BFG KO2 315x75x16 TRIAL : Free tires!
02-06-2015, 08:40 PM
#1
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
BFG KO2 315x75x16 TRIAL : Free tires!
I was the lucky winner of the BFG KO2 "rocks to riches" drawing! Shortly after the new year I got a certificate for 4 new tires from BFG. Although the 315 x 75 x 16 tires are not available to the public yet... I was surprized to find them in front of my garage this week.
I thought I would post some pics and give some reveiws as I give these new tires a trial run.
First off mounting and balancing: The tires needed 1oz, 4oz, 6oz, and 7oz to balance. These are used rims and I can't tell you the rims might not have played a part in that... but for tires this size... I think that is about normal? Maybe even a little better than normal?
I'm coming off of Duratracs in the same size... I just hit 81,000 miles on these tires... and they still are safe for the highway, just not much good in snow,mud, ice any longer. No edges left, and signs of a hard life were evident. So These BFG's have a real tough contender to comparewith... the duratracs were the best all-around tire I've ever owned. If not for this free set... I would be buying the tires again.
So comparisons:
Side by side... now with the duratracs wore down, and the BFG new and unmounted the height difference was dramatic. After they were mounted there were still some differences. Which I will take note of.
The BFG are 34.8 or so unmounted using the above method of measurement... LOL!
The BFG are 11.5 wide... or so using the same primitive method.
Again this was unmounted. Once mounted the BFG's were closer to 12 wide, and with the weight of the JK on it a 34.5 or so tall with 34lbs air presure.
The duratracs mounted were about 1 inch wider, and 1 inch shorter.
On the JKU...
I thought I would post some pics and give some reveiws as I give these new tires a trial run.
First off mounting and balancing: The tires needed 1oz, 4oz, 6oz, and 7oz to balance. These are used rims and I can't tell you the rims might not have played a part in that... but for tires this size... I think that is about normal? Maybe even a little better than normal?
I'm coming off of Duratracs in the same size... I just hit 81,000 miles on these tires... and they still are safe for the highway, just not much good in snow,mud, ice any longer. No edges left, and signs of a hard life were evident. So These BFG's have a real tough contender to comparewith... the duratracs were the best all-around tire I've ever owned. If not for this free set... I would be buying the tires again.
So comparisons:
Side by side... now with the duratracs wore down, and the BFG new and unmounted the height difference was dramatic. After they were mounted there were still some differences. Which I will take note of.
The BFG are 34.8 or so unmounted using the above method of measurement... LOL!
The BFG are 11.5 wide... or so using the same primitive method.
Again this was unmounted. Once mounted the BFG's were closer to 12 wide, and with the weight of the JK on it a 34.5 or so tall with 34lbs air presure.
The duratracs mounted were about 1 inch wider, and 1 inch shorter.
On the JKU...
02-06-2015, 08:54 PM
#2
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
More pics BFG
Black side out... the only way to run tires
The new side lugs look pretty agressive and deep... the surface tread is slightly different then the old TA
The forum also sent a Black pouch with lots of zippers and such... became a tool bag for me... A passport holder made of leather with KO2 printed on it... A pair of white socks with KO2 trie treads on the bottom... So some swag came with the tires!
BFG also sent an assorment of window decals, I thought I had always said "if they want to give me free tires, I'll put their banner on my windsheild"... so it was time to put my money where my mouth was LOL! So here we go... my first window sticker!
I will keep posting here with updates on milage, wear, how they do in different types of terrain. In the morning I'm going spunking in a cave pretty high up in the Pryor mtns on the wild horse range. There will be lots of red clay... snow... and sandstone and limestone rock ledges... gravel roads... and ice. So I should have a good run-down of their first day out.
Highway: Ran them about 40 miles on the interstate... it is what should be expected. They are quiet, they are load range E so no roll or squish in the wind, they worked great on dry pavement.... I'll have an update after I run them on a few runs. There are several KM2's that will be with me in the clay, mostly guys with mud tires... so we will see how they compare. I expect them to behave like an AT.
Last edited by Sunnysideup; 02-06-2015 at 09:00 PM.
02-07-2015, 03:46 AM
#3
I like your very last sentence. So many people don't take that into consideration... they just automatically think the tire "sucks".
I would expect the red clay and mud to pack up pretty good in the treads. Otherwise, I bet they are a great all around tire. But, they have quite a battle in comparison with the duratracs. Looking forward to reading your reviews.
And congrats on the free rubber!
I would expect the red clay and mud to pack up pretty good in the treads. Otherwise, I bet they are a great all around tire. But, they have quite a battle in comparison with the duratracs. Looking forward to reading your reviews.
And congrats on the free rubber!
02-09-2015, 05:31 PM
#4
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
KO2 trail run! Test em out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNrsiCpJRhc
We each took turns busting drifts and leading through the day. All of the 4x4's with me were running mud tires... so how did the AT's do?
In the morning we had 4 or 5 miles of slush... nothing too tough... the tires did awesone.
We had a couple miles of solid frozen ice... they outperformed everything... that was expected... the Mud tires don't like solid ice.
Once on the trail it was slush and mud... I was back in the pack about mid-way... never had any trouble even when guys behind me did have problems... but that was clearance more than tires.
I was asked to lead the Rock section of the trail...but it was all under snow! Big rocks...under snow...I managed to get stuck in one giant drift about 500 feet in. Not really the tires fault or the speed or the driving. Just too much snow and I got high centered on snow. I was rescued by a truck that went around the drift rather than through it... in the video the last drift we are playing in when we come out is the trail I started!
For the next couple miles the trail was un-broken... and the tires did flawless in the snow, and the rocks as well. Then I moved into about number 4 postion as others took the lead.
Coming back the meltoff was going on down below... lots of puddles and slippery mud. My teen son was driving and even when others were going sidways... we seemed to hold a straight line through.
The last hill that is red clay was proving to be a challenge for everyone... even with mud tires, you see a lot of counter steering going on to get up the hill. We hit the hill in 4wd high 2nd gear... the tires held us straight! Much better than I expected after watching several others have issues.
The last thing I will mention is that I only aired down to 18. This was intentional to be sure the tires were being tested for the tread that is on them. I will normally run them at 13 or 14 in snow like this.
Enjoy the video, we have some crazy freinds in our club!
----- How did they do compared to the Duratracs? Honestly my duratracks had 81,000 on them when I gave them up... so the last couple winters these trails have been tough. I think that the tires are pretty evenly matched when they are new. I thought the Duratracs would prove to be better in mud... but I can't say that yet, not after the trail on Sat. maybe when I get into the black peat bogs in the summer....
BFG's taller and narrower... and doing about the same in a wide variey of conditions.
In the morning we had 4 or 5 miles of slush... nothing too tough... the tires did awesone.
We had a couple miles of solid frozen ice... they outperformed everything... that was expected... the Mud tires don't like solid ice.
Once on the trail it was slush and mud... I was back in the pack about mid-way... never had any trouble even when guys behind me did have problems... but that was clearance more than tires.
I was asked to lead the Rock section of the trail...but it was all under snow! Big rocks...under snow...I managed to get stuck in one giant drift about 500 feet in. Not really the tires fault or the speed or the driving. Just too much snow and I got high centered on snow. I was rescued by a truck that went around the drift rather than through it... in the video the last drift we are playing in when we come out is the trail I started!
For the next couple miles the trail was un-broken... and the tires did flawless in the snow, and the rocks as well. Then I moved into about number 4 postion as others took the lead.
Coming back the meltoff was going on down below... lots of puddles and slippery mud. My teen son was driving and even when others were going sidways... we seemed to hold a straight line through.
The last hill that is red clay was proving to be a challenge for everyone... even with mud tires, you see a lot of counter steering going on to get up the hill. We hit the hill in 4wd high 2nd gear... the tires held us straight! Much better than I expected after watching several others have issues.
The last thing I will mention is that I only aired down to 18. This was intentional to be sure the tires were being tested for the tread that is on them. I will normally run them at 13 or 14 in snow like this.
Enjoy the video, we have some crazy freinds in our club!
----- How did they do compared to the Duratracs? Honestly my duratracks had 81,000 on them when I gave them up... so the last couple winters these trails have been tough. I think that the tires are pretty evenly matched when they are new. I thought the Duratracs would prove to be better in mud... but I can't say that yet, not after the trail on Sat. maybe when I get into the black peat bogs in the summer....
BFG's taller and narrower... and doing about the same in a wide variey of conditions.
Last edited by Sunnysideup; 02-09-2015 at 06:02 PM.
02-13-2015, 12:08 PM
#6
Looks like a fun place for some wheeling!
Thanks for the update on the tires. Continue to keep us posted!
I see they are gonna offer this tire now in a 34x10.5x17. Seems like a damn good size for a stockish jk running the factory wheels.
Thanks for the update on the tires. Continue to keep us posted!
I see they are gonna offer this tire now in a 34x10.5x17. Seems like a damn good size for a stockish jk running the factory wheels.
02-16-2015, 05:29 PM
#7
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
ice on freeway driving
Just completed a 610 mile road trip. I had about 100 miles of wet slush... 70 miles of ice and black ice... 20 miles of snowpack... the rest of the miles were damp or dry. Wind was about 35 t o50 mph... headwind, side wind, blizzard like yuck....
Impressions: The Ko2 in this size is a lode range E tire. The down side is the tire can feel a little rough on highway bumps (joints and seams), but the upside is that no matter how hard the wind is blowing, your tire is not flexing or causeing you to bob around like a cork in a bathtub. Compared to the duratrack, I would say it is stiffer side to side in the wind and such, and on the small bumps... they are slightly more pronounced. IF you had not driven both... you might not notice the difference. But I have a lot of miles on frozen interstates.
IN the damp, and slush... they did the same as the duratrack.
On the ice... they were slightly better. Probably because they were narrower, and the tread patteren is tighter and well siped. I only had two times the rear end began to slip out on me... and that was cresting a hill on ice in a sidewind, I put it in 4x4 high and there was no longer a problem. My speeds on the ice were also pushing it a little to see how they would do... there were very few people on the road... and 60 to 65 even occasionly to 70 was a well controlled feel. In traffic this would be 45-50 mph roads. Again... in 4x4 no slipping at all, with constant headwinds and side winds. Speed was always reduced when visibility was poor, or if there was traffic around.
I was running air pressure at 34psi. which is about normal for big tires on my jeep.
No complaints so far with the tires!
Impressions: The Ko2 in this size is a lode range E tire. The down side is the tire can feel a little rough on highway bumps (joints and seams), but the upside is that no matter how hard the wind is blowing, your tire is not flexing or causeing you to bob around like a cork in a bathtub. Compared to the duratrack, I would say it is stiffer side to side in the wind and such, and on the small bumps... they are slightly more pronounced. IF you had not driven both... you might not notice the difference. But I have a lot of miles on frozen interstates.
IN the damp, and slush... they did the same as the duratrack.
On the ice... they were slightly better. Probably because they were narrower, and the tread patteren is tighter and well siped. I only had two times the rear end began to slip out on me... and that was cresting a hill on ice in a sidewind, I put it in 4x4 high and there was no longer a problem. My speeds on the ice were also pushing it a little to see how they would do... there were very few people on the road... and 60 to 65 even occasionly to 70 was a well controlled feel. In traffic this would be 45-50 mph roads. Again... in 4x4 no slipping at all, with constant headwinds and side winds. Speed was always reduced when visibility was poor, or if there was traffic around.
I was running air pressure at 34psi. which is about normal for big tires on my jeep.
No complaints so far with the tires!
Trending Topics
09-03-2016, 08:34 PM
#8
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
25,000 miles
The tires are still holding up nice... I have made them difficult to balance a few times by loosing all my weights while spinning through slush and snow. The tires themselves still balance out even after a lot of off road miles.
They are getting some chunking... lots of sharp rocks have produced some crumbled corners here and there, a few slashes, and spinning on rocks have a few slight grooves.
They still have 3/4 tread, they are still good on the highway... not loud at all yet.
I have had no flats or punctures even when I've pushed them hard. They have been mostly ran at 30 to 32psi...
Still a great tire, wish I would have got 37's... but then I would need different rims... these are the largest they have for 16's. maybe next set.
IF you check out my videos over the last two summers you will see a lot of them on the trail!
They are getting some chunking... lots of sharp rocks have produced some crumbled corners here and there, a few slashes, and spinning on rocks have a few slight grooves.
They still have 3/4 tread, they are still good on the highway... not loud at all yet.
I have had no flats or punctures even when I've pushed them hard. They have been mostly ran at 30 to 32psi...
Still a great tire, wish I would have got 37's... but then I would need different rims... these are the largest they have for 16's. maybe next set.
IF you check out my videos over the last two summers you will see a lot of them on the trail!
Last edited by Sunnysideup; 09-03-2016 at 08:52 PM.
09-06-2016, 04:06 AM
#10
JK Freak
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: casper,wy
Posts: 825
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice, I have them in a 35 on my JKUR. Had about the same results as you. Great all around Tire, sidewalls seem to take a beating and still roll on. This was taken on the Morrison Jeep trail.