Tire research overload

Argh! I’ve been going back and forth on tires since it’s just about time time to get a new set.

Im bumping up a size to 285/70-17 and finally decided to just stay with what I know and get another set of K02s in load C. My reasoning was because they are a known quantity, and my current KO2’s were really very nice for the variety of street and off-road driving I do.

Well, I called my local guy and he told me K02s are discontinued already!!! Last I heard K03s were still for reserved for OEs and it would take a while for them to get to the replacement market, so I wasn’t expecting that.

So now I’m stuck in analysis paralysis mode again. Has anybody heard good or bad about the KO3s? I was thinking mickey thompson baja boss before but decided against them since their draw to me was the deep side-biter lugs, but the deep lugs are only available in load E, which are too heavy.

@Thatbassguy you are my tire guru, do you have any wisdom?

@kmeeg, @djwantke you guys are tire geeks…, any thoughts?

Anybody else want to help spend my money? Tire’s are insanely expensive now, so I guess I’m looking for something good but low risk in terms of me hating them after 15k miles lol.

HAAALP MEH!!!

 

From the tires I have in the past one thing I can tell for sure is I won't be purchasing Falken WildPeak AT3W, Nitto Terra Grappler & Goodyear Wrangler Duratac again.

Until I properly test my Toyo Open Country AT3 I would still give my #1 fav tire place to BFG KO2 Load C 285. I only wish it had snow and ice performance like the Duratrac on pavement. I really hope KO3 has look in to on pavement performance and keep offroad goodness. Offroad deep snow performance was very good for my taste. Even been a Load C I have so much confidence on rocky trails I have taken in CO.

On gravel roads taking turns fast (the same road near my house where I had the video for my Ironman video) Toyo Open Country AT3 perform very well and I will give a big credit to Toyo 285 SL on pavement performance as they feel very light. I feel like driving stock 265s vs my Falken WildPeak AT3W SL feel very heavy even compared to BFG KO2 Load C I feel lighter than Falkens. I think BFG KO2 Load C is slightly lighter than Falken SL. This light feeling is tempting me very much to keep SL tires but maybe this fall I might get to hit some trails if my wife feel to give some freedom to daddy and my elder daughter so I could test my Toyos and hopefully I don't get any punctures.

Back to BFG KO3 Load C option, if it keep comparatively less weight and improve on pavement light/wet snow and ice performance I too might be tempted to go KO3. Also I like to see my tires Made in the USA vs Thailand / China.

But I do give credit for Falken for what I paid few years back. It was pretty cheap in Walmart and Discount tire price matched. For the price I paid its well worth. But since I don't really care about tire price its a different story for me.

 

Thanks for the thoughts. Looks like the K03 are lighter (56lbs) than falken wild peaks (63lbs). K03
also seem to be wider on section width and narrower on tread width which might help with possible body mount rubbing. And they might pooch a bit more in the middle, which I like lol.

I took a bit closer look at the Mickey Thompson baja boss in load E…63lbs, and a true 33in…tempting, but I would imagine the hit to mpg might be much higher. Also it might present more of a clearance issue. Oh yeah, and more $$$

 

I know what you mean! I fought over this decision a lot before deciding.
No helpful hints but I am saving this thread for later 2-3 years down the line when/if I decide to go 285. Right now happy with KO2s in 265

 

I believe mine became the Baja Legends and we love ‘em. Close to 40,000 miles on them now and tread is really holding up. Road noise is negligible but the mpg does take a hit. I have the 285/70 and they do look nice. Good in snow, I drive timid with them in ice, and rain is not a problem.

 

Is yours a mud terrain?

 

If you're a big fan of the K02, the General Grabber ATX has a similar look with great performance. I'm very happy with mine, they have 40k+ on them with plenty of life left.

Edit: check Marketplace. The 285/70/17 in C load K02 is the stock Rubicon tire, usually there are a few sets available at any given time from people upgrading, since 285s are "small" on a Jeep.

 

AT. I always get the model mixed up. But mine are the Dick Cepek Trail Country EXP. I thought those were the legends, looks like the are the Baja legend exp

 

Toyo trail r/t. They come in a c rated 285 70 17 which weighs 56lbs and they are impressive looking. Kinda new so there are limited reviews.

 

K02s in load C in that size are in stock on Tire Rack.

$331+ BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 Tires

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO2&partnum=87QR7KO2RWL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

Yokohama Geolandar? No experience here but they’re on my short list for replacements.

 

Good point on take-offs! Every once in a while I take a peek at marketplace. Nothing near me right now. I hesitate to check too often since zukerberg designed marketplace for schmucks like me to get sucked into lol. No joke, it makes hours disappear from my life every time I go “quick check something.”

The shop near me can still get K02’s, but now I hesitate because of availability over the next few years should I need to replace them. Mostly curious if anybody knew of any warnings/cautions about the new K03s. Otherwise, I’m probably going to pull the trigger on the Ko3s. He said he can get them same day, and installed for 330ish a piece.

 

Everything above about Mickey Thompson is true. But my big nasty pricey puncture resistant Load E ATZ's have been lovely.
Strong in the Canada rain and snow.
I believe the new version is called Baja Boss, but they have that aggressive hybrid thread and it lives up to it's A/T classification, while looking like badass Mud Terrains

 

A clean 18-5 lmao

 

Apparently - I have to replace my tires. I had a slow leak, went to Costco and was informed that they could not fix my leak because it would be illegal to put the tire back on the vehicle. It's worn to 2/32 on the outside edge -- but not the inside. Grrr. Also - why would it be out of alignment at all? It's only 2 years old - and the dealership has been doing all the tire rotation.




Just purchased in January 2021, the 4Runner came with Bridgestone Dueler H/T -- did ok on paved roads with snow, Forestdale Divide road

Forestdale Divide, Carson Pass CA​

Hwy 4, January 2023 - had to pass these people because they going slower than I could walk​

Even been out to flat places a couple times

Just another July campout on the Black Rock desert ​

Tuesday before the Event, Black Rock Desert - dropping off the old folks at the company picnic​

According to the salesperson at the dealership:

• The Bridgestone 55K mi warranty is only for defects, not for wear/tear
• Most tires last 30K mi on the new 4Runners

I'm at just under 29K mi so far - I expect to hit some more dirt roads in Tahoe National Forest this summer and will be heading back up Hwy 4 to Bear Valley for XC skiing next winter.

I was looking at Firestone Destination A/T 2 but open to recommendations and keep in mind - I know NOTHING about car tires. I was motorcycle only for the previous 15 years.

 

Well, I’d say my K02s were just about perfect for the way I use them, but they’re discontinued now lol. Hopefully BFG didn’t mess anything up with the K03 replacement, because I’m kind of leaning that way. For the record, I’m replacing my current K02s at 45k miles. If I used mine past the wear bars like you did I’d get 60k easy.

By the way, Welcome to the dark side on 4 wheels. I picked a 4runner as the vehicle to replace motorcycling when I decided to hang up my helmet. I’ve had a blast with it, and it looks like you have too!

 

Those Generals look like a good alternative to KO2's. And, people who have them seem happy with them. I think Rich (Old-school punk) from TW has a set. You could ask him about them.

If you end up with KO3's, I'm going to need to check those out ASAP!

 

I work at Tire Rack we have plenty of KO2's in stock across our warehouses and the KO3's are already out for sale.

 

You forgot to mention your family & friends discount and that we’re all your family & friends.

 

Not much help to give, I'm currently deep in tire research mode...spreadsheet with weighted ranking and colors even. I have had KO2's on a truck, Load E, 34" and they have been and still are great (F150) they just work and have done well with a good bit of off-roading and some snow. In the wet, it breaks the rear loose all the time w/o changing modes, and it has a couple hundred pounds or so in the back all the time, so the increase in size and weight had no affect on acceleration, that's for sure. My 4Runner will be 80-90% pavement, and on our big trips we often drive long distance on the highway/freeway to get to the dirt so MPG does matter as much as it can in something that already starts off not great.

But I worry about the 4Runner being much more upset by heavy tires. I wanted to try something different, but may just go with the KO2 but in a "C" range. As it only gains 6.7 lbs over the stock tire that came on mine. The General ATX is 7lbs more, with more tread depth for the same price..it has me considering it. Both of these are 265/70R17
Going to stock size but E load, the Toyo keeps it slim at only +9lbs, but many of the others are ~15lbs each.

I am looking at 285/70R17 but the fit is very mixed out there. Best explanation I've seen is from Tinkerer's Adventure on YT, practically mandatory watching to understand IFS. But then I see people still having trouble fitting 285's even on stock wheels w/o the crazy negative offsets.

There is also the issue of the TRD wheels being 7" wide, and most all 285's say they need a 7.5 to 9.5 (I need to search around on this) but is anyone having issues mounting the 285 to TRD Wheels? Or finding shops that won't install them?

 

I went through months of tire research a few years ago and have seen several of these tire comparison threads. Most will post the tire they chose (or plan to choose) and sometimes you will get a very helpful comparison between a few tires. Ultimately, tire choice is very user and location dependent. I'm quickly replying during my lunch break so please excuse the limited information and grammar erros (I can expand upon anything if needed).

Before I start, where did you see that the Baja Boss deep side-biters were only available in load E? I have the SL version and the sidewall is more aggressive than any other AT tire I have seen. I am genuinely curious and would love to see a comparison (or even measurement) between the SL and E load sidewalls.

I have used highway tires and a few different AT tires on the 4runner but I'll focus this post to the AT tires:
1. Nitto Terra Grappler - These are the stock tires that came with my original TRD Pro (265 size). They were not 3PMS rated but they worked fine in the snow. The tread looked somewhat aggressive but the sidewall was rather disappointing. My biggest complaint with them was the noise around 25,000 miles. They seemed to wear through quickly and the hum became quite annoying. Those accustomed to mud terrain tires may not care but that is why I ultimately changed them out, even before the thread was through.
2. Falken Wildpeak AT3W - After months of research, the Wildpeaks became the clear choice (285 SL size). They were quiet, looked aggressive, and most importantly were affordable (at the time). Some will say they are heavy for their size but at $230(ish?) at that time, they were worth a try. Unfortunately I was only able to use them for about 5,000 miles before the original 4runner was gone. They were definitely quieter than the Nittos and they looked the part. I never drove through the snow but I am inclined to believe the high claims/reviews. They did well in the rain and ultimately, I was happy with them. I would have certainly tried again if the price did not skyrocket...
3. Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT - My current 4runner came with a set of highway tires that looked extremely wimpy. They were almost brand new but I had to change them out. After seeing the huge price jump of the Wildpeaks since I originally purchased them, I started to research again. The Baja Boss AT was a new offering at the time and there were very limited reviews. My biggest priority was noise and the limited reviews seemed to suggest these were fairly quiet. Given the price point, about $275(ish) at the time, I figured it was worth a shot. I pulled the trigger on the 285 SL size and have been happy so far (about 10,000 miles on them so far). They do have the AT hum but it has not worsened since new and it is nowhere near what the Nittos were at 25k miles. They also look the part with deep tread (almost MT like) and the super aggressive sidewalls. They look better than the Falkens, hands down. We didn't have an exiting winter in the northeast but these did very well in the limited snow we had. I would not hesitate to purchase another set of Baja Boss AT, as long as the price doesn't increase. (edit: looks like the price did go up since I purchased them but under $300 still seems reasonable)

 

The shop that i go to is a off road shop that has done all my upgrades, i went from a 285/70/17 MT to a 285/75/17 with no problems whatsoever.

 

Those look really good! Do they rub when off-road through the suspension travel? That's where I'm worried, I've seen a lot of pictures or review videos but I never see it flexed, just flat.

 

How are you liking those toyo trail r/ts? They look impressive

 

I have pedal commander and a couple minor mods, but my Runner isn't upset by the heavy tires. Tires are nothing compared to armor

 

Thanks for the info! The MT Baja boss side-biters…I reached that conclusion based in looking at pictures and hearsay, no info directly from manufacturer was available that I could find, however the depth of sidebiters between SL and E appeared very apparent. Apparently there is also an XL version, but couldnt find any info on what that meant, or if they had thicker biters.

 

Load E ATZ side biters for reference

 

I’m pretty impressed so far, I haven’t had any rubbing off road, and the street manners are very good. A lot quieter than the Falken MT’s, but very rugged.

 

Nice, can't go wrong with Toyos. Official tire of the UFC

 

Do us both a favor, Spaz, and get the WildePeaks. Then I can see 1st hand the clearance issues and make a very informed decision whether to get 285's.