Official BFG KO2 experience thread

[Decipher]

Please post for EVERY experience in this format:

-Size
-Load Rating
-Tire Pressure
-Miles
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering

-Your experience

The other KO2 thread has become too cluttered with experience but no quantifying details to help determine a pattern. The spectrum is vast so let’s narrow down whether or not this is a good tire, specifically in the rain or inclement weather.

***Edit: Thank you, everyone, for following the format and sharing your experiences. This is a huge help for anyone considering this tire. I’ll edit this main post with a quick conclusion of thoughts once we’ve compiled some data.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[4_YOTA]

If I may, maybe adding where you are from... i dont know if its just me but seems like people living in the northern states/Canada vs southern states have different opinion.

Me like I mentioned in the other thread I love them, but also just got them even though already tried them in the last snow storm imma drive them a bit more and come back with a full review.

cheers boys

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

2016 4Runner SR5, ToyTec Ultimate lift, 285/70/17 load range E tires run at 34 PSI on a 17x8 rim with zero complaints. With that said, I ran them for about 3500 miles before moving to a larger tire at that time.

 

[salong53]

-Size: 275/70R17
-Load Rating: E
-Tire Pressure: 38-40
-Miles: 50,000
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering: 40,000 miles with no lift (never had rubbing problems). 10,000 miles with 2"/1" lift. 3,000+ miles towing a 2 ton boat.

-My experience:
I love the way they look. They're pretty heavy, definitely overkill in load rating and weight for my needs, but I wanted 275 tires at the time and didn't like the others. I'd estimate I've sacrificed at least 1mpg on average with these tires. They improved handling feel, and helped reduce the wallowing of the soft-sidewall Dunlops. They have been very hard to balance, requiring a rebalance at every rotation. When newer, the road noise was low for an aggressive AT tire, but as they've worn I've seen some cupping and they are pretty loud now. Wet weather traction on worn asphalt/concrete has been terrible from 30,000 miles on, and is the primary reason I won't buy another set.

I really liked these tires when newer, but now that I've lived with them for a while the sacrifice of on-road comfort, gas mileage, and road noise is not worth it to me when 99% of my driving is commuting around town. I'm going to look at other P-rated options for my next set of tires. Unless you're spending significant time off-road in situations where a flat tire means bad news, I think these heavy Load E tires are overkill for a 4runner.

 

[honda250xtitan]

-Size 285/70R17
-Load Rating E rating
-Tire Pressure 35
-Miles 12k
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering- 6112 2" lift (stock uppers), wheelers 1.5" rear lift. light trailer for camping

-Your experience- overkill, never have to worry about a puncture like the stock car tires. wife daily's it and loves them.

 

[jbjones85]

-Size 285/70/17
-Load Rating E
-Tire Pressure ~32
-Miles ~30K
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering --- ~3/2 King lift for ~5K and Icon Prior to that. Mild loads/small trailer from Time to time but nothing major.

-Your experience --- So far so good, wearing evenly and still balancing well. I get them rotated and the balance checked every 5K miles. They are getting a bit louder as time goes on but not bad. Overall very happy.

 

[thevanillagorilla]

-Size 275/70/17
-Load Rating E rating
-Tire Pressure 50psi on road (BFG recommended when I called in and asked their specific recommendation for the 4Runner) and as low as 12psi off-road
-Miles 45k
-Ran these on my TRD Pro and never ever experienced any rubbing under any circumstance. Ever.

I absolutely loved these tires. Never felt that the E loads were too stiff/harsh, not even at the PSI I was running. They’re definitely heavy, and you could certainly feel it, but I didn’t buy my 4Runner for its acceleration prowess nor it’s fuel economy. That being said, my average fuel economy over the past 3 years with these tires was 17.2mpg. Even though the bulk of my usage was on-road, I loved knowing I had the extra beefiness off-road. Never had any traction issues in heavy rain or snow.

As far as how they wore, perfectly. I rotated them every 5k and had them balanced every 7,500 or so (lifetime free balancing from America’s Tire where I bought them so why not). When I took these off last month, they still had 8/32nds of tread left on them after all those miles.

I only took them off because I got a KILLER deal on a set of 5 285/70/17s. So far no complaints about the 285s at all...but wish I would have just stuck another set of 275s honestly.

I love these tires and cannot recommend them highly enough.

 

[Tejas]

*Size-275/70/17 E-rated on factory TRD Pro wheels
*Tire Pressure-38 psi on all corners
*Miles-5,000 miles
*Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering-1.5" lift, no excessive loads or trailering so far

*Your experience-Great tires in all regards. They look great, perform well on road and in the rocks and sand and don't do terribly bad in light mud. I have run these on three different vehicles (three different sizes) and they have always been a quality tire for us. I've never had any excessive balancing issues or troubles in the rain and they get extremely good wear/milage/life (50-60K+). All AT's and MT's have a little noise and gradually get louder as they age/wear lol. I would highly recommend them and I would certainly purchase them again as well.

 

[TfourR]

285/70/17
Load range E
Tire pressure 40-42 PSI
20k miles
Lift- Radflo 2.5 coil overs/rear 2.5 radflo shocks with SAW 1.5 inch coils. Occasional weighted down with kids and camping gear. Other than that it’s unloaded.
This will be my second set of E rated BFG KO2s. First set was 275 and both have balanced great, rode great, and have never experienced slippage in wet conditions, probably because I adjust my driving patterns accordingly. Lol.
The setup rides as I wanted, stiff and controlled.

 

[jdm-v35]

-Size 285/70/17 on OEM trail wheels
-Load Rating E
-Tire Pressure 38 psi
-Miles 5000
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering 2" bilstein 5100/OME lift, just passengers+100 lbs of camping gear

-Your experience

live in CO. So far they have been great in all weather, but I also do not push it very hard and drive cautiously in bad weather. It was a night and day difference between the dunlops on frozen/snowy roads. in 2wd on dunlops it was not even safe to drive. on the k02's it works fine. engage 4hi and it is unstoppable with the K02's. 4hi with the dunlops just barely could keep the car from spinning around.

daily driving on normal to wet roads they have been great so far.

On trails, they also have been great, though sometimes I wish I had better clearing mud tires for certain terrain as these do not clear well.

 

[83Mule]

KO'S and MT'S on every truck since the Tire was invented......too many miles to count........THIS is the Tire you want when the nearest paved road is 40 miles away and you are in the Desert. Period.

 

[bigtom726]

-Size: 285/70r17
-Load Rating: E
-Tire Pressure: 33PSI
-Miles: I actually don't know.They were on the truck when I bought it. I bought it with 35k and just hit 70k.
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering: I have a small off road trailer and a set of drawers in the back.

-Your experience: I switched to steel wheels and could not get these tires balanced...road force, multiple attempts...could not figure it out, then it...just stopped. Now they are fine, even after airing down to 12-15PSI for dune driving. I will need to replace them soon. I have had several sets of BFG AT tires, I had 33s on my FJ62.

They have never let me down off road, and there is no road noise. I live in California, so mainly rocks, sand and gravel. Not much mud. Probably put these on the trailer when I get new tires for the truck.

 

[apollo]

-Size 285/70 R17
-Load Rating E
-Tire Pressure 38psi unloaded, varies with loading and conditions
-Miles 42,000 and counting
-2-2.5" lift (I keep it set lower than the 3" available), with aftermarket UCAs, steel front bumper and winch

-Aside from north central Texas (clay) mud, they've been pretty good all around. The mud in this part of the state packs up most tires. I've driven in snow and ice in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and California, and they've performed ok. Similar to the original KOs I had on before these, they last a long time when rotated and balanced properly. I've not had a lot of issues in the rain, although they will break loose from a stop if I accelerate too quickly.

I have roughly 9-10/32" tread remaining at 44k

*I'll likely go with a more aggressive AT like Duratrac or a mud terrain next, because even though I avoid mud when possible, when it's unavoidable for getting to where I'm going, wider voids will help clear. probably change these out in next 10k, as my experience with original KOs is that the rubber compound gets much harder toward end of life cycle...not sure about the KO2 exhibiting similar characteristics yet

**noise isn't even something I've ever thought about with these tires, very quiet on road

 

[ChrisJHarney]

-Size 275/70-17

-Load Rating - E

-Tire Pressure - City: 40-50 Off-road: 25-32 typical, never aired down more than 20

-Miles - 31,000 currently

-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering - 2-2.5” lift since 300 miles - I had the vehicle weighed at full camping capacity: 5875lbs. Haven’t trailered with it yet.

-My experience - E load is excessive for our rigs where weight is concerned, but at this size, and in the size I’m looking to get into next, there is no C or D load. Oh well.

They are fantastic for me on road. I have never had this aggressive of an AT before, so I wasn’t expecting much on road performance, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much these grip. I’ll give credit to the E load rating for the lack of lateral roll during cornering. We don’t get that much rain down here in SoCal, but I have never felt out of control when I have driven in the rain. We have severe road slick after the first rains of the season, but I have never slid or felt like I was going to slide or lose control.

I have a set of KOs on another truck of mine, but the KO2s seem to have a much softer compound, and while that pays off in the dirt, I have had lugs rip off on rocks during aggressive maneuvers. Could be I wasn’t aired down enough, but I also feel like I should have had more bite climbing rocks. They have had a tendancy to spin instead of bite going up rock falls.

80% of my off-road driving is in the desert, and these tires shine when the trail is soft dirt, loose rocks, etc. Driving at speed in sand washes is a breeze, and I’ve been able to get up small (less than 30’ tall) dunes out in Dumont with zero issues. I have also deformed the sidewall on large sharp rocks without issues. I trust the 3 ply sidewall, and I although they are heavy, I like the piece of mind of 10 plys beneath me, especially out in Old Dale, Providence Mountains, and Death Valley, where sharp rocks are abundant and cell towers are not.

I highly recommend these tires to dual purpose rigs where on-road performance matters just as much as off-road performance.

I had a feathering issue due to mis-alignment after I adjusted the lift at 20,000 miles, but after an alignment and rotation, they have worn almost back to perfect.

Balancing was an issue from day 1, but after I swapped wheels last month, they balanced much better. I’m chalking that up to the factory wheels.

This all being said, I am not going back to the KO2s when I get new tires this coming year. I want more rock crawling performance, so I’m leaning towards an MT. Trying to source some Yoko Geolander G003s in 285/75-17. Yes I will have a re-gear done, BMC, and I’m prepared for the road noise increase, MPG drop, etc. that go with the territory.

 

[mrblah]

-Size: 285/70/27
-Load Rating: e
-Tire Pressure: 36
-Miles: 20,000
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering: 3 inch lift, armored up

-Your experience

I had KO1's for over 60k on my old truck, so I bought KO2's for the 4runner. Love these tires, they are quiet, and perform very well both on and off road. I've driven them through snow storms before the plows have come out. I've driven them through rain, and in the mud. They don't do so well in the mud, but thats expected. I'd recommend these tires to anyone.

 

[rcfs1834]

-Size: 265/70R17
-Load Rating: E
-Tire Pressure: 37
-Miles: 25,000
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering: None

-Your experience: I loved the look of the KO2s but last week I swapped my KO2's out at 25,000 miles for Cooper ATW's. I thought the KO2s were an OK tire but at around 20k miles I noticed a loss of traction on wet surfaces, especially breaking loose when starting from a stop and sometimes braking wasn't all that great (I don't have a lead foot). It wasn't truly scary, just disappointing and I had to adjust to it. Maybe I got a bad set of KO2s.

I live on the coast of southern Maine and we get a lot of rain in the late fall and early spring. And during the winter the snow ranges from a foot of light and fluffy stuff to a mix of snow/sleet/freezing rain. Just ran the ATW's in the first snow storm of the season, about 7", and they performed flawlessly. Of course the ATW's are brand new but I do hope the traction life lasts longer than the KO2s. Also the ATW's are P rated and, obviously, I notice a huge difference in ride quality (for the better) when compared to the Load E.

 

[baldrik78]

-Size: 265/70 R17
-Load Rating: C
-Tire Pressure: 35-36 psi
-Miles:~20k
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering: 2" lift, no excessive loads/trailering

-Your experience: I like them well enough. I wish I had gone with 285s though (I was worried about killing my MPGs with tire weight). @20k, they've got about 11-13/32 of tread left. At this rate, I'll probably get bored and upgrade before they are worn out. They are decent in snow and, like all tires, terrible on ice. C load is plenty durable enough for the FS roads I typically find myself on. Wet road traction is mediocre, but I don't feel like it's gotten any worse through the life of the tire. I wish more tires had the complete shoulder lug coverage of the KO2.

 

[burnurass]

-Stock 265/70R17
-Load Rating C
-45 psi
-60,000 miles total
-Stock.
-They were great when new. Very quiet, great handling. I used a higher tire pressure because of the higher load rating. The only time they were not good was when it was wet on the ground. As they wore more, they also got loud.

I tried the Duratrac's next in standard load and they are a good contender so far. I am 20k miles in and they are starting to get a little louder but wet traction is much better than the KO2's.

 

[pheelmeh]

-Size: 285/70R17
-Load Rating: C
-Tire Pressure: 38-39
-Miles: 30,000
-Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering: 2.5", roofrack, RTT, no trailer

-Your experience: They're a "good" overall tire - as in they don't particularly excel at anything but they get most of what you need done. I ran a C load so they were particularly soft when cornering and felt excessive sway when putting weight on the outside of the tire. Wear is good as I rotated pretty frequently. I ran them on 2 different vehicles and they had a good run but I personally won't go back to BFG as their tires are overpriced vs the amount of other good tires out there. Off-roading, I went down as low as 15psi on non-beadlocks on rocky terrain - the sidewalls were very soft and questioned if they'd hold up riding the tire against rocks on the sidewall.

 

[Hadelson]

Size: 265/70 R17
Load Rating: C
Tire Pressure: 36 psi
Miles: 26K
Lift/Excessive Loading/Trailering: 17TRD with 1 inch front lift. No trailers. Up to 20K, experienced very good off the road and snow traction and no issues on wet pavement. Tires were loud on interstate. Throughout the 26K experience, could never get them balanced and always had minor front wheel bounce at 57-60MPH. (Note replaced these tires today with Coopers-quiet and perfectly balanced) Always kept these properly inflated and rotated every 5K. Wear was even. I did experience flat spots when car sat parked that went away after 10-15 miles of driving. When I pulled these off the car today, we found tread worn down to about 45% remaining life.

At 20k started to notice the road noise increasing and wet traction became dangerous. Any puddles hit and they hydroplaned. Normal throttle start on concrete pavement and back wheels broke traction. Macadam wet starts almost as bad. Interstate entrance and exit ramps particularly bad with front tires plowing or rear tires breaking traction.

Worst set of rain tires I've ever experienced and took them off the 4runner today replacing with Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S.