Are KM2's Really That Bad?

[jruss]

i always liked the km2’s.

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[Jnz]

I have been looking for a reason to swap them out (based on the reviews here), but they’ve been fine on wet roads and in snow so far. I agree on airing them down a bit. Ever since I dropped down to 34 psi, they’ve been great. No complaints off road so far, either.

 

[Spank]

I liked my KM2's on my JK. I love my KM3's on my JL. I can't attest to their performance in rain yet, but they're absolutely fantastic in the snow.

 

[jruss]

Performance wise they are probably ok and acceptable as you noted. The best probably not. Ok probably.

Comfort wise will probably deteriorate with some wear resulting in increased road noise.

The biggest thing is they are an odd tire for the application. Factory fitment on a trim level focused on buyers that will likely do little off road. I guess they achieve a rugged look. That and FCA probably got them on a fire sale increasing their margin. The buyer is the loser really. They will become annoying before their functional life is used up on a daily driver. Unless you do a lot of offroading.

Are you talking about km2’s? This whole post confuses me because it seems strangely specific but not specific either.

 

[LincolnSixAlpha]

Mine will go offroad, main reason for the jeep. Initially, they are fairly quiet. I picked them up @ DiscountTire here in Scottsdale as I can go in as often as I want for free rotation. To another member's comments, they are heavy, about 70-75 lbs each. However, they roll fine on my Rubi, with 8th gear no problem on the high. I also observed no real loss of MPG, perhaps one MPG, or less.

 

[Majestic]

The KM2 is great at off-road at the expense of everything else. It’s louder, sucks in the rain, sucks at breaking, sucks at acceleration, crappy handling response, and it’s a stiff ride. Most people just like the look as opposed to it’s actual usefulness. The KO2 is in general better at pretty much everything and it even looks good. If I kept my JK I would have eventually replaced the MT’s with KO2’s.

The KM2’s on my JK started off fine then got rediculously louder over the years. It was gradual so it wasn’t noticeable until I started replacing cupped tires and it got immediately quiet again.
They cup very easily. Rotate early and often and keep a close eye on that alignment.

 

[smithrd65]

My Rubicon is great with K02 zero issues

 

[TxJeepers]

I ran Goodyear MTR, Cooper STT, Mickey Thompson ATZ P3, Bfgoodrich KM2, Goodyear Duratrac and Bfgoodrich KO2 on JKs. All good tires, some I liked better than others. Overall, the KO2 was my favorite for road manners and great off-road traction.

I chose to run BFGoodrich KM3 on the new JL. Wanted to run a full on MT tire again and over the years have decided I like running BFG tires the best. A week on them so far and very happy with decision,

 

[zamboniman]

Are you talking about km2’s? This whole post confuses me because it seems strangely specific but not specific either.

Yes specific to the original posters question and how it relates to his moab.

Tires are ok, just not great. And as they age they will get louder and more annoying with road use. In fairness this goes for just about any MT type tire.

 

[wvgasguy]

At the risk of starting yet another thread for arguing about the pros/cons of a Moab, I'm asking for opinions on the tires.

I've driven a lot of different vehicles over the years, but for a DD this is my first SUV - before this mostly coupes and sedans, as well as a minivan. All of them were equipped with various qualities of "regular" all-weather tires (one set was extremely highly rated for winter use).

The KM2s so far in my opinion are as good, if not better, than any tires I've had. Sure they're a little noisy, but this winter I have had ZERO complaints with their ability. Packed or moderately deep snow (under 6 inches) - no problem! Slush - piece of cake. Ice - not great, but is any tire without studs or chains? They were a little scary at first, until I realized they were overinflated. After deflating to about 36 psi they seem fine.

I watch a lot of other vehicles struggling at stoplights to get going, I just hit the gas and take off. Sure some of this has to do with the Selec Trac, LSD, traction control, etc., but if the KM2s are the weak link in the equation, I'd say they're doing fine.

I'm not defending the KM2s - I was aware of all the negative reviews on here about them before I bought my Jeep. I figured I'd just look for a reason to justify throwing them away and spending $1000+ on new tires, but so far I'm fine with them.

BTW - reviews on other sites are much more favorable than those on this forum.

Thoughts?

In 2017 when I bought a JK my first choice was a Rubicon. They can standard with the Mud Tire. This was going to be my DD and I'm not one wishing my stock tires would wear out quickly so I could put some bigger on. Research said the KM's cupped easily, got noisy after some wear and threw a lot of rocks to the fender. I figured most complaints really came from a handfull of owners and decided I still wanted a Rubi. When I went to the dealer to order I spotted a used clean Rubi with 17K miles on it. Sure enough it had cupped tires and the rear fender looked sandblasted. I changed my mind and got the sahara. This time I was happy to see that they did not use the mud tire on the Rubi and that they actually were 33's. One other thing I really don't understand with the MOAB, since it really is a Sahara with the Rubi looks (which I like and I understand why people buy them) why put the aggressive tire on the MOAB and not on the Rubi instead, at least as an option???

 

[HungryKen]

At the risk of starting yet another thread for arguing about the pros/cons of a Moab, I'm asking for opinions on the tires.

I've driven a lot of different vehicles over the years, but for a DD this is my first SUV - before this mostly coupes and sedans, as well as a minivan. All of them were equipped with various qualities of "regular" all-weather tires (one set was extremely highly rated for winter use).

The KM2s so far in my opinion are as good, if not better, than any tires I've had. Sure they're a little noisy, but this winter I have had ZERO complaints with their ability. Packed or moderately deep snow (under 6 inches) - no problem! Slush - piece of cake. Ice - not great, but is any tire without studs or chains? They were a little scary at first, until I realized they were overinflated. After deflating to about 36 psi they seem fine.

I watch a lot of other vehicles struggling at stoplights to get going, I just hit the gas and take off. Sure some of this has to do with the Selec Trac, LSD, traction control, etc., but if the KM2s are the weak link in the equation, I'd say they're doing fine.

I'm not defending the KM2s - I was aware of all the negative reviews on here about them before I bought my Jeep. I figured I'd just look for a reason to justify throwing them away and spending $1000+ on new tires, but so far I'm fine with them.

BTW - reviews on other sites are much more favorable than those on this forum.

Thoughts?

I had 33in km2s on my jk for about 30,000 miles. They were worn down a little more than half way at that point. It’s a good though tire. Never had any issues on pavement, it is a Jeep after all so I wasn’t driving it like a sports car. Also switched to 35s and didn’t notice a difference as far as road noise. I’m gonna keep the 33 Ko2 s on my jl for a while. Still deciding if I want to put a lift or not but if I do I wouldn’t hesitate to go with a 35 km2 again.

 

[MrJeepNut]

I ran a set of KM2s on my TJ many years ago. My experience parallels that of many others who have posted to this thread: they're a decent tire for about half of their tread life, but then they get really buzzy and start to lose most of their wet and snow traction. Once they reach that point, they can be downright dangerous on a 2-door Wrangler when the roads are not perfectly dry-- you can find yourself pointed 180 degrees in the wrong direction before you know what happened! KM2s are tough, and will still do well off-road even after losing their on-road grip, but just be careful getting to the trailhead!

Based on that experience wth my TJ, I would never buy another set of new KM2s. If I had a Moab that came with KM2s, I would run them until they get too loud and slippery, then swap them out.

 

[Dohap]

They are great for the mud, but that is about it. As they get miles on them, they get downright dangerous in the rain and snow.

Great for the mud??? Geesas, try Simex, Silverstone Extremes or Trepadors. KM2s suck in mud, no chance to get to places when KM1 got me.

 

[Carnut12]

I had them stock on my AEV JK350, I swapped them for the KO2’s and I will say the difference is significant, the KO2’s are better in every single way. Snow/Ice/Highway/Noise everything is better. I don’t mud or rock climb so I can’t speak to that.

I sold my KM’s on Craigslist for almost as much as I paid for my KO’s so for me it was a no brainer.

 

[TexRivers]

Hmmmm....don't have our Moab yet but this thread is giving me second thoughts on the planned immediate tire swap. Thank you

Same here.

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