BFG Ko2's suck that bad in rain?

[LastMango]

New to Jeeps. I fitted 315/70/17 BFG KO2's on my JLU sitting on 17x9" et 12 Method wheels. Running 30psi. The tires were used w/ only about 8K mls on them. Long story short, they are HORRID for wet traction. I'm fish tailing barely pressing the gas, and came to a light stop sliding... this doesn't seem normal. Or is it? Thanks

I've got 33" BFGs... and I think their road manners are pretty good. I can unglue them in the rain if I do something stupid, (like gun it in a turn over a freshly painted crosswalk—oops), but generally speaking—they behave as expected. I tend to keep them at about 35-37psi for normal driving (no haters, please). I'm in Florida—it rains a lot in the summer... and hard. No issues. But I will back up what someone else said—standing water at speed can be an issue. If you weren't paying attention before hitting such a puddle, guarantee you will be for the rest of that trip.

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[SecondTJ]

My BFG KO2's were good in the rain, but not very good in snow since they have no siping.

KO2’s have tons of siping on the tread blocks

Here is an MT with solid tread blocks. This is what no siping looks like

 

[Black Jeep Convertible]

Get the new Toyo Open Country 3. Looks similar to ko2's with slightly less aggressive sidewalls and performs much better in the rain
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...dewall=Blackwall&partnum=525R7OCAT3&tab=Sizes

 

[Roadglide]

Yeah I’m thinking these particular tires may be bad. I don’t get it. Guess that’s what I get buying used tires.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

I have a two door Rubicon with the same tires and bigger wheels. I live almost in the Everglades, FL so I know about rain. No problems with mine. Try a set of Goodyear Wranglers if you really want to slide around.

 

[AnnDee4444]

I have a theory: It seems like all of the people claiming poor traction are driving a 4-door, while all of the 2-door drivers claim good traction. This could be due to the characteristics of the different wheelbases when using the same rear suspension setup. Basically the shorter wheelbase & different center of gravity would allow the 2-door to put the power down better than a 4-door.

These articles discuss the suspension mounting points, which I don't believe change between the different wheelbases, but the same principles do apply to the wheelbase changes.
https://www.crawlpedia.com/4_link_suspension.htm
https://jsmachineandfab.com/2016/06/14/tech-talk-instant-center/


If this drawing could be considered a 2-door, making the wheelbase longer would move the anti-squat line closer to (or even the other side) of the instant center (the instant center should be the same between the two wheelbases).

 

[Drytellsr]

I have a theory: It seems like all of the people claiming poor traction are driving a 4-door, while all of the 2-door drivers claim good traction. This could be due to the characteristics of the different wheelbases when using the same rear suspension setup. Basically the shorter wheelbase & different center of gravity would allow the 2-door to put the power down better than a 4-door.

These articles discuss the suspension mounting points, which I don't believe change between the different wheelbases, but the same principles do apply to the wheelbase changes.
https://www.crawlpedia.com/4_link_suspension.htm
https://jsmachineandfab.com/2016/06/14/tech-talk-instant-center/


If this drawing could be considered a 2-door, making the wheelbase longer would move the anti-squat line closer to (or even the other side) of the instant center (the instant center should be the same between the two wheelbases).

You can toss that theory out. JLUR here

 

[AnnDee4444]

You can toss that theory out. JLUR here

I assume you're implying that your 4-door has good traction, correct? If so, I worded my post to specifically exclude 4-door drivers that claim good traction.

 

[Kidcia]

I got the street tires originally and slid like a mustang leaving a car meet in minor rain. Out some ko2s and if im rough on the gas or up a steep hill itll kick out a little. I havent had this issue driving on my fathers falken 35s in much heavier rain situations. But im in ny. And honestly not even complaining. K02s are justice compared to the stocks that feel bald on a mm of water. But thats to be expected with the height and weight setup of the car in general. Wide tires probably make it worse. High torque as well.

 

[dginz]

Get the new Toyo Open Country 3. Looks similar to ko2's with slightly less aggressive sidewalls and performs much better in the rain
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Toyo&tireModel=Open+Country+A/T+III&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=525R7OCAT3&tab=Sizes

Yeah it’s funny I’ve been taking a hard look at these tires and they seem awesome from what I’m seeing on reviews.

In addition, for a less aggressive AT hybrid tire I’ve been reading about
Continental terraincontact and Cooper discoverer. Both these tires are more geared toward the road but will function for light off road (light trails and sand) which seems right up my alley as my JLU is a daily and on road 90% of the time. I know these are probably an unpopular choice here but they seem like a great option.

I’m pretty sure I’m also sizing down to a 33 tire.

 

[RedundanT]

Get the new Toyo Open Country 3. Looks similar to ko2's with slightly less aggressive sidewalls and performs much better in the rain
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...dewall=Blackwall&partnum=525R7OCAT3&tab=Sizes

And never go off road........

 

[mdelzer]

New to Jeeps. I fitted 315/70/17 BFG KO2's on my JLU sitting on 17x9" et 12 Method wheels. Running 30psi. The tires were used w/ only about 8K mls on them. Long story short, they are HORRID for wet traction. I'm fish tailing barely pressing the gas, and came to a light stop sliding... this doesn't seem normal. Or is it? Thanks

Personally that sounds like it's tire pressure related. The lower pressure is increasing your contact patch and spreading out the load which combined with the wet surface is reducing the amount of friction your tires have to hold contact.

I have a 2018 JLUR with factory KO2s. While they don't perform amazing on wet roads, they are definitely not terrible. I run mine at 36-37 psi on the street.

 

[shekmark]

I hated my KO2s ( they are in my garage and my daughter wanted them on her JK and I refuse to put them on hers), and swtiched to Duratracs and they are MUCH better in the rain. Have not tried them in snow yet. I think Wildpeak AT in size 33 ( I think 35's are different compund) and those TOYO AT3 and Coopers would all be even better then the Duratracs because they all list silicon in the compound and all have lots of siping. I have been accused of being an aggressive driver ( owned Corvette, Porsches) but I know the difference and I tone my speed down in my Jeep ( and still thought the KO2 suck). That's my opinion for what it's worth. Funny how diverse the opinions on this tire are.

 

[COSJL]

KO2's did not work well on snowpacked roads for me either, compared to Duratracs or Falkens. Even on dry imperfect pavement they weren't as grippy . Not terrible by any means but not great. But they gripped really well aired down on rocky trails and were quite and comfortable on the highway , so overall a decent tire. Plus the sidewall seems to hold up pretty well to sharp rocks.

 

[SolarWizard]

Cooper AT3 XLT tires are unbelievably good in both snow and rain if you decide to replace them.
in my experience they’re as close to KO2s off-road that the only reason to buy the bfg is if you prefer the look

 

[Whaler27]

I hated my KO2s ( they are in my garage and my daughter wanted them on her JK and I refuse to put them on hers), and swtiched to Duratracs and they are MUCH better in the rain. Have not tried them in snow yet. I think Wildpeak AT in size 33 ( I think 35's are different compund) and those TOYO AT3 and Coopers would all be even better then the Duratracs because they all list silicon in the compound and all have lots of siping. I have been accused of being an aggressive driver ( owned Corvette, Porsches) but I know the difference and I tone my speed down in my Jeep ( and still thought the KO2 suck). That's my opinion for what it's worth. Funny how diverse the opinions on this tire are.

Duratracs are fantastic tires, and they’re pinned for studs. We ran a studded set of 35s for two wet and snowy years on a Tundra. It was the best overall winter traction I’ve ever had. My standing-water scares with the BFGs had me white-knuckling it every time we hit a big puddle, but After two years of the Duratracs cutting through those puddles without problems it was enough to erase most of the butt-pucker. They also clear mud really well. The only complaint I’ve heard about them is poor sidewall durability, but I have no experience with that, as we didn’t wheel the Tundra. I had hoped to run BFGs on the Rubi in the summer and studded Duratracs in the winter, but they don’t make a 17 x 37. If any of you experience with a great studable 37 please PM me the details.

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