Lexington
Member
Since you have experience with multiple tire brands, which one did you like best?
BFG KO2 or Falken Wild Peak AT3W
- Thread starter akalito
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Lexington
Member
But if you start a YouTube channel then you’ll just be another YouTuber.�� But seriously I think that would be a good idea and thanks for the good info. Maybe you can write up your own review and post it. I would find this very helpful.
Before I bought my tires I tried to do my due diligence and read many review and watched many videos. To be honest they are all over the map. There was no consistency on which tire was best and for what situation. So I just did a average of all the reviews. I think part of difficulty is each tire manufacturer is paying someone to right a favorable review for their tires. This really makes it hard for the average Joe to figure out what tire is the best one for their needs.
Although I’m a bit surprised at the number of people knocking the KO2. I’ve had KO2 for the last 20 years and never had a issue with a single tire and they have always performed well. I would say I drive about 85-90% on the road and rest off. Most of the off-road was on trail but I have driven off trail and in some pretty rough terrain. Again never had an issue. Just my personal experience. When I was searching I was seriously considering the AT3 but in the end my decision was based on my personal experience with KO2 and was a known factor to me.
But I will admit KiwiKurt makes a compelling argument. Anyone who ran a fleet of trucks in Africa I’m sure have really put the tires through an endurance test. So that a lot of credibility in my book.
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It was a mix of 76 landcruisers with cable lockers; a couple 100 series, and mostly 200’s. The 76’s had coopers and generals, the 200’s duratracs and generals. All of the trucks -especially the 200’s- were behemoths in terms of weight.
I think i probably liked the Duratrac best based on what I prioritize(traction). Honestly, they all did fine for what we needed though. If i were to get nit picky, the duratracs seemed to have the best grip in mud and wet, but wore down a little faster than the rest in sand. Some of that was the trucks were really, really heavy, too. The general atx seemed to be the most durable/highest mileage of the group but the worst in mud.
The cooper discoverer’s were used on the fewest trucks, but performed and held up fine on the ones that had it. I dont recall if i experienced the “right pull” ive read about, but wasnt looking for it then, either. Ive seen it reported enough times I wont spend my own money on them.
The point for me at the time was to just stop getting failures. In the year following the swap, i had zero failures on any of those brands as a result from poor workmanship or poor QC. Some wore out, some got punctures, but none “failed”.
Ive only had the wild peaks once on my jeep (LT 37’s), so not really a sample size, but i was happy with them across a range of conditions. A little squirmy at highway speed on account of the full siping, but fabulous wet and snow performance.
Im getting ready to lift and re-tire my 4Runner and will either get the Duratrac, Territory MT, or the wildpeak. I live out east. If i lived out in the south west, Id probably look a little harder at the ATX…seemed to tolerate rock and sand a little better at the expense of some mud performance.
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That's exactly why I went with LT Wildpeaks. They are f@#$g heavy as hell... but they are great in desert and pretty good on rocks too. Sidewalls and thread are sturdy and can sustain tons of abuse.
Lexington
Member
Yes correct. I was referring to both the KO and KO2s I have used in the last 20 years. Just have a habit of saying KO2s now.
Lexington
Member
Can you provide more detail why KO2 are dangerous? It would help owners know what situation to watch out for.
On that note I had bad experience with Nitto Terra Grapplers slide out on me several times in the rain. It always occurred in heavy rain and when making a turn. Tires were about 50% worn. On the bright side I know my Traction Control works.
DAW89446
Member
Torn tread blocks are caused by not airing the tire down when driving trails littered with small rock and jagged larger rock. Many tires with large, deep tread blocks suffer from this.
In my early days of off roading, I was reluctant to air down except for sand, which was relatively rare in areas I explored in. Lots of rocks, bedrock, narrow slot canyons surfaced with broken rock, dry waterfalls. I began to notice I tore up my BFG All Terrain T/As prematurely (KO2’s weren’t thought of yet). A friend reasoned with me about the positives of airing down over stony trails. This not only helps floatation in sand, but also allows the tire to mold itself over sharp obstacles instead of presenting a hard face to it. As well as smooth the ride. I’ve been practicing airing down since.
That said, many so-called off road tires don’t have multiple sidewall plies, even LT rated ones. I don’t recommend airing down P rated tires. The sidewalls will be sliced open on rocky trails. It’s easy to slice and dice OEM P rated tires found on most 4x4’s offered, even our T4R’s. I sliced open a front sidewall on my OEM tires within two months of purchase of my ‘18 on a small, sharp protruding stone hidden by sagebrush within feet of the highway I was returning to. Swapped out my OEMS for Load Range E KO2’s the next day.
If the OP puts the majority of his miles on his T4R on the road, a P rated snow tire will be sufficient.
Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have had excellent success with my BFGs and are a good value for my needs. To be honest, what research I’d done is kind of overwhelming with new technology and a flood of inexpensive imports. Since I live in an isolated small town, I go with what I can get at my local family owned shop. I can probably get better tires if I drive six hours round trip, but if they fail, then I have to pay to have them fixed, rotated and balanced at my local store. Or drive back to the city to get it done free. So I buy what works for me and the rest is free.
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MAST4R
New member
That's a very good post.
I am with you on not airing down P metric at all.
For my current ATZP3. yes, the blocks show a lot of offroading after 16,000 miles. I normally air down to 21 psi for low range trails but keep 28 psi for high range stuff which is most of the desert because of the higher speeds.
So, yeah, it is either/or based on speeds as well. I don't count on getting more than 30k anyway. 40k would be huge if it happens, not needed.
None of that would matter in the NE, of course
So back to topic, silica in the tread really helps with rain. Nowadays the better LT tires have silica so it is no longer a P metric exclusive.
I am with you on not airing down P metric at all.
For my current ATZP3. yes, the blocks show a lot of offroading after 16,000 miles. I normally air down to 21 psi for low range trails but keep 28 psi for high range stuff which is most of the desert because of the higher speeds.
So, yeah, it is either/or based on speeds as well. I don't count on getting more than 30k anyway. 40k would be huge if it happens, not needed.
None of that would matter in the NE, of course
So back to topic, silica in the tread really helps with rain. Nowadays the better LT tires have silica so it is no longer a P metric exclusive.
22 ORP, Not ready for tires yet -
That said, will be going 3 peak when the time comes, and going falkens. Reason is, they have sipes on the tread blocks. Those sipes big increase in ice traction..
In the lower northeast we gEt mixed conditions above and below freezing, been driving snows in winter for 40 yrs, that feature worth it to me…. My two cents.
Must say not a bad answer between the two, whichever is a solid choice.
That said, will be going 3 peak when the time comes, and going falkens. Reason is, they have sipes on the tread blocks. Those sipes big increase in ice traction..
In the lower northeast we gEt mixed conditions above and below freezing, been driving snows in winter for 40 yrs, that feature worth it to me…. My two cents.
Must say not a bad answer between the two, whichever is a solid choice.
I'm looking to put tires LT285/70/17 in C rating on my 20' ORP. I'm considering K02's and Wild Peaks.
The negative things that I'm on fence about of the three.
KO2's wet weather performance sounds terrible
Wild Peaks weight at 64lbs?!
Now I'm also considering the Goodyear Wrangler Ultra Terrain AT. Anyone have experience with these? It is an E rated only tire, but it seems to check off everything I'm looking at on my list.
The negative things that I'm on fence about of the three.
KO2's wet weather performance sounds terrible
Wild Peaks weight at 64lbs?!
Now I'm also considering the Goodyear Wrangler Ultra Terrain AT. Anyone have experience with these? It is an E rated only tire, but it seems to check off everything I'm looking at on my list.
Do you ever own wildpeaks they are standard on the new rubicon and raptors as well the Subaru off roaders I’ve had them for 2 and half years and have been flawless !!!
communication without knowledgelayball:
In fact I have. Probably have a lot more experience with them then you do. 1 set on my fx4 f-150 decent tire middle of the road, wore quickly hard to balance. But bang for buck great tire. My brothers has Wildpeaks on his truck, hard to balance but the low price at 128 bucks a tire great deal, so it gets a passing grade. Figured I would give the Wildpeaks one more try on my 20 Trd 4Runner. In the 10k miles I had them 5 trips to discount tire to get them balanced. In fact one was out of round. My local discount tire replaced my tires free of charge and I have not had an issue since. In fact a few of the sales staff say that the Wildpeaks are one of the most problematic tires they sell. At one time the Wildpeaks were a good value for the price if you were willing to risk getting a bad one. Now that the price has increased better off getting another brand. Sure every tire has issues but you can’t honestly say a falken is better then a ko2. I run Maxxis at-811 have had good luck with the thee sets of them. Oh by the way they are on the new rubicon because they are cheap. Factory tires that met the specs And price point FCA wanted.
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It’s also caused when the tires ARE aired down but the rubber compound doesnt hold up rock and sand, which bfg’s dont, especially if there is high salt content in the sand. Again, my issues across all drivers and all trucks with failures went away simply by ditching the brand, so I dont think improper use can be layed at our feet. There are anecdotal stories for days on any tire. Every brand has a lemon, and even ones with good reputations have failures. Its also easy to get bought in by marketing hype, and sometimes people develop a preference from what they see another truck do with that tire in a particular circumstance, its drive dynamics just agree with the purchaser, or there is some feature of tread or ply that appeals/works for the purchaser. I was loyal to general tire for a long time simply because they sponsored a trophy truck i was with and they treated us well and their tires worked. But in the Africa case, it became a mobility and budget issue as well as a risk issue. The suppliers like bfg because of the margins they got, so didnt want to change at first. But when youre in Africa and buy 60+ sets of tires a year, you get a voice too. I gave them the size criteria and my only brand requirement was “not bfg”, so my experience with the ones we got was out of necessity not out of favoritism. I ended up with a mix and have become more convinced now that pretty much any major brand’s LT tire is going to be about as good as the next.
Some of the variations in construction matter, like the duratrac and wildpeak siping being great in winter weather. Thats real. The carcass design (and weight) and the “duragen” (i think its just silica content) of the ATX being super durable. But thats on the edges. At the core they are all similar.
If bfg is the ONLY tire you can get for 6hrs….i mean i guess? They do offer the widest selection of sizes and load ratings, are damn near universally available, and if they have worked for your cases then great. There are lots of people who like them. Im just not one of them.
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Why not a Duratrac? Its a D or E, I guess. Im thinking Ill try the territory mt in C next…..
My biggest frustration with picking tires is the limited availability of 255/80/17’s in various load ratings. Everyone wants big offset wheels with “meats” on them to get the look for the ‘gram, and its driven the market towards sizes and weights that dont perform as well on these trucks.
Ive heard great things about these but never used them….how many set have you had? Snow performance? Mud tolerance?
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Lexington
Member
No surprise on the wobbles. Majority of the time steering wheel wobble or shaking is cause by tires that have worn unevenly. This can be caused by not being balanced or inflated properly, not rotating the tires regularly or wheel being out of alignment. Even if you do everything right sometimes it can just be the tires.
Glad the tires are working out for you.
Polyguy79
New member
Ive heard great things about these but never used them….how many set have you had? Snow performance? Mud tolerance?[/QUOTE]
I’m in my first set, but these blew me away almost instantly. They feel close to street tires on dry pavement with how quiet they are and how well they handle in the rain. Snow performance is quite good. Much better than KO2s. Haven’t done much in the mud, so I can’t comment there.
I’m in my first set, but these blew me away almost instantly. They feel close to street tires on dry pavement with how quiet they are and how well they handle in the rain. Snow performance is quite good. Much better than KO2s. Haven’t done much in the mud, so I can’t comment there.
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