Anyone tried both KO2s and Baja Boss A/Ts?

[jac04]

I'm planning to move back NE so the feedback was especially useful. Good point, though, I should have specified the climate/terrain. Roads most of the time, and New Hampshire and surrounding off-road the rest.

I'm in New England as well, and I can say that the BBATs perform very well on our varied terrain, at least my tall & skinny 255/85R17 tires do. I'm super surprised at the amount of grip that these tires have, and I've found that I don't need to air down as much as with other tires. I actually run them at 20 psi off road.

There is an interesting youtube video on the BBATs showing the differences in flex for 2 different 35" sizes, and the "pizza cutter" 255/85R17s flex better than their wider counterparts.

Here's the video:

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[Flip]

I'm in New England as well, and I can say that the BBATs perform very well on our varied terrain, at least my tall & skinny 255/85R17 tires do. I'm super surprised at the amount of grip that these tires have, and I've found that I don't need to air down as much as with other tires. I actually run them at 20 psi off road.

There is an interesting youtube video on the BBATs showing the differences in flex for 2 different 35" sizes, and the "pizza cutter" 255/85R17s flex better than their wider counterparts.

Here's the video:

Check out the pizza cutter thread dude.

Pizza Cutter Size List & Appreciation Thread | Jeep Wrangler Forums (JL / JLU) -- Rubicon, 4xe, 392, Sahara, Sport - JLwranglerforums.com

 

[tomk62]

New to Wranglers, picking my 2024 up in 2 days, and I've just been going through this exact exercise in planning my upgrades: 35x12.50R17 - BFG KO2 vs MT BB .

I had settled on the MT BB and this thread reinforces my decision. Thanks guys!

 

[Poordad]

I run an AEV 2" spacer lift and stock wheels, along with the following mods:
1) Trimmed Rubicon rock rails by 1" at rear.
2) Rear Metalcloak bump stops.
3) 1-3/8" total bump stop spacers in rear (added 3/8" to 1" AEV spacers)

Thanks for the pics. Looks great! Any need for wheel spacers?

 

[BigMaCro]

I feel like this is kicking a dead horse but I upgraded from 33-in KO2s on my JLUR 4xE to 37-in Baja Boss AT.

I was satisfied with a KO2s on the road conditions including winter in Alaska, however, they do gum up in mud and so we're not good for the trails here.

The Baja Boss has good voids for mud traction so have been much better on the trails. I also ran them for the end of winter and they did good in icy and snowy conditions.

I would say both tires are similar in their noise level which is pretty quiet. When I'm cruising in electric it's about the only noise I hear, but not bad.

Whatever tires you get, make sure to get a spare and rotate it in every 3 to 5,000 mi, to keep them all in good shape and extend tread life.

 

[BigMaCro]

Also, I had been considering Ridge grapplers but they were not available. I found Mickey Thompson's website is able to ship to local dealers at no cost over MSRP which ended up being a great deal. So look into that if local shops don't have them in stock or want to charge more.

 

[jac04]

Thanks for the pics. Looks great! Any need for wheel spacers?

Thanks. No need for wheel spacers on my JK. That's one of the benefits of the 10" wide tires, they tuck in nicely.

 

[WK2JT]

Also, I had been considering Ridge grapplers but they were not available. I found Mickey Thompson's website is able to ship to local dealers at no cost over MSRP which ended up being a great deal. So look into that if local shops don't have them in stock or want to charge more.

Run away from the Ridge Grappler. The RT category needs a lot of improvement because they do nothing good. The Ridge Grappler, aside from looking cool when I’m parked, has been the worst tire I’ve ever ran. I’d say go AT or MT… RT is too much of a compromise.

 

[ormandj]

Run away from the Ridge Grappler. The RT category needs a lot of improvement because they do nothing good. The Ridge Grappler, aside from looking cool when I’m parked, has been the worst tire I’ve ever ran. I’d say go AT or MT… RT is too much of a compromise.

I had Ridge Grapplers on my 2019 (315R70/17s). They were not good offroad at places like Hidden Falls, dry or wet. I really don't have anything good to say about them, they were heavy as hell and wet traction on the road was nothing to write home about. Dry was about the same. I paid a lot of money for "meh". That's why I started looking at Baja Boss ATs; if I'm going to pay a weight penalty I want _something_ out of it.

 

[vaJLUR]

I ran my factory KO2s to 44k miles and swapped out to 255/85/R17 BBATs, I would never go back to the KO2s on the Jeep assuming it stays an off road focused fun vehicle.
IMO, they're better in every metric: mud, crawl, rain, daily driving (have not tried in snow but will this winter)

 

[Flip]

I ran my factory KO2s to 44k miles and swapped out to 255/85/R17 BBATs, I would never go back to the KO2s on the Jeep assuming it stays an off road focused fun vehicle.
IMO, they're better in every metric: mud, crawl, rain, daily driving (have not tried in snow but will this winter)

Sounds good,

Please let me know how they do in the snow. I'm always doing research on my next set of tires.

 

[XX4XEXX]

Yup been here done that. Toyo Open Country Trail RT spank both of them in different ways. Except the MT TB ATs are superior tires but weigh. You can NOT go wrong with the Toyos! Both others are extremely loud, heavy, and do not grip in wet conditions. Running 37x12.50r17 on a 4xe Rubicon at 21mpg all day.

I'm curious if anybody has run these back to back. I've had Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my 19 JLUR and was never impressed with them, so am considering KO2s and Baja Boss A/Ts. I'll be looking at 35s or 37s (undecided, 4xe is on order and still planning things out).

I know the Bajas are significantly heavier, but with the 4xe that isn't a major concern of mine. One significant concern I do have is road noise. How are they compared to the KO2s in this realm? It seems like they are great tires in general, but reviews are mixed on loudness with some saying the road noise is bad and some saying they're very quiet.

I've ridden in Jeeps with KO2s so that makes an easy point of reference for me. I appreciate the feedback!

 

[jkasmann]

Yup been here done that. Toyo Open Country Trail RT spank both of them in different ways. Except the MT TB ATs are superior tires but weigh. You can NOT go wrong with the Toyos! Both others are extremely loud, heavy, and do not grip in wet conditions. Running 37x12.50r17 on a 4xe Rubicon at 21mpg all day.

I have been wondering about the Trail RT as an alternative to BBAT. Have you tried them in road winter conditions, like ski driving? Obviously BBAT has the 3PMS and extra siping, but wondering if Trail RT is good enough (KO2s were fine for this purpose for me, for reference). What else do you like about them?

 

[XX4XEXX]

Honestly we haven't had 1 issue. They are quiet, they grip, in wet and dry sand they perform. Aired down the sidewalls have enough bite. They do fling but what Jeeps doesn't. They don't have snow flake but my buddies Falken wpat3s couldn't even compare next to us.

I have been wondering about the Trail RT as an alternative to BBAT. Have you tried them in road winter conditions, like ski driving? Obviously BBAT has the 3PMS and extra siping, but wondering if Trail RT is good enough (KO2s were fine for this purpose for me, for reference). What else do you like about them?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I had Ridge Grapplers on my 2019 (315R70/17s). They were not good offroad at places like Hidden Falls, dry or wet. I really don't have anything good to say about them, they were heavy as hell and wet traction on the road was nothing to write home about. Dry was about the same. I paid a lot of money for "meh". That's why I started looking at Baja Boss ATs; if I'm going to pay a weight penalty I want _something_ out of it.

A lot of us run 37 Ridge Grapplers on our TRXs. They seem really good in the Texas terrain on a heavy truck.

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