Quote:
Originally Posted by Gecko
So I finally ditched my KO2s today, and I'm pretty happy so far... after an ~8 mile drive home  .
When I was at the dealer getting them installed today, I spent some time talking to Southeast Toyota's tire "rep" about this tire and many of the others that I considered. A few interesting notes from him:
- He said that he's had good experiences with the Hankook tires, and has never seen a complaint with their AT tires
- Mentioned seeing and hearing lots of complaints about balancing the Falken Wildpeaks over the years and said it would be "mid-pack" for him, in my position
- Agreed that the KO2 is a great tire if you spend a considerable amount of time off paved roads, but is more than I needed
- I told him I came down to Geolandar and Terra Grappler G2, and he said he'd give a slight nod to the Geolandar because of road noise and wet traction.
- He did mention that the TG G2 is basically a cut rate KO2 with a P-rated option, and that's not a bad thing, but for my needs, the Geolandar would probably serve me better
So, they don't look as aggressive as KO2s but they also don't look as basic as a passenger tire. A nice in-between, IMO.
The difference in ride quality and noise was immediately noticeable. I do still think of the KO2 as a great tire... it's just more than I needed. Being back to the smoothness of a P-Rated tire with these Yokos feels like my old LS 430 in comparison to the KO2 though. Also a little quieter, but I never felt like the KO2s were "too loud." Last but not least, losing ~5lbs per corner, the truck does feel a little quicker on its feet, which is exactly what I wanted.
I have a road trip coming up later this week, so I can report back with more opinions later. Thank you to
@ Thai
and
@ MAST4R
for helping me in this search. Happy with where I ended up so far. |
So I'm in a similar boat as you. However I planned to get new wheels but stay with 20's on the limited. Besides looks the main reason is that I dont want to mess much with the driving dynamics of the LE. I love how it handles ramps and twisties more like a car than a truck. I tend to drive 10+ mph over the speed limit almost all the time. I'm not sure how much of that is due to xreas or the 20's with lower sidewalls ie less flex. I rented an Sr5 for a week once and couldnt stand the floaty bouncy drive. I plan to go up to a 275-60-20 as I was told by my local deal thats the highest I can go without rub or mod. The stock geolanders havent been horrible and I've done a few light trails and plenty of beach driving in them. But I'd prefer a more aggressive look as well. So my question on this topic is...did you notice much of a change in the driving specific to those characteristics when you moved to a 17?
Next question...How come the continental terrain contact a/t didnt make your list?
Continental was highly rated (except snow) by official Tire Rack comparo and was the top all terrain tire on Consumer Reports testing, although other reviews say snow isnt an issue with them.
Conversely, I'm surprised the Pirelli made your list as it fared the worst in the Tire rack comparo.
Interested to know your thoughts since I'm sure you came across them in your research and interested to hear you trip report.
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2014 LE - Attitude Black w/Redwood - MODS - Status Mastadon 20x9+5 Carbon Graphite w/Yokohama G015 275/55/20, TRD Pro Front End, RCI Aluminum Skids Bumper-Trans, Rhino-Rack Pioneer 76x49 Backbone System (Chopped to 68x49), GTR Carbide LED Headlamps, DD SS3 MAX Amber Fogs, Gibson Catback Side Exit Dual Tip Black Ceramic Exhaust, Tint: 20% Front/%35 Rear/Limo sunroof, Black Door Handle Covers -
