KO2 no traction -Scary!

[mustangr2]

I can’t say about the ko2 but I have the falkens and just finally got to run them through a pretty good rain last week. I was pretty surprised how good they were.

 

[GearJunkie88]

Welcome to a hard compound E load range tire.

The KO2 is an awesome durable hard pack dirt / off-road tire but I feel the wet and snow traction suffers as well.

Living in sunny CA its almost never an issue, but these days I am finding myself considering other tire options as well.

I'm running C load KO2s and wet traction is fine.

 

[Plannerman]

I ran the KO2s on my Tacoma and found traction to be an issue, as well.

A couple of times I had to make emergency stops on DRY pavement and the tires didn't grab like Coopers. Probably will not run them again.

 

[Gsotis]

I have had my KO2s for almost a year now, wet conditions they definitely chirp a lot more then the stock tires when I hit the gas from a stop or turning tightly. But I also find that my traction control kills the power immediately when I get any wheel spin. Did yours kick in at all during your drift?

 

[Bumbo]

I'm running C load KO2s and wet traction is fine.

That's great but not every size is available in different load ranges. Some of the most popular sizes are E load range only.

Plus, for those that do off-road and air down regularly, the durability of an E load range is very desirable.

My solution for snow/wet/road and off-road was to simply buy two different sets of rims and tires.

 

[Ryan1975]

I have about 40,000 on them. They have never had great traction but now I don't trust them at all.

...and how many years old? 40k is a lot of miles brother. I tend to only give a set of tires two full years (winters) before the heat cycling / seasonal changes make the tires worthless imho. Just took off the stockers after two winters / 60k miles and put on some KO2s. I'll give you a comparison post after the first real blizzard. Otherwise my stock sized / C-load KO2s have been awesome for traction in the snow I experienced last week on my way through southern Colorado.

 

[Jeffy]

Throwing in my opinion as well.

KO2s are horrible in the rain and light snow, great in everything else including deep snow. I just drive slow in the rain now and I'm happy with that.

I had General Grabbers on my 4th gen (basically a clone of the KO2) and that's how I ended up totalling it- hydroplaned and slammed into the center divide headfirst. I was only going about 60 when that happened although the road was entirely flooded a few inches deep so I don't blame the tires completely. I had actually regained control but couldn't see where I was going because water was still shooting up over the windshield. Fun stuff.

I have KO2s on my 5th gen, and after 40k miles I still love them for everything except rain, I'll be be buying them again.

 

[Brian3676]

I have hated the KO2 for a while now. Everytime I post that though I get bashed from people saying I can't drive, too inflated, alignment...bla bla bla.

I have had my Nitto Ridge Grappers for about a year now and I have never driven on anything so great. Awesome in dry, wet, snow, mud, you name it, it's the best all around tire. Is there better mud..yes, snow...yes, but is there a better all around good at a bit of everything tire? No

 

[Hadelson]

Running KO'2 on my TRDP. Not to bad in rain and excellent snow traction. Only 13K on the set. We are basically driving a high centered vehicle on a solid axle rear suspension. Not much to improve here other then good set of struts. Found in my experience that a great set of struts make a huge difference in tire traction. Add a little common sense and most likely will keep the rubber planted solidly on the road.

 

[GearJunkie88]

That's great but not every size is available in different load ranges. Some of the most popular sizes are E load range only.

Plus, for those that do off-road and air down regularly, the durability of an E load range is very desirable.

My solution for snow/wet/road and off-road was to simply buy two different sets of rims and tires.

Yep. I'm on 265s. I appreciated your post about the E load compound. It helps me with my future decision to go with 285 E loads. I'll probably just stick with the 265s. Spent the last few days off roading in Big Bend National Park and the 265 C loads did just fine... and they do not a nice job on wet pavement.

 

[Dark4c]

I have hated the KO2 for a while now. Everytime I post that though I get bashed from people saying I can't drive, too inflated, alignment...bla bla bla.

I have had my Nitto Ridge Grappers for about a year now and I have never driven on anything so great. Awesome in dry, wet, snow, mud, you name it, it's the best all around tire. Is there better mud..yes, snow...yes, but is there a better all around good at a bit of everything tire? No

+1 for the Nitto Ridge grapplers. Best all around tire I ever owned after trying KO2, Cooper MTP, duratrac.

 

[Gecko]

I also have the K02s in 265/70 17 (load range C) and have never had a wet traction problem, and we had a very wet spring and summer here. I also drive fairly aggressively. I wonder if the full time 4x4 on the Limited negates these issues?

It would also make sense to me that the load range C tires would be better for basically all on-road performance scenarios because the harder compound on the load range E would not provide as much adhesion. Eh?

 

[rcjoe]

I've had zero issues with KO2 C rating on my GMC Canyon.. and i'm pretty sure i have a lot less weight in the rear than the 4runner.. It's been a great tire, so yeah like people say slow down

 

[coltm4]

I had some KO2 on my F-250 and they were awesome until the road was wet. And as others have mentioned, the ass end came loose on a offramp/cloverleaf and scared the bejeezus out of me. I had previously had 3 sets of Nitto TerraGrapplers before and never had that happen. That being said, the Nittos sucked on snow and off road compared to the KO2. It is all a trade off, drive slower and get better snow, dirt, light mud performance with the KO2. My current TRDPro has the Nittos and I frequently break the rear end loose on the on ramp, so wet performance just sucks all around with a high center of gravity and rear drive.

Bottom line: drive slower in the rain. Buy what you value more, I value what the KO2 gives me.

A man has got to know his limits. - Clint Eastwood

 

[mmike87]

About 12k on my ko2s ... Maybe it's just the way that I drive but I have honestly not really observed any traction problems with these tires under any conditions.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Judd94]

Here’s what I’m looking at and in no particular order

Kumho AT51- people running em love em.
Falken ATW3s- lots of people love em especially for wet traction but a few have complained about not being able to balance em
Hankook Dynapro ATMs- 2016 Consumer Reports best all around rated all terrain. I’ve had em and love em.
Cooper AT3s- supposed to be great but wish they had more aggressive shoulders
Nitto G2s- seem to be good and popular but not amazing

 

[the_economist]

For the KO2s, there is apparently a huge difference in wet-weather performance between C and E rated tires. I've been driving C-rated 265 KO2s for a year in all sorts of rain -- including today! -- and have never had any issues with slipping on pavement. Sounds like most of the problems with poor wet road traction are happening with E-rated tires, which totally makes sense.

 

[5280 TRail-Runner]

I'm running 275 KO2s on mine. This is the first set I've owned and had them for about 12k miles and have not had any issues with wet traction. Living in Colorado, you see plenty of snow and rain especially if you drive in the mountains which I do and never once had any issues. Although, I do like them and would buy them again. I'm going to look into some other brands when I go bigger. But like others have said, slow down in wet/snow conditions.

 

[lukeskywalker]

The General Grabber AT2 is a hard tire to beat as far as performance on or off road, and price, the only down side i have is they last so long i get tired of them, and want something different. I had them on my 02 for 7 yrs. still had all kinds of tread left, but they were getting hard, and weather cracked, so i went with the Wildpeak MT, but ended up selling the 02 soon after we got the 17 SR5. I did put the Grabbers on the new ride in the stock size. Very good tire in my opinion.

I second this. I have zero complaints with General Grabber AT2. Excellent traction in almost all conditions. Had a wee bit of trouble in some deep snow, but that's to be expected.

 

[jthoms1]

I have 285’s E rated on my rig. They do slip in the rain if you’re not being cautious. C rated may be better as others have pointed out. Love the look, wearing great, dry performance and off-road performance are great. I PROBABLY wouldn’t buy them again, but I’m about 65% sure of that. Hope this helps someone.