BFG KO2 vs Nitto Terra Grappler G2 vs Falken Wildpeak AT3W

[ryguytheman]

Great post...

My 2010 Trail Edition came with the horrible Dunflop tires. I rode them for 55,000 miles and couldn't wait to get something stiffer and that performed better in all aspects.

I upgraded to the BFG TA/KO's - C's and it immediately made a huge difference in the ride of the 4Runner - It actually felt like I now had a SUV rather than a grocery getter. The performance on forest service roads was awesome and they towed my small boat much better than the dunflops. The downside - I lost 2mpg and, after the first 20,000 miles, their performance on wet roads was less than stellar - which with our Northwest rain is a big drawback.

I've put 80,000 miles on the TA/KO's and they've been great but it's time for a change. I'm also putting on a suspension lift and finally getting around to building out the overland vehicle I imagined when I bought the truck. Along with the build I'll be upsizing to 285/70/17's.

Question......
I think I'll give the AT3W's a shot this time around. Would the P rated tire be good enough or should I stick with the LT?

I noticed the change in wet traction with my KO2s at the same point as you, roughly 20K miles. I would slip if starting from a stop in the rain, pretty much every time. BUT... that only lasted for a short while, maybe a couple thousand miles. After that, I didn't really experience the issue again.

I'm far from an expert on tires, but it seemed to me like I had worn them to a particularly bad part of the tread as far as wet traction goes, and once that was gone things went back to normal.

I'm still on the same set, closing in on 50K miles with them. Haven't had much to complain about other than those few weeks where it seemed like I couldn't grip wet pavement.

 

[Bill Z]

I noticed the change in wet traction with my KO2s at the same point as you, roughly 20K miles. I would slip if starting from a stop in the rain, pretty much every time. BUT... that only lasted for a short while, maybe a couple thousand miles. After that, I didn't really experience the issue again.

I'm far from an expert on tires, but it seemed to me like I had worn them to a particularly bad part of the tread as far as wet traction goes, and once that was gone things went back to normal.

I'm still on the same set, closing in on 50K miles with them. Haven't had much to complain about other than those few weeks where it seemed like I couldn't grip wet pavement.

Interesting... Mine have been about the same after the first 20k. It's especially noticeable when turning in front of traffic and the wheels spin.

FYI - I'm not bashing the TA/KO's. I've put 80,000 miles on them and they've been bullet proof. But with our 9 months of constant drizzle I'm thinking I may want to get a tire that's got a bit better wet traction this time around.

 

[rlporter507]

I had bfg's on my 76 ford pu, 16.5 and they were great in the snow. when it came time for new ones, they no longer made 16.5 so i had to buy 16 wheels and tires. these 16's, which im pretty sure are a higher load rating than the 16.5's, its a 3/4 ton, and i think they just assumed a heavier tire was needed, never went in the snow as well as the 16.5's. now there 6 years old, i dont drive the truck much, and there really slippery on wet roads, and pretty much suck in the snow. there about half life. so i agree with the majority about them. im looking between the toyo and the falken for my 4runner next month for a trip to mt in oct. ill probably go with the p rating for tire weight, and the roads i drive, not many sharp rocks. theres a thread i was reading a few days ago about the toyo at3 tires, pretty much the same as here, a lot of people like them.

 

[Siouxrunner]

Just pulled set of Wrangler TrailRunners at 45000. Just about done as far as tread. Pretty happy with them, ride was excellent, grip was good all around especially snow which is the most important thing here in the winter. Two trips to Moab, other trips to rocky areas all good, no air down. Undersize tread face was the only problem in 265/70/17 stock size 4 ply. Switched to Wildpeaks, same factory size, better price (150 mounted local dealer 4 ply) cannot be happier, excellent ride, grip, no groove darting around on highway, can’t wait till winter. Lots more tread face/depth than Goodyear’s. Aired down to 25 in Wyoming two weeks ago on Morrison Jeep Trail, just switched before we left, thank God, saved our ass. ‘‘Twas a great tire choice, checks all my boxes, highly recommend. Thanks

 

[Stembot]

I'm really glad this thread popped up. I was planning to get a set of KO2s when my stockers wore out. Now that I have seen most people calling out the AT3Ws for better wet condition performance, that's what I will go with. My driving is 99% on road and I live in central Florida so wet performance is far more important to me than off road. Can't wait to size up to 285/70R17 for a proper appearance.

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[Blue Spark]

2 of my friends have wildpeaks on a pathfinder and a frontier. Theyre ok, i have my eye on the pirelli AT next

 

[Bundutrailer]

Simple:
I have ran KO2 C load, Nitto Ridge Grappler C load, and 2 sets of Wildpeak AT3W both SL.

The Falkens are the hands down winner and it’s not even close. They do everything well and better than your two other options. Look no further. I’m not kidding, they’re not even close.

I’d recommend the higher load rating for the Wildpeaks or any tire you really plan to off road. I ran SL and while they did fine, the Falkens wear quicker in SL flare due to their silica compound.


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Really want the Falken’s, currently on KO2 which have never let me down. The Falken’s with their 2 ply side wall for my hard offroad tracks , I am pessimistic they will not last sidewall punctures. Anyone who can confirm rock performance when aired down, kindly comment.

 

[arehman11]

I'll add my recent experience as a data point:

P285/70/17 wildpeaks installed day after 20 Pro delivered, DTD balanced them again the following day due to vibration 50-60mph, much better.

15k mile service w/ rotation - now we're back to vibration 50-60mph. Take it back to DTD, they rebalance and it doesn't go away. They're nice enough to prorate a new set of wildpeaks.

New set installed - vibration. Rebalanced, vibration.

Ordered KO2s, installed - less vibration than the wildpeaks but instead of 50-60mph only, the KO2s have a vibration anything over 35mph.

At this point, I'm not sure what to order. I do know I'm going to a different DTD location.

New Toyo AT3, try another set of wildpeaks?

Who knows.

:rant:

Before anyone mentions it - all the machines at my local DTD are the Hunter road force balancers.

I had this issue, turns out my local DTD wasn’t familiar with needing to use the haweka or finger adapters for 6 lug Toyota wheels. Both my Tacoma and 4runner had the issue, pro wheels on the 4Runner and TRD offroad wheels on the Tacoma. Once the proper adapters were used, both were smooth as glass at any speed.

 

[Quiero]

Yes, I searched extensively before posting this - please don't shoot me.

I drive: A Limited 4x4, no lift, had BFG KO2s (C-Rated) on for 25k miles

My driving habits: 95% on-road, off road is mostly trails and service roads for fishing or hiking. I'm picking up a 2019 soon and will be calling it quits on anything more advanced than those trails because I don't want to bang it up (again).


So, as noted above, I've had KO2s for 25k miles and my experience has been OK. I'm considering moving to the TG G2 for a few reasons and would like to hear from some other folks about their experiences. I am primarily curious about first hand experience with wet traction because I've seen complaints about both.

KO2 Pros:
- Compared to 20x7" wheels on the Limited, I went to the 17" Tundra/Sequoia wheels that are 7.5" wide and then adding an AT tire created a lot more stability on road. Turns don't feel as wobbly and the truck feels much more planted.
- Been great off road, never had a problem
- Look great
- Seem durable and have worn well, even with mostly on-road driving
- Never had problems getting them balanced

KO2 Cons:
- Harsh-ish ride
- Acceleration Lag due to the weight of the tires
- My truck broke in on these tires, so I don't have a baseline for MPG where I can say I've lost some efficiency, but I am sure I did
- Some extra road noise, but not bad


Overall, it probably looks like I've had a good experience with the KO2s, and I have, but I recently rode in another 4R that had the TG G2s and I could not believe how much smoother and more compliant they were on the road, as well as quieter. They rode like any other passenger rated tire but still look great and seem to offer mild off road ability.

I started doing some research on the G2s and saw folks mention that if you go with the P-rated tire, they are puncture-prone in rock crawling situations. I also saw a few complaints about poor wet traction, though many folks experience that with KO2s as well. I also read a few threads where people mentioned their KO2s wearing out shocks prematurely because they're a harder, heavier tire. I am weary of that because X-REAS is so expensive to replace. Has anyone seen or experienced any of these issues?

I am thinking of making a switch to the G2s because I'm giving up the more dedicated trail driving and could use some extra smoothness with on-road driving. If I recall correctly, the KO2 is also like 11-12lbs heavier than the G2, so switching would yield a reduction of almost 50 lbs of unsprung weight.

More on Falkens below.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

I've run my P-rated terra grapplers at 15 psi during all day crawling runs and I've never had an issue losing a bead. Rocky roads, I'll go down to 22 or so. I'm cautious with them, but there is no reason you can't air them down as long as you don't do something silly.