Ideal tire size..

[Zacreth]

I hope you didn’t pay an extra $200/tire… should be more like $50/tire difference.

Where is that from? Tire rack has them for 553, discount tire has them for 403....

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[Zandcwhite]

Where is that from? Tire rack has them for 553, discount tire has them for 403....

4 wheel parts

 

[guarnibl]

I hope you didn’t pay an extra $200/tire… should be more like $50/tire difference.

Prices fluctuate depending on market conditions. I'm not sure what I paid -- was just going off what Tire Rack pricing said. I always buy my tires at Discount Tire which is typically the best price available.

That said, Discount Tire would match that pricing on 4wheelparts -- so if that's real, then we're only talking a price difference of ~$50 per tire. Not as material, at that point.

 

[omnitonic]

When I had my Tacoma I wanted to go ride some trails until I was told I wouldn't be able to unless I was 35" or higher plus other gear.

When I got my Willys, I talked to a local Jeep club about this trail they were going to go do, and they gave me heavy and dire warnings about trying that trail in my mostly stock Jeep.

I talked to them again after I finished my recent build (2.50" lift and 35s), and one of the guys admitted he helped a guy get through that trail with 3.07 gears and 31" tires. I had already accepted that I would never be able to do that trail, because I wasn't going to spend the money to run 37s properly. I, personally, would not run 37s with beefing up basically everything across the board, and that's more than I can afford.

I'm happy with the 35s. I gained a lot of clearance between the lift and the tires, and while the gearing totally sucks with the 3.45s and 6MT, it's tolerable until I can get something done about the gears one way or another. I dropped 5 mpg, and I have a 4-speed now, but I can get to work, and I can wheel, although it's definitely going to perform better on both fronts when I go to 4.56 gears.

 

[sourdough]

For mostly hi way, I'd stop @ 35's on a JLU. I happily have been running 37"Cooper STT Pros on my JLR but it has not been a daily driver. I maybe switching to 35" Cooper STT Pros but I'll never go less than that or A/T's Haha. Not a BFG KO2 fan boy.

 

[Zandcwhite]

For mostly hi way, I'd stop @ 35's on a JLU. I happily have been running 37"Cooper STT Pros on my JLR but it has not been a daily driver. I maybe switching to 35" Cooper STT Pros but I'll never go less than that or A/T's Haha. Not a BFG KO2 fan boy.

I always find it weird how much people love the KO2’s. You see guys swapping their brand new stockers out for 35’s or 37’s of the same marginal off road tire all the time on here. The loose dirt, deep snow, sand, and mud performance of the KO2 is one of the worst of all the off road tires I’ve ever run. The difference on road is blown way out of proportion for the number of drawbacks off road. Sure they are light, which contributes to the weak side walls. It seems like a lot of people have never run a modern mt or hybrid tire on the street and cling to the memory of old super swamppers howling and squirming down the road. Our Jeep tracks straight, handles mountain passes across Utah at 80+mph, and rolls smooth and quiet on geolander x-mt’s, literally one of the most aggressive tires you can buy. If I lived somewhere that was icy on a regular basis I’d lean more towards a hybrid tire, but I’d never buy a set of ko2s.

 

[AcesandEights]

Maybe it's based on experience. My BFG AT tires, all iterations of them (original, KO, KO2), have middle-of-the-road performance when off road. They have done very well in the snow for me. I've used Cooper, Goodyear, Pirelli tires on trucks and Jeeps and nothing has performed "well" in as many conditions; although other tires have performed better in some conditions. That being said, BFG AT haven't excelled at anything, except snow (for me). I'm not sure I'll ever run another Goodyear or Cooper tire, they were so bad in comparison to BFG AT and MT tires (at various things).

I think that's why you see people swapping BFG AT for BFG AT, they are like the DR650 of tires. They don't have any horsepower, they don't handle great, they're uncomfortable on a long ride...but, if you're going to ride 'round the world, there may not be a better option.

Also, you can get a BFG AT in just about any size.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Maybe it's based on experience. My BFG AT tires, all iterations of them (original, KO, KO2), have middle-of-the-road performance when off road. They have done very well in the snow for me. I've used Cooper, Goodyear, Pirelli tires on trucks and Jeeps and nothing has performed "well" in as many conditions; although other tires have performed better in some conditions. That being said, BFG AT haven't excelled at anything, except snow (for me). I'm not sure I'll ever run another Goodyear or Cooper tire, they were so bad in comparison to BFG AT and MT tires (at various things).

I think that's why you see people swapping BFG AT for BFG AT, they are like the DR650 of tires. They don't have any horsepower, they don't handle great, they're uncomfortable on a long ride...but, if you're going to ride 'round the world, there may not be a better option.

Also, you can get a BFG AT in just about any size.

Granted the KO2 is one of the only true AT tires I’ve ever run, but with the road manners of a modern maxxis razr or general grabber (I’ve run both on my truck and would say they are as good as a ko2 on the street) combined with their much better off road performance I have no desire to try out other at’s. The Razr’s lasted 50k miles, towed over 8,000 lbs a few times, hauled as heavy as a 2500 lb pallet in the bed, and ran the Mojave road at speeds up to 100mph. Crossed the “dry” lake bed in February when it’s supposedly “impassable”, and although it was a mile and a half full throttle mud bog we made it through. The ko2’s would have had a 0% chance in those conditions. To each his own, but I have no desire to compromise so much for a marginal gain on the street.

 

[GATORB8]

35" tires and maybe tiny lift (daystar 3/4") spacers will satisfy your offroading needs (as you have described) without any sweat and scraping.

You would be perfectly fine to do all of your offroading in stock condition.

I did have some minor bumper rub disconnected, turned and stuffed with 35s and a 2” spacer lift today. That’s with extended bump stops.

 

[guarnibl]

When I got my Willys, I talked to a local Jeep club about this trail they were going to go do, and they gave me heavy and dire warnings about trying that trail in my mostly stock Jeep.

I talked to them again after I finished my recent build (2.50" lift and 35s), and one of the guys admitted he helped a guy get through that trail with 3.07 gears and 31" tires. I had already accepted that I would never be able to do that trail, because I wasn't going to spend the money to run 37s properly. I, personally, would not run 37s with beefing up basically everything across the board, and that's more than I can afford.

I'm happy with the 35s. I gained a lot of clearance between the lift and the tires, and while the gearing totally sucks with the 3.45s and 6MT, it's tolerable until I can get something done about the gears one way or another. I dropped 5 mpg, and I have a 4-speed now, but I can get to work, and I can wheel, although it's definitely going to perform better on both fronts when I go to 4.56 gears.

What 35’s do you have ?

 

[guarnibl]

I always find it weird how much people love the KO2’s. You see guys swapping their brand new stockers out for 35’s or 37’s of the same marginal off road tire all the time on here. The loose dirt, deep snow, sand, and mud performance of the KO2 is one of the worst of all the off road tires I’ve ever run. The difference on road is blown way out of proportion for the number of drawbacks off road. Sure they are light, which contributes to the weak side walls. It seems like a lot of people have never run a modern mt or hybrid tire on the street and cling to the memory of old super swamppers howling and squirming down the road. Our Jeep tracks straight, handles mountain passes across Utah at 80+mph, and rolls smooth and quiet on geolander x-mt’s, literally one of the most aggressive tires you can buy. If I lived somewhere that was icy on a regular basis I’d lean more towards a hybrid tire, but I’d never buy a set of ko2s.

KO2's are great if you're not wheeling in deep snow, thick mud, or sharp rocks. If you are, KO2 is not a good choice. They're literally supposed to be a marginal off road tire, that's why they're an AT.

Buy an AT if it fits your use case, if it doesn't, get an MT. If you can only run one tire and will run into that scenario you mentioned, it's probably the best bet to get an MT. As you stated, they perform just fine on road. The only issue I've found is they can get a bit hairy in light snow where it's near freezing.

I love my KO2's because all of my Jeep's get used, but some only for pretty light duty and occasional Moab trip. KO2's are great for my use case here. Never deep snow, never thick mud, and never sharp rocks. And I don't need to re-gear.

I love my Nittos (and my treps) because they're stickier, I can get them in a larger tire size, and they're strong AF for when I'm on sharp rocks. I do have to replace them more frequently because after 30,000 miles they were getting loud. But never had a "performance" issue on road with them.

 

[Zandcwhite]

KO2's are great if you're not wheeling in deep snow, thick mud, or sharp rocks. If you are, KO2 is not a good choice. They're literally supposed to be a marginal off road tire, that's why they're an AT.

Buy an AT if it fits your use case, if it doesn't, get an MT. If you can only run one tire and will run into that scenario you mentioned, it's probably the best bet to get an MT. As you stated, they perform just fine on road. The only issue I've found is they can get a bit hairy in light snow where it's near freezing.

I love my KO2's because all of my Jeep's get used, but some only for pretty light duty and occasional Moab trip. KO2's are great for my use case here. Never deep snow, never thick mud, and never sharp rocks. And I don't need to re-gear.

I love my Nittos (and my treps) because they're stickier, I can get them in a larger tire size, and they're strong AF for when I'm on sharp rocks. I do have to replace them more frequently because after 30,000 miles they were getting loud. But never had a "performance" issue on road with them.

So what you're saying is KO2s are great on graded dirt roads? Even if I were going more towards the street bias, there are simply better at's for a rig that sees any real off road work. Ridge grapplers, baja boss A/T's etc will perform the same as the ko2 on road and beat it out just about anywhere off road. Tires are as much personal preference as function, but nothing about the ko2 has ever impressed me.

 

[guarnibl]

So what you're saying is KO2s are great on graded dirt roads? Even if I were going more towards the street bias, there are simply better at's for a rig that sees any real off road work. Ridge grapplers, baja boss A/T's etc will perform the same as the ko2 on road and beat it out just about anywhere off road. Tires are as much personal preference as function, but nothing about the ko2 has ever impressed me.

I wasn't trying to discount your opinion, but mine differs greatly than yours based on this post. I guess if you count everything below an 8 in Moab a graded dirt road, then fine.

Ridge Grapplers are not an AT, they're a hybrid, and they're heavy AF. Just never bothered with them for that reason but if you don't mind weight, they're probably a great option. I haven't tried Baja Boss but heard good things recently. I think that's also a hybrid as well. edit: also heavy AF. I suppose if you are in winter conditions frequently, the hybrid might make sense as you retain the deep snow/mud performance but don't sacrifice the light snow/sleet/freezing rain scenario.

It's totally fine you don't like KO2's. I was just stating why I like it. Light, tall tire -- does fine for what I need it to do (and not just graded dirt). Both options you presented seem to be a lot heavier, which is what I'm trying to avoid.

 

[Jeep4Win]

I have a two door and am just fine with 33 inches but a four door I would assume 35 would be a pretty good spot to be.

 

[omnitonic]

It seems like a lot of people have never run a modern mt or hybrid tire on the street and cling to the memory of old super swamppers howling and squirming down the road.

If my Willys hadn't come stock with Firestone Destination MT/2s, I probably would have ended up on a set of KO2s. I almost put KO2s on my pickup truck. They get awesome reviews, and everybody loves them.

But my Willys did come stock with the MT/2s. I commuted on full blown mud tires. I drove in heavy rain. I never did get the MT/2s in anything cold, but I was really surprised how well they handled on pavement. Of course they handled very well on dirt and mud. So well that I was afraid of compromising my dirt and mud performance by getting KO2s or something like them. Mud terrains aren't the greatest on pavement, but they're a lot better than they used to be. I was going to go with KM3s, X3s, or MT/2s in my new tire size, but I ended up on a set of Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ P3s, because they were in stock. So far, I'm very happy with them. They were pretty damn squirrely for the first 200 miles, and they hold onto rocks more than the Firestones did, but I think they're going to work out.

I'm glad I had a chance to try a set of mud terrains, or else I surely would have gone with KO2s. The one place all terrains are especially weak is mud, and most of my time off pavement is spent on dirt. With mud terrains, I don't care how much water has mixed itself in with that dirt. This thing just goes. The tires do talk to you going down the road, but that's okay.

What 35’s do you have ?

I wanted 35x12.50R17, but all I could get were the 315/70R17s. As a data point, Mickey Thompson's catalog lists these as a 34.6" diameter. I set my speedo up for 34.5" originally, and it was reading 1 mph faster than I was actually going. Every hour, I'm putting a fake mile on my odometer that way, so I went back to the drawing board and tried 34.75" for the speedo. The error persisted. When I set it to 34.25" my speedo was either in sync with GPS or reading 1 mph slower than I was actually traveling. I'd rather have the odometer missing one mile every hour than posting a phantom mile that I didn't actually drive.

So these are basically 34s, in other words. Oh well. They're still taller than my stock 32s, and they don't look small.

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