Reasonably quiet All Terrain tire (1 Viewer)

[stonepa]

I find that tire noise, like wind noise, is really individual person dependent. To me, my KO2s are pretty much silent. And I hear little to no wind noise in any of my vehicles. But put me in a car with even the slightest rattle and it will drive me nuts (which is why I just can’t spend much time in Big 3 SUVs) whereas the owner might not hear the rattle at all. Long way to say ‘your mileage may vary’.

 

[Umbrarian]

I find that tire noise, like wind noise, is really individual person dependent. To me, my KO2s are pretty much silent. And I hear little to no wind noise in any of my vehicles. But put me in a car with even the slightest rattle and it will drive me nuts (which is why I just can’t spend much time in Big 3 SUVs) whereas the owner might not hear the rattle at all. Long way to say ‘your mileage may vary’.

A significant component is also the vehicle. Identical tires may not be same on 2 different vehicles. Nothing is quiet on my CJ-7.

 

[1Maverick]

Good info, thank you!

Revo3?

Bridgestone Revo3 is a mild A/T.

 

[1Maverick]

I find that tire noise, like wind noise, is really individual person dependent. To me, my KO2s are pretty much silent. And I hear little to no wind noise in any of my vehicles. But put me in a car with even the slightest rattle and it will drive me nuts (which is why I just can’t spend much time in Big 3 SUVs) whereas the owner might not hear the rattle at all. Long way to say ‘your mileage may vary’.

I really don’t recall if my previous KO2 were noisy at all. The only thing I noticed from them was slippage in heavy rain and hard to Tracy straight on grooved pavement. Granted they were a 35/12.5r-8 on my previous cruiser that probably didn’t help.

 

[Tiger Rag]

Your tire guy is feeding you some BS on the KO2's, I have had four sets since 2019 without an issue, many more amongst family and friends. Falken Wildpeak AT3w's are the most overhyped POS tires I can recall in recent years, I'd run Duracraps before those and I am no fan of those either.

My tire guy is a personal friend that I grew up with. He is shooting me straight. That's not to say he doesn't have biases. I can tell Toyo rep takes care of them so he prefers/pushes their tires. That said Toyo has a good reputation regardless. Otherwise he's trying to guide me based on what he sees in a day to day basis which is what I am hoping for. That said, he doesn't sell every tire, or volume on some brands. Now, did he get done wrong by Michelin/BFG? - maybe I didn't ask him. He's sold be a bunch of each over the years and I don't think he'd steer me away unless he had real concerns. He did say he'd put a set of BFG 's on the LX if that's what I wanted which I still may based on my positive experience with them. One reason I'm looking for something different is the hydroplaning when you get past about half tread life. Other than that I've always liked the KO2's.

Duracrap = Goodyear Duratrac? Too noisy for me personally. Have never had a positive experience with Goodyear tires although it haven't bought a set in probably 25 years.

 

[Tiger Rag]

The Tire Rack has 5 AT tires in that size with reviews of excellent for noise.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT&width=285%2F&ratio=70&diameter=17&sortValue=22&openCat=Comfort#ratingsSort

I've got it pulled up, I will peruse this list. Thank you!

 

[Tiger Rag]

I have a set of Goodyear Wrangler Ultraterrain on order to come in with my wheels. Same size as you went with as well.

After doing some research, they seem to tick all the boxes for an A/T tire and are quieter than K02s. Can report back with my impressions.

Keep me posted on the Goodyears, I shy'ed away from them for years.

 

[Tiger Rag]

Sounds like you're doing everything you can. They're better today, but It is the nature of ATs to make some noise. The LX does a great job to attenuate the noise, but it'll still be there. It's up to the individual to decide if it's acceptable.

Unfortunately, they tend to get louder with miles and age.

Exactly what I'm afraid of - getting noisier with age.

 

[Itsky]

OP, check out this thread:

Fantastic all-terrain tire test

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Tiger Rag]

Bridgestone Revo3 is a mild A/T.

Ok thanks, I'll look them up. Haven't run across them.

 

[Tiger Rag]

I really don’t recall if my previous KO2 were noisy at all. The only thing I noticed from them was slippage in heavy rain and hard to Tracy straight on grooved pavement. Granted they were a 35/12.5r-8 on my previous cruiser that probably didn’t help.

Yes, KO2's will hydroplane after some wear.

 

[Madtiger]

He explained that the rear axle being under the cabin of the vehicle transmitted more noise into the vehicle.

Wait?! Say what?! He may be a childhood friend, but……oh my….i would shop somewhere else……your money.

 

[Tiger Rag]

Wait?! Say what?! He may be a childhood friend, but……oh my….i would shop somewhere else……your money.

Think about it, the rear axle on a pickup truck is way behind the cab of the truck. You are much less likely to draw sound into the cab than you are when the axle is under the enclosed portion of the cabin. Sounds vibrates the sheet metal of the cabin which transmits like a drum. If you've ever done any sound attenuation to your vehicle, it makes complete sense. Dynamat and the like help to not allow the sheet metal to vibrate like a drum.

 

[NY2LA]

E-rated KO2s here. Awesome tire for almost everything. I drive long distances on the highway and in most conditions offroad, though I don't do much rock climbing.

Biggest limitation of the KO2 for me has been deep mud. They clog and lose any bite very quickly. Also, trails covered in wet leaves are a slip and slide, though this is true for most tires.

I find them pretty quiet in all uses.

 

[ace10]

Speaking in the general sense, the Nokian Rotiiva is probably the quietest A/T I own.
It's not an aggressive tread, by any means, but they're good in the wet and very good in winter conditions.
Sizes may be limited.

 

[bloc]

My personal experience with LTX AT2….not that quiet. YMMV

For your goals, like others, I would highly recommend Michelin LTXs.

Turns out this is the tire I was thinking of. Yes it looks boring but performs really well and lasts forever, as you’d expect from Michelin.

Also as for tire pressure in those p-metric AT3s, I’d stick to around stock 33. Yes down to 26 can technically support the load without falling apart, but bad things happen to the sidewalls in cornering. I had the same size P AT2s on my rig and found the sweet spot was about OEM tire pressures.

It is a great exercise in how much of a factor tire pressure is in ride quality though. Down at 26 the truck might as well have been floating down a highway of soft butter.

 

[Tex68w]

My tire guy is a personal friend that I grew up with. He is shooting me straight. That's not to say he doesn't have biases. I can tell Toyo rep takes care of them so he prefers/pushes their tires. That said Toyo has a good reputation regardless. Otherwise he's trying to guide me based on what he sees in a day to day basis which is what I am hoping for. That said, he doesn't sell every tire, or volume on some brands. Now, did he get done wrong by Michelin/BFG? - maybe I didn't ask him. He's sold be a bunch of each over the years and I don't think he'd steer me away unless he had real concerns. He did say he'd put a set of BFG 's on the LX if that's what I wanted which I still may based on my positive experience with them. One reason I'm looking for something different is the hydroplaning when you get past about half tread life. Other than that I've always liked the KO2's.

Duracrap = Goodyear Duratrac? Too noisy for me personally. Have never had a positive experience with Goodyear tires although it haven't bought a set in probably 25 years.

Friend or not I can tell you that the KO2's are one of the top three AT's on the market and for good reason. His sample doesn't mirror the overall feedback of most, mine included. Like I said, I've had four sets in the last 3-4 years without issue. In the last 10 or so years I've had the following off-road tires:

Toyo R/T- Amazing on road, good in sand and on the rocks, not great in the mud. Good looking, decently long lasting but pricey, heavy, hard to come by.

Toyo Open Country M/T- Amazing tire and great in the rocks. Super heavy, super pricey, pull to the right on HD trucks, typical M/T noise and tread life. One of the best looking M/T's ever made.

Nitto Terra Grappler G2- (came on a vehicle I purchased)- Weak sidewalls, the worst wet weather tire I've ever owned, terrible in the rocks and mud. Removed them in under 20K and I wasn't a fan of the look.

Nitto Ridge Grappler- Awesome tires in every terrain I ran them in, a little louder than KO2's. Decently priced, widely available, great Hybrid tread, one of my favorites.

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T- Great mud tire, old school looks. Fastest wearing tire I've ever owned beyond Interco stuff. Didn't balance well as they aged, very loud, dry rot was an issue. Wouldn't recommend as there are better M/T's on the market.

BFG AT KO2- (and previous generation)- Best AT out there IMHO and no I don't mess with snow often so I can comment on that but get snow tires if you want snow tires people. Amazing in sand, good on the rocks, legendary durability and classic good looks. Readily available probably more than any other off-road tire, and some of the longest lasting tread life around. These are always in the running when I buy tires.

BFG KM2 M/T- Great mud tire, so-so tread life, chunked badly as they aged, didn't stay balanced well either.

BFG KM3 M/T- Best overall M/T I've owned to date. Great looks, amazing mud performance, not bad in rock or in the sand either and hands down some of the best on road handling M/T's ever made. Quiet for a M/T and a great ride. I'll likely own another set at some point in the future.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac- Crappy tire in most every regard IMHO short of price and weight. Those two attributes along with OEM contracts with Ford/GM/RAM are why they are on so many vehicles. Horrid sidewalls, crap tread wear, and more flats than any other tire I've ever owned. I passionately believe these are junk and I won't apologize for it. Duratracs = DuraCRAPS.

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R-Kevlar- Great looking tire, great on road but noisy. So-so in the rain, excellent on the rocks. Over priced, old design, hard to find and very heavy.

Falken Wildpeak AT3w- Never balanced correctly, punctured a sidewall, poor tread life i.e. less than 25K miles. So underwhelmed in nearly every category other than sand. I believe the initial price of these is what drew so many to them along with a lot of the "Overland Influencers" pushing them. Friends and family have had similar experiences, never again.

Pitbull Rocker Radials- These were a silly purchase in a 40" to go on a silly Jeep build that rarely saw the road. Excellent for rocks and mud but obviously awful for anything else or on anything more than a trailer queen.

General Grabber X3- Like a Nitto Ridge Grappler but not quite as good in most every regard. I like some of their designs but I have no real desire to own any of their tires going forward as there are better options out there for less money and more widely available.

Yes, KO2's will hydroplane after some wear.

I've only hydroplaned on KO2's once and we see lots of rain down here, 40-100" per year (this year being the exception). The only tire I have owned that I down right feared driving in the rain with were the Terra Grappler G2's, they were terrifying in the rain.

 

[AZLX570]

I'm really interested in why not many have experience with the Goodyear Ultraterrain A/T. Is Discount Tire not that popular in other parts of the country? Around here it seems that getting tires there or Costco is a no brainer. Costco can get tricky because they refuse to do anything but OEM wheel/tire sizes.

The Ultraterrain tires are supposedly quieter than the K02s and wear better. And much less chunky than Duratracs with better on-road handling characteristics.

 

[Tiger Rag]

OP, check out this thread:

Fantastic all-terrain tire test

forum.ih8mud.com

Yes saw this the other day. Good video on performance. They spent some money to do that one!

 

[Tiger Rag]

Friend or not I can tell you that the KO2's are one of the top three AT's on the market and for good reason. His sample doesn't mirror the overall feedback of most, mine included. Like I said, I've had four sets in the last 3-4 years without issue. In the last 10 or so years I've had the following off-road tires:

Toyo R/T- Amazing on road, good in sand and on the rocks, not great in the mud. Good looking, decently long lasting but pricey, heavy, hard to come by.

Toyo Open Country M/T- Amazing tire and great in the rocks. Super heavy, super pricey, pull to the right on HD trucks, typical M/T noise and tread life. One of the best looking M/T's ever made.

Nitto Terra Grappler G2- (came on a vehicle I purchased)- Weak sidewalls, the worst wet weather tire I've ever owned, terrible in the rocks and mud. Removed them in under 20K and I wasn't a fan of the look.

Nitto Ridge Grappler- Awesome tires in every terrain I ran them in, a little louder than KO2's. Decently priced, widely available, great Hybrid tread, one of my favorites.

Nitto Trail Grappler M/T- Great mud tire, old school looks. Fastest wearing tire I've ever owned beyond Interco stuff. Didn't balance well as they aged, very loud, dry rot was an issue. Wouldn't recommend as there are better M/T's on the market.

BFG AT KO2- (and previous generation)- Best AT out there IMHO and no I don't mess with snow often so I can comment on that but get snow tires if you want snow tires people. Amazing in sand, good on the rocks, legendary durability and classic good looks. Readily available probably more than any other off-road tire, and some of the longest lasting tread life around. These are always in the running when I buy tires.

BFG KM2 M/T- Great mud tire, so-so tread life, chunked badly as they aged, didn't stay balanced well either.

BFG KM3 M/T- Best overall M/T I've owned to date. Great looks, amazing mud performance, not bad in rock or in the sand either and hands down some of the best on road handling M/T's ever made. Quiet for a M/T and a great ride. I'll likely own another set at some point in the future.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac- Crappy tire in most every regard IMHO short of price and weight. Those two attributes along with OEM contracts with Ford/GM/RAM are why they are on so many vehicles. Horrid sidewalls, crap tread wear, and more flats than any other tire I've ever owned. I passionately believe these are junk and I won't apologize for it. Duratracs = DuraCRAPS.

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R-Kevlar- Great looking tire, great on road but noisy. So-so in the rain, excellent on the rocks. Over priced, old design, hard to find and very heavy.

Falken Wildpeak AT3w- Never balanced correctly, punctured a sidewall, poor tread life i.e. less than 25K miles. So underwhelmed in nearly every category other than sand. I believe the initial price of these is what drew so many to them along with a lot of the "Overland Influencers" pushing them. Friends and family have had similar experiences, never again.

Pitbull Rocker Radials- These were a silly purchase in a 40" to go on a silly Jeep build that rarely saw the road. Excellent for rocks and mud but obviously awful for anything else or on anything more than a trailer queen.

General Grabber X3- Like a Nitto Ridge Grappler but not quite as good in most every regard. I like some of their designs but I have no real desire to own any of their tires going forward as there are better options out there for less money and more widely available.



I've only hydroplaned on KO2's once and we see lots of rain down here, 40-100" per year (this year being the exception). The only tire I have owned that I down right feared driving in the rain with were the Terra Grappler G2's, they were terrifying in the rain.

Appreciate you sharing your experience.