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Wet weather offroad tires.

redsyphon

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So, I've been happy with the KO2s that come with the Rubi as an all around tire save for rain performance.

The KO2s seem to love loosing grip in even the slowest of turns when the roads are wet... and they are wet quite often living in North Florida.

With two major trips west and north on the horizon, I'm looking at replacing my 33" KO2 set with something different.

I may go 35s as I do have a 2in Synergy lift on the Rubi, but I'm more concerned with community feedback from those who drive a mix of road and offroad.

For mild offroading (some mud but I try to avoid it) and frequent BLM, Gravel & Highway miles, does anyone have suggestions?

I've heard mixed reviews on Nitto Trail Grapplers
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LarryB

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Just my 2 cents … the basic pattern of most all-terrains does not lend itself well to rain dispersion when compared to many road tires. Are you comparing your wet performance compared to other previous AT tires or All-season / summer tires?

I had Goodyear All-Terrains and they were brutal in wet conditions. I now have Yokohama Geolanders and they are much better.
 
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redsyphon

redsyphon

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Just my 2 cents … the basic pattern of most all-terrains does not lend itself well to rain dispersion when compared to many road tires. Are you comparing your wet performance compared to other previous AT tires or All-season / summer tires?

I had Goodyear All-Terrains and they were brutal in wet conditions. I now have Yokohama Geolanders and they are much better.
Thanks for the info. I've never had experience with Yokohama. So, I'll take a look at them.

I'm more comparing my KO2 tires to driving experience rather than a specific type of tire. I just can't keep her back end from loosing grip on a corner (we're talking left turn from a light level corner).

That's when loaded with gear and empty. The tires are at about half-life with 20k miles on them and I keep them around 36psi.

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect my A/Ts or the Jeep to stick to the road like my Camaro did. But I can't recall (this might be nostalgia kicking in) my TJ giving me the same issues.

I don't have a lead foot and I don't take hard corners. Hell, I'm more often than not accused of driving the Jeep like a grandmother on the road. Of course, those passengers don't go on trails with me hahahaha.
 

LarryB

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I went from driving an Acura that would outhandle most sports cars to my first Jeep, so I chalked up the drop in handling only to the fact that it was a Jeep … and, there is a huge difference, don’t get me wrong. A rear-drive vehicle without weight in the back is a recipe for sliding. However, the changing of the tires has really helped.

Offroading to me is mountain trails going to run aid stations (15-20 degree inclines, a lot of rocks/branches, often snow/mud at the top). Night and day difference between Goodyears and Yokohamas. I barely engage 4H now. Hope that helps.
 

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For mild offroading (some mud but I try to avoid it) and frequent BLM, Gravel & Highway miles, does anyone have suggestions?
Take a look at the Cooper AT3 XLT.
 

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asuperheat

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I Have been happy with Toyo MT's on my JK both on road and off road but in full disclosure they are pretty heavy compared to others of similar size.
 

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Tire compound and sipes are key to wet weather grip. The sipes give the water somewhere to go when squeezed between the road and tread block.

You can also have mud terrain tires siped to improve wet and winter traction. I will do this to my new Trail Grapplers soon, it makes a night and day difference. I feel this works best on tires that don’t already have much siping like Swampers and Trail Grapplers
 

Jaden Young

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What about Nitto Ridge Grapplers? I've heard a lot of good things about this tire. You may want to consider checking 4WheelOnline for a wide range of off-road tires.
 

MntsRcalln

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Wildpeak atw3 for me. Love them.
 

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Nole_Dynasty

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Following. Have the KM3’s which I felt were a rainy weather improvement over the stock KO2’s but still leave a lot to be desired on highways in a downpour or when hitting sitting water on the road.
 

Headbarcode

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I've been looking at the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss m/t's for my next tire. It seems to get great reviews for on and off road wet surface traction.
 

WXman

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If wet traction matters, stay the hell away from Nitto Ridge Grapplers. My brother has them and absolutely hates them in foul weather, and I've seen several reviews online indicating the same across Ram and Jeep forums.

The Falken Wildpeak A/T3W is an excellent choice. It was specifically designed to work really well in foul weather, but it's also got really beefy 2-ply sidewalls that are as thick as a lot of 3-ply sidewalls in other tires to resist off-road abuse. They are my favorite tires I've reviewed long term so far.

The Yokohama Geolandar X-AT is another excellent choice. They did excellent in heavy rain, snow, and ice for me on the Ram 1500. They actually did so well that I'm about to put the same tire in the M/T tread pattern on my Jeep.
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