BFG K02's 265/70/17 REALLY sketchy in the rain

For the people that are complaining about the KO2 are you having problems on acceleration, braking, cornering or all of them? I have had 2 sets on my 14 Limited and have zero complaints and I have been in some pretty big downpours going 75 mph down the interstate and around town driving. Maybe since my Limited is full time 4X4 helps the so called problems.
 
I live in the SF Bay Area and I've had my 285/70 /17 Load C KO2 for 13 months. I have 12,000 miles on these tires and haven't experienced any issues in the rain.
 
Rain performance was my #1 factor in deciding on a tire since I was coming from a Mazda3 with Pilot Super Sports that were wicked in the rain.

I liked the K02 hype, but the wet traction reviews are some of the worst I had seen. So I went with Duratracs which are still no Super Sport but definitely decent predictable wet traction, plus they came highly reamended by my work truck snow plow friends.
They also have preformed very well off road and no issues of blow outs like many have suggested.

I will say this for the K02's being used in CA or places it does not rain a lot. Places that don't get a lot of rain have an issue with oil buildup on roads that make them very slick when it finally does rain.
 
I’ve been using BFG KO and KO2s since the early nineties on everything from small pickups, 3/4 ton diesels, and now a 4Runner. I’ve never had these wet weather issues that everyone else seems to have.

I’ve got 65K miles on my current set, even still, no wet weather issues. I’ll be replacing these KO2s with another set of KO2s when these finally wear out.
 
N2TRKYS said:
I’ve been using BFG KO and KO2s since the early nineties on everything from small pickups, 3/4 ton diesels, and now a 4Runner. I’ve never had these wet weather issues that everyone else seems to have.

I’ve got 65K miles on my current set, even still, no wet weather issues. I’ll be replacing these KO2s with another set of KO2s when these finally wear out.
Click to expand...

You probably live where more rain wipes off the oil build up on roads than in CA that maybe gets 45 days of rain a year.
 
My old set of KO's were pretty awful in the rain. It felt like they would hydroplane at lower speeds compared to other tires. Didn't want to drive with them on wet freeways.

New set of KO2's are totally fine. Not as good in wet weather as my Destination A/T's, but not scary like the original KO's.

Always wished they put a couple of semi-directional rain grooves on the KO2's......like the Falken Wildpeaks have. I think that would help a ton.
 
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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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.
 
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.
 
03_4x4Runner said:
For the people that are complaining about the KO2 are you having problems on acceleration, braking, cornering or all of them? I have had 2 sets on my 14 Limited and have zero complaints and I have been in some pretty big downpours going 75 mph down the interstate and around town driving. Maybe since my Limited is full time 4X4 helps the so called problems.
Click to expand...

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.
 
Pedro367 said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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Lexington said:
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. THIS WILL BE WHY BFG KO2 ARE SO SLIPPERY in the WET - YouTube

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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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