KO2 no traction -Scary!

[LandCruiser]

I can tell you that the MT tires with siping and snowflake/mountain logo will give you OK traction in the bad stuff. Like not dying but you have to drive careful.

Dedicated snow tires or Nokian Rotiiva ATs will give you supernatural traction.

Regular MT tires with no siping* will make you skid through a red light in front of a cop.

*if they have stud holes and you stud them, then you will be a God.

 

[Jeffy]

I'll be honest, because of this thread I was a bit concern to put the KO2s on my new t4r especially because I live in the province of Quebec and we do get a lot of snow....

today was the first snow storm and I got my KO2s on yesterday... of course in 2H it will slip just like any other RWD vehicule.... but once I got into 4H... OMG I WAS SHOCKED, the amount of grip I had was amazing and that's coming from a guy that was driving a WRX with dedicated winter tires.... like any other car if you slam on the breaks ABS gonna kick in... you really have to adapt your drive and you would be fine!

even on the snow I had to press so hard to get a bit of slipping when starting from a complet stop, so idk why poeple saying they slip in the rain... must have a super heavy foot

my2cent

Rain and snow are very different in terms of traction

 

[Gclark949]

I think they must manufacture these with different compounds our something to explain the vast difference of opinions. I swear these were dangerous on simple rainy days on my normal commute. Not a lead foot, and just simple driving and I would loose the rear end or push the front end. Had no choice but to get rid of them for fear of crashing. Worst wet weather traction I have ever experienced with a tire.

 

[Tejas]

I don't know how one tire can be all over the board in regards to wet weather traction like the BFG AT's. I have never felt like the KO2's have been anything but very goo to excellent in the rain and I have had them on three different vehicles now. This thread is perplexing.

 

[bigair96]

It really is all over the place. There are so few 275-70-17 tires out there, the k02s seem like the best option. But this thread makes it hard to know what to do....

 

[Rightside Up]

Never again. I had to get rid of them. Less than 10,000 miles.

 

[Decipher]

This is why I’m encouraging everyone to post size and load rating in their experience. We need to see if there’s a trend we can decipher because it is, in fact, all over the place in experience.


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[teotwaki]

This is why I’m encouraging everyone to post size and load rating in their experience. We need to see if there’s a trend we can decipher because it is, in fact, all over the place in experience.


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I would add tire pressure and if the vehicle is stock or festooned with overlanding gear, raising the curb weight considerably.

 

[4_YOTA]

I had the stock size 265/70 17 C Load (I dont plan on towing or going extreme rock crawling)

 

[18 trd off road]

i wouldnt run ko2 if you gave them to me. they are horrible in the rain

 

[RainCityShecks]

i wouldnt run ko2 if you gave them to me. they are horrible in the rain

Hmm - I've got a limited and run the Michelin LTX Defender (live in Seattle) and slipped in the rain the other day (back end kicked out a bit, was going 60 on a 35mph offramp that was curved) - probably the weight of the vehicle and driving habits?

cs

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

My dad ran the original KO in 31x10.5R15 on his 93 Grand Cherokee back in the day for 60K miles with zero complaints. I ran the new KO2 in 285/70/17 on my 2016 4Runner E load rating at about 33-34 PSI for about 3500 miles with zero complaints. Only took them off to go with a bigger tire at that time. IMO they are a very good tire. Maybe people expect to much out of them or just need to slow down in the rain, who knows.

 

[Oey12]

Hmm - I've got a limited and run the Michelin LTX Defender (live in Seattle) and slipped in the rain the other day (back end kicked out a bit, was going 60 on a 35mph offramp that was curved) - probably the weight of the vehicle and driving habits?

cs

I have found that especially on SUVs and Pickups the smaller the sidewall height (IE larger rims) the worst they are in the rain and snow. I also found this to be true in cars as well. But I really don’t know why... Larger rims do look better but the larger you go the less traction it gives in inclement weather. In drier conditions a lower profile will out handle a higher profile any day of the week. I have seen many complaints about the lower profile LTX Defenders but in the higher profiles in my opinion they are an extremely tough tire to beat unless you do real Off-roading. I hit hunting and atv trails with my Michelin’s and they do good enough to get me home.

 

[Decipher]

I started a new official experience thread for the KO2. I’m not trying to take away from these experiences but we need to quantify our complaints to see if there’s a trend. This thread is packed with experience but it’s too scattered to consolidate info.


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[FLnative]

I had two sets of the original KO's on my Tacoma, both 265/70r17 in C load. I ran them at 32 psi. I got 90k miles out of the first set, which was awesome, and had 50k on the second before I traded it for my 4runner.

Wet traction was ok at best. Living in South Florida, I'm used to driving in heavy rain. Before getting used to the KO's wet road tendencies, I broke loose on a highway on ramp and fish tailed until I was able to correct it. Always took on and off ramps extra slow in the rain after that, slower than I would in a car.

Also, they would spin for just a second and then catch every time I drove up my work's parking garage ramp when it was raining. You have to stop at the gate, so it wasn't an issue of speed. The slippage wasn't an issue, but this never happened with passenger car tires.

My 4runner came with Cooper Discoverer RTX on it, and I have been pleasantly surprised by them and their wet traction. They feel more planted on highway ramps and never slip at my work.

I keep toying with the idea of going back to BFG and trying the new KO2, but I will probably end up going with the new Cooper AT3 LT instead when the time comes. I don't think the new KO2 will be much better than the KO in the wet since its basically the same tread pattern.

 

[Hadelson]

Just my two cents with a boat load of formal driving training. The best tire and suspension combination is only as good as the driver. A great driver makes the difference. A driver who is trained and knows how to drive -- knows the limits of the vehicle so as not to exceed them.

I can tell you on any given day, driving my 4runner in the rain is like practicing on the wet skid pad with specially equipped tires designed for little to know traction.

Naysayers aside about bad driving habit...…….the POS KO2's are off my 4Runner tomorrow. I will let everyone know how the Coopers turn-out.

:AK47:

 

[TfourR]

Just my two cents with a boat load of formal driving training. The best tire and suspension combination is only as good as the driver. A great driver makes the difference. A driver who is trained and knows how to drive -- knows the limits of the vehicle so as not to exceed them.

I can tell you on any given day, driving my 4runner in the rain is like practicing on the wet skid pad with specially equipped tires designed for little to know traction.

Naysayers aside about bad driving habit...…….the POS KO2's are off my 4Runner tomorrow. I will let everyone know how the Coopers turn-out.

:AK47:

I would agree with you about the driver being the main component. I too have years and years of driving training and am a instructor on wet skid pan, high speed track, etc....... I have never experienced the lack of wet traction with the two sets of KO2s I’ve had. Just another opinion/experience with the KO2s.

Seems to be a person specific issue and or location specific. .

 

[Jeffy]

Just my two cents with a boat load of formal driving training.....

I too have years and years of driving training and am a instructor on wet skid pan, high speed track, etc.......

It's ridiculous that two people who clearly know what they're doing have complete opposite opinions on these tires. Seems like the reliability of these tires (in regards to this specific instance) is all over the place but I can't see the connection of why we all have such varying results.

For all the people on here who claim we don't know how to drive and that's why they suck in the rain: We've got a storm coming in Wednesday, feel free to come drive my car and tell me the tires are fine. When you wreck it, you can buy me a new one.

 

[TfourR]

It's ridiculous that two people who clearly know what they're doing have complete opposite opinions on these tires. Seems like the reliability of these tires (in regards to this specific instance) is all over the place but I can't see the connection of why we all have such varying results.

For all the people on here who claim we don't know how to drive and that's why they suck in the rain: We've got a storm coming in Wednesday, feel free to come drive my car and tell me the tires are fine. When you wreck it, you can buy me a new one.

Not saying anyone’s experiences are wrong. Just stating my experiences with them. Every single persons driving habits, road conditions, and setups vary.

I didn’t want anyone to get the impression that I was saying they suck at driving. That wasn’t my intention.

 

[Jeffy]

Not saying anyone’s experiences are wrong. Just stating my experiences with them. Every single persons driving habits, road conditions, and setups vary.

I didn’t want anyone to get the impression that I was saying they suck at driving. That wasn’t my intention.

Nope! Didn't get that impression from you at all, you have some great experience in the matter and added valuable input. Scroll a few pages back and plenty of people are saying "Just slow down", "Learn how to drive", etc.