Hey guys I have a ‘19 Pro and planning a Thanksgiving trip to Death Valley. In stock size the KM3 is only available in an E load rating. Is anyone running these and have an opinion? My concern is how low will you have to air down to increase contact patch. A person I know with a Wrangler says unless he airs down all the way to 10 psi with his E load KM3’s the tires beat the crap out of him off road. And I believe the Wrangler is actually lighter than our 5th gens for what it is worth. Ok thanks.
BF Goodrich KM3 in stock stock size..
- Thread starter tls3601
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Just to add what I have posted earlier, my ride height is stock and I believe the Pro weighs 4700 pounds. My other half Darlene has a 2017 SR5 running KO2’s in a C load rating, stock size as well. Only downside to the KO2’s is they WILL hydroplane on wet roads at highway speeds ��, other than that a great tire.
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aaronRR
New member
You can generally air down any tire to 20psi relatively safely on the 4runner assuming you're not doing anything insane, You'll get more surface area but it does depend on the tire.
You mention k02 hydroplaning on wet roads, I'm not sure that mud terrains will do any better with less contact. Is there any specific goal you're trying to meet with mud terrains on death valley?
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Basically wondering how bad the ride will be with an E load range tire and how low I will have to go to get that little bulge to spread out surface area? I also want a tire that will be less prone to the dreaded sidewall slice. I hear terrain is rocky there and good tires are a must that is why I am considering a KM3 mud terrain over a KO2 in C load class. I am betting the ride will be better with the KO2 and will also be more compliant when airing down as well, but durability and traction are my biggest concerns. I have never run an MT type tire. Thanks for the input guys.
SpeedyKevin
New member
What trails are you trying to do there? Ive done Mengel, Lippencolt, Steele, and Racetrack and never had any issues with my sidewalls on my AT3Ws (2-ply side with a 2-turn up). That being said, I don't feel that there are many (if any) trails out there that required lower than 18psi. Most of the trails are just gravel/corrugated roads so I ran at around 22-24psi.
That being said, I know a few folks running KM3s and due to the thicker sidewall, they had to lower the PSI a bit more to get it softer. I think one of the guys who normally run 18psi on rocks had to drop it 3 more psi to get a similar bulge. Similar experience for me with my mud tires too.
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It will be my first trip there. Titus Canyon is definitely on my hit list and plan on backcountry camping as well. Would like to hit several trails if possible. Will drive there from Phoenix. How bad are KM3’s on the highway? I hear the modern MT tires are much quieter on pavement and also much less prone to tire chunk than KM2’s.
SpeedyKevin
New member
Ive done titus a few time, no concerns about rocks there. Just a gravel scenic road!
Been in a LC80 with 39 KM3s and thought it wasnt too loud at all. Similar in level to my wildpeak M/Ts. Still possible to chunk them if you are heavy on the gas when on obstacles. I think the only two complaint sive heard from my friend are wet weather performance (expected) and how bfg tires run smaller.
I've been running KM3's stock 265's for over a year and 30k. No complaints. I run a lot of trails and conditions and very satisfied with them. Everyone I run into airs down their tires, I am the opposite as I never air them down always at 36 psi. Haven't really had the need to air down or feel that I needed too, but that's just how I roll-pun intended.
