Honestly, no problems with my KO2s here....if it's wet, slow down and you'll do just fine...

I've never had the slightest bit of issue in the rain with mine.

I agree really bad in rain especially when cornering. I went Nitto Ridge Grappler now.

Also remember everything is relative. An all terrain tire would NEVER be rated higher than a Michelin Cross Climate because the tires “designed to be excellent in the rain” (remember the Goodyear Fortera?) wouldn’t sell. They’re the tires you put on your wife’s car for peace of mind. But not so sure a typical driver would be able to say they were better or worse than all terrain tires in the rain.

Now if you’re just leaving Discount Tire with the stickers still on the tires, and you encounter rain, yeah they’re gonna suck. But if they’re broken in and are no longer shiny, KO2’s should perform well. Not sure why we even have an option for 2WD. Many great SUV’s have full time / AWD - Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Quadra Drive, Range Rover, etc

2WD + 4WD + 4LO is something you’d see on a truck. (+ 4 Auto on more recent models, but dealers are at odds with manufacturers as they are blaming consumers for driveline issues from riding in 4 Auto while according to the manual, drivers were using it exactly as intended.


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I've noticed from the comments that those reporting no issues have 275 or 285 tire sizes. More tire surface area that meets the road seems to be a positive factor.

not when it rains.

I've always had good luck with KO/KO2s on multiple vehicles here in NJ including my 4R. They are VERY popular here, so maybe it's the roads in Cali. The type of pavement used in different parts of the country would play a big part of it, I'd imagine. I've had some other ATs here that were absolute dog poop in the rain even on an AWD vehicle (Nitto Terra Grapplers.)

It's crazy how many negative rain reviews I see for KO2s when I've experienced none of it. Gotta be a reason.

All of them. Having all-wheel drive definitely hides the issue. I noticed it most in cornering, where the back-end would want to slide out. Taking off from a stop would spin pretty often and hard braking was a recipe for disaster. Wet pavement, obviously.

I’m in the same boat as you Pedro.

I live in NorCal and I’ve had KO2 on my SUVs for the last 20 year. Never had a problem with them in the rain.

I find it really strange that some people experience bad wet performance and others like me none at all. It’s very puzzling.

I really wonder what is causing this extreme difference in performance. Is it the amount of rain, road surface type or are the ones who are experiencing wet performance issue are more aggressive drivers? I also wonder if those who are experiencing issues are frequent off roaders. Off roading can chip away pieces of rubber which reduces surface contact. Then you have age. As tires get old they get harder. Last you have wear. Then you have the tire build and rubber compound used. So many variables. I wonder which one it is.

Here is a good video on worn KO2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJV2tYmVEU

In NorCal we get almost no or very little rain from May thru October. When the first rains In the beginning of wet season comes (October or November) the news is always saying be cautious because of the oil build up on the roads. Our heaviest rains usually come around the end of December thru March. However, even in the heaviest rains I’ve never had issue with KO2s in the rain. So why are others posting negative reviews. It’s a mystery.

Good points. Besides the less rain and more oil build up there are some other factors all KO2 tires considered.

Types of roads: Asphalt provides better traction than the higher quality concrete roads so that can always be a factor. New roads usually start with concrete and eventually get covered with asphalt.

Tire load/weight: Its also possible that an E load which is heavier than a C load may not slip as much since it has a higher rotational weight causing less power transfer to the road causing less slippage than a C load tire even though its the "same tire".

And obviously if someone floors it a lot and takes turns harder they will experience loss of traction in the rain more than those who do not drive that way.

I suspect it has to do mostly with not using enough other makes and models of A/T's, to realize the difference.

I've used a bunch of different makes and models of A/T tires over the years, to know that the BFG A/T's, be they the Radial All Terrain T/A's, their successor the KO's, or the successor to those the KO2's, lack in wet traction compared to better performing A/T tires.

Dry desert running the latest version of the BFG A/T (the KO2) would be my choice. That classic tread pattern has it's appeal too. But in my experience there are better tires for wet traction.

Driver mods!!!

I don’t doubt that. When I was shopping for new tires about a year ago I read many reviews and watch many AT wheel video comparisons. In wet or rain conditions the KO2 usually were rated in the middle or lower end of the pack compared to similar tires but ranked high for highway and off road especially rock climbing.

The focus here though is why some people swear KO2 are a driving hazard in the rain while others have had no issues at all. It’s a mystery.

I just remembered something. I talked to BFG awhile back and they said the tire pressure for the KO2 should be at 40 to 44 PSI on 4Runners and not at 32 as suggested by Toyota. She mentioned that most tire are fine at the manufacturers PSI rating but she said the KO2 are an exception to this rule. I wonder if that might have anything to do with it? I have run mines at both but still never had issues.

After lowering the PSI from 36 to 32 I've noticed a little improvement. I normally drive around corners slow, I'm no way an aggressive driver. The road conditions are not a lot of rain but just wet streets during a light rain or shortly after a rain so just when the road is just wet.

Well that narrows the variables a bit. How old are your tires and how many miles or how much tread do you have left?

Before I had Nitto Grapplers and the slid under the same question. They had about 50% tread. Don’t remember how old.