Not liking the BFG KO2s (1 Viewer)

[987R]

We swapped the stock 20" LX570 wheel/tire setup for 18" Land Cruiser wheels and 275/70/18 BFG KO2s.

Man, the ride is too firm, and it almost seems to bounce around with the road imperfections.

I'm thinking the load range E tires are the issue. I dropped air pressure a few times in hope that'd smooth things out, but am now thinking of selling the tires and trying a load range D or something else.

Thoughts?

 

[jwmNC]

The KO2s are stiff and they get loud very soon after installation. I used them for a while because I towed a 5000 lb boat and they did a decent job with that weight on them. The bounce you feel is probably the extra unsprung weight because they are also quite heavy compared to the originals.

 

[Yossarian]

We swapped the stock 20" LX570 wheel/tire setup for 18" Land Cruiser wheels and 275/70/18 BFG KO2s.

Man, the ride is too firm, and it almost seems to bounce around with the road imperfections.

I'm thinking the load range E tires are the issue. I dropped air pressure a few times in hope that'd smooth things out, but am now thinking of selling the tires and trying a load range D or something else.

Thoughts?

To confirm, you have the LT in load range "E", and what PSI are you using?

 

[987R]

To confirm, you have the LT in load range "E", and what PSI are you using?

Yes, load range E and 38 psi to start, and I'm down to 34 psi now. Thinking of going lower......

 

[Yossarian]

Tire Pressure recommendation

@gaijin Recommendation for BFGoodrich K03 LT285/70R17 Load range C 116/113S? Not sure if I just use the K02 guidance, but haven't seen anyything for K03. Thanks in advance!

forum.ih8mud.com

This thread is your friend regarding the proper tire pressure, but you are already below what is recommended. E's are stiff, and I'm currently running C's, much better and can handle the load range of the 200.

HTH.

 

[slipkid13]

We swapped the stock 20" LX570 wheel/tire setup for 18" Land Cruiser wheels and 275/70/18 BFG KO2s.

Man, the ride is too firm, and it almost seems to bounce around with the road imperfections.

I'm thinking the load range E tires are the issue. I dropped air pressure a few times in hope that'd smooth things out, but am now thinking of selling the tires and trying a load range D or something else.

Thoughts?

I had E rated KO2 on a 4runner and it was terrible, they are super stiff, loud and ride like hell.

I have Yokohama Geolander AT GO15 with 18" LC rims on my 2013 LX and they ride great. Have the 3 peak rating so they work well in the snow.

 

[Heritage 2020]

@987R

Of note: even though you went to a bigger sidewall by switching to a smaller wheel—you likely went from a softer sidewall P-metric tire to an LT tire (a tougher tire rated for heavier loads if inflated optimally), which changes things regarding ride quality and tire weight.

If you are used to P-Metric radials (OEM tires on the LC and most modern SUVs), an LT tire (C, D, or E load rated) is going to ride a bit rougher due to the stiffer sidewall.

Some who’ve only run LT tires on SUVs and trucks don’t notice the stiffer ride as that is normal to us. I couldn't tell you what a stock OEM P-Metric tire feels like on a large SUV or truck—as the first thing I do when buying a SUV/pickup is swap P-Metric tires to LT before leaving the dealership.

LT C load rated tires ride slightly less rough than D or E rated—however, depending on whom you ask the difference is negligible to significant (lots of variables at play).

As has been mentioned above, you can play with tire pressure slightly—but be careful that you don’t go too low for safety reasons. There are several folks on the forum who generously help with tire pressure advice.

NOTE: I run an LT 285/65R-18 at 42 psi on my Land Cruiser and enjoy the ride quality (which of course is subjective as I mentioned). I’m not sure of your tire size, but am guessing that 38 psi is a bit low—and I wouldn’t recommend lower PSIs.

 

[W4632018]

Just get a SL tire

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

I have nothing substantive to add other than this observation. Of all the tires discussed on this forum the KO2s seem be to the only tire that is either love/hate with no gray area. FWIW, a friend swears by these tires. As such, I took a hard look at the them. I bought a different tire.

 

[987R]

Thanks for your help guys. I'm going to swap back to my stock 20" tires with Michelin LT tires and see how that feels. If I remember right, it was somewhat compliant compared to my current setup.

I'd hate to ditch the KO2s at this point, as it's $$$$$ down the drain.

 

[TeCKis300]

Sorry to hear it's not meeting expectation. Outside of just LT-E, KO2s have been known to run stiff. Some like the firmer feel and ride, but just as many are caught out by just how stiff they can be. You wouldn't be the first one on the boards that have bought in only to decide it wasn't for them.

There are other AT tires that ride better, sometimes much better even as LT-E. There are further parameters including required air pressure, and how square the sidewall sits on the rim/width plays into this.

 

[MeWantLC]

We swapped the stock 20" LX570 wheel/tire setup for 18" Land Cruiser wheels and 275/70/18 BFG KO2s.

Man, the ride is too firm, and it almost seems to bounce around with the road imperfections.

I'm thinking the load range E tires are the issue. I dropped air pressure a few times in hope that'd smooth things out, but am now thinking of selling the tires and trying a load range D or something else.

Thoughts?

Don't worry. The BFGs will sell easy on FB or similar. Don't give them back to the tire shop, sell them yourself.

I would recommend Michellin LTX MS2.

 

[EverywhereBear]

I moved from OEM p-metric tires on my previous (2008) LX to load range D KO2 and the ride was harsh. I now run load range C Toyo AT3s and find them much better on ride quality and gas mileage.

 

[987R]

I moved from OEM p-metric tires on my previous (2008) LX to load range D KO2 and the ride was harsh. I now run load range C Toyo AT3s and find them much better on ride quality and gas mileage.

What size AT3s? I have those tires on a RWD sprinter van and am very impressed by ice/snow traction

 

[stonepa]

Love my stock sized K02 in Load range E. I like the ride, the noise (I’m half deaf from flying my Beaver), and the handling. But I’m old school.

 

[987R]

Love my stock sized K02 in Load range E. I like the ride, the noise (I’m half deaf from flying my Beaver), and the handling. But I’m old school.

I don't mind a firm ride, and actually prefer it (coming from a sports-car background), but this is more harsh and rubbery instead of firm and controlled. I might tweak pressures a bit first, but probably moving on from the BFGs.

 

[JohnPW]

Thanks for your help guys. I'm going to swap back to my stock 20" tires with Michelin LT tires and see how that feels. If I remember right, it was somewhat compliant compared to my current setup.

I'd hate to ditch the KO2s at this point, as it's $$$$$ down the drain.

Why go back to 20” wheels if you now own 18”? The bigger sidewall will help the ride if you need to run LT rated tires.

As others have mentioned you are way low at 38 psi for LT275/70r18; per the link above, recommended pressure is 45 Psi. If you are planning to buy new Michelins, then note that LT285/65r18 will call for slightly lower pressure of 42psi versus the 45psi of the LT275/70r18 per the link referenced above. But it’s still higher recommended pressure than the 38psi you are running. These pressure recs are the same whether C,D,or E load.

Do you really need LT rated tires? The Michelin Defender 2now comes in XL rated 285/65r18, Per the link above these call for 38psi and as a XL rated (non LT) tire they should ride much better. It will ride better than stock with those.

Whether LT or P/SL or XL version, here is a thread on the Michelins if you haven’t seen:

So I think the Michelin Defender is the perfect all-terrain tire... (For most of us)

I wanted to talk about function over form and my opinions on why I think the Michelin Defender LTX is one of the best "all-terrain" tires out these for a majority of 4wd enthusiast/Overlanders... Before I begin let me cite a few sources on why I have these opinions. Sources/References - My use...

forum.ih8mud.com

I’m sure you can sell barely used KO2’s at only a small loss. If you don’t need LT rated tires, there are P/SL rated off road tires that will ride softer than the LT rated KO2’s as well: Falken Wildpeaks now come in SL285/65r18 as an example. Good luck with your decision.

 

[coleAK]

Why go back to 20” wheels if you now own 18”? The bigger sidewall will help the ride if you need to run LT rated tires.

As others have mentioned you are way low at 38 psi for LT275/70r18; per the link above, recommended pressure is 45 Psi. If you are planning to buy new Michelins, then note that LT285/65r18 will call for slightly lower pressure of 42psi versus the 45psi of the LT275/70r18 per the link referenced above. But it’s still higher recommended pressure than the 38psi you are running. These pressure recs are the same whether C,D,or E load.

Do you really need LT rated tires? The Michelin Defender 2now comes in XL rated 285/65r18, Per the link above these call for 38psi and as a XL rated (non LT) tire they should ride much better. It will ride better than stock with those.

Whether LT or P/SL or XL version, here is a thread on the Michelins if you haven’t seen:

So I think the Michelin Defender is the perfect all-terrain tire... (For most of us)

I wanted to talk about function over form and my opinions on why I think the Michelin Defender LTX is one of the best "all-terrain" tires out these for a majority of 4wd enthusiast/Overlanders... Before I begin let me cite a few sources on why I have these opinions. Sources/References - My use...

forum.ih8mud.com

I’m sure you can sell barely used KO2’s at only a small loss. If you don’t need LT rated tires, there are P/SL rated off road tires that will ride softer than the LT rated KO2’s as well: Falken Wildpeaks now come in SL285/65r18 as an example. Good luck with your decision.

Do this. If you don’t need the weight rating of the LT go back to a p-metric tire. The defenders are better than K02s for pretty much everything (rain, snow, on road, sand, ride quality,…).

I run LT tires (currently on C load) in the summer (most of my miles are towing a 7k camper) and p metrics in the winter The ride is night and day better on my winter P
Metric Nokians.

 

[skrypj]

If you look at my post you will see I am not a fan of KO2's myself, but not because they were too stiff. I ran two sets. 285/70R17's on my GX460 and 315/70R17's on my F150. Both were load range C. I did not care for them and found them to be loud. I put a set of 37x12.5 Geolandar G003's on my tin can of a 1995 4Runner and those didnt seem any louder than my KO2's.

I also thought they performed relatively poor in the snow.

I will say though that they were "stiffer" than the previous Duratracs I ran which tended to be squirmy and not very responsive when turning. The KO2's were better in that respect.

 

[skrypj]

That calculator says that the 275/70R18 load range E at 38 psi would support 2190 lbs which is more than 1/2 the rear axle rating on these(4300 lb)