Sponsored

BFG Ko2's suck that bad in rain?

OP
OP
dginz

dginz

Active Member
First Name
Dane
Joined
Jul 10, 2020
Threads
8
Messages
37
Reaction score
6
Location
Towson, MD
Vehicle(s)
2020 JLU Sport S
OK, not sure I have seen it mentioned. BFG KO2 Mud Terrain (MT) is a very different animal than BFG KO2 All Terrain (AT).

I have a set of Rubi take off's on my JLU that had MT's on them when purchased. The MT's sounded like a hot mess, and handled absolutely horrid. I actually swapped back to the factory JLU Sport wheels/tires because they were so bad (my Jeep is a daily driver of ~60 highway miles).

When I finally had available cash, I replaced the MT's with AT's on that set of rims as I've had experience with AT's in the past. The difference is incredible - AT's sound fine on the highway, and have tremendous grip on wet pavement. I'll get to try them on snow soon enough. But based on my experience, I'd bet OP has MT's and not AT's...
I definitely have the AT KO2's not the MT. :LOL: Honestly I think it's just the 2017 manufacture date and being used. No clue how long they'd been sitting. Could be the PSI I'm running at 29-30 to get a better ride. Who knows.

All I know is that I'm going down to a 33in AT tire - either Toyo AT3, Cooper Discoverer or Falken Wildpeak is what I think I've narrowed down to. The Cooper and Falken I can get in SL load and Toyo in C load.

On a side note- Does anyone run 33in all-seasons? I was going to post a thread about this. I'm sure it's an unpopular tire to run on Wranglers but feel like I'd be all good in the sand and some light trails with awesome on road performance on pavement which is 90% of the time....
Sponsored

 

Gillytickle

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Threads
0
Messages
56
Reaction score
133
Location
Indiana
Vehicle(s)
2020 Willys 2.0 Turbo, 2" MOPAR lift
I've had c- rated on a few different vehicles and e-rated on a regular cab f150 with 6" lift; the e-rated ones were a nightmare in the winter and wet roads, for me. Also didn't ride worth shit but that was probably because it was on a light half ton. The C-rated has performed well for me for an AT tire.
 

panda234

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Threads
0
Messages
55
Reaction score
45
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2009 JKUR
KO2ā€™s have tons of siping on the tread blocks

348BA582-F6A2-4BD7-B5B0-0744916CA8B3.png


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

83F3B971-7DFF-462E-A673-8F1E23C53E4C.png
Here's the siping on Duratracs.
71%2BjpS-zw6L._AC_SL1001_.jpg


The susceptibility of a tire to hydroplaning is primarily a function of it's tread pattern. BFG All Terrains have had poor hydroplaning performance since they were first introduced in the 1970s, and since the overall tread pattern has changed little in the last 40+ years, they are still poor when it comes to hydroplaning.

In my experience the BFGs are pretty good in snow but poor on ice. On both surfaces the Duratracs are much, much better. The Duratracs are remarkably good on snow and ice, almost as good as a dedicated snow tire.

Where the BFGs shine are on the road where they're quiet and handle well. They are especially good in sandy terrain; the best all terrain in the sand that I've driven. I think that's at least partially due to their tread pattern which may hurt them for hydroplaning, but helps on soft ground. They're also durable and decent on rocks.
 

sam0329

Well-Known Member
First Name
Sam
Joined
Jul 15, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
75
Reaction score
53
Location
Edmonton AB
Vehicle(s)
2019 Unlimited Rubicon
Here's the siping on Duratracs.
71%2BjpS-zw6L._AC_SL1001_.jpg


The susceptibility of a tire to hydroplaning is primarily a function of it's tread pattern. BFG All Terrains have had poor hydroplaning performance since they were first introduced in the 1970s, and since the overall tread pattern has changed little in the last 40+ years, they are still poor when it comes to hydroplaning.

In my experience the BFGs are pretty good in snow but poor on ice. On both surfaces the Duratracs are much, much better. The Duratracs are remarkably good on snow and ice, almost as good as a dedicated snow tire.

Where the BFGs shine are on the road where they're quiet and handle well. They are especially good in sandy terrain; the best all terrain in the sand that I've driven. I think that's at least partially due to their tread pattern which may hurt them for hydroplaning, but helps on soft ground. They're also durable and decent on rocks.
So we had a snow fall and very icy road today. From what I can tell is the Duratracs definitely works better in blowing snow and icy road conditions. I have been driving the same road for the passed few years and last year I had KO2 and this year I have Duratracs. Duratracs brakes better and less sliding around. Again that just my own experience!
 
Last edited:

Neanderthalman

Well-Known Member
First Name
Greg
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
334
Reaction score
528
Location
Ontario, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR
I decided to tally the results in this thread by wheelbase. I skimmed, so sorry if I misinterpreted someone's opinion or how many doors their Jeep has.

So far 100% of 2-door drivers claim good traction, while only 65% of 4-door drivers say traction is good with the K02s.

Totals:
2-door, good traction = 7
2-door, bad traction = 0

4-door, good traction = 13
4-door, bad traction = 7


UserDoor countOpinion on BFG K02 traction
dginz4 doorbad
jakebrake4 doorgood
Some Random Guy4 doorbad
sam03294 doorbad
The Fixer2 doorgood
JDJL4 doorgood
drvn4 doorgood
jessedacri2 doorgood
calemasters4 doorgood
Bryce4 doorbad
chris4prez4 doorgood
Neanderthalman4 doorbad
ads752 doorgood
McKenzie2 doorgood
RedundanT4 doorgood
Drytellsr4 doorgood
Jeeporama4 doorgood
Windshieldfarmer4 doorbad
LastMango4 doorgood
Roadglide2 doorgood
AnnDee44442 doorgood
Kidcia2 doorgood
mdelzer4 doorgood
shekmark4 doorbad
nle4 doorgood
DizzyIzzy4 doorgood
captnjbk4 doorgood
You can change mine to good. I think you misinterpreted my response.

The KO2s (AT) I find are weakest in rain. That doesnā€™t mean *bad*, Theyā€™re still good, but I can peel out if I hit the gas too hard. Frankly with this much power and this much weight, you have to expect it.

The only reason I mentioned it is that itā€™s slightly counterintuitive to find rain slipperier than snow because they are just that good in the snow. With the KO2 ATs I find thatā€™s the case.

A KO2 being weakest in the rain is like the smart kid in school whining about only getting an 85 on one test.

What I wonder is this - how many people thinking they are bad in the rain have never owned a rear wheel vehicle before? That is a huge difference in feel.
 

Sponsored

AnnDee4444

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2019
Threads
49
Messages
4,685
Reaction score
6,273
Location
ā€Ž
Vehicle(s)
'18 JLR 2.0
What I wonder is this - how many people thinking they are bad in the rain have never owned a rear wheel vehicle before? That is a huge difference in feel.
I was wondering about that too. With a little stereotyping, I could also see that a 2-door buyer may be more likely to know exactly what to expect*.

*Before anyone jumps on me for this, I'm not saying ALL... and I don't care if you are a 2/4 door driver who does/doesn't know what you were getting into prior to purchase. I have not or will not do any testing, this is just my opinion.
 

Notorious

Well-Known Member
First Name
Kevin
Joined
Feb 11, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
2,215
Reaction score
4,589
Location
North Texas
Vehicle(s)
2000 TJ Sahara
I recommend GY Wrangler Duratracs. These are stout in wet weather and snow. On dry pavement theyā€™re great. If youā€™re the occasional trail warrior with mostly city driving, look into them.
 

panda234

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Threads
0
Messages
55
Reaction score
45
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2009 JKUR
I was wondering about that too. With a little stereotyping, I could also see that a 2-door buyer may be more likely to know exactly what to expect*.

*Before anyone jumps on me for this, I'm not saying ALL... and I don't care if you are a 2/4 door driver who does/doesn't know what you were getting into prior to purchase. I have not or will not do any testing, this is just my opinion.
Over the last 30+ years, I've had 3 Jeeps and a couple of pickup trucks with a lot of different tires on them. In that whole period of time, all of my other cars have been rear wheel drive except for one front wheel drive and one all wheel drive. BFG All Terrains are among the worst tires I've used when it comes to hydroplaning.

When I lived in Southern California, hydroplaning was rarely an issue and sand and street performance with the BFGs were excellent, so they were a good choice for my vehicles. Here in Colorado where some rainstorms come down in buckets, the BFGs will hydroplane and they're simply nowhere near as good as the Duratracs on snow and especially ice. Duratracs are a much better choice here. It all depends on how and where you're going to drive your vehicle.
 
OP
OP
dginz

dginz

Active Member
First Name
Dane
Joined
Jul 10, 2020
Threads
8
Messages
37
Reaction score
6
Location
Towson, MD
Vehicle(s)
2020 JLU Sport S
What I wonder is this - how many people thinking they are bad in the rain have never owned a rear wheel vehicle before? That is a huge difference in feel.
Most of my cars were rear wheel drive, most recent being an e92 M3 w/ a V8. Honestly I'd like to try a new pair of KO2's because I think they'd be better on wet roads than the current ones on my JLU. However, in my research I'm just seeing a lot of better AT options out there for a daily on pavement w/ some light occasional off road.
 

OnlyOne

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Threads
37
Messages
1,676
Reaction score
3,221
Location
Northwestern New Mexico
Vehicle(s)
2021 Sport S Diesel on 37s
Amazing how far and wide some of these ā€œreviewsā€ are. After having Duratracs on my power wagon and 3 flats due to gravel, they are the worst, shit tires I ever had on a vehicle. I replaced them with 37 KO2s and they are awesome. I was excited to try them when I bought the Ram but wow they were horrible. I couldnā€™t make it up my street in 2 wheel drive. The KO2s never slipped a tire in the same snow pack. Never had a hydroplane incident on the PW or my JLā€™s. Thatā€™s my one and only experience with the Goodyear. And the last.
 

Sponsored

JLUCQ

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
138
Reaction score
426
Location
MA
Vehicle(s)
2022 392
I had KO2s on my 2013 Raptor, my 2018 Raptor, and now I have the stock KO2s on my JLUR. Both Raptors obviously had much more power than my Jeep and I never thought the KO2 was a bad tire in the rain or anywhere for that matter. Are you guys really flooring it and if you get some wheelspin on a wet road you say the tire sucks? What do you think is going to happen?
 

Whaler27

Well-Known Member
First Name
Alex
Joined
Jul 1, 2020
Threads
48
Messages
1,903
Reaction score
3,758
Location
Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2019 JL, 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude Ecodiesel, 2005 Mustang GT, 2018 Ford Raptor, 2018 BMW R1200GSA, 2020 Honda Monkeybikes (2), 1972 Honda CT-70, 1980 Honda CT-70,
Occupation
Saving the world :-)
I think itā€™s important to separate those who highlight the KO2 propensity to hydroplane from those who complain about their traction on wet pavement. The former is well known. The latter doesnā€˜t seem to be borne out by the experience of most folks posting here or the larger polling samples linked above.

Unexpected loss of traction can be a very scary event, especially at speed. When it happens to us we tend to remember it.

It rains a lot in my state, but the summer is very dry. Between July and September itā€™s not uncommon to go six or eight weeks without any rainfall. During protracted periods without rain the pavement gradually accumulates a coating of oils and other substances which act like grease when they get wet. When the rain finally returns, the pavement is extremely slippery for a day or three until that mix of petroleum products is washed from the road surface. We always have a HUGE surge in the number of crashes with the first rains. Iā€™ve gone to a lot of these crashes, and Iā€™ve experienced the traction loss during these conditions while running the very best tires on my work vehicles. I can say with absolute confidence that every tire can and does lose traction under such conditions ā€” but if youā€™re the guy who lost traction on THAT particular wet day, you probably lost some confidence in whatever tire you were running, and you will remember it, though you may not recall how long it had been since the last rain. Thatā€™s why Iā€™m always interested in independent testing that subjects all tested tires to the same challenges and stresses. If such testing isnā€™t available, or it isnā€™t fully independent, I favor the polling with the biggest number of responders, because the proportions of experiences like the above should even out over a larger population.
 

Milk Money

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jeff
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
54
Reaction score
39
Location
Lake Orion, MI
Vehicle(s)
2019 JLU Sport S (previously 2008 JKU Sahara, 1998 TJ Sport)
Occupation
Engineer at GM
Vehicle Showcase
1
I think itā€™s important to separate those who highlight the KO2 propensity to hydroplane from those who complain about their traction on wet pavement. The former is well known. The latter doesnā€˜t seem to be borne out by the experience of most folks posting here or the larger polling samples linked above.

Unexpected loss of traction can be a very scary event, especially at speed. When it happens to us we tend to remember it.

It rains a lot in my state, but the summer is very dry. Between July and September itā€™s not uncommon to go six or eight weeks without any rainfall. During protracted periods without rain the pavement gradually accumulates a coating of oils and other substances which act like grease when they get wet. When the rain finally returns, the pavement is extremely slippery for a day or three until that mix of petroleum products is washed from the road surface. We always have a HUGE surge in the number of crashes with the first rains. Iā€™ve gone to a lot of these crashes, and Iā€™ve experienced the traction loss during these conditions while running the very best tires on my work vehicles. I can say with absolute confidence that every tire can and does lose traction under such conditions ā€” but if youā€™re the guy who lost traction on THAT particular wet day, you probably lost some confidence in whatever tire you were running, and you will remember it, though you may not recall how long it had been since the last rain. Thatā€™s why Iā€™m always interested in independent testing that subjects all tested tires to the same challenges and stresses. If such testing isnā€™t available, or it isnā€™t fully independent, I favor the polling with the biggest number of responders, because the proportions of experiences like the above should even out over a larger population.
When I was trying to decide on which tires to replace the stock tires, I did a lot of research. What size did I want. What appearances I was going for. How capable I wanted the tire to be. Which conditions I felt were the most important.

This research led me to the tire ratings charts at TireRack. It's thorough and includes the number of miles the reviewers (users) have based their ratings on, includes the average ratings, and has a tool for you to customize the ratings based on your own personal driving preferences.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT

I ended up with the BFG All Terrain T/A KO2's for a few reasons:
1) ratings for my top few choices were pretty close when adjusted for what I wanted (winter traction being most important)
2) not a fan of Pirelli (bad experience on another vehicle)
3) the General Grabber AT/X (my top choice) wasn't easily available
4) I stumbled into an awesome sale on Amazon and the local Belle Tire matched the price ($189/tire)

Give this a shot to find which tire makes the most sense for you.
 
Last edited:

Whaler27

Well-Known Member
First Name
Alex
Joined
Jul 1, 2020
Threads
48
Messages
1,903
Reaction score
3,758
Location
Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2019 JL, 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude Ecodiesel, 2005 Mustang GT, 2018 Ford Raptor, 2018 BMW R1200GSA, 2020 Honda Monkeybikes (2), 1972 Honda CT-70, 1980 Honda CT-70,
Occupation
Saving the world :-)
When I was trying to decide on which tires to replace the stock tires, I did a lot of research. What size did I want. What appearances I was going for. How capable I wanted the tire to be. Which conditions I felt were the most important.

This research led me to the tire ratings charts at TireRack. It's thorough and includes the number of miles the reviewers (users) have based their ratings on, includes the average ratings, and has a tool for you to customize the ratings based on your own personal driving preferences.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT
.
I agree. Great resource. Thatā€™s why I linked the Tire Rack surveys earlier in the thread, and then linked related research.
 
 



Top