with 50 psi in the rear, 45 psi in the front. I checked the rears in Inuvik, they had come down 2 psi each.
When I got home, they still had 50 psi, the fronts had settled on 43 and 42 psi. I checked the tread depth tonight
as I just did a front end job, and rotated the tires. They still have about 60% tread left.
I can't say enough good about these tires, I have a 12HT in my 60 wagon, and I won't use any other tires now.
 
Unless you plan on doing a lot of driving in the mud the KO2 is going to make a great tire for you. It will be quieter, last longer, and hook up plenty in dirt, rocks, etc. The sidewalls on them are well built and they will take a great deal of abuse. I had a set of the original KO's that lasted close to 60k miles on my 97. The new KO2 looks even better. I am really hoping to get set on my spare wheels so that I can run them on long overland trips rather than running my Kuhmos.

A good friend of mine has the Toyo's on his wrangler in size 315. They have been on a year and look to be less than half tread. I imagine he puts about 20k on his vehicle doing trips and what not. They are silly loud. He pulled out of the parking lot the other day, maybe 10mph and they were humming already. They are supposed to be very strong, but for the money I think there are better options.
 
Toyo's all the way....I had some BFG KO's (not new ones) that were a pain to balance, and even with regular rotation got the chunking in the tread. In my experience Toyo's are superior (M55 and Open Country AT2 Extreme)
 
Ive run a set of 35 km2s a long, long way including across canada twice, through all seasons, alot of gravel, as well as down to California on the Rubicon and the red rocks of Moab. I won't try to quote a mileage figure off hand but they've sure been around. Truck was also daily driven the whole time. I recently went to a set of Toyo MTs also 35s, but an inch wider, primarily because it was too good a deal to pass up. The Bfg's always worked well except for icy conditions or sidehilling in snow or muddy conditions. Having them siped made a big difference for cold weather. They just didnt bite in the slick stuff like they used to, leading me to move on. The Toyos are alot heavier, and I need to run alot less air to get the same bulge, leading me to believe they will indeed have a much tougher sidewall. Initial impression is that they are indeed a harder compound than the KM2. Id like to wheel on more varied terrain before I pass a long term verdict on them, but they are a much newer tire, and it shows on the trail. A buddy runs a 37 KO2 under an 80, and as expected, they work well everywhere but mud. He has however already cut a sidewall on a very new set of tires. Wasn't impressed, but it was also a nasty, frost shattered rock that did it, at very low beadlocked presure. Hes a rather particular fellow, and wanted a quieter tire than the nitto trail grapplers he had previously. I like to raz him about his "street tires" but they work for him, and we avoid the mud when possible anyway.

I feel all three choices are high quality offerings, with each sticking out in a particular situation. I don't think you can go too far wrong, but my money would go to the KM2 for an increase in mud performance without the weight. Word from Woody that there may be a redesign up the pipe is interesting.
 
I have the KM2's on my 84 Toyota and I have to say I'm impressed. Only blew one bead and that's cuz I winched sideways. Other then that I've had these at 2 psi, not joking and didn't blow a bead even on the drive home since I couldn't air up.
 

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