KO2 bad in snow and ice you say? NOT! (1 Viewer)

[Madtiger]

TireRack updated a lot of their tire comparisons with winter performance updates.

BFG KO2 LT-C was tested against other P-metric AT tires, including the well regarded Yokohama G015.

I have talked about this comparison in past…that KO2 was able to hang in their with the other road-oriented P-metrics ATs.

But in snow AND ice…….LT-C KO2 beat ALL of them!

Read: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=249

Quote:

The BFGoodrich led the group in EVERY test, including lap times and subjective scoring from our drivers. It accelerated confidently, turned in with authority and was able to reliably hold the intended line through corners, and braking was strong, as well. The Yokohama was a small step back, requiring a few additional feet to accelerate and brake and turning laps that were a significant 1.4 seconds behind the pace of the BFGoodrich. Aside from some slight instability in the rear under heavy throttle application, the Yokohama was easy to drive and was a good partner for our test vehicle and drivers. Maximizing the Firestone was a little bit more difficult, as it felt like the window of performance was somewhat narrower than the BFGoodrich or the Yokohama. Even so, it delivered results that were solidly mid-pack and would likely be acceptable to most drivers for daily use. The acceleration performance of the Hankook was second only to the BFGoodrich, and it was just slightly behind the rest of the group in the other measured tests. Subjectively, it felt a little bit more edgy than the Firestone, but once again is likely to satisfy in the real world.

In our ICE braking test, the BFGoodrich set the shortest distance, coming to a stop 5.2 feet before the next-shortest Hankook. The Yokohama took only .7 feet longer, and the Firestone was a minor 2.1 feet from there.

 

[CharlieS]

Shhhh, stop telling people, it is hard enough to get tires now as it is, now everybody's going to rush to buy the KO2s.

 

[bloc]

Shhhh, stop telling people, it is hard enough to get tires now as it is, now everybody's going to rush to buy the KO2s.

The guy is effectively selling tires for Toyo by annoying people out of the KO2 club. I wouldn’t be worried.

 

[Madtiger]

The guy is effectively selling tires for Toyo by annoying people out of the KO2 club. I wouldn’t be worried.

Oh yeah that’s happening. See recent poll. Come on bloc, no need to be butthurt by facts….

 

[bloc]

Oh yeah that’s happening. See recent poll. Come on bloc, no need to be butthurt by facts….

They've sold a lot of KO2s. *SHOCKER*

My point stands.

 

[stonepa]

Interesting. But real world experience would say no. My K02 stay safely in my garage all winter as they suck compared to Blizzaks on snow and ice. Real world driving is where my understanding comes from.

 

[Madtiger]

Interesting. But real world experience would say no. My K02 stay safely in my garage all winter as they suck compared to Blizzaks on snow and ice. Real world driving is where my understanding comes from.

I don’t think that KO2 is meant to replace winter tires. But compared to other ATs (those listed in the comparo), it does quite well. TireRack did not compare it to winter tires.

 

[Itsky]

that test is from 2019 and in it BFG got handled.

 

[Idaho Savage]

Taking "test data" from a retailer is like a sighting a Coca-Cola taste test.

KO2's are so so in snow and ice. Not nearly as good as Toyo or Cooper ATs. They pack quickly and struggle from a stop. Ask anyone who actually lives in a climate of snow and ice...there's a reason you never, ever see them on plow trucks but Coopers in particular are quite prevalent.

 

[liv2bike]

My experience (here in Idaho) with KO2s on packed snow and ice...no bueno. They are dreadful. I’ll take a front wheel drive minivan on Blizzaks any day of the week. Our KO2s come off in the winter for dedicated winter rubber.

 

[ColoradoSequoia]

I've been driving KO2s (Load E) in the snow for two years. They do very well IMHO - they aren't snow tires but they are siped, stick to snow and are good for an all season / all-terrain.

 

[CharlieS]

Opinions are always going to vary, but I live in Vermont and we get months of snow and ice. I've never had a problem in decades of running BFG KO and KO2, including on three Ford F250 trucks when I ran a Fisher plow. When people make blanket statements on how horrible they are in snow and ice, it always irks me.

 

[Sinister]

Opinions are always going to vary, but I live in Vermont and we get months of snow and ice. I've never had a problem in decades of running BFG KO and KO2, including on three Ford F250 trucks when I ran a Fisher plow. When people make blanket statements on how horrible they are in snow and ice, it always irks me.

Same here, I never had any issues what so ever with the KO2 in the snow. Anything less then a studded tire for ice isn’t going to be good. People don’t know how to adjust their driving habits in inclement weather and then blame the tires when something happens.

 

[AnyMal]

TireRack updated a lot of their tire comparisons with winter performance updates.

BFG KO2 LT-C was tested against other P-metric AT tires, including the well regarded Yokohama G015.

I have talked about this comparison in past…that KO2 was able to hang in their with the other road-oriented P-metrics ATs.

But in snow AND ice…….LT-C KO2 beat ALL of them!

Read: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=249

Quote:

The BFGoodrich led the group in EVERY test, including lap times and subjective scoring from our drivers. It accelerated confidently, turned in with authority and was able to reliably hold the intended line through corners, and braking was strong, as well. The Yokohama was a small step back, requiring a few additional feet to accelerate and brake and turning laps that were a significant 1.4 seconds behind the pace of the BFGoodrich. Aside from some slight instability in the rear under heavy throttle application, the Yokohama was easy to drive and was a good partner for our test vehicle and drivers. Maximizing the Firestone was a little bit more difficult, as it felt like the window of performance was somewhat narrower than the BFGoodrich or the Yokohama. Even so, it delivered results that were solidly mid-pack and would likely be acceptable to most drivers for daily use. The acceleration performance of the Hankook was second only to the BFGoodrich, and it was just slightly behind the rest of the group in the other measured tests. Subjectively, it felt a little bit more edgy than the Firestone, but once again is likely to satisfy in the real world.

In our ICE braking test, the BFGoodrich set the shortest distance, coming to a stop 5.2 feet before the next-shortest Hankook. The Yokohama took only .7 feet longer, and the Firestone was a minor 2.1 feet from there.

No offense tiger, and i like the KO2 but based on that quote Tire Rack has lost all credibility in my eyes. Complete pass on anything from them and their testing. This is nonsensical.

 

[Madtiger]

No offense tiger, and i like the KO2 but based on that quote Tire Rack has lost all credibility in my eyes. Complete pass on anything from them and their testing. This is nonsensical.

What? They did the test. You see the lap times. You see the braking distance. And then you have subjective from the driver.

What is wrong with TireRack test? How different is that from Car & Driver or MotorTrend tests?

You have empirical data and you have driver’s impression. What else do you want?

 

[KLF]

I've run KO2s for one winter and they were dreadful. Awful on packed snow and ice. Never again. Mine live in my basement in the winter.

 

[Madtiger]

I have run KO2 in Colorado. No issue. But I do drive like a grandma.

 

[AnyMal]

What? They did the test. You see the lap times. You see the braking distance. And then you have subjective from the driver.

What is wrong with TireRack test? How different is that from Car & Driver or MotorTrend tests?

You have empirical data and you have driver’s impression. What else do you want?

Not saying theres contradiction in their data but conceptually it cant even be close to being true. Theres something amiss. Theres no way an LT AT beat a lineup of mild P ATs. They must be shilling theres no logical explanation of the results.

Wish i could try out KO2s myself at this point for my LX but according to the TR testing we would all be fools not to run this tire.

 

[Fisher23]

LOL ..

Nitto Ridge Grappler vs BFGoodrich T/A K02 | SD Wheel

Can't decide between the Nitto Ridge Grappler and BFGoodrich K02? We can help! Today, we compare the two and go over our thoughts on each!

www.sdwheel.com

 

[Madtiger]

Not saying theres contradiction in their data but conceptually it cant even be close to being true. Theres something amiss. Theres no way an LT AT beat a lineup of mild P ATs. They must be shilling theres no logical explanation of the results.

Wish i could try out KO2s myself at this point for my LX but according to the TR testing we would all be fools not to run this tire.

Remember, KO2 came in 3rd in most on-road tests i think, which makes perfect sense given KO2 is not really a highway-priority tire. It ONLY excelled in snow and ice over the P-metric tires in that test.

IF TireRack was trying to sell KO2, then why didn’t they rank it 1st in everything? Why was KO2 “average or below average” in most of their on-road test? If i was trying to sell something, then i want to glam up the results, right?

I think that some of you guys are looking beyond what this test says to try and rationalize away the point of this test…and thus making random conclusions that are not supported by this test.

Let me summarize to help you guys:

This test does NOT mean that KO2 replaces a proper winter tire. BUT, (only) compared to those other tires in the test, KO2 did great in snow & ice.

KO2 is not to meant to be put on a race car. It did NOT win a single on-road performance test in this comparison other than snow/ice.

What this test does show is that KO2 is not THAT bad on-road (a common presumed weakness of KO2) when compared to other contemporary P-metric highway-bias “AT” tires. Make no mistake about it…Yokohama G015 is a GREAT tire that even up to now is one of the gold standard for highway-bias AT tire. Firestone AT-2 and Hankook AT were new AT tire to the market at time of testing.

What exactly is amiss? When did TireRack say anything about KO2 beating the mild ATs? It only beat those ATs in ONE SINGLE category (snow & ice).