Michelin LTX defender vs KO2 snow performance (1 Viewer)

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HGB

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In the sand
Currently have both tires but an offer stands to sell my KO2’s. The only real reason I’m hesitant is due to the road trips I have planned to Colorado that would require a decent amount of driving in snow.

I don’t plan to take more than two trips/season so I don’t want a dedicated winter tire, but Colorado roads get pretty curvy and steep so I want to be thoughtful in my consideration.
Are the defenders good enough? Are KO2’s that much better? I know they’re both M+S rated, but does that mean they’re equal?
 
Soft snow, KO2s are bearable and work as well as any AT would. Ice or packed snow and they're trash. That being said, I live in Colorado full time and run KO2s. Their other benefits outweigh their drawbacks on the few icy snowy days.
 
I have owned both, the Defenders on my LC and ran KO2s on my old suburban. On paper the KO2s with the 3 peak snowflake emblem will be the “better” snow tire. I swapped out my Defenders before driving the LC in snow. They did do great in the rain.
Reading the internets opinions on KO2s and snow will provide vastly different reviews. Some rave about its snow abilities while others say it’s awful and scary.

I would personally run something different like a dedicated snow tire or a more recently introduced all terrain that has the 3 peak snowflake emblem (falcon, Toyo, general grabber...etc).

However if it’s just going to see minimal snow use the KO2s should do just fine. Icey roads seem to be its Achilles heel. Having the 3 peak emblem on the sidewall generally avoids being forced to run chains. Plus with the LCs full time 4wd you’ll be in good shape.
 
Which version of the Defender ? How old are each tire ? The Defender has 2 versions and there is some overlap
 
Which version of the Defender ? How old are each tire ? The Defender has 2 versions and there is some overlap

i got them last year. About 9 months ago. I have the 285/50/20 size. Does that help you? KO2 I got last month
 
Can't speak to the KO2s, but my wife has Defenders (previously known as LTX M/S2s) on her QX80 and they are fantastic in snow. Easily as good as the Wildpeaks on my 100.
 
KO2, especially as new as yours, should do fine in snow driving as long as you know that you’re driving a 6000lbs high center of gravity vehicle with solid rear axle.

But Defender is probably better than KO2 in everything that has to do with on-road performance.

What size is your KO2? Same as Defender?
 
KO2, especially as new as yours, should do fine in snow driving as long as you know that you’re driving a 6000lbs high center of gravity vehicle with solid rear axle.

But Defender is probably better than KO2 in everything that has to do with on-road performance.

What size is your KO2? Same as Defender?

My KO2’s are 275/70/17

Defender’s are 285/50/20

As you said, the defender is better on road. Because of that, I want to sell my KO2’s, but the thing holding me back is snow performance. If the defender will be as good in snow, I can make an easy decision.
 
My KO2’s are 275/70/17

Defender’s are 285/50/20

As you said, the defender is better on road. Because of that, I want to sell my KO2’s, but the thing holding me back is snow performance. If the defender will be as good in snow, I can make an easy decision.

yeah, if you’re not off-roading, then i would just stick to Defender and sell the KO2.
 
yeah, if you’re not off-roading, then i would just stick to Defender and sell the KO2.

I do some sand driving and SOME off-roading... but I’m thinking about lifting the LX later and deleting AHC so I might re-do the setup with different size wheels/tires. So if I sell now then I can get a new game plan going.
 
Currently have both tires but an offer stands to sell my KO2’s. The only real reason I’m hesitant is due to the road trips I have planned to Colorado that would require a decent amount of driving in snow.

I don’t plan to take more than two trips/season so I don’t want a dedicated winter tire, but Colorado roads get pretty curvy and steep so I want to be thoughtful in my consideration.
Are the defenders good enough? Are KO2’s that much better? I know they’re both M+S rated, but does that mean they’re equal?

I have both and michelins are way better than KO2 in snow and ice and highway. I can drive my lx470 to 120mph if Im not watching speedo with defenders. The LC usually 80 or so with KO2. I went with DTs on my lasr set of KO2s and they last longer but slightly worse than ko2 is snow/ice.
 
Is it possible to run snow chains/cables on the defenders?
 
Drove Bridgestone Blizzak tires on a Volvo XC 90 from Haynes to Anchorage in January a few years ago and they exhibited excellent handling characteristics. I was surprised to see snow sticking into the tread on one occasion like the tire just "gripped" it. They are soft and taken off for summer travel. 2 sets of wheels.
 
Yep - I have both, Defenders on the 100 and on my wife's GX. Ko2 on the 200. We get ice more than snow here and I don't feel safe with the KO2. The 200 won't make it up or down my fairly steep driveway while the defenders tend to walk right up in snow\ice conditions. If I didn't have the old 100, I would have a dedicated winter set.
 
Is it possible to run snow chains/cables on the defenders?
I can't imagine why it wouldn't be.

Rears should have a ton of room for well-fitting chains or cables. Front will depend on wheel offset and tire diameter.. but rear axle is the more important one anyway.
 
It’s funny, the Michelin defenders outperform the ko2 in every way except looks and price. I’m on ko2’s because it makes my truck look fantastic and the stock defenders look so pedestrian. The defenders have tons of sipes and are fantastic off-road. Some dude on the expedition portal ran them for a couple years and said they were the best tire he’s ever run. My ko2’s have 45k miles on them, and are starting to get damn noisy. Going to look hard at the defenders or the Michelin AT. Wife has those tires, and they did great on deep snow.
 
It’s funny, the Michelin defenders outperform the ko2 in every way except looks and price. I’m on ko2’s because it makes my truck look fantastic and the stock defenders look so pedestrian. The defenders have tons of sipes and are fantastic off-road. Some dude on the expedition portal ran them for a couple years and said they were the best tire he’s ever run. My ko2’s have 45k miles on them, and are starting to get damn noisy. Going to look hard at the defenders or the Michelin AT. Wife has those tires, and they did great on deep snow.
The defenders seem like a good tire.

Maybe k02’s withstand punctures better Offroad? Don’t they use them for Offroad endurance races?
 

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