BFG ko2 thoughts?

[southernjeeper]

Review of those that may have been using the KOs for all these years that recently noticed that the regular KOs aren't listed but for one size for them and you had to to get the KO2s


What's your take on the new design ? Ride quality, tread wear, traction, whether or not they're better or similar to the ko's off-road?


I'm asking because I got a new set of KO's back in March and I am now curious about the new design since the tire sizes are now more diverse.


Side note . Three sets of KO's on my Cherokee so far from over the years and only one set on Tacoma and now on second set on it. So I support the BFG KO completely.

Thanks on any input of yours on the new KO2s

 

[JHZR2]

When I bought my truck new it had the original BFG ATs. One broken belt from off roading but otherwise wonderful. Replaced due to age with the KO version. Now Im due to replace on age too. Tires look great, no cracking, no UV issues, etc. So Ill put KO2s on there and not think twice about it.

There's too many issues with finding passenger car tires. The BFG has the typical hum, and lasts and gets good traction including in bad snow so Ill put my brain energy elsewhere!!

 

[FastLane]

I have KO's and hate them. They never stay in balance. KO2 looks cool but I know no one that's bought them.

 

[userfriendly]

That's not the tires Fastlane, talk to Stellinger about your highways. No, better not, he will put the PST up again.

I'm quite sure KOs are built to a price point that makes them attractive at Canuck Tire and Costco.
Three ply sidewall tires are supposed to be expensive, the good ones are and weigh a lot more than the KOs.

On the prairies, you defiantly need the soft snowflake rubber, studs or both.

The new Toyo CTs and stepsister Nitto equivalents look very good on paper with the same new sizes as the BFGs, but cost 33% more.

The Hankook 3 ply RW11s studded could be the ultimate ice tire. The price for those at Canuck for 275/65/20s are $385.00 plus studs & mounting.
And for you, an extra 8% for flood relief in addition to GST and soon to come....carbon tax.

 

[buck91]

has the ko2 come down in price since their release?

 

[FastLane]

Originally Posted By: used_0il
That's not the tires Fastlane, talk to Stellinger about your highways. No, better not, he will put the PST up again.

I'm quite sure KOs are built to a price point that makes them attractive at Canuck Tire and Costco.
Three ply sidewall tires are supposed to be expensive, the good ones are and weigh a lot more than the KOs.

On the prairies, you defiantly need the soft snowflake rubber, studs or both.

The new Toyo CTs and stepsister Nitto equivalents look very good on paper with the same new sizes as the BFGs, but cost 33% more.

The Hankook 3 ply RW11s studded could be the ultimate ice tire. The price for those at Canuck for 275/65/20s are $385.00 plus studs & mounting.
And for you, an extra 8% for flood relief in addition to GST and soon to come....carbon tax.


I hate the NDP!

 

[meep]

Originally Posted By: buck91
has the ko2 come down in price since their release?


I watched them since the week they were released and generally no. However the price varies a bit all over the size range, so for a 4x4 where 3-4 different sizes might fit, there is some deviation in cost.

 

[edhackett]

Originally Posted By: southernjeeper

What's your take on the new design ? Ride quality, tread wear, traction, whether or not they're better or similar to the ko's off-road?


I had a set on my GMC K2500 and my ex-boss had them as standard equipment on his FJ Cruiser. Our experiences with them were similar. Very good all around on pavement, including wear and noise. Great off road in dirt and moderate mud. Very good in fresh snow. Completely suck on ice and slush.

Ed

 

[southernjeeper]

Thanks for all of your input. Whenever my Cherokee's tires get worn down I'll get my fourth set as the new KO2 then.

 

[southernjeeper]

Found out that the tires are a bit louder than the kos. And that they did away with the rim protector.

Dunno if Goodrich did a wise move on changing up a pretty we'll design that has been tried and true for several years.

 

[RW1]

Did you actually put them on or someone told you? I have the KOs as OEM and have been thinking of the KO2s later this month. I have heard the KO2s are quieter from a couple people running them now.

 

[southernjeeper]

Found out today when I had my tires on my jeep balance and rotated that the new KOs that are 20in rims are hard to balance. The 17in rims are the best to balance.

They do seem to have a vibration at 45-55mph I was told on most vehicles they are on.

 

[Rand]

go somewhere they have a Hunter road force balancer.

if they wont "balance"

they get you new ones until they balance.

Honestly I'm very fond of the
toyo open country AT2 and Cooper Discoverer AT/3

 

[southernjeeper]

Originally Posted By: RW1
Did you actually put them on or someone told you? I have the KOs as OEM and have been thinking of the KO2s later this month. I have heard the KO2s are quieter from a couple people running them now.



Read the 50or so reviews on the bfgoodrich site among a few others.

I have the KOs on both the tacoma second put on back in March. And my cherokee has had three sets but just the other week I had them balanced and I have a couple that needed too much weight to balance. That's all because I hadn't rotated like I should have since I was driving it on the farm. Stupid mistake.

Back to the KO2... I was also told by the tire dealer head guy that the ko2 was difficult to balance on bigger rims... 20s which in my mind is too big for any 4x4. More rubber not rim.

Any other input of experince with the smaller sizes of the KO2s? Overall performance?

 

[RW1]

By the way, I hope you didn't think my comment snarky. After I reread it, I thought that some might have taken offense where none was intended.

Just had the AT KO2s installed on my Tundra so I'm committed. I was going back and forth between the KO2s and the MS2s.

As mentioned in another thread, you will have reviews saying it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. That will be followed by another review mentioning that they're worthless and only lasted 10K miles.

I've only got 10 miles on my KO2s at this time so certainly not enough to make a judgment. My KOs were OEM and getting old and worn so they were noisy. I went with the stock size: LT285/70-17.

The only thing that concerned me was while watching the DT guy balance my tires. I don't know what the numbers on the tire machine mean but there are two boxes. On three tires, the window on the right said "0.5" before he added weights and then both said, "OK". One tire read, "3.00" before he added weights and then both read "OK". But what is too much? Or is there a too much?

Depending on how soon you plan to move, let me put some miles on my tires and I would be happy to report back.

 

[RW1]

SJ,

Still really too early to comment on the new KO2s. I think any new tire will be great for the first year or so. It's much quieter than my old KOs (no surprise), it has better traction (again, no surprise!), and smoother riding (of course!brand new tires). But it does show me how much the traction my old KOs have lost over time despite still having a good amount of tread left on it.

I also wanted to share something the Discount Tire salesman told me. Now it could just be "salesman talk" so take it FWIW. I had originally wanted the Michelin LTX MS2 tires but he didn't have it in my size. He said they didn't sell many MS2 tires in my size so it would be special order. That was when I decided to get the KO2s.

I mentioned to the salesman that as a whole, I have been pretty pleased with the KOs so my hope is that the KO2s are just as good, if not better. He told me that they should be but no one will really know for a while. He said that these were the Michelin technology version and we don't know how much Michelin has changed the original formula. So he said that we can't predict how this tire will perform because it is a brand new tire design.

Also wanted to add that Discount Tire tech initially put the tire pressure in my Load Range E tires at 35 lbs. I reminded him that the specified pressure was 44 lbs. He started to correct me but I suggested he look at the door sticker. He did, came back and said he was corrected, and the sticker said 46 lbs. He took off to add more air.

When I drove away, the tires felt kind of "balloony" (yeah, that's a technical term). At the edge of the parking lot, I pulled over and got my tire gauge out. The tire pressure was between 51 and 54 lbs. I lowered it to 44 lbs. and drove home. I have since increased it to 47 lbs. and am happy now.