What tires do you like? (Merged Thread)

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1Louder

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How did you like the Cooper AT/3 tires. Why not go with them again?
Not the best in mud but other conditions very good. Sidewalls were weak and prone to cuts. With certificates from Discount Tire I was able o get a couple replaced. Others they said it was cosmetic. White is showing. Willing to give Cooper another chance with a 3 ply sidewall.
 
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expeditionnorth

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4th here

BFG TA KO's in the 285/70/17 size, they wear like nails

rugged and not a bad all around tire

could be a bit better for snow though, or at least VT snow
 

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Not the best in mud but other conditions very good. Sidewalls were weak and prone to cuts. With certificates from Discount Tire I was able o get a couple replaced. Others they said it was cosmetic. White is showing. Willing to give Cooper another chance with a 3 ply sidewall.
So then, given all of your information, there is clearly a difference in tires, hence, not opinion at all. The biggest thing, and most likely, the only thing wrong with BFG KOs and KMs is the price. I've even had tire dealers try to talk me out of 'em offering up cheaper tires at discount prices. In the name of disclosure, I do run Cooper street tires on my wife's VW. They are a great tire, and a far better tire than the cheap Hankooks that came on the vehicle. I've also run Goodyear street tires on my sedans over the years. Opinion? I think not. It is all about Trust. Here is a very good review of the new KO2 ATs by a world renouned overlander.
 

scubasteve2002

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So then, given all of your information, there is clearly a difference in tires, hence, not opinion at all. The biggest thing, and most likely, the only thing wrong with BFG KOs and KMs is the price. I've even had tire dealers try to talk me out of 'em offering up. In the name of disclosure, I do run Cooper street tires on my wife's VW. They are a great tire, and a far better tire than the cheap Hankooks that came on the vehicle. I've also run Goodyear street tires on my sedans over the years. Opinion? I think not. It is all about Trust. Here is a very good review of the new KO2 ATs by a world renouned overlander.
And even to add a lot of the guys that work either in the oil field or work on gas compressors most all of the trucks run the KO2. These guys haul heavy loads and are on some crazy back roads. Out of all the people I asked no one has had a failure when out. The ones I heard that did fail somewhat often was the cooper stt pro.
 

The other Sean

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So then, given all of your information, there is clearly a difference in tires, hence, not opinion at all. The biggest thing, and most likely, the only thing wrong with BFG KOs and KMs is the price. I've even had tire dealers try to talk me out of 'em offering up cheaper tires at discount prices. In the name of disclosure, I do run Cooper street tires on my wife's VW. They are a great tire, and a far better tire than the cheap Hankooks that came on the vehicle. I've also run Goodyear street tires on my sedans over the years. Opinion? I think not. It is all about Trust. Here is a very good review of the new KO2 ATs by a world renouned overlander.
As always, Tire reviews are always subjective. I don't live in Zambia, I live in MN where we get sub zero winter temps and can have snow and ice on the road from November through April..... When I hear "tough as nails" and "wears great" I actually hear a hard rubber tire that will give poor winter traction....
 

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One thing is you rarely see in tire reviews are follow ups. Most tires will perform great out of the box. How do the hold up after 10k, 20k, 30k, 40k etc. under what type of driving conditions? Weight of vehicle, tire pressures, rotation schedule. Shall I go on???

I'm spending $1500 on 5 Cooper STT PROs. So I better brag about them to justify the costs. I could have gotten KO2s for less but without replacement certificates. If these don't last I'll throw in the towel and try BFG.

I personally felt my Coopers did an overall good job so they are getting more of my money. All my buddies have KO2s. I gotta be different I guess.
 

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Ah yes, the old buyers remorse argument... I went to a stadium concert in my previous life and for about 3 months I actually believed it was great. It was a top rock and roll band and ya know what? about 6 months later I had to admit, (after going to a small venue concert), that the stadium band experience sucked. Big Time. I've never gone back to a stadium show, so yes, sometimes when you shell out top dollar for something its darned hard to admit that you wasted your money.

So, Long term on BFGs? I gave you my long term review, as has thousands of others that run BFGs on forums all over the internet. That's why these types of forums are so cool, so we can exchange our long term experiences with products, with one another. Another interesting thing I learned while growing up in the snow belts of Ohio was that the state troopers or sheriffs never ever used snow tires in the winter. Neither did we. And we still don't to this day. If I have snow covered roads for the day, I just air down to 28 lbs or so.

Good luck with your coopers, I hope it is money well spent and this time around, the sidewalls don't turn out to be weak and prone to cuts. Let us know how they do..
 
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expeditionnorth

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I had to jump a curb a couple of years ago or risk being smashed into
I thought jumping the curb was far cheaper that being hit
took the tire to the local shop for inspection afterwards, all A OK I was told, tire is still going strong
 

Joey D

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I run the KO2's and I've been happy with them, although they wear a little faster than I thought they would. I really liked that they were Mountain Snowflake rated meaning they met the industry standard for winter tires. However, now with the new General Grabber X3's out, I'm considering switching to them in the spring when I'll need some new rubber. They seemed to work really well on the Expedition Overland rigs.
 
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expeditionnorth

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I run the KO2's and I've been happy with them, although they wear a little faster than I thought they would. I really liked that they were Mountain Snowflake rated meaning they met the industry standard for winter tires. However, now with the new General Grabber X3's out, I'm considering switching to them in the spring when I'll need some new rubber. They seemed to work really well on the Expedition Overland rigs.
My friend Bushcoat up in Ontario has the first set of general red labels, he adores them completely

another point that isnt mentioned here is that some AT tires are not true to size, my Cooper AT3's werent 33" at all, more like 31's
 

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I checked with Discount and I got over 64,000 miles on my old Cooper AT/3's. So for those that are not looking for a mud terrain you should consider them. They aren't good for rock crawling due to the 2 ply sidewalls but otherwise very good.

Here are my new 33" STT Pros.
 

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KM2s, but only because they look cool. KO2s are more practical, better in snow, AND have a tougher side wall.
View attachment 9607
My next tire will be a KM3. They will get the sidewalls strength and lugs from the KO2, slightly changed and center lug pattern. Pictures already coming to light and I will see them in person next week.
 
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Masheen365

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My next tire will be a KM3. They will get the sidewalls strength and lugs from the KO2, slightly changed and center lug pattern. Pictures already coming to light and I will see them in person next week.
Is there a release date yet and do you know price point? can we assume they'll be slightly over KM2s?
 
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Cam_Cam_Tech

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I don't know any release dates yet, and price I'm sure will be based on interest and demand when they get close to doing so. I would think it will be close to the price of the KM2 and KM2 price will drop to move inventory.
These are questions I will ask the bfg guys next week and report back. They are also still in testing with the upcoming baja 1000, all 11 of our buggies will sport the KM3s in a 35" size.
 
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Ferd F-150 (Andrew)

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Hello everyone! Who'said running what for rubber? Pros?Cons? What is the normal/avg terrain you travel in your area?

I run Kelly Safari TSR. I run mostly hard packed trails.....always some sloppy spots though. I also run our rights as a daily. Our winters consists of ice and snow. yahoo Canada! lol! I honestly haven't had any issues with these tires.

So, tell us what ya'll run.
 

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The old Cooper STT's. I love em, I have had them for about 20k miles without rotating (I know, I know) and they still look brand new and I'm a pretty aggressive driver. Most of my terrain is gravel logging roads, wet stuff and snow and I have never had any issues. They are mud terrains so of course they are gunna suck in ice and slush but they are great in the deep stuff!
 
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