It’s time for new tires, and I want to stay with an AT tire as I use the truck for family trips, and I prefer a quieter ride down the highway. I do enjoy some tougher trails, so want to make sure that I try and get the most suitable tire.
Is there anything better in an AT configuration, but is more aggressive off road than the BFG KO2? The tire size I’m getting is 315-75-16.
My typical usage: home depot trips, road trips, wheeling a couple times a month in rocky terrain, one or two moab type trips per year. Typically 16-20psi off the pavement.
Duratrac has a good tread pattern, but seems to get more sidewall flats anecdotally among my buddies. I had Hankook Dynapro AT's and they were tough, but had pretty severe tread chunking after getting womped on several times--you'll get this from the BFG's also. I ran BFGs for many years and they never let me down (aside from afore-mentioned chunking). I had the Cooper ATP for a while and they held up really well--no chunking, sidewalls stayed in good shape.
No personal experience, but I like the design of the Falken Wildpeak AT3W.
IMO tread chunking is cosmetic and to be expected for an AT tire that gets used off road. PS, not sure if this matters for your usage, but THEY ALL SUCK IN THE MUD!
+1 on the At3W from Falken. I have them in 33" and they're definitely aggressive. Plenty quiet on the highway as well. And snow/ice rated like the k02. Discount Tire Direct has them on big discount for labor day. Only downside is I think they're pretty heavy compared to the K02.
I've got the Wildpeak AT2s on my LX. I have about 45k miles on them. I haven't done a huge amount of four wheeling with them, but what I've done they've been fully acceptable. What I can add is that even after 45k miles, they have quite a bit of life left in them, the wear is even and they are quiet on the road. Very quiet. They are also excellent in the snow.
I went from Duratrac to KO2's and have no regrets. I would say the Duratrac is a bit more grippy off road, depending on the surface, but I have run some pretty tough trails with the KO2's and they did just fine. The better manners and lower noise on the road, along with the stronger sidewall, outweigh any concern I had about them. I think my mileage is a bit better with the KO2's too. Fact of the matter is, most of us rarely exceed the capability of a good AT on our trucks, so why not have better drive-ability most of the time.
I went from Duratrac to KO2's and have no regrets. I would say the Duratrac is a bit more grippy off road, depending on the surface, but I have run some pretty tough trails with the KO2's and they did just fine. The better manners and lower noise on the road, along with the stronger sidewall, outweigh any concern I had about them. I think my mileage is a bit better with the KO2's too. Fact of the matter is, most of us rarely exceed the capability of a good AT on our trucks, so why not have better drive-ability most of the time.
Excellent review and you bring up a good point about the sidewall strength, which is one of the most important features of a tire when wheeling out here in CA. I don't mind paying a bit more for the BFG KO2's or Duratrac's, over the price of the Falken WildPeak AT3W's, if I'm getting a stronger sidewall, and longer life out of the tires. Of the three I think the Wildpeak AT3W's are the only ones with a mileage warranty of 55k miles, but the other two are known to go the distance as well.
Do the BFG KO2's come out on top just because they've been around longer and more people have used them, or they have a definitive advantage (lighter, stronger, better mpg, etc)?
I'm in the market for new tires as well...from the research I've done I think it's worth it to pay a little extra for the KO2s...Actually it's almost the same price if you go through Sam's Club or something like that as opposed to buying the Falkens from TiresPlus because TiresPlus charges so much for the install and insurance on the tire where at Sam's it's all included at $15/tire install charge.
So spend a bit extra now and save later...also depends where you are and what you're using it for.
I have Duratrac's and have been quite happy with them. They are starting to show some cupping at around 35,000 miles. But I have only rotated them once. If I was staying more on the mild side I would probably flip a coin between Duratrac and KO2 and be happy with either.
