@ just a ninja. I really like those tires. Sorry for stupid question but what are spidertrax?? Do you have any spacers or lift?
Tires in 2019: Anything better than KO2s? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Tremek
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I will agree that Duratracs are excellent in snow. I bought a used set to run as a tryout and they did fantastic with only 7/32. They are also quiet on the road. Of course it's not a new tire design. Rumor has it the sidewalls are a potential failure point (2ply). Lots of data out there on these. I mention only as they perform well even with low tread depth.
If looking for a really new tire design in a AT/MT style; Kenda dropped the Duratrac and Ridge Grappler in a blender and released this. Notably available in a 35x10.5x17. Not many reviews as its a new model, but definitely has potential.
If looking for a really new tire design in a AT/MT style; Kenda dropped the Duratrac and Ridge Grappler in a blender and released this. Notably available in a 35x10.5x17. Not many reviews as its a new model, but definitely has potential.
- Thread starter
- #25
Once upon a time I also had Duratracs on a LX450 and can confirm they were great in the snow, but similarly avoided them for the 200 due to the known sidewall vulnerabilities.
Those Kenda are interesting at least in spec - I can't tell if they're 3PMSF rated or not from their spec sheet though?
- Edit: looks like they're M+S rated but not 3PMSF.
I'm pondering whether the 35x10.5r17s would fit under my truck with its 2.5" ICON lift...
Yes it will fit. Minor wheel well plastic trimming. You’ll new to get your offset around 35 to 40 mm. Also you may need a kdss solution.
I just got my 35x11x18 on and they are going to be an easy trim. I have an lx so no need for a kdss solution.
SQRRRL
SILVER Star
I’ve been happy with Hankook Dyna Pro ATM.
Had them on my 4R and now the LC.
Good luck with the search.
Had them on my 4R and now the LC.
Good luck with the search.
vabluefish
SILVER Star
OP, funny you posted this. My sentiments exactly. My KO2 have been great, other then the vibrations. I'm on a 5-6k mile road trip as a type, and the vibrating is starting to bother me me. I took the LC to Discount Tire yesterday and they rebalanced all five. $200 and it didn't make a difference that I can tell, although they said the tires were way off balance.
When I first got them installed, they were smooth as glass. No vibration at 80mph. Once I started with the regular rotations, it went down hill. At ~25k miles on them, they have plenty of tread left, but it's a daily driver and I need a little more road favored tire.
The Wildpeaks are on my radar. But then I was just at CM, and a guy in an 80 series was plugging along on Bridestone Deuler Revo 3s with no issues. They look nice, but not too aggressive.
When I first got them installed, they were smooth as glass. No vibration at 80mph. Once I started with the regular rotations, it went down hill. At ~25k miles on them, they have plenty of tread left, but it's a daily driver and I need a little more road favored tire.
The Wildpeaks are on my radar. But then I was just at CM, and a guy in an 80 series was plugging along on Bridestone Deuler Revo 3s with no issues. They look nice, but not too aggressive.
Falken Rubitrek nearly identical tread to the Wildpeak, less aggressive look and should be a bit quieter than the Wildpeaks because of the center tread. Have them on our LX and are very quiet, but only 5k miles on them...
We are running ridge grapplers. We had them for our Moab trip last fall and go to the mountains all winter long and they have been on point in any amount of snow. I really enjoy how quiet they are, and the traction is there.
Toyo RTs!
Markuson
SILVER Star
Just an aside about noise...
Just about any *brand new tire* is likely to be quieter than whatever worn tires they replace...so it can often convince people the new tires are inherently quieter by design...when often it’s just that they are new, and perfectly even-worn.
Just about any *brand new tire* is likely to be quieter than whatever worn tires they replace...so it can often convince people the new tires are inherently quieter by design...when often it’s just that they are new, and perfectly even-worn.
Tires are like asking three different guys about their taste in women and what kind of fetishes they are into, you are going to get varying answers and some that down right contradict one another. Location/terrain, weather conditions, driving habits, vehicle size/weight/payload, and tire size all play into ones consideration here. Personally I think the BFG KO2 is the all around best tire on the market, I've never gotten less than 45K miles out of a set and my sister just got 82K out of hers. I am a fan of the Toyo RT but they are extremely heavy and very expensive. The Ridge Grappler is a very popular tire but I absolutely hate it and everyone that I personally know that has run them agrees. If we are talking tires 34" and smaller then there are a lot of great options but when you get up to 37's and bigger there are very few tires I would even consider and some of those in the smaller sizes that I swear by you wouldn't catch me dead running them in the larger sizes.
I have no experience with the Falkens but I know a few people who run and them and are happy and they are priced exceptionally well. The General Grabber is a great tire, but like the Toyo it is heavy. Cooper in my opinion is right there with Falken, a great tire at a great value, I loved the SST Pro MT I ran on one of my Super Duty's. It's hard to go wrong here, pick a price point and a need and go for whatever you can get a good deal on or whichever you like the looks of best. Best of luck in your search.
I have no experience with the Falkens but I know a few people who run and them and are happy and they are priced exceptionally well. The General Grabber is a great tire, but like the Toyo it is heavy. Cooper in my opinion is right there with Falken, a great tire at a great value, I loved the SST Pro MT I ran on one of my Super Duty's. It's hard to go wrong here, pick a price point and a need and go for whatever you can get a good deal on or whichever you like the looks of best. Best of luck in your search.
I really liked the Duratracs in the snow and ice but half the siping only goes 50% of the way through the tread block. When you hit 50% treadlife they get noticeably louder and worse in the snow and ice but that is relative. An almost bald set of Duratracs is still better than KO2’s On the ice. I made that swap mid winter, after two back to back blizzards driving over the passes I was done and they were gone. It was not a welcome change other than the quieter ride.
Been very impressed with the Falken Wildpeaks on the 200. Better than the stock tires in every conceivable way but I can’t really compare them to anything else the performance of a tire on one vehicle may not be indicative of the same model in a different size with a different rim size on a vehicle with a different drivetrain, weight and wheelbase.
After about 30k mike the Falkens look nearly new are showing shockingly little wear, are still very good but not great in the snow and ice and are dead stable without a hint of vibration even at highly extra legal speeds. Thumbs up! I’ll probably do the same tire again for the new set.
Been very impressed with the Falken Wildpeaks on the 200. Better than the stock tires in every conceivable way but I can’t really compare them to anything else the performance of a tire on one vehicle may not be indicative of the same model in a different size with a different rim size on a vehicle with a different drivetrain, weight and wheelbase.
After about 30k mike the Falkens look nearly new are showing shockingly little wear, are still very good but not great in the snow and ice and are dead stable without a hint of vibration even at highly extra legal speeds. Thumbs up! I’ll probably do the same tire again for the new set.
And I further prove my case in regards to each persons preference being drastically different with the last post. Here in Texas we don't interact with ice all that often so the need for a tire that handles that condition is pretty much non-existent. I have heard over the years that the Goodyear DuraTrac is a great ice and snow tire so I assume that it is true, but down here in Texas where it's either 95+ with 100% humidity or 75 and flash floods, the DuraTrac doesn't really shine as a top option. Amongst the industry I used to work in (oil and gas) and the fact that they've come as the factory tire on a few vehicles that I have owned in the past, we affectionately call them DuraCraps. They are in fact one of the most purchased hybrid/MT tires in the stock half-ton and 3/4-ton truck sizes (265) for fleet trucks that see regular field use, but that's not because of their stellar performance, it's because of their low price, availability, and decent performance in mud. I could go into the long list of things I hate about the tire but it doesn't matter, because at the end of the day, like I said in my last post, each tire appeals to a certain group for certain reasons, and what Pete in Colorado might need out of a tire most likely won't align with Tommy and what kind of performance he expects from his tires in Central Florida.
Like everything else in life, there is no do-it-all option that is perfect in every scenario and this certainly applies to tires, especially if you live in parts of the country that experience snow and ice three or more months out of the year. If it were me, that's when I would have a set of Blizzaks for the winter and a set of whichever tires I preferred for the rest of the year and the weather and terrain I was most likely to encounter at that time.
Like everything else in life, there is no do-it-all option that is perfect in every scenario and this certainly applies to tires, especially if you live in parts of the country that experience snow and ice three or more months out of the year. If it were me, that's when I would have a set of Blizzaks for the winter and a set of whichever tires I preferred for the rest of the year and the weather and terrain I was most likely to encounter at that time.
supdizzle
SILVER Star
General Grabber ATX.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
I had the opportunity to run some trails in Texas last weekend with my old Cooper STT Pros, then switched to new ridge grapplers and run the same trails, then hopped in another Toyota (but not my 200) and run KO2s (which I had for about 40k when they first came out), then on my friends Tacoma with KM3.
My thoughts are they are all great tires, but in the more mud covered east coast trails, ridge grapplers were the worse. Lots of forward and reverse traction, little lateral traction and they caused my to slide sideways more. Was it terrible, no, but it was a noticeable difference from the others.
I’ve read a lot of comments on how great ridge grapplers do at Moab. Not surprised as they were made to fill a large customer request for an aggressive looking tire for trucks that don’t necessarily go off road. That’s why over here in the Carolinas, we usually only see ridge grapplers on bro-rigs. Secondly, street tires do great in Moab, it’s Moab, it’s the highest traction surface place I’ve wheeled in the world. Heck, I took a dodge caravan with a “Lincoln locker” through fins and things on street tires.
Anyway, the KO2s did better with not siding all over the place, but had a little less forward traction than the ridge grapplers, but I still got everywhere I wanted to go on the KO2. The STT Pros did pretty good, but I could pack them smooth like the all terrains. The KM3s packed smooth a little quicker in the mud than the STT Pros. However the KM3s did a better in rockier, less mud covered hill climbs.
But... and I can’t wait for the day that this is no longer true in my mind. There is only one mud tire, and that’s a Swamper. If you haven’t wheeled on a bogger or TSL, then you just don’t know the amount of traction that can be had out there.
Everything else is an all terrain, STT Pros, KM3, Trail Grapplers (Mud Grapplers are “okay” in my book). They may say mud on them, but no, not really.
There was no where I couldn’t go on those Ridge grapplers and KO2 that I could go on those STT Pros and KM3s. So why put up with the weight and noise of these average mud tires. However on the one truck we had with swampers, it leaves everything behind. It just sucks on the road, because it’s a real mud tire.
So Taco’s concision is every tire does great in Moab, I mean come on, it’s like driving on sand paper. Ridge grapplers are probably better for the west coast dry high traction trails, and road driving (which is where we all spend over 90% of our time). KO2 are slightly better for the slippery mud covered trails on the east coast. These normal companies mud tires are still not that great in mud. Swampers are mud tires, and as such, suck to drive around on roads with.
I will say though, the ridge grapplers were the absolute winner when it came to road ride quality. The STT Pros and KO2 both were very smooth (the KM3s caused a shake, we are looking into that). But the ridge grapplers felt the softest and least jarring, like more squishier to hit bumps with.
I first noticed this with a customer’s 200 that had ridge grapplers with 2725 rear springs and not much weight in the truck. It rolled over the gravel around the shop smoother than my 2723s with STT Pros.
Anyway, the best part of tires is, you will have to buy more. They will wear out, so test away. It’s not like putting the wrong bumper on your truck. Then with today’s technology, all these tires are pretty great.
Taco’s final thoughts.
Every event I go to, the only people who blow tires are the ones on 2 ply sideways. Falken AT3W, Goodyear Duratrac, Cooper AT3 variety, two ply side wall tires just pop, I constantly see it when off roading. So stick with a 3 ply sidewall.
General tires, mehe, I keep getting to try them, I know this might be a bold statement, and I’m sure there a guys that are happy with their offering, but man, there is so much better out there. Sure those guys eventually get through these trails, it just takes more work.
My thoughts are they are all great tires, but in the more mud covered east coast trails, ridge grapplers were the worse. Lots of forward and reverse traction, little lateral traction and they caused my to slide sideways more. Was it terrible, no, but it was a noticeable difference from the others.
I’ve read a lot of comments on how great ridge grapplers do at Moab. Not surprised as they were made to fill a large customer request for an aggressive looking tire for trucks that don’t necessarily go off road. That’s why over here in the Carolinas, we usually only see ridge grapplers on bro-rigs. Secondly, street tires do great in Moab, it’s Moab, it’s the highest traction surface place I’ve wheeled in the world. Heck, I took a dodge caravan with a “Lincoln locker” through fins and things on street tires.
Anyway, the KO2s did better with not siding all over the place, but had a little less forward traction than the ridge grapplers, but I still got everywhere I wanted to go on the KO2. The STT Pros did pretty good, but I could pack them smooth like the all terrains. The KM3s packed smooth a little quicker in the mud than the STT Pros. However the KM3s did a better in rockier, less mud covered hill climbs.
But... and I can’t wait for the day that this is no longer true in my mind. There is only one mud tire, and that’s a Swamper. If you haven’t wheeled on a bogger or TSL, then you just don’t know the amount of traction that can be had out there.
Everything else is an all terrain, STT Pros, KM3, Trail Grapplers (Mud Grapplers are “okay” in my book). They may say mud on them, but no, not really.
There was no where I couldn’t go on those Ridge grapplers and KO2 that I could go on those STT Pros and KM3s. So why put up with the weight and noise of these average mud tires. However on the one truck we had with swampers, it leaves everything behind. It just sucks on the road, because it’s a real mud tire.
So Taco’s concision is every tire does great in Moab, I mean come on, it’s like driving on sand paper. Ridge grapplers are probably better for the west coast dry high traction trails, and road driving (which is where we all spend over 90% of our time). KO2 are slightly better for the slippery mud covered trails on the east coast. These normal companies mud tires are still not that great in mud. Swampers are mud tires, and as such, suck to drive around on roads with.
I will say though, the ridge grapplers were the absolute winner when it came to road ride quality. The STT Pros and KO2 both were very smooth (the KM3s caused a shake, we are looking into that). But the ridge grapplers felt the softest and least jarring, like more squishier to hit bumps with.
I first noticed this with a customer’s 200 that had ridge grapplers with 2725 rear springs and not much weight in the truck. It rolled over the gravel around the shop smoother than my 2723s with STT Pros.
Anyway, the best part of tires is, you will have to buy more. They will wear out, so test away. It’s not like putting the wrong bumper on your truck. Then with today’s technology, all these tires are pretty great.
Taco’s final thoughts.
Every event I go to, the only people who blow tires are the ones on 2 ply sideways. Falken AT3W, Goodyear Duratrac, Cooper AT3 variety, two ply side wall tires just pop, I constantly see it when off roading. So stick with a 3 ply sidewall.
General tires, mehe, I keep getting to try them, I know this might be a bold statement, and I’m sure there a guys that are happy with their offering, but man, there is so much better out there. Sure those guys eventually get through these trails, it just takes more work.
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Markuson
SILVER Star
None of that assessment surprises me.
Taco...you might recall my one early concern with ridge Grapplers was side-slide in the gushy stuff. That criticism remains with voids that I think are pretty narrow. But for my area of dry stuff, they’ve been great.
If I ever transplant my residence in the mud zone, Ridge Grapplers would go the way of the boobie on my truck. If I do hit mud here...(mummified tires anyone?)...nothing but serious mud bloggers would have even had a chance in my mummy example...and the power to spin them clear. But other than that rarity in the south west....these RGs perform well, and the sidewalls are strong enough for me.
But meh... I played it familiar with my recent size swap. With Moab, desert, Ouray and Baja the most likely destinations...these will do.
Finally...if ever manage to grab a second set of RWs for myself? -My second set will be full-strength nutso.
For me I’ll stick with KO2’s again. Sort of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. I have over 60K on mine (285/65R18) and will get another 10K. As for ice, I run Hakkas in the winter so not an issue.
As for balancing, I also use Discount Tire (the one in Highlands Ranch) and once I stipulated that they use finger plates when balancing I haven’t had an issue. I rotate them ~3 times per year.
I should add that I mostly drive on road (long road trips) but do a fair bit of mild off reading. I had Hankook Dynapro D-rated tires on my prior vehicle and had two go flat on me out on trails here in CO (sharp rocks hitting the sidewalls). I only do E-rated now.
As for balancing, I also use Discount Tire (the one in Highlands Ranch) and once I stipulated that they use finger plates when balancing I haven’t had an issue. I rotate them ~3 times per year.
I should add that I mostly drive on road (long road trips) but do a fair bit of mild off reading. I had Hankook Dynapro D-rated tires on my prior vehicle and had two go flat on me out on trails here in CO (sharp rocks hitting the sidewalls). I only do E-rated now.
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Appreciate the thread's topic, our '19 just had the first rotation on the Dunlops.
Looking back over 41 years of 4WD ownership, there are certainly options far beyond the bias ply street tires on our FJ55. Our 82 Dodge D50 came with BFG bias ply ATs (?); punctured one with a bicycle spoke in a state park in Door County, WI. You never saw a tire go flat so fast, whistling all the way!
We're contemplating a move to Fruita, CO, where terrain is quite a bit different than here in E. KS. Gravel roads are the norm here; but the subsurface can vary from stable to slimy, grabby clay with the addition of any precipitation. We experience a variety of winter weather => some years there's been snow/ice on the ground from early Dec to late March.
Although the pop. here is ~ 60K, tire selection is limited to Goodyear/Firestone/Walmart/small shops with no nationwide chain. Wildpeaks are available via farm tire shops in the area's small towns. KO2s are a special order. Direct Tire is a 90 mile one-way trip, & I'm leaning that way.
Have used Duratracs 4 times since 2010, 2X on our 2009 Xterra (2 sidewall punctures), 2002 Vitara, 2000 Tundra.
Looking back over 41 years of 4WD ownership, there are certainly options far beyond the bias ply street tires on our FJ55. Our 82 Dodge D50 came with BFG bias ply ATs (?); punctured one with a bicycle spoke in a state park in Door County, WI. You never saw a tire go flat so fast, whistling all the way!
We're contemplating a move to Fruita, CO, where terrain is quite a bit different than here in E. KS. Gravel roads are the norm here; but the subsurface can vary from stable to slimy, grabby clay with the addition of any precipitation. We experience a variety of winter weather => some years there's been snow/ice on the ground from early Dec to late March.
Although the pop. here is ~ 60K, tire selection is limited to Goodyear/Firestone/Walmart/small shops with no nationwide chain. Wildpeaks are available via farm tire shops in the area's small towns. KO2s are a special order. Direct Tire is a 90 mile one-way trip, & I'm leaning that way.
Have used Duratracs 4 times since 2010, 2X on our 2009 Xterra (2 sidewall punctures), 2002 Vitara, 2000 Tundra.
