Tire comparisons, Owner ratings chart. What's good and what's hype

[2mnycars]

KO2 Winter Report

First time Jeep owner. I have the Rubicon 4xe. We received 46 cm (18 inches) in Ottawa today and my Jeep is totally stock with the KO2s. I was pleasantly surprised with the KO2s, again first time Jeep owner and I have nothing to compare it to. I had constant traction. I was out before the snow plows and barely noticed the wheels spinning. It actually did not feel like I was in a snow storm. Utterly amazed by both the Jeep and the tires. I drove through big piles of snow left by the snow plows. I deliberately stopped in those snow piles to get stuck. Nothing. The Jeep just kept on going. I LOVE this Jeep!!!
I will note that in the summer rains, the tire did not meet my expectations with traction not what I had hoped it would be. But winter usage - amazing!
It was not wet snow, more powdery.

I'm happy to see your post. I went to high school in Ottawa/Nepean. Wrangler has Blizzaks. More concerned about ice. And black ice. Toronto doesn't get much snow. How are the B.G.'s on ice?

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[panda234]

I've had Blizzaks on other cars, and KO2s and Duratracs on my Jeeps. New Blizzaks are the best non-studded tires I've ever driven on ice. I'd say that Duratracs have about 70% as much traction as Blizzaks on ice, and KO2s have about 50% as much. If the area is fairly flat, they're all fine as long as you drive within the tires' limits. If you have fairly steep hills, like I do in my area, there have been a couple of days over the last 15 years that I've lived here when Blizzaks were okay but marginal, Duratracs were able to get around but very sketchy, requiring extremely careful driving, and the KO2s were a total no go.

 

[panda234]

black ice is my concern.
And untrained drivers with cars that aren't maintained for winters and have not traction. Blizzaks for that reason on the Wrangerl. Not worried about snow. Been a ski instructor for 35 years.

I totally agree with your post here. Luckily, black ice is fairly uncommon where I live, so the Duratracs have been adequate for my needs. If I had to deal with black ice more often, I'd put Blizzaks or something comparable on my Jeep. They only issue I've had with Blizzaks over the years is that there's a significant fall off in snow and ice performance when they get to about half tread depth.

 

[JollieOllie]

I'm happy to see your post. I went to high school in Ottawa/Nepean. Wrangler has Blizzaks. More concerned about ice. And black ice. Toronto doesn't get much snow. How are the B.G.'s on ice?

My understanding is that the KO2s are not as good as the Blizzaks on ice. I did not run into much ice this winter, so I can't give you any comments on that. I was happy with the overall winter performance of the tire.

 

[Tethmes]

View attachment 596515

On my quest for tires I've come across multiple threads that become tire debates. There are a lot of threads but not a lot of ways to compare one to another. I hope this thread/chart will serve as an easy reference tool to help people compare tires without having to read a thread for every tire they want to look at. It may also help them find a tire they didn't realize they might be interested in. To do this, I need your help.

I made the above chart based on actual user experience. I also added ratings from vendor/manufacturer on common tires discussed (some aren't rated yet). I will also add tires if someone reviews one that isn't on the list.

To contribute to the chart simply post what tire you want to rate, along with your ratings in the same order as the chart (Tire, Noise, Ride, Dry, Wet, Snow, Trail, Look, Overall). If you haven't driven in a condition, such as snow for you southerners, simply put a "0" or "x" for that rating.
For example someone from Florida wants to rate the Duratrac but they've never had them in the snow. They could post "Duratrac 9, 9, 10, 9, x, 8, 7, 9" and I'll add their rating in.

To clarify my categories. 1 is the worst 10 is the best.
Noise = I'm talking about road noise. How loud are they when you're driving?
Ride = How do they feel? Shhhh don't tell, but Jeeps drive on the road too, not just the trail. How does this tire feel on the road?
Dry = Do they corner well, do the stop well, do they spin easily when you accelerate?
Wet = This is the same question as dry, but when the ground is wet.
Snow = This lumps light snow, deep snow, slush and ice together. How does the tire handle in winter conditions.
Trail = This lumps all off-road use together. Rocks, dirt, sand, mud, etc. I know some tires are specific to different off-road conditions, but this chart is simplified. Just give it an overall trail rating on your experience.
Look = How do you like the look of the tire/tread? Are they aggressive enough looking, are they boring?
Overall = You're overall take on the tire. It doesn't have to be an average of your ratings. You may love the tire, despite it falling short in some categories.
Wear = Do they wear out fast/unevenly or do they wear like iron? Do the tread blocks chip off on the edges or do they hold up well to abuse. How is this tire in regards to durability.

That's it. Post up your ratings, and I'll continue to update the chart. Obviously we can have discussion about various tires throughout the thread too. Hopefully this goes as planned, and it will become a great tool.

EDIT/ADDITION:
Upon popular request, I added a category to the chart for wear. Same 1-10 scale, but you can rate how they've held up for you.

Haven't read the whole thread to see if anyone else has mentioned, but the snow rating listed on the Mickey Thompson ATZ is 17.2. (pretty sure that's a typo?)

Definitely bookmarking this thread to come back to when I'm looking for tires in a couple years, and after I get some decent time on my current rubber will also come back with my own ratings to add to the pool.

 

[2mnycars]

I totally agree with your post here. Luckily, black ice is fairly uncommon where I live, so the Duratracs have been adequate for my needs. If I had to deal with black ice more often, I'd put Blizzaks or something comparable on my Jeep. They only issue I've had with Blizzaks over the years is that there's a significant fall off in snow and ice performance when they get to about half tread depth.

I believe the truck tires are different. The car tires I think used to be more an all season tire at 1/2 depth.
I've virtually switched to Michelin X-ice for car tires. Have them on my Forester too....they have served well.

The Blizzaks on the Wrangler fill with snow....They are a truck tire. I forget the designation.

 

[panda234]

I'm right there with you on the X-ice vs Blizzaks on cars. I've never gone to full snows on any truck or Jeep that I've owned, so I bow to your experience in that regard.

 

[2mnycars]

I'm right there with you on the X-ice vs Blizzaks on cars. I've never gone to full snows on any truck or Jeep that I've owned, so I bow to your experience in that regard.

Thanks. Had the same model of Blizzaks on a couple of Porsche Cayennes.

Here there are so many people driving wrecks with no snow tires I want to have good traction to get away from them. And we get black ice often.

 

[wnorton]

Great thread. Thanks for sharing this info.

 

[Shots]

..... Since I live where snow and ice are pretty common, that was a deciding factor. ....

This is a major factor in my tire selections too. We get a lot of snow here (lake effect) so snow/ice traction are very important.

My understanding is that the KO2s are not as good as the Blizzaks on ice. ....

That makes sense. You'll be hard pressed to find an all season or A/T tire that can compete with a dedicated snow/winter tire. The Blizzak is a great tire, but it is purpose built for winter conditions, so they should excel there. The KO2 and Durtrac will likely out perform the Blizzak in the summer, and wear.

Haven't read the whole thread to see if anyone else has mentioned, but the snow rating listed on the Mickey Thompson ATZ is 17.2. (pretty sure that's a typo?)....

Good eye, yes it was a typo. The highest possible rating is a 10. Thanks for pointing it out, it's been corrected.

 

[blnewt]

Good eye, yes it was a typo. The highest possible rating is a 10. Thanks for pointing it out, it's been corrected.

Darn, I have a set of ATZs in my shed waiting to be installed, I was looking forward to flying past all those suckers that have tire chains going up those mountain passes next winter, oh well

 

[damageinc321]

This is a major factor in my tire selections too. We get a lot of snow here (lake effect) so snow/ice traction are very important.

That makes sense. You'll be hard pressed to find an all season or A/T tire that can compete with a dedicated snow/winter tire. The Blizzak is a great tire, but it is purpose built for winter conditions, so they should excel there. The KO2 and Durtrac will likely out perform the Blizzak in the summer, and wear.

Good eye, yes it was a typo. The highest possible rating is a 10. Thanks for pointing it out, it's been corrected.

I have my summer tire set up but I'm looking for dedicated winter tires, I'm re-geared to 5.13s for 37s so I'm having trouble finding a c or d load range winter tire
in 37s. Any suggestions?

 

[Shots]

I have my summer tire set up but I'm looking for dedicated winter tires, I'm re-geared to 5.13s for 37s so I'm having trouble finding a c or d load range winter tire
in 37s. Any suggestions?

The Goodyear Duratrac is the first thing that comes to mind for me, but they're an F load range. These are probably my favorite tire, but they tend to be expensive. They have the severe snow rating (mountain/snowflake) which means it handles snow and ice well. The lugs are siped which gives better grip on ice, and IMHO makes them a touch quieter too.
They have rated very well here on the forum, with all four reviewers giving them a perfect score of 10 in the snow category.
I'm not sure what wheel size you're looking for but assuming 20's since that seems to be the thing these days (although I think 17's are also available since we're talking about Jeeps), they can be found in 37 with a 37 x 12.5 R20.

If you're determined to find a load D, you can look at the BFG T/A KO2, which is another great tire. Not rated quite so high on the forum as the Duratrac in the snow, with an average score of 8.0 from 8 reviewers. If you cherry pick the four best reviews for that category you get 10, 10, 9 and 8 for an average of 9.25 so that's not too far off from the GY tire.
The KO2 is also severe snow rated, but the lugs aren't siped so I wouldn't expect it to do quite as well as the Duratrac on ice.
This is also available in a 37 with a 37 x 12.5 R20.
Added bonus, not only is this a D load range that you want, but the KO2 tends to be noticeably cheaper than the Duratrac.

As for my own personal experience. I've had both of these tires before and think they're both great choices. I doubt you would be disappointed in either one.

 

[blnewt]

I have my summer tire set up but I'm looking for dedicated winter tires, I'm re-geared to 5.13s for 37s so I'm having trouble finding a c or d load range winter tire
in 37s. Any suggestions?

Might look into these, you can stud them, they're 3 peak snow rated, and light for a 37, and pretty cheap. Not too many reviews on them since they're a pretty new tire. @CarbonSteel ran them for a while might send him a PM for his impressions
https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/kanat...i7KH1Trk4FdJBw3CQi-eSTT4eIxR3SxxoCwscQAvD_BwE

 

[Whaler27]

I have my summer tire set up but I'm looking for dedicated winter tires, I'm re-geared to 5.13s for 37s so I'm having trouble finding a c or d load range winter tire
in 37s. Any suggestions?

In the summer I run 35” KO2s on the Raptor and 37” KO2s on the jeep. In the winter the Jeep gets studded 37” Grabber ATXs, and the Raptor gets 35” studded Duratracs. I’d put 37” Duratracs on the Jeep, but they aren’t available for 17” wheels, and I don’t like the look or the ride on big wheels.

The most difficult winter traction challenges come on hills with polished ice that is unmarried and starting to melt — that’s so slick vehicles will slide off the road to the right and left just because of the slight crown of the road. Studded Duratracs are fantastic on that stuff. My old KO2s were great too, but I don’t think the studded Duratracs can be beat.

I ended up pulling the studs from the Grabbers last week, because we found we were using the pickup in the worst winter weather, and I wanted the slightly more open Grabber pattern for the muddy summer trip we anticipated. (The KO2s are lousy in the mud. Hoping the ATXs will be better.)

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