tire advice? K02 vs Defender, 2013 LX570 (1 Viewer)

[ATXLX570]

Hello - I am considering tire options for my 2013 LX570. I bought it CPO so this is the first new set I am purchasing. I have read the recommendations to switch to 18" wheels, but for now I will stick with the stock 20"s (unless that is truly a bad idea). Most of my driving is on the road, with some light offroading and moderate/heavy snow a few times a year.

For options, I'm leaning towards the K02s, but unsure about 275/60R20 (which would be every close to the OEM diameter, and also cheaper) or 285/60R20 (I have seen this recommended in a few posts, but is significantly larger and also more expensive). Any recommendations between these two?

I am also looking at the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 285/50R20. These seem highly rated for most use (including some snow), and they are OEM size. I have had Defenders on other cars in the past and have been happy with them, but I am not sure how they would work offroad. And of course they don't look as cool as the K02s (not that coolness should be a deciding factor )

Thanks for any recommendations!

 

[MikeVpdx503]

Congrats on your new ride!

I picked up a CPO 2013 Land Cruiser about 7 months ago. I switched to K02's in LT285/70R17 a few weeks ago from the Cooper highway tires that came with the Cruiser. So far, the KO2's are fantastic for my use, 80% on road, 20% off road with a few weeks of towing each year. The Cooper HT's were great for strictly on-road use and fantastic wet traction. After the first couple of weeks, I feel the KO2's are just average for winter use (but about all expected from an all terrain tire) so I am putting a set of dedicated winter tires on my OEM wheels soon.

 

[TeCKis300]

The LTX and KO2's almost represent the two extremes of the AT tire spectrum.

Given your self described use, I think the LTX would fit you to a T. While the KO2s are a great AT tire, expect that it is going to have some tradeoffs for general highway use. Namely additional NVH (comfort), and less on-road handling and traction given it's larger/taller lugs. The LTX will be superior for hwy use with minimal trades vs. your standard highway tire. With enough capability for confident and durable use off-road save for more extreme stuff.

If you think you'll be disappointed at all with increased noise and reduced comfort, I'd stay way from the KO2s (or any of the more aggressive AT tires. There's been examples on here where people go with the KO2s, and change them out shortly after as they didn't realize the impact of the trade-offs.

 

[mcgaskins]

Congrats on your new ride!

I picked up a CPO 2013 Land Cruiser about 7 months ago. I switched to K02's in LT285/70R17 a few weeks ago from the Cooper highway tires that came with the Cruiser. So far, the KO2's are fantastic for my use, 80% on road, 20% off road with a few weeks of towing each year. The Cooper HT's were great for strictly on-road use and fantastic wet traction. After the first couple of weeks, I feel the KO2's are just average for winter use (but about all expected from an all terrain tire) so I am putting a set of dedicated winter tires on my OEM wheels soon.

20% of your miles are off road?! That's a ton - 3k miles a year of off road on an average of 15k total miles a year!

I'd suggest to the OP to consider what your real true use of your truck will be. Most people spend more like 1% off road or less yet buy tires like they wheel every day. It sounds like the Defender or a light duty AT would serve you best, but only you can decide what you want. I have KO2s and Ridge Grapplers and they ride like truck tires which I like and prefer, and both trucks spend their fair share of time off pavement in mixed conditions.

 

[MikeVpdx503]

20% of your miles are off road?! That's a ton - 3k miles a year of off road on an average of 15k total miles a year!

I'd suggest to the OP to consider what your real true use of your truck will be. Most people spend more like 1% off road or less yet buy tires like they wheel every day. It sounds like the Defender or a light duty AT would serve you best, but only you can decide what you want. I have KO2s and Ridge Grapplers and they ride like truck tires which I like and prefer, and both trucks spend their fair share of time off pavement in mixed conditions.

I've only had the KO2's for a couple of weeks but for me they are perfect for my use so far except winter snow/ice, thus will be putting some dedicated winter tires on my OEM rims. My LC is no longer my DD so I based my off road at 20% with approx 4K total annual mileage with 700-1K for recreational off-road and combo farm duty on gravel, dirt and mud.

 

[ATXLX570]

Thank you all for your prompt replies. The recommendations for the Defender LTX confirm what I originally thought - they are better suited to highway driving, and good enough for light offroad/snow use. On the other hand, the K02s are not as well suited to highway use, but better for offroad.

I guess I was looking for a reason to buy the K02s anyway If I did get them, are the 275s a good option (and potentially better in the snow) or is 285 preferable? I do worry that the narrower tire won't perform as well in the rain, which is really more important for my normal driving.

In the end, I am leaning towards defenders on the stock wheels, then a pair of K02s (or perhaps something else) on 18s if/when I decide that I "really" need them. But I am happy to take any other recommendations.

 

[SchobTime]

I had KO2s on my 200 for a hot second and immediately removed them (completely worthless in mud, snow and ice). I would strongly recommend checking out Nitto Ridge Grapplers as well if you are looking for a solid AT.

 

[JtFSU]

I had KO2s on my 200 for a hot second and immediately removed them (completely worthless in mud, snow and ice). I would strongly recommend checking out Nitto Ridge Grapplers as well if you are looking for a solid AT.

Additionally, and a little more mild, would be the Terra Grappler G2. They ride great, great rain handling, can be had in a D or stiffer E range. And to my ear, we’re no loader the the Wrnagler GS-A’s they replaced on my Sierra.
I am really torn between those and the KO2’s, but will likely go with the TG.

Have the LTX’s on my wife’s GC. They are fantastic tires, but would not take them on much more than a rough gravel road. I would be too concerned with protection against stick and rock punctures.

Good luck, you won’t go wrong with any of the ones mentioned on this thread

 

[JohnPW]

Some of you may have seen this link before: a guy with 400k+ miles on his Toyota Tacoma, with many miles off road. As shown in pics he has used the Michelin Defenders (and the LTX M/S predecessor) the whole time. Multiple sets of Defenders with heavy off-road use out west says something about these tires’ ability off road.

400,000 Miles

My 2006 Tacoma Doublecab TRD Off Road hit 400k miles last night. The truck is still running great although there have been a few repairs including a...

www.tacomaworld.com

OP, I would imagine the Defender would be perfect for your use. It should handle on road ice & snow better than the KO2’s from what I’ve read. I’m sure the Defenders aren’t good in mud but for light off road use I would think they would work well.

 

[Beams37]

Have Ridge Grapplers on my LS swapped 62. I feel they are a great all-around tire and also give you that awesome off-road look.

 

[Sandroad]

Hello - I am considering tire options for my 2013 LX570. I bought it CPO so this is the first new set I am purchasing. I have read the recommendations to switch to 18" wheels, but for now I will stick with the stock 20"s (unless that is truly a bad idea). Most of my driving is on the road, with some light offroading and moderate/heavy snow a few times a year.

For options, I'm leaning towards the K02s, but unsure about 275/60R20 (which would be every close to the OEM diameter, and also cheaper) or 285/60R20 (I have seen this recommended in a few posts, but is significantly larger and also more expensive). Any recommendations between these two?

I am also looking at the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 285/50R20. These seem highly rated for most use (including some snow), and they are OEM size. I have had Defenders on other cars in the past and have been happy with them, but I am not sure how they would work offroad. And of course they don't look as cool as the K02s (not that coolness should be a deciding factor )

Thanks for any recommendations!

Very similar to my use and the Defenders (on the 18” LC wheels) have been just right for 30,000 miles, with still good tread left. Get 5 of them and never look back.

 

[Markuson]

Personally I found KO2s to be quite nice on the road/highway and problematic only on Ice. And no, they are not mud terrains, but no AT should be expected to excel in deep mud.

As for noisy—If allowed to unevenly wear, or cup...any knobby-ish AT will become noisy... but that’s not the ATs fault.

Ridge Grapplers- I’m pretty happy with my...but have yet to try them on true ice...nor deep, nasty mud. But expecting ATs to perform like mud terrains is a little silly.

Ridge G’s FO air down well—even load E—and have performed well for me on everything from high speed desert and Baja...to Moab’s slick-Rock (poorly bamed, since Moab “slick” Rock is super grippy)...rubble/rock/dirt...heavily rained roads...and have surprisingly well on the street—especially after widening my RW/35’s stance a bit with .75” spacers.

But jury is still out on ice & deeper mud—because I haven’t personally seen that with them yet. But again, no AT should be expected to handle mud like an actual mud tire.

If I could change one thing on the Ridge Grapplers, it would be giving them larger voids both forward and lateral. Not mud level voids...just bigger voids than they are.

 

[razzyrazz]

Love the Falkens. Have Wildpeaks on 2 of our trucks that have been wearing well with great traction in everything we've thrown at them. Have Rubitreks which are almost identical, but have slightly different center tread pattern for a touch less road noise.

 

[Sedalia]

KO2s come in various flavors so you might consider reports on KO2 performance might be specific to that type. AFAIK there are (not including lettering options) for relevant sizes: C load; E load; 3PMSF; and DT, with combinations of the loads and tread wear. So, I would assume that a C+3PMSF will have better ice and other performance characteristics due to lighter weight, but the strength would be less than E+3PMSF, which would have less service life and strength than E+DT.

(edit)
in simplified terms:
C = lighter but presumably weaker sidewalls and maybe tread
E= heavier loads and presumed stronger sidewalls
3PMSF = ice performance rating
DT = more durable tread (and sidewall?) This is the one with the 50k warranty

So someone simply saying "I love KO2s for ice/rocks/wear/ride/etc" without specifying which KO2 is not being as helpful as they should.

 

[Hammeredsole]

Another vote for K02's. I spent a considerable amount of time with spreadsheets comparing weight, speed rating, ply, tread wear etc. It kept leading me back to K02s. A very bad anecdotal review of Ridge Grapplers swung me away from those, and that guy had replaced them with K02s. I bought some myself, and have had them for 6,000 miles, and mixed use has been great. Gravel, packed dirt, HEAVY rain, dry roads... they're killing it, even down in the low high 30s for temp. The 200 is very confident with the K02's and good suspension.

I would get 17" or 18" wheels. The 20's really limit your tire selection and sidewall height. Finding a set of OEM 200 wheels should be fairly easy, and won't break the bank. Plus, if you live somewhere snowy and icy, throw a set of studded snow tires on the 20's and have them ready to go.

 

[JohnPW]

Surprised by all the recommendations for LT rated KO2’s. I’m always impressed with the hard core off roaders on this site who are using their trucks to their full potential. But the OP is using his primarily on road, with a few snow days per year (I assume on road as well), and occasional light off road use. It seems like a knobby off road tire would be overkill, and would be a compromise for the vast majority of the OP’s actual use in terms of ride, MPG, and on road traction.

If not the Michelin Defenders, then I would think a very mild off road tire, likely in a P or XL rating, would be a better fit. Lots of good reviews on the Continental TerrainContact, Michelin AT2, Yoko Geolandar GO15...wouldn’t one of these be a better fit for the OP’s uses?

 

[Sandroad]

If not the Michelin Defenders, then I would think a very mild off road tire, likely in a P or XL rating, would be a better fit. Lots of good reviews on the Continental TerrainContact, Michelin AT2, Yoko Geolandar GO15...wouldn’t one of these be a better fit for the OP’s uses?

FWIW, note that the Michelin Defender in the OEM 20" size, is an XL rated tire. IMHO, just right for the OP uses, slotted between a P and an E rating.

 

[fireball]

The defender is the right tire for your application 98% of the time.

The ko2 is the right tire for the other 2%, but looks cooler 100%.

I think you already knew this

 

[M1911]

Most any highway tire will be quieter, more comfortable, have better braking, handling, and fuel economy than the K02. But they won’t look as cool.

The K02 is a big, heavy tire and adding unsprung weight is never a good thing.

For highway use, something like the LTX MS/2 is a great tire. For off-road, the K02 is a great tire.

For snow, nothing will beat a dedicated snow tire like Nokian.

 

[Whiskerz]

I own both tires you are asking about. I have K02's on the LC and Defenders on my F-150 The Defenders are quieter and ride better but not in the same league when the pavement ends. The defenders will also probably last longer. I will still buy something more aggressive for the LC for my next set and probably K02's again.