Opinions of BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2s

RjSkippy

RjSkippy

New member
Wanted to get some opinions on the BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2s, if anyone if running them. I drive 90-95% on road (daily driver) but would like to do some mild off-roading. Where I live gets snow about every 3-5 days in the winter (November - March) so I really need something good on the snow. I am not overly concerned with some road noise more with performance. I read some reviews on the tires but always concerned they are "edited" and I know I will get an honest opinion here. Also looking at Nitto Terra Grappler G2 and Toyo Open Country. I am looking at 33" size range. Kinda like a kid in the candy store and having a hard time deciding but its a little of an expensive habit to change out if I don't like'em.... thanks!
 
I ran the KO's on my TJ for quite a while and was very pleased with them. They rode great on the road and hooked up well in the dirt. I also got some great mileage out of them and they wore smooth.

That being said i recently got a deal on 4 for my jk and i like them so far, but I just got a KO2 for my spare and I can tell it looks way nicer and I would expect them to be just as good. No first hand experience though. Im sure someone will chime in soon!
 
For your area I would look at the Nitto Exo Grappler, Nitto Terra Grappler or Goodyear Duratec. I think they would fit your needs much better.
 
Personally, I would give the KO2's a try if only because they're new and I like testing out tires. Having said that, you really can't go wrong with the Nitto or Toyo options. Both are great tires that perform well. The Toyo ATII's even come with a 65,000 warranty.
 
I just put the Nitto Terra Grappler G2, LT 285/70R17E, on my Jeep. Way better tire than the Goodyear's that I took off. Can't go wrong with Nitto.
 
I just replaced my 33" mud grapplers with 35" KO2s and haven't looked back. I LOVE them. I drive 95% pavement and they give an aggressive enough look with great ride on the highway. Smooth, quiet and perfect on my 3" lift. ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1426358207.475278.jpgImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1426358259.449425.jpg
 
Not too impressed looking at the specs, 15/32 tread on all versions and Jeep sizes are mostly load range E.

:grayno:
 
If you're looking to buy these tires with winter conditions in mind, you'd be better to cross shop the KO2s against Nitto's new Exo Grapplers than their Terra Grapplers. The Exo Grapplers are winter rated, Terra Grapplers aren't.

I've been looking at both the KO2s and Exo Grapplers myself, and it looks like a really tough choice. I'm leaning towards getting the KO2s right now simply because the Exo Grapplers don't come in 37s, otherwise I might opt for the Nittos. Both are brand new as of this fall and have similar design characteristics. Both are supposed to have long tread life, strong side walls, good road manners, and perform excellent in snow and ice as well as good in mud, rock and other off road terrain. The biggest difference on paper is that the Exo Grapplers can be studded. Since I'm just going off reviews too, I'm also keen to hear more about these from people who have run them.

OverlanderJK suggested the Duratracs, and they're another good one worth considering. They've been around since 2009 or so, and they are a tried and tested (and until last fall, the only) winter rated off road tire. The guys who run the ice roads up here swear by them for their pickups, so that should pretty much say how great they are in snow and ice. Like the other two, they also have good road manners and are very good in mud and rock. The two biggest complaints anyone has had about them is they have a shorter tread life and weaker sidewalls than most other off road tires, and those are two points the new Nittos or BFGs should do much better for if they live up to their manufacturers' claims. They can also be studded.

Toyo also has their new Open Country C/Ts that came out last fall as their winter rated off road tire. I haven't heard much about them yet though. I know they are available in Canada, but I'm not even sure if they're sold in the US yet.
 
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Wardell said:
If you're looking to buy these tires with winter conditions in mind, you'd be better to cross shop the KO2s against Nitto's new Exo Grapplers than their Terra Grapplers. The Exo Grapplers are winter rated, Terra Grapplers aren't.

I've been looking at both the KO2s and Exo Grapplers myself, and it looks like a really tough choice. I'm leaning towards getting the KO2s right now simply because the Exo Grapplers don't come in 37s, otherwise I might opt for the Nittos. Both are brand new as of this fall and have similar design characteristics. Both are supposed to have long tread life, strong side walls, good road manners, and perform excellent in snow and ice as well as good in mud, rock and other off road terrain. The biggest difference on paper is that the Exo Grapplers can be studded. Since I'm just going off reviews too, I'm also keen to hear more about these from people who have run them.

OverlanderJK suggested the Duratracs, and they're another good one worth considering. They've been around since 2009 or so, and they are a tried and tested (and until last fall, the only) winter rated off road tire. The guys who run the ice roads up here swear by them for their pickups, so that should pretty much say how great they are in snow and ice. Like the other two, they also have good road manners and are very good in mud and rock. The two biggest complaints anyone has had about them is they have a shorter tread life and weaker sidewalls than most other off road tires, and those are two points the new Nittos or BFGs should do much better for if they live up to their manufacturers' claims. They can also be studded.

Toyo also has their new Open Country C/Ts that came out last fall as their winter rated off road tire. I haven't heard much about them yet though. I know they are available in Canada, but I'm not even sure if they're sold in the US yet.
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I am leaning towards the KO2s myself. They seem to check all the boxes I am looking for. I heard the same complaints about the Duratracs, I had some issues with other Goodyear products in the past so I am a little hesitant to give them a try again. I will give the Exo Grappler a look too. Thanks!
 
I really dig the BFG KO2's, but really leaning towards the Toyo AT II's. I like the warranty...and the price. The KO2's are a little more than I want to spend, but then I have not researched it enough.
 
I get the 34x10.50x17 ko2 installed weds. They had more sizes and better pricing than exo grappler. I was torn for a while. I'm sure they both perform as equals. Hitting the trails end of the month so I'll know more about performance than.
 
Yeah, I wish they had more sizes available for the Exo Grappler too. The KO2 had a short list of sizes when it first came out last fall too, but at least BFG had advertised the new sizes would be bringing in this month and next October from the start. Helps people plan their builds if nothing else. I haven't seen anything yet on if or when more Exo Grappler sizes are coming out.

I just hope both companies don't forget there's a market for these in larger sizes. I'd be tempted to get these in 40s for the winter if I could get them, and switch to 40x15.5" Mud Grapplers for running through muskeg in the summer.
 
Jeep.jpg
Got them installed today! Hit some dirt roads and light mud after the pic, they clean out well. I've only run stock so that's all I know and they always threw pebbles.
 
Drunic said:
I get the 34x10.50x17 ko2 installed weds. They had more sizes and better pricing than exo grappler. I was torn for a while. I'm sure they both perform as equals. Hitting the trails end of the month so I'll know more about performance than.
Click to expand...

Look forward to hearing how they perform! :thumb:
 
Thanks! They measure 32 inches even. No rubbing with 4.5 back spacing. They are a good tire size option for 3.21 gears. I haven't noticed much slowdown, even on hills.
 
video on our last trip out of the TAKO2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNrsiCpJRhc (A fun video I made with my son... snow, mud, clay, the tires did really well) At times I lead the group, at times I followed others... they made it everywhere all the others did, who were mostly on mud tires.

I thought I could post some pics and give some thoughts...

First off mounting and balancing: The tires needed 1oz, 4oz, 6oz, and 7oz to balance. These are used rims and I can't tell you the rims might not have played a part in that... but for tires this size... I think that is about normal? Maybe even a little better than normal?

I'm coming off of Duratracs in the same size... I just hit 81,000 miles on these tires. No edges left, and signs of a hard life were evident. So These BFG's have a real tough contender to compare with... the duratracs were the best AT and longest lasting tire I've ever owned.

So comparisons:

Side by side... now with the duratracs wore down, and the BFG new and unmounted the height difference was dramatic. After they were mounted there were still some differences. Which I will take note of.
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The BFG are 34.8 or so unmounted using the basic tape measure/ ruler method of measurement.
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The BFG are 11.5 wide... or so using the same primitive method.

Again this was unmounted. Once mounted the BFG's were closer to 12 wide, and with the weight of the JK on it a 34.5 or so tall with 34lbs air presure.

The duratracs mounted were about 1 inch wider, and 1 inch shorter. So these do look a little more pizza cutter....
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mud.jpg
Well, they clean out really well in mud! The Jeeps with mud terrains were having problems getting over the axle deep ruts in the ground/mud to switch trails, the KO2 had an easier time. Good on the few rocks we encountered but didn't push it on anything but dirt mud and gravel. Really good grip aired down.
 
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