KO2's vs A/T3W's

[Orange Hat]

Ok all, time for new treads on the 200. Plan is to replace the Dunlop stockers with an A/T in the 285/65/18 size. Narrowed it down to the BFG KO2 or the Falken AT3W. Most driving is city commuting (90%) with intended trail driving (10%). Any thoughts or words of wisdom/experience?

 

[tbisaacs]

You’ll get tons of anecdotes here, so I’ll add mine.

I bought 5 Falkens for the cost of 4 Ko2s, even with the discount tire replacement carts. And they have a mileage warranty.

I appreciate the ko2s proven reputation but I am a practical man.

I’ve driven the Falkens in sand, deep snow, and wet Seattle winter and they’ve been great.

Good luck, both are great tires.

 

[SWUtah]

Go big or go home BFG

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

... or versus the new Cooper AT3 XLT?

 

[mpho]

I have the Cooper XLTs. Love them! Smooth, solid, responsive on road...the same offroad....

 

[4gotalot]

I ran the Cooper AT3, not the new XLT version but would say in that it was a good heavy duty street tire at the low end of the A/T category. Unless they changed the rubber compound and improved the carcass, I would not recommend them for snow/ice or sharp rocks/FOD. After the first 2/32 of tread was warn off they were just scary on packed snow. I sold them all and went with the new KO2 at the time and found what felt like twice the snow/ice traction even with 5/32 worn off now and no flats. If a tire does not work for your seasonal driving requirements and durable safety needs then get rid of them. You and your family are worth more than hundreds of dollars of inferior tires.

I have no problem paying more for a reliable tire or a reliable vehicle.

 

[Redbull]

Assuming all of these A/T tires are the same - objectively BFG KO2's are the preferred OEM spec by Toyota, Ford, and Jeep for their most serious off road offerings and subjectively - LOOK AT THAT TREAD! ITS SO COOL.

 

[TeCKis300]

Go big or go home BFG

Couldn't agree more. 305s or bust.

 

[bicycleagent003]

This is on my 80 mind you, but the Falken AT's I had were no comparison to the BFG KO2's I replaced them with. I could only handle about 7K miles on the Falkens before I returned them. They slipped a lot on the trail, felt vague on the road, they just didn't feel like a great tire to me. I feel much safer on the trail and in the wet with the BFG's. The guys at the tire shop told me they get a lot of Falken AT's coming back in due to customer dissatisfaction, and I also noticed the Falken's required A Lot more weights to balance them. I think the dollars spent between the two are dollars well spent, and I am a major miser.

The Cooper AT's won a shoot out on Expedition Portal between AT's, and beat the BFG's. I'm not sure if that was the KO2, but I think it was. You can easily Google the shootout, it's worth reading a. I've never tried the Coopers, and I must confess I like a more rugged/aggressive look.

Just my two cents.

 

[Jdt30]

I have the Falken AT3W’s and like them. I haven’t had a problem with them. Mostly highway with some driving in snow, and the Arbuckle Mountains (hills)

 

[SWUtah]

This is on my 80 mind you, but the Falken AT's I had were no comparison to the BFG KO2's I replaced them with. I could only handle about 7K miles on the Falkens before I returned them. They slipped a lot on the trail, felt vague on the road, they just didn't feel like a great tire to me. I feel much safer on the trail and in the wet with the BFG's. The guys at the tire shop told me they get a lot of Falken AT's coming back in due to customer dissatisfaction, and I also noticed the Falken's required A Lot more weights to balance them. I think the dollars spent between the two are dollars well spent, and I am a major miser.

The Cooper AT's won a shoot out on Expedition Portal between AT's, and beat the BFG's. I'm not sure if that was the KO2, but I think it was. You can easily Google the shootout, it's worth reading a. I've never tried the Coopers, and I must confess I like a more rugged/aggressive look.

Just my two cents.

That shoot out is on the old BFG ATKO‘s not on the new BFG ATKO2’s, Look at the tires in the article on expedition portal you can see the tires are the BFG ATKO’s.

 

[grinchy]

ah shoot. The cooper at3 and at3 xlt come in 285/75/18. Falken's don't have a 285/75/18. Cooper's size says 34.84" tall. I was all geeked up for the Falkens.

 

[TeCKis300]

This is on my 80 mind you, but the Falken AT's I had were no comparison to the BFG KO2's I replaced them with. I could only handle about 7K miles on the Falkens before I returned them. They slipped a lot on the trail, felt vague on the road, they just didn't feel like a great tire to me. I feel much safer on the trail and in the wet with the BFG's. The guys at the tire shop told me they get a lot of Falken AT's coming back in due to customer dissatisfaction, and I also noticed the Falken's required A Lot more weights to balance them. I think the dollars spent between the two are dollars well spent, and I am a major miser.

The Cooper AT's won a shoot out on Expedition Portal between AT's, and beat the BFG's. I'm not sure if that was the KO2, but I think it was. You can easily Google the shootout, it's worth reading a. I've never tried the Coopers, and I must confess I like a more rugged/aggressive look.

Just my two cents.

Which Falken AT's did you have? In a short period of time, they iterated on quite a few models. With the latest being the ATW3's. I have to say, in my time searching, your review comes as a surprise. Most every review is generally positive.

Mine did not take anymore than standard weights. They really are completely well behaved on road: excellent cornering/braking traction (I do push mine, and tire noise that's nicely attenuated for how aggressive the tread is. Seriously incredible in the rain, being that they have the deepest tread depth in the category. Great snow traction. And tons of fun running through washes at speed. Not to mention when they asked to bear some serious load when I tow, they've never even had the slightly hint of complaint. Basically a SOLID all around tire, which is what I ask for from an all terrain. I would pay serious money for this type of competency. But the fact that they are priced very competitively takes the cake.

 

[Orange Hat]

APPRECIATE everyone's feedback on this! I just started another thread on a mild lift and a larger tire that would fit in a parking garage but nonetheless, tires are still needed!

A few thoughts based on what I've always seemed to understand...right, wrong, or indifferent:

• BFG KO2 - considered one of the best tires out there that are as tough as nails but are heavy, harsh riding, and expensive.
• Falken A/T3W - evolved over time with the latest iteration being a terrific tire that is serious competition to the KO2. Lighter, softer riding, and less expensive.
• Cooper - hadn't really considered this tire (glad you did though) because I've never had good experiences with Cooper (albeit, this was on a car where after numerous attempts to balance them proved futile).

I'm still on the fence and am really 50/50 regarding the KO2 vs the A/T3W. I'm assuming that either way I go, I'm going to have a good tire.

 

[TeCKis300]

I'm still on the fence and am really 50/50 regarding the KO2 vs the A/T3W. I'm assuming that either way I go, I'm going to have a good tire.

Agreed! Tires are a completely personal choice. What works for one person may not work for the next. The BFG KO2s are the benchmark probably for very good reason.

 

[WatchTimes]

I have an 06 LX470 I bought just over 2 years ago and I put the KO2 on it and have 0 regrets!
Sure they are heavy BUT I have never had anyone say or have I felt they were harsh riding.
I am going to sell the 06 soon and get a 16-18 570, before it even goes home it will be fitted with new KO2’s!

 

[NC 100]

I have had the KO2’s and now have about 45k miles on them. They have been great tires but they are now getting loud with vibrations. There is tread left but for the highway driving, I am about at a point of going ahead and replacing them. Reality is I should put street tires on it with the way I drive this one.

 

[RyanR]

I've run both. BFG AT KO2 seems to be a little tougher/harder rubber compound, probably a better choice if you are running hard in sharp rock on a regular basis. The AT3W's ride better, are quieter and grip better in the snow ice (Again probably due to the softer rubber compound)

 

[Mogwai]

I think @indycole has pretty much blown a tire of every brand, but it would be an interesting thread to track when tires go down to see if there's any correlation between brands/models. For example I heard there were a couple during LCDC (@Romer may have had one, anyone else?)

I love how the KO2s perform on-road (and off but I have no other comparison there), if the AT3Ws are better on road I'm listening! I drive too fast and 95% of the time on-road not to prioritize on-road behavior before off-road. Plus driving fast in the desert is just too much fun and more common for me than "crawling", last thing I'd want is to blow out a sidewall going 40+ out there.

Sorry OP I know that didn't help you at all haha...

 

[indycole]

All of my KO2 failures were with wheels that were way below spec in terms of load rating so it's worth being aware of that caveat. Also the truck was frequently overloaded. Aside from the 3 tread punctures and 5 sidewall gashes the KO2s performed great

My Nitto Ridge Grapplers have risen to the challenge so far... beat the hell out of them in Baja, Death Valley, NM and Arizona forest roads, and last week in Telluride with no issues but a screw I smuggled back from Mexico in one of the tires (and even then it held pressure).

I'd be willing to give KO2s another try, but I've been very happy with the Nittos.