DanW
Well-Known Member
I think you'll be quite pleased with them off-road. I had KM2's on my JK and the KO2's aren't far off in mud and dirt. They'll probably be pretty close on the rocks, and in sand, they are superior. I'm really enjoying how much quieter they are and how much smoother they ride than the KM2. Oh yeah, they destroy the KM2 on snow. Guess you won't have to worry too much about that, though!I just made the swap from Bridgestone A/S on the stock 5-spoke JLUS wheel to the BFG KO2's on the stock JLUR wheel. Here's my impressions:
1. Looks. As you can see from the pics that others have posted (LHB in post #33 in this thread has a great sequence), the difference is night and day. Even more so in person than in the pictures. Goes from "wanna be mall crawler" to "where the mud at?". Looks rugged and fantastic. Still only gonna off-road 1-2x/yr, but nobody needs to know that. Makes me feel like a man every time I look at the new wheels and tires. Strip mall parking spot curbs, beware!
2. Road/tire noise. I am in my late 40's and want my car ride to be as quiet as possible, so I really notice road noise. Probably the one thing I dislike about my JKUMoab is how loud the wind and tire noise is at highway speeds. So, on the JLUS if the all-seasons were a 1 (on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being loudest), then I'd rate the KO2's as a 2.5-3. Below 40mph there is little noise. At highway speeds it is noticeable but still would rate it as very light. Doesn't interfere with conversation, and is quieter than either engine noise or wind noise. If you weren't thinking about it, you wouldn't notice it. Goes from 2.5 to 3 when you hit bad pavement that would be noisy with any tire. Love the quietness here.
3. Handling. In a straight line, there is pretty much no difference. I keep trying to convince myself that the right is slightly rougher (maybe going from 1-->1.5, with 10 being the roughest) but it is barely noticeable. And again, I am in old-man mode when it comes to a rough ride. I don't like feeling like someone is punching my kidneys repeatedly every time I go for a drive. But the KO2's are smooth. Cornering I take it slightly easier with the new tires. And who cares. You're not buying a jeep to take a corner at 60mph. No difference with the swap there.
3.5. Handling--JLUS vs JLUR. As long as I'm giving my impressions, thought I'd chime in here. Test drove a JLUR with the KO2's just to check on tire/road noise prior to the swap. I did notice that the JLUR appears to ride higher than the JLUS, and the JLUR definitely has a softer suspension. "Bouncier", as my son said as we drove down the road at about 35mph. But then again, probably far more appropriate for off roading. JLUS suspension is firmer/feels more stable, definitely more suited to the everyday asphalt commute. Which is why I bought a Sahara. All good. Everyone choose the flavor that works best for you. Just glad that Jeep actually tuned the models differently to make it a real choice!
4. Off Road. No idea, haven't been off road with them yet. Will go out on a limb here and say that the KO2's will handle non-pavement better than bridgestone all-seasons.
5. Gas mileage. Still on the first tank, nothing to notice yet.
6. Overall. I'd take the KO2's all day long and twice on Sundays. Highly recommend the switch for those so inclined. And again, this is moving from the all-seasons on the sahara wheels. If you already have the all-terrain tires, I'm guessing that any 'negative' differences will be even slighter. Seriously--make the change!!!
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