Advocate II
Been thinking of getting new more aggressive Tires for my Fzj80. Cant decide on whether I want to go with the Goodrich's or the Goodyear's. Any thoughts on what is better? opinions?
Bf Goodrich AT/ K02's or Goodyear Duratracks
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Off-Road Ranger I
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Depends on the size, but if you want value with the tire, look into Kenda Klevers and see if they have a size that suits you. They don't do a lot of the bigger sizes yet, but I love mine and will order another set when these wear out. I have about 7500 on them now with no visible signs of wear and they perform well even when I don't air them down. Hope that helps...
Pathfinder II
I'm a BFG fan. I have KOs on two of my vehicles and KM2s on another. They have performed exceptionally well, and in spite of the desert's best attempts, I've had no flats from mesquite thorns. The road noise isn't bad in comparison to the stock tires. However, the fuel mileage has suffered slightly due to the heavier weight and tread pattern.
I read a ton of reviews on the BFGs and Wranglers and found that the BFGs simply had more pleased customers. I can't give a first hand comparison, but I've been very satisfied with my choice thus far.
I read a ton of reviews on the BFGs and Wranglers and found that the BFGs simply had more pleased customers. I can't give a first hand comparison, but I've been very satisfied with my choice thus far.
Influencer II
I personally really like the BFG AT.. I currently have Goodyear Duratracs (Have been pleased so far) that being said, either of them are great tires IMO.
I got Falken 35x12.50's on mine, they are almost $100 cheaper than the BFG's. A friend of mine is running BFG's, I walk right over obstacles he gets stuck on. Overland Journal did a tire test last year, the Falkens placed second with BFG's and Goodyears coming in near the bottom. I read a bunch of tire tests on the Falkens and not one was negative, they all picked Falkens over the major brands. The number one tire in the Overland Journal test was by Cooper. My daughter picked up a set of them recently for her Liberty, they are about the same price as the Falkens. Both the Falkens and Coopers are quiet, the Coopers have a more open tread of the two. When I go for tires next time, I might go with the Coopers as the Falken's roll center is a bit vague, alignment has to be right on.
Member III
I agree with this. All though you have probably already made your decision, my 35" BFG KM2's handle and run smoother than my 33" Goodyear Wranglers in all conditions. While I can't give a direct comparison on Wrangler's vs KO2's, I would recommend BFG over Goodyear based on my past experiences. The KO2 is one of the newer tires to the market and has some amazing technology and R&D into it as well.
I love my KO2, wouldn't have any other tire. The Duratrac is more sticky on slickrock, but the carcass isn't as durable compared to the BFG. For me, the slight price in traction is worth the significant increase in puncture resistance, sidewall strength, longevity, and carcass durability.
Personally, I have used both. I really guess it depends on where you live and the conditions you plan to use then in. I know for Arizona the Duratracs are garbage. I had a set that only lasted 18 months. The dry climate and desert conditions destroyed them. If driving in snow, the Duratracs are a better solution compared to the KO's. My last set of KO's lasted almost 5 years.
I just put on the new KO2's yesterday. A friend that has them drives in snowy conditions and said there is marked improvement in handling over the old KO's. I found that I was never in a position to need mud terrain tires.
First trail is on Friday!
I just put on the new KO2's yesterday. A friend that has them drives in snowy conditions and said there is marked improvement in handling over the old KO's. I found that I was never in a position to need mud terrain tires.
First trail is on Friday!
I ran several sets of the KO and switched to the KO2 last fall. The snow handling is almost as good as a dedicated snow tire, it is an astounding improvement over the KO.
I have never used the Duratracs but have heard the same thing a few times that they are great tires, especially off road but they have a weak sidewall which lets them down as they are prone to puncture. On the other hand the KO2s probably aren't as good off road and I have heard people say that they are bad in mud (but my experience says otherwise) but they have better on road manners and are much stronger. The Australian army's fleet of G Wagons have KO2s and despite their tame looking tread pattern I have seen them go through plenty of difficult and muddy terrain without getting stuck.
Have you considered Coopers ST Maxx? That way you get the best of both worlds, they are nearly as aggressive as the Duratracs but much stronger like the KO2s. Plenty of people are using them here in Aus atm and I am yet to hear anything negative, I'm planning to get myself a set as soon as my current tyres wear down enough for me to justify buying new ones to my wife :-)
Have you considered Coopers ST Maxx? That way you get the best of both worlds, they are nearly as aggressive as the Duratracs but much stronger like the KO2s. Plenty of people are using them here in Aus atm and I am yet to hear anything negative, I'm planning to get myself a set as soon as my current tyres wear down enough for me to justify buying new ones to my wife :-)
I got the Goodyears new on a vehicle I purchased. I have to say it's pretty bad, they won't shed mud or snow to save them selves. Traction on dirt is marginal at best and on slick rock they are ok. Low road noise, but not a great tire. I have owned the KO2 and love that tire. Anyone have experience with the General Grabber???
Influencer II
I have the General Grabber AT2's and I absolutely love them. Last winter I ran them through their paces in the snow up in Tahoe and was amazed! For me it was between the General's and the KO2s. I saved about $300 going with the General's. My friends Raptor has the KO2s and swears by them.
Not the best picture. The road conditions from Incline Village to Spooner Lake was icy and snowing the whole time, and I never lost grip. We also drove through 2 feet of snow without getting stuck.
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AT2 @NorCalCrisp thanks for the advice. I was able to run the Goodyears through 2' of snow as well without many issues, but when we got into the slushy stuff I was all over the road.
Influencer II
I was able to drive 40 mph on the highway when others were driving 15-20 mph in the slushy stuff without any issue.
Note: I have the eight banger 4Runner that is full-time 4wd.
Off-Road Ranger I
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I happily pay the extra money for my BFG AT KOs. I'm on my 5th or 6th set and never ever got less than 50k miles out of any of em, I am a bit fickle though, I keep switching back and forth between the ATs and the KMs. Goodyear does make an excellent MT with kevlar sides, but I would stay away from their lesser models, nothing worse than sidewall failure when you are off the grid and only one spare. BTW, in 25 + years, I have never had a tire fail me yet, and we wheel a lot in the northeast, in the southwest, and up in the PNW..
Sorry to go a little off but I'm looking for set of budget friendly tire. I looked into the kenda klevers but doesn't look like they make my size 285/75/17. I also was looking into federal couragia anyone tried or heard of these thanks
Off-Road Ranger I
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unfortunately a "budget friendly" tire does not exist. I look at it this way. The last set of 5 each BFG 285/75/16s KM2 I had, I sold for $500 used with about 45k miles on em and the guy was happy about it. I bought the ones I have now for $1250. I'll easily get another 45k miles out of these and sell them used again for what? I'll be conservative, $300 for the set.. that works out to 2 cents a mile. For the rigs we drive, that is very budget friendly. Bottom line? How much do you want to spend on tires over the course of your lifetime? Stick with the three "G"s ( Goodrich, Goodyear, General ) for quality high mileage tires that over the long haul, actually cost less.. Another example? I retired from driving 18 wheeler nearly a year ago. A while back my company experimented with re-cap tires on our trailers. The tires cost about half as much as new tires. It all looked good for about a month. After a six month study they found that between down time and service calls for premature tire failure it was costing the company roughly 25% more in tire operating costs. Sometimes it can be really difficult to come up with the front money for quality, but in the long run, you won't be nickel and diming yourself to death..
I think it really depends on how you're going to use your vehicle, i think both tires are extremely good and capable
I chose the duratracs since in my area there is a lot loose dirt , gravel and mud and they seem to hold their own a bit better than the KO2
I would say try to buy a used pair from someone upgrading tire size. This way they have some life left on them and it's a real quality tire. I'm sure everyone in this thread has been in your shoes at one point, but a good tire unfortunately isn't cheap. I had a pair of cheap tires when I was younger and I had a couple blow outs, I just hated it and won't do it again. I have a great relationship with a local tire shop and the manager will sell me some used tires or returns cheap when he has them. Might be worth checking out.
