KO3 –– Can't get them balanced

[TravisRogers]

Got a new set of stock-size KO3s from Mr Tire (I asked for KO2s, but they messed up and gave me KO3s).

They speed-balanced them twice and couldn't get any of them to balance. Took it to the dealership for a Road Force balance and they're a lot better but still a little vibratey around 65.

Load range E and the tires only have 25lbs of road force, which is well within acceptable limits.

My KO2s were always spot-on balanced. Where/how are you all balancing your big tires?

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[Ratbert]

I'm guessing it's a 295/70R17 or smaller.

Is there a reason you went with Es? Maybe Cs weren't available in the size you wanted? That was probably a shock to you too.

Note that you might have to drop to a smaller size for KO3 Cs.

None of the 5 balanced? That's weird AF.

In any case you'll be dealing with working with BFG / the shop to replace them. It'd suck to be stuck with the mediocre ten year old design of KO2s, but apparently that's what you were looking for.

 

[Bhodi11]

Clearly no one there had any idea what they were doing when they sold you E load tires for a wrangler. Unless you are wheeling in the rocks all day long frequently you may want D load for the thicker side wall but C load is the correct choice for the majority of wranglers. E is gonna be like riding around on hockey pucks. E are for full size pickups that are hauling heavy loads. You could run them at 20psi and I bet the sidewall still wouldn’t flex. I would take them back asap.

 

[Bhodi11]

I'm guessing it's a 295/70R17 or smaller.

Is there a reason you went with Es? Maybe Cs weren't available in the size you wanted? That was probably a shock to you too.

Note that you might have to drop to a smaller size for KO3 Cs.

None of the 5 balanced? That's weird AF.

In any case you'll be dealing with working with BFG / the shop to replace them. It'd suck to be stuck with the mediocre ten year old design of KO2s, but apparently that's what you were looking for.

Mediocre??? KO2s are some of the best tires out. I have had probably 10 sets. Great in the rain and snow. More than capable on the trail. Deep mud is about the only thing they struggle with. Mine have always balanced without issue, wore even, and lasted.

 

[Ratbert]

Mediocre??? KO2s are some of the best tires out. I have had probably 10 sets. Great in the rain and snow. More than capable on the trail. Deep mud is about the only thing they struggle with. Mine have always balanced without issue, wore even, and lasted.

Ok in rain, decent in snow, ok on boulders, horrible in mud, fairly quiet, excellent at grabbing / throwing rocks, pretty good on road. Accurate?

KO3s should improve in every single category. They've had about a decade to do the next design.

Instead of waiting for a KO3 37 in D, I went with Mickey Thompson BBATs. Significantly better in all regards (so far) (except possibly noise) to my KO2s.

 

[BDinTX]

Ok in rain, decent in snow, ok on boulders, horrible in mud, fairly quiet, excellent at grabbing / throwing rocks, pretty good on road. Accurate?

KO3s should improve in every single category. They've had about a decade to do the next design.

Instead of waiting for a KO3 37 in D, I went with Mickey Thompson BBATs. Significantly better in all regards (so far) (except possibly noise) to my KO2s.

Accurate except ours are downright scary in the rain. They have about 30k on them and we're running a soft top, which I'm sure both are a factor. Definitely not replacing with the same thing though.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Once KO2s have about 25-30k on them, rain traction deteriorates rapidly. I've had a lot of BFG ATs in KO, and KO2, they have always been hard to balance just right. Sad to hear that KO3s continue the trend.

The KO2s on my F150 are 7 years old now, with 34k miles, and it's time for them to go. The tread is wearing nice and even, as my BFGs always have, but the wet traction, and balance, have me wanting something else. I had far better wet traction with them on heavy Super Duty trucks, the F150 is just too light in the rear unloaded.

And agreed on the E rating. If you don't specify C rated, they will almost always sell you the E rated version.

 

[dragoneggs]

Ok in rain, decent in snow, ok on boulders, horrible in mud, fairly quiet, excellent at grabbing / throwing rocks, pretty good on road. Accurate?

KO3s should improve in every single category. They've had about a decade to do the next design.

Instead of waiting for a KO3 37 in D, I went with Mickey Thompson BBATs. Significantly better in all regards (so far) (except possibly noise) to my KO2s.

What about weight difference?

 

[TravisRogers]

I asked for the KO2s because I knew what to expect. The KO3s boast "a new compound" which, to me, means I'll end up on a forum somewhere in 20K miles complaining about these tires.

I had my KO2s Road Force balanced about every 25K miles and they balanced beautifully until I got rid of them with 80K miles on them. Yeah, they were insanely loud after 40K miles and they sucked in the rain, but I'm a Wrangler driver with muted expectations.

I will say that the brand new KO3s are better in almost every way. They're whisper quiet, they're much better in the rain, and though firmer, they actually ride softer. The E rating weight difference is very noticeable, though. They feel heavy.

The dealership maxed out the weights they can put on the rim. I'm going to go back to Mr Tire on Monday and see if they'll give me KO2s or a lower rating KO3.

 

[Ratbert]

What about weight difference?

Somehow (no clue how) they feel lighter. Big time. Very noticable by both me and my wife (unprompted).

The actual impacts on driving it? It's already horrible in all respects (in comparison to the sports cars I've owned), so maybe it's a little bit worse? No perceived differences from the perspective of my EcoDiesel.

It's weird that they're so soft to the touch and somehow still have a 50k warranty.

 

[azwjowner]

I asked for the KO2s because I knew what to expect. The KO3s boast "a new compound" which, to me, means I'll end up on a forum somewhere in 20K miles complaining about these tires.

I had my KO2s Road Force balanced about every 25K miles and they balanced beautifully until I got rid of them with 80K miles on them. Yeah, they were insanely loud after 40K miles and they sucked in the rain, but I'm a Wrangler driver with muted expectations.

I will say that the brand new KO3s are better in almost every way. They're whisper quiet, they're much better in the rain, and though firmer, they actually ride softer. The E rating weight difference is very noticeable, though. They feel heavy.

The dealership maxed out the weights they can put on the rim. I'm going to go back to Mr Tire on Monday and see if they'll give me KO2s or a lower rating KO3.

The most probable outcome is the dealership doesn't know how to balance the tires properly. Someone who truly knows how to do road force balancing--including indexing the tire on the wheel to match up the high/low spots--can probably fix this.

 

[Upnarms]

Clearly no one there had any idea what they were doing when they sold you E load tires for a wrangler. Unless you are wheeling in the rocks all day long frequently you may want D load for the thicker side wall but C load is the correct choice for the majority of wranglers. E is gonna be like riding around on hockey pucks. E are for full size pickups that are hauling heavy loads. You could run them at 20psi and I bet the sidewall still wouldn’t flex. I would take them back asap.

I've been running Es (falken wildpeaks 315/70r17) for the last few years and they are nothing like you describe. I keep them at 35psi (off road i drop them to 20) and they do not feel like hockey pucks and the sidewalls still have flex. The E load can take up to 80psi, but that would be ridiculous running around like that in a jeep. In a truck, with a heavy load, yes the psi run would be much higher than the 35psi i run. I have e load on my truck and run them at 35-40psi unless I'm towing heavy.

I've had c ko2s and honestly they were almost too squishy for street use at 35-40psi in my opinion. I had shimmy and dw issues when they had only 23k miles. They balanced poorly at that point.

I think of you talk to people who have run D or E load tires on the forum you'll find most of them don't have that hockey puck experience you speak of if they run a reasonable psi.

On a side note, i won't go near bfg ko2s (3s i have no experience with) after how poorly they preformed for me with my Wrangler. I run wildpeak at3s and at4s on my tj, xj, jl, and ram and absolutely love them. Just over 40k mi on the at3s on the JL- they still have a lot of life left and balance great. The 31s on the tj and xj are c load btw, as that's all they come in for 31s and they feel great.

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