Upgrading tires, need help deciding which

[BlueBalls]

Currently I have 265 70 general grabber at2. About 40k miles and still near 30% tread. I've loved them. Great for what I drive ( 90% city/hwy, 10% offroad) and I live in Portland Oregon which means it rains a lot with a once or twice a year snowfall. I'm moving up to a 285 70 17 and I'm having trouble deciding which tire to get. Looking between these choices:

Bfg ta ko2 (love the sidewall and tread, don't know about performance, middle price)

General at2 again (what I know works and rides well but not as aggressive side lug, cheapest option)

Duratracs (most expensive, everyone has them but also top notch performance)

Looking to get them very soon. Any input helps, thanks!

Give me some pros and cons if you have experience with these tires.

 

[ARQ91]

That list (except the Generals) were also my choices. I'm running a set of Nitto Terra Grappler G2's and they've been great so far. The reason I went with these is because I drive 80% city/hwy and 20% offroad and the wet traction is great. They bite down pretty well. A tad bit noisy on the streets but overall great on the street .I've had no issues in the mud or on rocks. They were a bit cheaper then the BFG KO2. So far, I've pulled 2 nails from my tires and they are undamaged so these are some tough ass tires lol.

 

[S p a r k y]

Street queen here as well, more 95/5. I get so many looks and compliments from Duratracs, it will be hard to ever have anything but! Other tires are great too, had a lot of them. But end of day you see less Dura's and people notice them more.

 

[wadle5]

Since you said rain I would not reccom what I'm currently running which is BFG a/t's. Their wet/snow traction is pretty minimal. I would stick with the generals or try duratracs. Why I would disagree with Nitto's is from personal experience and several other family members and friends in car clubs. They seem to wear quickly and get louder. For how much they cost I didn't think its worth it. Definitely the Duratracs are going to be a little more aggresive, but I still would not turn a blind eye to the stiff competition from General.

Good luck and better show some pics!

 

[JeffMerr]

Anyone know how the duratracs handle on rainy/wet highway? I'm in the same predicament as the OP and really don't want to hydroplane all over like my previous BF AT tires. I imagine the more non directional tread pattern there is the less effective they will be over water at highway speeds...

 

[Xrider237]

ive owned and driven duratracs in lots of rain and less snow/ice... they have been excellent in all regards- wet road traction is an area where they shine- great wet weather tire

 

[BlueBalls]

Thanks for the input guys! I've decided to go with the BFG ko2 which is supposed to be better in the rain/snow than its predecessor. Sparky I actually see a ton of duratracs around here! Everthing from Heep liberty to full size pickup. I like to be unique in my ride and I haven't seen too many ko2s yet. Though the few I have seen look mean! I'll definitely be following up with pics this weekend

 

[Xrider237]

im no expert so take it for what its worth but if your priority is wet weather performance you may want to reconsider the bfg ko's- ive read from more than a few owners they are not the most surefooted tire in rain- there seems to be better options available

edit: i just saw wadle's post saying pretty much the same

 

[BlueBalls]

I also had to order a set of spidertrax spacers since I'm running stock rims so duratracs would put me over-budget anyway. I have a feeling that since the ko2 is similar to the grabber at2 tread that it will be decent in the rain which is all I need. Traction control takes care of the rest :driving:

 

[swanny]

I also had to order a set of spidertrax spacers since I'm running stock rims so duratracs would put me over-budget anyway. I have a feeling that since the ko2 is similar to the grabber at2 tread that it will be decent in the rain which is all I need. Traction control takes care of the rest :driving:

I'll be interested to hear how these perform. I'm in need of new tires to replace the DuraTrac's on my non T4R this winter and am considering am ore AT tire rather than the AT/MT combo of the DuraTrac. I'd like to gain some MPG back in my Silverado's old age.

That being said, I've loved the look and performance of the DuraTrac. They have worn amazingly well over the 55K plus miles I've put on them and performed wonderful in wet Seattle.

 

[MarcusAurelius]

Right before the winter I was in your exact position to decide what to get for new tires. I wanted something that was a good daily driver, but very capable in the snow, rain, and occassional offroad. General grabbers were high on my list, but ultimately I decided on the Cooper AT3s, I'm very glad that I went with the coopers. Not once did I have any difficulty at all climbing over 2ft snowbanks while everyone around me was shoveling like crazy.

 

[bamma]

Thanks for the input guys! I've decided to go with the BFG ko2 which is supposed to be better in the rain/snow than its predecessor. Sparky I actually see a ton of duratracs around here! Everthing from Heep liberty to full size pickup. I like to be unique in my ride and I haven't seen too many ko2s yet. Though the few I have seen look mean! I'll definitely be following up with pics this weekend

I am also in PDX. I had BFG AT2s on my Tundra and they suck in rain, simply horrible. I like the Cooper AT3s, great value and performance, but I ultimately went with the Grabbet AT2s because they are severe snow rated, which allows me to avoid putting on chains when driving through various passes in Oregon winters. They do pretty well in rain, which baffles me a bit as they look so similar to the BFGs, I am guessing they have a softer rubber for better grip. TireBuyer had some really good pricing when I bought and they ship for free to a local installer. Add the tires to your cart, and fill out all of your info but do not complete the order. A few hours later they will email you a 7% off coupon. Also, Discount offered to match tirebuyers pricing. I ended up using tirebuyer and my tires arrived at my installer the next day. Let us know what you end up with.

FWIW, I got Grabber ats2 in 265/70r17s for $530 installed.

 

[Xrider237]

FWIW, I got Grabber ats2 in 265/70r17s for $530 installed.

damn thats a good price!

 

[2014 Warthog]

Yes, the KO2's are apparently VERY different from the KOs with snow and rain.

No snow test on mine but so far, the rain handling has been excellent, but they are still new. The true test will be how they handle between 30 and 40k as to how much better than the KOs were (Which WAS horrible)

Anyway,the when-new wet handling has been awesome the few times I've gotten to try it out so far (including today!)

 

[bamma]

damn thats a good price!

General had a $70 rebate. The tires were $142 @ piece at tirebuyer.com plus 7% off using coupon mentioned above Plus $70 for install.

Unfortunately the rebate is no longer available. Still, so cheap compared to other severe snow rated options, I could not pass them up.

 

[bamma]

Yes, the KO2's are apparently VERY different from the KOs with snow and rain.

No snow test on mine but so far, the rain handling has been excellent, but they are still new. The true test will be how they handle between 30 and 40k as to how much better than the KOs were (Which WAS horrible)

Anyway,the when-new wet handling has been awesome the few times I've gotten to try it out so far (including today!)

I had the KO2s and hated them in rain. Hydroplaning and loss of traction. They did not feel safe. They were on my Tundra, so maybe they work better on the 4runner. I swapped them a month after purchase at a huge loss. My wife was driving our 12 4runner limited with stock tires with 30k miles and they handled better than the ko2s on a rainy road trip.

 

[2014 Warthog]

I had the KO2s and hated them in rain. Hydroplaning and loss of traction. They did not feel safe. They were on my Tundra, so maybe they work better on the 4runner. I swapped them a month after purchase at a huge loss. My wife was driving our 12 4runner limited with stock tires with 30k miles and they handled better than the ko2s on a rainy road trip.

Ah well actual road tires will always be better than any AT on wet pavement. So... if getting an AT tire, comparisons to other AT tires are usually what are made (And what I was referring to), they can't compare to normal street tires in that regard at all.

Also as an LT tire, you have to have your tires at the right pressure for road use too which, for rain, would be a minimum of 44-45 pounds for the KO2s. Less than that and you are actively increasing "floatation" which you generally want for offroading, but not for rain

Also the wider the tire, the more flotation you will have. 285s will hydroplane more than 265s for example, so that's another thing that has to be taken into account when comparing one tire to another.

Not saying you were specifically underinflated but It seems like a lot of people do underinflate LT tires just listening to anecdotes on these forums. Hear one guy saying he was running at 36 pounds! They do ride smoother that way but that can be a BIG problem in the weather...

So far I have not hydroplaned on my relatively new 275 KO2s at 44 pounds. And this morning I was specifically trying to (but in a safe way) in a couple places just to test them out Admittedly it was not at 75 mph with all four tires into a 3 inch puddle though... O.O

 

[bamma]

Ah well actual road tires will always be better than any AT on wet pavement. So... if getting an AT tire, comparisons to other AT tires are usually what are made (And what I was referring to), they can't compare to normal street tires in that regard at all.

Also as an LT tire, you have to have your tires at the right pressure for road use too which, for rain, would be a minimum of 44-45 pounds for the KO2s. Less than that and you are actively increasing "floatation" which you generally want for offroading, but not for rain

Also the wider the tire, the more flotation you will have. 285s will hydroplane more than 265s for example, so that's another thing that has to be taken into account when comparing one tire to another.

Not saying you were specifically underinflated but It seems like a lot of people do underinflate LT tires just listening to anecdotes on these forums. Hear one guy saying he was running at 36 pounds! They do ride smoother that way but that can be a BIG problem in the weather...

So far I have not hydroplaned on my relatively new 275 KO2s at 44 pounds. And this morning I was specifically trying to (but in a safe way) in a couple places just to test them out Admittedly it was not at 75 mph with all four tires into a 3 inch puddle though... O.O

FWIW. I definitely was not underinflated. IIRC. Max was around 80psi and I was running at 58. I swapped to AT2s on the Tundra and made similar trips in rain on the same road (I84 in Oregon) and the Generals did great. The BFGs also had trouble spinning out on slight wet roads where the Generals did not.

I was so happy with the Generals on my Tundra that it was my first and an immediate upgrade on my 2003 when I bought it. The low price was just a bonus. I had the original BFGs on a Tacoma and had to swap them because they refused to balance, even on a Hunter 9700 with the Haweka adapter. I have had two sets of Bfgs and swapped them both out within 30 days. I am done with BFG. I was hoping to make them work as people say they last forever. The poor performance was too much for me.

 

[TOPSECRETTUNDRA]

I've always been satisfied with the BFG AT KOs so it was a no brainier when the KO2s came on line. I went with 285/75R16. The thing that made me get these was the snowflake symbol. Prior to these I had a set of brand new KM2s for summer and Goodyear Wrangler dedicated snow tires for the winter. Now I sold both of those and just have the KO2s and I couldn't be happier. My 4Runner in FL has Nitto Crossteks, also an amazing tire. Looks mean from the side but really just an aggressive street tire.

 

[bamma]

I've always been satisfied with the BFG AT KOs so it was a no brainier when the KO2s came on line. I went with 285/75R16. The thing that made me get these was the snowflake symbol. Prior to these I had a set of brand new KM2s for summer and Goodyear Wrangler dedicated snow tires for the winter. Now I sold both of those and just have the KO2s and I couldn't be happier. My 4Runner in FL has Nitto Crossteks, also an amazing tire. Looks mean from the side but really just an aggressive street tire.

Wait, it snows in Florida?