Sponsored

35" Duratrac or KO2

Which one would you prefer?


  • Total voters
    150

cyan2

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Threads
5
Messages
20
Reaction score
1
Location
Edmonton
Vehicle(s)
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 3.0
I'm looking to get 35" tires for my Jeep. I'm will used the Mopar Beadlock wheels for these tires. From where I live, we got a lot of heavy snow, so I'm looking for a tire with the snowflake rating. Surprisingly, not a lot of AT tires have the snowflake rating. I also plan to do a 1.5" Teraflex spacer lift.

Currently, I'm looking at:
35/12.5R17 GY Wrangler Duratrac
315/70R17 BFG KO2

Now, the 35" Duratrac is only available with E load rating while the 315 KO2 is available with C load ratings.

Here is my struggle:
- For KO2, the C-rating tire would ride nicely, but I hear the 315 tire is relatively small (about 34"), I fear the would look small and not as aggressive with a 1.5" lift. These tires are really nice on Raptors...

- For Duratracs, I really like the look and it seems to be close to actually 35" tire, but some say the E-rating tire is an overkill for Jeeps and will make the ride very rough. The benefit of a E tire is stronger sidewalls.

I hope to hear opinion from you guys on which tire would you prefer: 315 KO2 C or 35 Duratrac E. Also, I hear Duratrac have weak side walls, but which one has the stronger sidewall: KO2 with C rating or Duratrac with E rating? Does anyone know how much smaller a 315 KO2 is in comparison to Duratrac (anyone have a side-by-side picture)?

Thanks guys
Sponsored

 
OP
OP

cyan2

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Threads
5
Messages
20
Reaction score
1
Location
Edmonton
Vehicle(s)
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 3.0
Goodyear? Nope.

KO2ā€™s are ok. Also look at Falken ;)
Thank you for bringing Falken Wildpeak to my attention. This tire has the snowflake rating as well! However, this 35ā€ tire is available with E rating too. So same struggle.:(
 

CanAmMick

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mick
Joined
Jun 20, 2018
Threads
22
Messages
402
Reaction score
497
Location
Wyoming
Vehicle(s)
2018 Jeep Wrangler Sahara JL, 2017 Honda Pilot Touring
Occupation
USAF Retired Helicopter mechanic
I have 35x12.5R18 BFG K02ā€™s load range E tires on my Jeep. I donā€™t think it rides bad at all. Never tried the Duratrac tires, so canā€™t really say anything about them. As far as Iā€™m concerned, Iā€™ll purchase the BFGā€™s again.

41FCA3CE-BA93-44DF-9D38-19E0EDAF2C2B.jpeg
 

Sponsored

OP
OP

cyan2

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Threads
5
Messages
20
Reaction score
1
Location
Edmonton
Vehicle(s)
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 3.0
Why not get the 315/70r17 GY Duratrac as they are D rated?

The Duratrac destroys the KO2 in winter driving.
Thanks for the advice, but I thought 315/70R17 duratrac is also E rated.
 

Carlton

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2018
Threads
22
Messages
2,912
Reaction score
3,228
Location
Chicago
Vehicle(s)
Jeeps lots of jeeps
Thanks for the advice, but I thought 315/70R17 duratrac is also E rated.
According to the GoodYear website they are D rated.

That being said, I had E rated Duratracs and they were fine on road.
 
Last edited:

voodoo11

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2018
Threads
17
Messages
160
Reaction score
102
Location
New Jersey
Vehicle(s)
JL 2018 Rubicon
Vehicle Showcase
1
I'm looking to get 35" tires for my Jeep. I'm will used the Mopar Beadlock wheels for these tires. From where I live, we got a lot of heavy snow, so I'm looking for a tire with the snowflake rating. Surprisingly, not a lot of AT tires have the snowflake rating. I also plan to do a 1.5" Teraflex spacer lift.

Currently, I'm looking at:
35/12.5R17 GY Wrangler Duratrac
315/70R17 BFG KO2

Now, the 35" Duratrac is only available with E load rating while the 315 KO2 is available with C load ratings.

Here is my struggle:
- For KO2, the C-rating tire would ride nicely, but I hear the 315 tire is relatively small (about 34"), I fear the would look small and not as aggressive with a 1.5" lift. These tires are really nice on Raptors...

- For Duratracs, I really like the look and it seems to be close to actually 35" tire, but some say the E-rating tire is an overkill for Jeeps and will make the ride very rough. The benefit of a E tire is stronger sidewalls.

I hope to hear opinion from you guys on which tire would you prefer: 315 KO2 C or 35 Duratrac E. Also, I hear Duratrac have weak side walls, but which one has the stronger sidewall: KO2 with C rating or Duratrac with E rating? Does anyone know how much smaller a 315 KO2 is in comparison to Duratrac (anyone have a side-by-side picture)?

Thanks guys
i run a 1.5 lift with the ko2s. I got them primarily for MPG/On road/Snow handling. I can't say I've ever looked at them and said "gee, i wish they were .5 inches bigger". I ran 35 km2s on AEV pintler beadlocks on my JK. heavy wheels, MPG suffered, and after i kept breaking stuff on rock gardens, decided to go overland style with my current rig. I have no regrets. C rating, lighter wheels, small lift. Good to go.
 

DanW

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dan
Joined
Mar 2, 2017
Threads
159
Messages
8,404
Reaction score
11,073
Location
Indiana
Vehicle(s)
21 JLUR, 18JLUR, 08JKUR, 15 Renegade, 04 WJ
Vehicle Showcase
2
Look at the weight of the tires, too. The Goodyear and BFG are lighter than nearly all of their competitors, which is easier on the drivetrain. Also, the Duratrac tends to run small, too, from what I've seen on my friend's Jeeps. The Duratrac is a little more aggressive, but the KO2 has a rep for stronger sidewalls. I haven't seen anything conclusive on that, though. I'd go for the one that's the better deal. I think they are both great tires. I've been thrilled with my 315 sized KO2's. They've performed every bit as well as my friends' Jeep's more aggressive mud tires in just about every kind of terrain, and were'nt far off them in mud. Where they kill their tires is on-road and on packed snow or in icy conditions. I think the Duratracs would be very similar with maybe a slight advantage in mud. My friends with them love them.

Toss a coin!
 

Sponsored

DanW

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dan
Joined
Mar 2, 2017
Threads
159
Messages
8,404
Reaction score
11,073
Location
Indiana
Vehicle(s)
21 JLUR, 18JLUR, 08JKUR, 15 Renegade, 04 WJ
Vehicle Showcase
2
i run a 1.5 lift with the ko2s. I got them primarily for MPG/On road/Snow handling. I can't say I've ever looked at them and said "gee, i wish they were .5 inches bigger". I ran 35 km2s on AEV pintler beadlocks on my JK. heavy wheels, MPG suffered, and after i kept breaking stuff on rock gardens, decided to go overland style with my current rig. I have no regrets. C rating, lighter wheels, small lift. Good to go.
Btw, talk to a tire engineer. The E rating doesn't have anything to do with sidewall resistance to punctures. It has to do with load bearing capability. The E KO2 in the same size as the C KO2 weigh within a pound of each other. The construction is different. The E has a stiffer ride, but BFG makes no claim for it to be more puncture resistant. That has more to do with the way the tire is constructed and designed. The load rating is strictly to indicate payload capacity, nothing else. Can an E rated tire have stronger sidewalls? Sure, it is possible, but according to a BFG engineer, there's no difference in resistance to sidewall punctures between the two.

The sidewalls on my KO2's held up to sharp rocks in Moab every bit as well as my E rated KM2's I had on my JK. That's not conclusive, but it gives me great confidence in the C rated KO2. I ran it harder in Moab than the KM2'son the JK, too. I took much harder trails in the JL. The tires took everything thrown at them.
 
Last edited:

JDLouisville

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2018
Threads
25
Messages
182
Reaction score
344
Location
Louisville KY
Vehicle(s)
ā€˜23 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 XR
Vehicle Showcase
4
Iā€™ve ran KO2s, Ridge Grapplers, and Iā€™m currently running Duratracs in 35s.

I canā€™t say anything bad about any of themā€”I can say the Duratracs are noticeably louder on-road.
However, I like the more aggressive look and the snow advantage the Duratracs hold.
 

UKCATS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2018
Threads
22
Messages
1,864
Reaction score
5,136
Location
DFW
Vehicle(s)
2020 JLUR Recon/2020 Mazda3 Hatchback
Occupation
I play piano in a whorehouse
Btw, talk to a tire engineer. The E rating doesn't have anything to do with sidewall resistance to punctures. It has to do with load bearing and air pressure. The E KO2 in the same size as the C KO2 weigh within a pound of each other. The construction is different. The E has a stiffer ride, but BFG makes no claim for it to be more puncture resistant. That has more to do with the way the tire is constructed and designed. The load rating is strictly to indicate payload capacity, nothing else. Can an E rated tire have stronger sidewalls? Sure, it is possible, but according to a BFG engineer, there's no difference in resistance to sidewall punctures between the two.

The sidewalls on my KO2's held up to sharp rocks in Moab every bit as well as my E rated KM2's I had on my JK. That's not conclusive, but it gives me great confidence in the C rated KO2. I ran it harder in Moab than the KM2'son the JK, too. I took much harder trails in the JL. The tires took everything thrown at them.
^^^^This. I used to think ā€œEā€ equaled stronger too, until I talked to the good folks at Nitto. Told me pretty much the same as above.
 

Needalife

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
49
Reaction score
52
Location
Oklahoma
Vehicle(s)
2006 TJ, 2019 JLU Rubican
I run the Duratracs. Handling in snow and water (rain) can't be beat for the tire type we run, road noise is minimal also. I've ran C and E in 33 and 35 on my TJ. Do the chalk test and run what tire pressure is good for even wear. Don't think you'll go wrong.
 
 



Top