Does the 4xe handle better in the snow?

[JollieOllie]

I read reviews about the KO2 tires and I always wonder if they are the same tire as mine. I have found the tires to be excellent in the snow. I have now driven them in deep wet snow and deep powder snow and have always been impressed with the snow driving capability. I would not even consider buying a separate snow tire. Some of the comments I read about the KO2s seem to be so different from my experience that I'm trying to figure out why. I have not tried them yet in snowy off-road conditions. I'm talking about driving on the road in the middle or shortly after a significant snow fall.

Is it simply because the 4xe is heavier and that improves the traction that much over a "regular" Jeep Wrangler? Thoughts?

I guess I'm more interested in a discussion about comparing a non-4xe Jeep versus a 4xe Jeep rather than discussing the general merits of the snow handling capabilities of the KO2 tires.

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[driventoadventure]

For what it is worth, mine isn't a 4xe, and I have also found my KM2s to be excellent in the snow and ice.

That said, when I compare it to something like Blizzaks or other on-road Triple-Peak all-weather (not off-road all-weather) those tires are quite a bit better at the ice performance aspect of snow/ice. That is largely due to them having more rubber on the road (fewer and smaller voids than the off-road tires) and more siping in that contact area. This is at least part of where people's commentary about the KO2 being not that good comes from.

 

[BXFXJeep]

My last experience with K02s were on a 2015 JK, they were good on fresh powder snow, and slushy snow, but I found them not to have great traction on solid ice, usually the side streets have this kind of solid ice.

They weren't that great in rain either, but over all I liked them.

I do think the added weight of the 4xe makes for a better drive on snow/ICE vs my old 2018 JL Sahara.

I used Falken Wildpeak MT on both, they were exactly the same, except the 4xe has more weight + max Regen + the full time 4x4.

 

[Bmeister]

I've always liked Duratracs on my Wranglers and my Rubi 4xe was going to get a set as well. However, the KO2 have performed very well. Not quite as good in the muddy path-to-the-cabin trails as the Duratrac, but great all around otherwise for an AT tire. They're proven themselves enough that I'll likely buy another set of KO2s when mine wear out.

 

[Brandonhgt]

We have 2 4xes. One has the bridgestone duelers and the other has the k02s we run in winter. The k02s are more sure footed than the duelers in wintry conditions.

We also have a nissan armada with michelin defenders and blizzaks. In snow and ice the k02s are close to the defenders in traction but far behind the blizzaks. When the stock duelers wear out I will be replacing them with defenders if available.

My favorite part about the 4xe for driving in wintry conditions is the regenerative braking. It operates as a rather agreesive engine brake and slows the jeep without applying the brake. I really enjoy the linear stability while stopping it provides.

 

[diesel_dave]

Less than a week after taking delivery of my Rubicon 4xe and it already saved me from t-boning an idiot that blew through a snow covered intersection last night. I saw he wasn't slowing down at all and immediately jerked the wheel to the left and this thing just dug in and immediately got out of the way, but then I was in front of the idiot and had to get out of his way before he could now t-bone me. I floored the accelerator, the electric motor gave instant torque then .5 seconds later, the gas engine fired up to provide full acceleration. The Selec-trac auto 4x4 system ferociously clawed at the snow covered road and I shot out of the idiot's path just in time. No fishtailing or oversteering whatsoever with the extremely impressive electronic stability control system. It was all over in a second and I was traveling back down the same lane I started in like nothing ever happened. I know for a fact if I was driving my Tesla last night, I 100% would have understeered right into that guy. Of course my dashcam won't be here until tomorrow so I didn't even get it on video.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

4xe torque
4Hi-Auto mode
and any decent AT tire (which KO2 is)

Those are making the difference in those conditions. On a regular wrangler, 1 or 2 of those advantages don't exist (unless its a 392)

 

[BigMaCro]

Less than a week after taking delivery of my Rubicon 4xe and it already saved me from t-boning an idiot that blew through a snow covered intersection last night. I saw he wasn't slowing down at all and immediately jerked the wheel to the left and this thing just dug in and immediately got out of the way, but then I was in front of the idiot and had to get out of his way before he could now t-bone me. I floored the accelerator, the electric motor gave instant torque then .5 seconds later, the gas engine fired up to provide full acceleration. The Selec-trac auto 4x4 system ferociously clawed at the snow covered road and I shot out of the idiot's path just in time. No fishtailing or oversteering whatsoever with the extremely impressive electronic stability control system. It was all over in a second and I was traveling back down the same lane I started in like nothing ever happened. I know for a fact if I was driving my Tesla last night, I 100% would have understeered right into that guy. Of course my dashcam won't be here until tomorrow so I didn't even get it on video.

Jeesh that sounds dramatic!

My first impressions are that those kind of maneuvers in snow are riskier than just braking. But I grant that every situation is different, you were there in the driver's seat making the instantaneous decision. Glad you're okay!

The great thing, like you say, is the handling and responsiveness of the JL/4xe. I bet the stability control was hard at work maintaining intended direction! I haven't had that kind of emergency maneuver, thankfully, but otherwise have noticed the Jeep *not* getting squirrelly. It's a big change from SUVs of yesteryear!

 

[Bzinsky]

I drove through 36” of snow in my tahoe on all seasons. I could stop, start, and drive no problem.

That is lighter than my 4xe, less ground clearance, and wider, and one less axle locker.

IMO it’s really difficult gauge snow traction unless you have a lot of experiences with the tires. Snow traction is extremely variable.

One thing my jeep doesn’t have that is very useful in snow is an automatic locker or limited slip. Pain in the ass to lock the lockers.

 

[my_jeep_sucks]

IMO KO2s suck on ice. They have limited to no siping. If there’s actually snow on the ground they’re fine. I had KO2’s on my Sprinter van and it struggled on my driveway in Tahoe. I switched over to Blizzaks and it was soooo much better on icy roads. Unfortunately I waited too long to put on my dedicated snows and this happened with KO2s on.

Slid down my driveway, even with tires still rolling, and off the side of the hill (love that insurance calls this a collision).

I swapped over to the Blizzaks on the 4xe within the first week of ownership. It has never had an issue with my driveway. There have been a few times I’ve had to engage the lockers to get up to the top. The Blizzaks do well in deepish snow too. I’ve been on back roads doing 50mph in about 18” of snow and the 4xe been stable and composed. I too really like the regenerative braking for icy descents. I’ll be using 38” Milestar Patagonias as my summer tires.

So, I have a set of 5 stock sized KO2’s with less than 200 miles on them for slae

 

[Arachnids]

Falken wildpeaks are probably your best bet for winter friendly AT tires. Non LT rated models even have silica mixed in the compound just like dedicated winter tires

 

[JollieOllie]

We have 2 4xes. One has the bridgestone duelers and the other has the k02s we run in winter. The k02s are more sure footed than the duelers in wintry conditions.

We also have a nissan armada with michelin defenders and blizzaks. In snow and ice the k02s are close to the defenders in traction but far behind the blizzaks. When the stock duelers wear out I will be replacing them with defenders if available.

My favorite part about the 4xe for driving in wintry conditions is the regenerative braking. It operates as a rather agreesive engine brake and slows the jeep without applying the brake. I really enjoy the linear stability while stopping it provides.

Agreed with the regenerative braking.

Did you own a Jeep before you bought the 4xe? If you did, how do you compare the two vehicles in the snow?

 

[sconrad24]

Agreed with the regenerative braking.

Did you own a Jeep before you bought the 4xe? If you did, how do you compare the two vehicles in the snow?

I had a JK and a JKU. The JK had Terra Grapplers and the JKU had Duratracs. The 4xe on the stock duellers is the best so far in snow. The 4xe does not fish tail in the same spots that the JKs did in 2wd. My JKU was a Willys and even with a newly rebuilt limited slip the back would still start to slide on me. It was predictable. I had to work to get my 4xe to slide, it took turning off traction control and flooring it on a turn. The Duratracs were better in the rain tho.

 

[misanthropic789]

My 4xe jlu with stock tires is a rockstar in snow. Put it in 4 high auto and leave it there, use the regenerative breaking as an engine break when you approach an intersection, and the power and weight make it feel like you are driving on dry ground. I managed to make it skid once in a parking lot but I had to turn off the 4high auto and try really and, and it still wasn’t easy.

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