No KO3s now what tire to choose

[Deleted member 107602]

Unless someone has a better idea to my earlier post, which I didn’t get much feedback on, I may go ahead and upgrade tires sooner than I was thinking.I know it’s been batted around a lot but I would welcome any specific input to my dilemma.

The best tire to fit my use case would probably be a 37x12.5 17C/D KO3, a good balance of all attributes that I use, not all my wants but ok. However, it’s not available until mid 2026 apparently.

So now what,
I want an all terrain type tire, it will spend a lot of time on the road and hard pack and sandy trails so behaving at speed and stopping are important. We are getting into more overlanding and when appropriate i do like to take the trails a little fast (my wife has to remind me we aren’t in a rally car) but I rarely pass an opportunity to hit a mud hole. Very different tread but both require wheel speed. Tire noise isn’t really a concern it just drowns out the other noises. I do traverse a rock area now and then but more to get from point a to b not seeking out a major obstacle. I do love to play in the snow and ice and we have that 4+ months out of the year.

I would like to go bigger than 37s and see what breaks but I would probably give up more than I want in manners.

And then it comes to weight
Nitto Ridge Grapplers - currently have them on my truck, like that I could go to a 38 but heavy and would like to try something else for the jeep.
MT ATs- probably a good option but really heavy too
Looked at Geo’s and various Toyos as well. Considered Maxxis and some even less common ones.

My issue with the tire weight is less about power loss or breaking stuff (that’s just a good excuse to upgrade) but more about the handling and dynamics.

I even considered having a couple sets of tires and that’s a maybe but I know I won’t want to deal with flipping these heavy things out more than once a year.

Pragmatically I was set on the KO3 ‘s now idk.

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[Fonzilla85]

Why not just get the 37” KO2? Pretty much the same thing.

 

[OminousSkitter]

Why not just get the 37” KO2? Pretty much the same thing.

From everything I’ve read, they made significant improvements to ice/snow handling. Important to me, maybe also to OP.

 

[Deleted member 107602]

The improvements are the biggest driver.
My earlier post that’s led me to consider upgrading now gives some backstory on why I would want to try the new version as well.
Here’s the link to it.
Noise issue

 

[autotragic]

Unless someone has a better idea to my earlier post, which I didn’t get much feedback on, I may go ahead and upgrade tires sooner than I was thinking.I know it’s been batted around a lot but I would welcome any specific input to my dilemma.

The best tire to fit my use case would probably be a 37x12.5 17C/D KO3, a good balance of all attributes that I use, not all my wants but ok. However, it’s not available until mid 2026 apparently.

So now what,
I want an all terrain type tire, it will spend a lot of time on the road and hard pack and sandy trails so behaving at speed and stopping are important. We are getting into more overlanding and when appropriate i do like to take the trails a little fast (my wife has to remind me we aren’t in a rally car) but I rarely pass an opportunity to hit a mud hole. Very different tread but both require wheel speed. Tire noise isn’t really a concern it just drowns out the other noises. I do traverse a rock area now and then but more to get from point a to b not seeking out a major obstacle. I do love to play in the snow and ice and we have that 4+ months out of the year.

I would like to go bigger than 37s and see what breaks but I would probably give up more than I want in manners.

And then it comes to weight
Nitto Ridge Grapplers - currently have them on my truck, like that I could go to a 38 but heavy and would like to try something else for the jeep.
MT ATs- probably a good option but really heavy too
Looked at Geo’s and various Toyos as well. Considered Maxxis and some even less common ones.

My issue with the tire weight is less about power loss or breaking stuff (that’s just a good excuse to upgrade) but more about the handling and dynamics.

I even considered having a couple sets of tires and that’s a maybe but I know I won’t want to deal with flipping these heavy things out more than once a year.

Pragmatically I was set on the KO3 ‘s now idk.

I'm just going to let you know how this is going to play out take it for what it's worth but I've seen it more than once.

These types of threads always (and I mean that quite literally) devolve into nothing more than a bunch of people telling you that they've run a certain tire and that's the one you should get. In fact they generally remind me of high school popularity contest.

Now what it boils down to is that people just don't buy tires that often. More so when people find a tire that works well enough for them they just stick to it. This means that most people really haven't tried that many types of tires overall. Sure they might have different vehicles with different uses and they all have different kinds of tires on them but I mean like nobody's had bfgs and Mickey Thompson's and toyos and nittos all on the same vehicle so their opinion is going to be biased and ultimately not very useful.

I have a favorite kind of tire it is what it is and I'm not even going to bother posting about it here because it doesn't matter. I know they're a kick ass tire some people here know that they're a kick ass tire but in the end it isn't going to make a difference or change anybody else's opinion.

Most people are just going to tell you to buy another set of BFG tires. I know this probably sounds cynical and ridiculous but it is what it is.

Good luck.

 

[2nd 392]

You mentioned weight- I got Toyo AT3 because they were the lightest 3 peak 35. 37/12.50’s are a 73 lb E. Mickeys an 82 lb D. My only comparison is to KO2’s and they are a better choice, so far a terrific tire.(no snow)

 

[azwjowner]

I say you find someone selling used 37s to tide you over for a year.

 

[Deleted member 107602]

You mentioned weight- I got Toyo AT3 because they were the lightest 3 peak 35. 37/12.50’s are a 73 lb E. Mickeys an 82 lb D. My only comparison is to KO2’s and they are a better choice, so far a terrific tire.(no snow)

Jumping to an E is what concerns me. do you feel your AT3s are stiffer than the BFGs?

 

[Deleted member 107602]

I say you find someone selling used 37s to tide you over for a year.

That is an option I had not looked at

 

[2nd 392]

Jumping to an E is what concerns me. do you feel your AT3s are stiffer than the BFGs?

Only know that my C’s ride better than the KO2 C’s, bonus of 5 lbs lighter, better wet and not the rock magnets. That said the 37 E’s are 9 lbs lighter than MT D’s, so stiffer ?

another reason for them is my son said they are the best longest lasting tire ever on his old F-250 (F load)

 

[TyRoosevelt]

Mickey thompson baja boss at or cooper rugged trek. I have had both and they are both great. I do not like the ko2s as well. The rugged trek is around 70 lbs for a 37. The baja boss is the best tire and I have personally run the falken atw3 and atw4, the ko2, the toyo at3, the nitto ridge grappler, and the rugged trek.

 

[Ratbert]

Like KO2s, KO3s won't be very good in mud, but I'm guessing you know that.

Have you looked at 37" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/Ts? That's probably what I'll end up with after these original 37" KO2s give out. I don't think I've seen a negative review on them other than their weight.

 

[Compression-Ignition]

Maxxis RAZR AT is a pretty good tire. I have these on my pickup (37/13.5r17) and the wife's Jeep (40/13.5r20). I'm waiting on BFG to come out with the KO3 in a 40/13.5r20, but this tire was a solid stand in replacement.

And I think if you check the specs, they'll be right up your alley in the weight department.

 

[Speed331]

Two and a half years and 40k miles on the Baja Boss and wouldn't trade them for anything. Rotate all five with every oil change and they are still smooth as silk on road and fantastic in the dirt. Expect to easily get 60k miles and more out if them...

 

[Deleted member 107602]

Mickey thompson baja boss at or cooper rugged trek. I have had both and they are both great. I do not like the ko2s as well. The rugged trek is around 70 lbs for a 37. The baja boss is the best tire and I have personally run the falken atw3 and atw4, the ko2, the toyo at3, the nitto ridge grappler, and the rugged trek.

I had not considered the rugged trek, but it does look interesting, I don’t recall having seen them on a jeep in person.

Like KO2s, KO3s won't be very good in mud, but I'm guessing you know that.

Have you looked at 37" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/Ts? That's probably what I'll end up with after these original 37" KO2s give out. I don't think I've seen a negative review on them other than their weight.

Yeah the Mickey Thompsons are what I called MT AT’s in my original post, definitely a solid contender and maybe the most logical option. If not, that will probably be my next truck tire. they are one of the most popular tires for good reasons.

Maxxis RAZR AT is a pretty good tire. I have these on my pickup (37/13.5r17) and the wife's Jeep (40/13.5r20). I'm waiting on BFG to come out with the KO3 in a 40/13.5r20, but this tire was a solid stand in replacement.

And I think if you check the specs, they'll be right up your alley in the weight department.

I am really curious about your experience with the Maxxis, when I thought of getting something to bridge a couple of years, they were my first thought to try something different. Interestingly though I have seen the company set up at Jeep events they are not common to find. Apparently they dropped the D LR on the 37’s which would have been ideal, now only E but not too bad. How do you feel they ride comparatively to a stock tire? softer/ stiffer? Do they feel planted in a hard turn or have more give. This is my great balancing act stiff enough to feel planted in a hard turn but plyable enough to conform and grip.

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