Point of order (mental desktop order)
Anyone who thinks that the Tire Rack survey rankings are decently accurate and useful and also thinks the KO2 drastically under-performs has some tidying up to do on their mental desktop.
Spoiler: KO2 currently ranked #1 A/T overall AND tied for #1 in wet traction.
Personally, I don't think there's enough usable signal to be sifted from the noise anywhere that tire opinions dominate.
I'll stick to keeping it simple (type, weight, tread, etc).
When it comes to online surveys, post-purchase rationalization comes into play when a purchased item is reviewed. It is in human nature to give high reviews to what you own. Not to mention that survey does not include any of the other newer AT tire options, but does include the older AT2, which I personally had great luck with (survey missing At3, atw, st maxx, at3/w, duratrac (listed under commercial) etc., so not much of a comparison).
The fact is, the KO2 is a decent AT tire, and I currently own a set on my 4R. I have owned two sets of KOs, and they lasted a long time, and were not finicky about balancing. However, from personal experience, the ice traction on K02s is abysmal compared to the other all-terrain tires I have owned (Falken AT3/W, Cooper AT3, General AT2, and Goodyear Duratrac. In fact, our experience was so bad, we ended up with winter tires/wheels for our 4R when I have gone through many winters driving to ski resorts 40-50 times a season without the feeling I needed snow tires. That isn't to say the KO2s don't have other good attributes. After nearly 30k miles, the lack of treadwear is impressive. They still look new! They have also done very well off-road the limited number of times I have had it in the backcountry, and the D rated version had a minimal impact on gas mileage (maybe .5 to 1 mpg).
IMO, if you don't operate in snowy, icy areas, the KO2 is a good choice. I have had a bit of hydroplaning on mine, but that was during a bad storm and they performed fine. It is the snow and especially ice where they are lacking. That isn't to say they aren't better on snow that stock tires, but I have no doubt in my mind there are much better AT tire options for those of use that deal with snow and ice.
For me, the lack of traction on icy roads I have seen first hand, paired with the fact that I can get tires with better winter performance (ST Maxx, Discoverer at/w, At2, Cooper At3, Falken at3/w) for a much lower price will cause me to stay away from KO2s in the future.
I'm glad a lot of people like their KO2s, but coming from someone who has run a lot of different AT tires in my life, the KO2s leave a lot to be desired when it comes to winter traction.
As a side note, after my wife's harrowing drive on ice with KO2s mentioned in another post in this thread, we added a set of winter wheels with Blizzak DM/V2s. The traction on these studless tires are amazing! It is our first set of dedicated winter tires, and after just over one full winter, I am amazed. Our 12 limited (awd) felt surefooted all winter long. My wife is a winter tire convert, and with the additional performance, I can't really blame her (just more work for me swapping wheels and programming sensors 2x a year, lol).
Bottom line, if you are reviewing this thread when researching what to buy, my opinion comes from running the KO2s and many sets of the other newer tires on the market.
To be fair, here are some cons of the other brands:
Falken AT3/W: Even in P rated, they are so heavy that mileage suffers (may be a good attribute in some ways too...). I just purchased these, and only drove in one snow storm (cars were off the road in a few places). With normal winter driving style, these performed amazing. If you look at the Falkens, keep in mind that the P rated have a silica compound that is supposed to be better in wet conditions and improve treadwear. The E rated AT3/W does not have this compound. As own P rated, I cannot give an opinion as to the difference in performance.
General Grabber AT2: Even with semi regular rotation, had a bit of wobble on each rotation (went away after about 300 miles or so, but never had that with the KO2s, probably a softer compound on the Grabber which is probably why I had better winter traction with them).
Cooper At3: Honestly, I loved these tires. Good mileage, good treadlife (only ran about 20k miles before selling vehicle) and were good off-road and on snow/ice. I guess the biggest downer was the lack of aggressive look. Price has gone up a lot since I bought my set.
Goodyear Duratrac: Like the KO2s, these are really expensive. Unlike the KO2s, they are great on ice but also wear fairly quickly, and if you don't rotate every 5k miles these get really noisy.
Almost forgot-Michelin LTX MS/2: After a set of K0s would not balance, went to these. They were surprisingly good off-road, but not quite as good as others I have had. Great on -road manners, and good on snow/ice but more of a street tire so a less aggressive look. Also, like the KO2s, they are on the high end of the price spectrum. Thee set I had did not have the snowflake symbol, which makes it a bit inconvenient if you live in an area that requires it to avoid chains in certain conditions (even though it is M+S rated, it wasn't enough for the requirements in my former State). I would not hesitate to run these again.
