Paralyzed by indecision on tires
 

2016 Trail Premium - stock with no plans to lift.

It spends 95% of its life on-road. Off road is limited to fire roads, gravel, etc. - mild conditions occasionally in 4wd just for safety. Rarely experience snow (once per year), but we'll go out if it's on the ground.

The sensible thing to do is Defender LTX. But god, they're boring.

So I kind of want either the KO2 or Revo3. I ran two sets of the early gen Revos in the past on a JGC and liked them quite a bit. I haven't run AT T/Os in at least 25 years.

I don't want to end up with something noisy and bouncy since Mrs K is the primary driver. So I'm a bit hesitant on the AT tires. But, honestly, looks matter and I don't really want the boring option either.

I don't know about you guys, but I'll spend hours pouring over reviews and days pondering this decision. It's kind of ridiculous and paralyzing. But the stock tires are pretty well done, and the right rear has a slow leak so this needs to be dealt with.

Have read some posters indicate K/O’s are deceptively quiet for the first 10k miles or so. Should provide a nice transition period while the Mrs adjusts (gradually) to any change in sound (unnoticed).

The cabin on this latest generation is super quiet anyway, and I’m coming from a Range Rover full size with acoustic glass.


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One vote for K/O's.

I too have a 2016! Here is a vote for Toyo Open Country A/T III's. Love mine for on-road, not too loud at all but have an aggressive look. Have put about 10K miles on them including several road trips from VA to NY finger lakes and VA to CT. Excellent in heavy rain, excellent in snow and dirt/mud, and like I said, great for on road.

Check this thread for plenty of thoughts, reviews and pictures: Toyo Open County AT III (AT3)

Michelin defenders boring but great ride.
KO2 great tire.
Revo 3' great tire not snow rated but does great in wet slushy conditions.

Here is one way!

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a straight all terrain might be a little overkill for your needs especially since it doesn't seem like you'll be seeking out anything too gnarly

you seem like a prime candidate for the new bf goodrich trail-terrain

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...-Terrain+T%2FA

I'm either using my local tire store, who have been great to work with for various other issues, or Costco. Doesn't look like either carry Toyos.

KO2s. Borderline silent so far in the first 5k miles. Excellent traction, ride great, and look the part. Revo3s are boring

Yes, the KOs are probably overkill. I'm a bit nervous about using a brand new tire. But the idea is probably spot on. It's kind of the same as the Rugged Terrain, isn't it?

The ironic thing about all of this indecision is that it's unlikely that I'll ever been in a situation where the tires will make a difference between staying in 2hi vs shifting into 4hi. :D

The K/O2's are good tires, depending on what you're looking for. I have 50000km or so on mine.

Pros:
They are amazingly quiet for their tread type.

Obviously look badass

Amazing off-road

Long life (so far)

Predictable on-road dry handling - they give you plenty of warning that you're going to slide in the dry.


Cons:
The top half of the tread they were were only bad in the rain and acceptable in the snow.

Now that I'm into the bottom half of the tread, they're downright terrifying in the rain and pretty terrible in the snow.

In adverse conditions, they can and will let go instantly under duress: In heavy rain, I can slide a truck length before experiencing any real stopping force. Anticipate heavily and brake early and gently. This characteristic has gotten incrementally worse as the tires wear.

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I do not think that the results I got justify seeing them on 1 in 3 trucks, which may indicate BFG spends more on marketing than R&D. I'll be trying something new when these are done. If money were no object I'd have already gotten rid of them.

The winter performance doesn't seem to be a usage profile for you. For others that may read this, they'll get you there in one piece in the winter for the top half of the tread. I spent plenty of time sliding around icy roads the first winter I had them and did not enjoy the experience. If you live somewhere with heavy winter, the 3PMSF rating is... perhaps misleading... but they'll get you there. In the bottom half of the tread, don't trust your life to these and move on to hardcore winter tires or replace.

All these odd handling characteristics are fine for me to drive around but I do worry about lending my truck to others in adverse weather conditions. They're great in the dry... but how often does that really matter. In cold, rainy weather, hockey pucks may offer better stopping distances.

In addition to the other suggestions, look at the Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws. They have P rated tires too. Wife had them in her 2000 4Runner and loved them. No issues. My BMW was louder than the 4Runner.

We recently bought a 2021 ORP and next up are wheels/tires. C or E rated Falkens are top choice at the moment for us and our needs which pretty closely mirror yours.


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I'll take the unpopular vote and vote for the Michelin. if you don't need an off-road tire and don't need a dedicated snow tire and are going to be running your set as an all season tire then the michelin is simply the best tire you can buy (or one of the best). I understand looks are important but really in this case youre trading performance for looks since you dont really need an all terrain or any sort of offroad tire. the michelins are designed to be the best for everyday pavement driving, wet or dry. they will outperform all terrain or offroad tires, even though some AT tires are very high quality

the other deciding factor for me was that this is not your rig, it's your wife's and ride comfort is important as well as performance on road. I will always put michelin on the wife's vehicle since they are the best tire that meets her needs

defender ltx with white walls out.

If the LTX works for your use, it’s hard to justify a different tire. I have problems with most tires, except Michelin, and specifically the LTX.

All white all-terrain tires directly from China. Only $28 each. What could go wrong?
You could be pimp'n all day and night at the mall.