BFG KO2 Tires

[Overland Omnivore]

BFG has a long history. Ok so let me be completely honest. I really didn't think that the KO2s would live up the hype. I can say that I was right. They didn't live up to the hype...they surpassed the hype. When the tires first arrived they seemed very understated. True legends often are. I had them mounted to 17" stock Toyota steelies. The tires were soon balanced and mounted and I was off. Now to be sure Flora Jean sees more road than offroad. I'm not going to pretend like she doesn't. So I was a expecting these tires to wear fast because of their reputation for offroad prowess. I again was surprised by these tires. They have shown little wear even after a year of service. My first test of the tires offroad occurred at Dirty Turtle Offroad Park after a Rally Point. After airing down to 20 psi I took off with a few other folks that I met at DTOR. The Perimeter Trail was a good place to start really testing these tires. The only really difficult section of the trail is on the back side. It consisted of a short, snotty rocked pitch that was no match for the KO2s. The Chevy Colorado I was traveling with turned around after seeing me slip an bit and the FJ went a bit sideways. His tires were stock street tires and he realized quickly that they were not up to the task. So the tire passed their first offroad test. I have also taken these tires through some of Michigan's worst snowstorms while chasing flakes for my snowboard addiction. At 50 mph at 25 psi in 4 wheel high in on icy roads they kept me firmly planted and confident.

On the road the tires are smoother than a mud terrain but not as quite as a pure road tire. To be honest I am not real diligent about rotation. This didn't seem to matter much. Even after not rotating after 7000 miles they didn't make much noise but once rotated they squared up nicely and the original feel came back. My next big test of the KO2s was a recent outing at Red River Gorge. I met up with the Kentucky Toyota Land Cruiser Association for a day of wheelin'. I was on a beginners trip that soon proved to be a bit more than I thought it would be. By this time I had gotten a second set of KO2s for our other rig a 2016 Tacoma. We aired down both rigs for the trip to 25 psi and took off with 10 other rigs. It was interesting to see the variety of tires on the rigs. There was everything from Toyota pickup trucks with street tires to 80 series with mud terrains. The KO2s proved once again to handle what ever was thrown at them. Both rigs chugged right up the muddy inclines and forded bumper deep creeks without a single problem.

 

[GroundedLP]

That’s good to hear, my experience with BFGs in the past were not good. I run full size diesels and tow heavy quite often, they fell apart. Makes me almost reconsider them again.

 

[EXPO_D1]

I love my ko2 tires(12k on them). They're IMHO the best freeway/off road tire but not the best off road. I'm definitely switching to a km2/3 next. Glad to hear that you have had a great experience with them

 

[Terry Pickens]

I have had all 3 generations of BFG AT's on my rigs since the '90's and love them. Have run 31" on a Bronco II, on a Dodge Dakota and now on my Subaru Outback and they have been very dependable in all types of terrain and have provided nice long life performance. These have been my go to tire on pavement, dirt and snow.

 

[whododat]

I currently have a set on my Ram 1500. Great in snow, sand, never in mud yet but slick on rain covered roads.

 

[Badlatitude]

Thanks Op! I was on the fence about picking a tire because of the snow in the north east mud tires just aren't very good. So I've been looking all terrains and feeling like many are just a slightly aggressive tread on a street tire. I've shied away from BFG for years as I was not very impressed with a set of their "classic" all terrains I had on a plow truck and pretty much excluded them for decades. A post like this makes me feel better about giving them another go!

 

[Desert Runner]

That’s good to hear, my experience with BFGs in the past were not good. I run full size diesels and tow heavy quite often, they fell apart. Makes me almost reconsider them again.

38,000 to 46,000 miles a set on my diesel. I had some balancing issues with a few sets. Other family members reported the same issue. The heavier trucks do not get the mileage, that lighter rigs do. Seems to be a fact of life.

Still.....I liked them, and would have kept with them, if the price had not become so extravagant. TOYO AT2 now. Better on wet surfaces, no snow or mud yet. I do mor e road than off, so a good trade off.

That 46,000 was the best I ever managed with many rotations done on them.

 

[GroundedLP]

38,000 to 46,000 miles a set on my diesel. I had some balancing issues with a few sets. Other family members reported the same issue. The heavier trucks do not get the mileage, that lighter rigs do. Seems to be a fact of life.

Still.....I liked them, and would have kept with them, if the price had not become so extravagant. TOYO AT2 now. Better on wet surfaces, no snow or mud yet. I do mor e road than off, so a good trade off.

That 46,000 was the best I ever managed with many rotations done on them.

I have Toyo ATs on my excursion now, hate them. The wife won’t even drive the truck if it looks like it’s going to rain.....in North Carolina it’s been raining a lot. They do not do well in the rain. That big excursion is sliding all over the road. I will just stick with Mickey Thompson’s I suppose.

 

[Desert Runner]

I have Toyo ATs on my excursion now, hate them. The wife won’t even drive the truck if it looks like it’s going to rain.....in North Carolina it’s been raining a lot. They do not do well in the rain. That big excursion is sliding all over the road. I will just stick with Mickey Thompson’s I suppose.

EDITED and UPDATED after post:

The BFG's (older generation KO2) had a tendency to snap loose when they lost road traction in the wet. Grip, then none, By the time they did this, and it started sliding, it was hard or impossible to save it from skidding. My experience with the TOYO's, have been in the limited wet conditions that Southern Nevada gets. They seem loose grip in a more linear fashion which allows a more measured recovery as it happens. .aka...translates what the truck and tire is going to do.

Something, that i noticed on different sets I owned, as they got older, they had a tendency to "HEAT CHECK" on the side wall....read fine line cracking. Probably the compound used in construction.

 

[GroundedLP]

The BFG's had a tendency to snap loose when they lost road traction in the wet. By the time it started, it was hard or impossible to save it. My experience with the TOYO's has been in the limited wet that Southern Nevada gets. They seem to slip loose in a more linier fashion which allows a more measured recovery as it happens. .aka...translates what the truck is doing.

It could be the roads here also, I have a lot of friends that live in AZ and they all love the Toyo’s which is why I got them. I’m just not a fan of their performance. It’s hard to find a good off-road and well mannered on road tire for these big heavy trucks.

 

[Adam Steffes]

On my third set of BFG ATs. I have used two sets of KOs and now the KO2. They've all be great. The KO2s are more civilized and ride better than the KOs on pavement and are pretty similar on dirt, in my limited experience.

 

[Badlatitude]

Can anyone report their real world effectiveness in snow and ice?

 

[whododat]

I can tell you firsthand my experiences in snow with E rated 275 65 18 on my 19 Ram 1500. They are fantastic and plowed right through everything. That is coming from a vehicle with 4wd and a limited slip diff. Not sure about ice.

 

[rs680]

I Love my 35 inch BFG K02s I have been running BFG for over 30 years I have tried other brands but BFG are my go to brand for sure. They are strong and a good a weather tire.

 

[Desert Runner]

I Love my 35 inch BFG K02s I have been running BFG for over 30 years I have tried other brands but BFG are my go to brand for sure. They are strong and a good a weather tire.View attachment 93604View attachment 93605View attachment 93606

That 3rd pic pretty well nails it. Where traction goes out the window. If it works in the white stuff, it will work most other places. My question is this. On 285x75x16 size tires or similar, have users seen a big traction difference in D vs E ratings? As the D version has those extra sipping groves in the tread, which gets a mud and snow rating (snowflake emblem), which can get you up the road further per the Hwy patrol. Avoiding the chain-up line!

 

[Vizard]

I've had them on my xterra for a year now and they are quiet on road. I've only gone offroad once and they did great.
I like the tread pattern on them. Can't wait to put them to the test now.

 

[BB_trailrook]

I currently have a set on my Ram 1500. Great in snow, sand, never in mud yet but slick on rain covered roads.

I’m looking for tires for my LX470 and was advised against getting them by the tire shop because of them being slick on wet roads. Is it that noticeable?

 

[MidOH]

Thanks Op! I was on the fence about picking a tire because of the snow in the north east mud tires just aren't very good. So I've been looking all terrains and feeling like many are just a slightly aggressive tread on a street tire. I've shied away from BFG for years as I was not very impressed with a set of their "classic" all terrains I had on a plow truck and pretty much excluded them for decades. A post like this makes me feel better about giving them another go!

There's plenty of new MT's that are snow rated.

I can vouch for the Cooper Stt's in snow. Never spun a tire unless I wanted to for 3 Ohio winters. On a F250 XL EC LB 4X4. Our snow has wet mud underneath. Not frozen concrete hard earth like canada might have. Snow tires and BFG AT's would be useless in such.

BFG AT's are fine on snow and ice, it's piles of slush that they suck at. Especially on light Jeep YJ's. They float on it and lose stability.

Piles of slush need wide, deep, circumferential grooves. Or extremely wide tread spacing like an MT to let slush flow. The BFG tread is too staggered, and close together for that. In Ohio, a Cooper ST Maxx would be a better AT, as they have two grooves and wider tread spacing.

Circumferential grooves are also why Firestone snow tires are superior to Nokians anywhere that sees as much melted slushy snow as frozen snow.


These v tread Nokians suck in Ohio when salt is down, no circ grooves:

8

 

[MidOH]

These rule in Ohio snow:

4 thick circ grooves, 2 thin ones.

But are useless off road. And only come in girly sizes. So I run MT's in the winter. I'm also in the sticks where I need to be self reliant. So a thick armored MT gives me some peace of mind against potholes, curbs hidden under snow, etc .etc.

 

[whododat]

I’m looking for tires for my LX470 and was advised against getting them by the tire shop because of them being slick on wet roads. Is it that noticeable?

To me it is but that could be due to the bed being empty most of the time. They definitely lose traction during mild acceleration in rain and we drive like old farts. They might be completely different on the type of vehicle that you have.