redsfan

Hey guys, been a longgg time, no time to get on message boards but here we go. Have had some front end work done on the 08 JK, and next up are some new tires needed with the alignment. Have 250,000kms on the Sahara but still lovin it as long as I get repairs done at a modest price and not often. These tires are pretty much toast and after researching, am coming up with some options below. No off road, just daily driver up in the Greater Toronto Area, in Canuckland. Snow rated is key:

- BFG K02's: done lots of reading like what I read
- Duratrac's: done lots of reading, sidewall issues shouldn't affect me being my daily driver
- Falken A/T 3w: looks to be a bit of a knock off of the above

I'm looking at a more aggressive tread as well. Thoughts?
Cheers

bbolander

I'd definitely go with the BFG KO2's. That said, my experience was on my 1998 Cherokee in 2001-2006 with BFG All Terrains! Don't know if the current tire lasts the same, but after 5 years and 53K miles mine almost looked new when I sold it. Seemed like they'd never wear out. Rode well, not too noisy.

I didn't have any experience with them in the snow though.

karls10jk

I have the ko2 in a 35" and the wildpeak atw3 in a 33" currently. Both jeeps are great on the highway and they do well in the wet. We didn't get a single inch of snow so I can't comment there. I am at 50k miles on the ko2's and they've still got meat left. The atw3's are newer to me but I bought them used via Discount Tire (with the exception of the spare that I'm rotating in) and I expect them to last just as long.

With it being your daily, I'd look at tire weight and see which tire is going to be the lightest. That extra weight makes a difference, particularly on the 3.8l.

redsfan

BFG's look to be top from reviews and in here...like the look of the Dura's a bit more, lol....have to price both out with a tire place here. The Falken definitely looks like a knock off of the BFG's but $40/tire less or so.

redsfan

sorry mods realized there is a separate forum for this...can it be moved?

Rednroll

Which tires do you currently have on it? You say you own a Sahara, so I'm currently assuming the Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts? The reason this is usually important is because whatever tire you decide to get you will be comparing them to what you've grown accustom.

I switched from the factory Dueler A/Ts to BFG KO2 315/70/R17s. I liked the Dueler A/Ts for daily driving and the snow. I actually purchased a 2nd set after I wore the 1st set out because I was not ready at that time to lift and go with larger tires.

I can give you my personal perception of the KO2's vs the Dueler A/Ts, but the thing I needed to keep in mind is that I also went from a narrower tire to a much wider tire. A narrower tire is generally better on slippery road conditions. As much as a lot of folks want to make believe that their tire choice is the greatest in all conditions, that is just not the case with tires. There are always some trade-offs. An "A/T" is good in most conditions but great in none of them almost by definition.

315/70/R17 vs Factory Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts.

Deep Snow (25cm+): The KO2s I felt were better than the Duelers in this area. The likely reason is because they have deeper treads to grip into that deep snow, the wider tire also likely helps in this area since it will float on top of the deep stuff while not digging down as much.

Packed Snow/Ice/Rain/slippery road conditions (<2cm snow): I felt the Dueler A/Ts were better in this area. The likely reason is because a narrower tire typically performs better in this road condition area as well as having a tire with more sipping is also better and a tire with a more even surface tread pattern also helps. The KO2 has more of a knobby tread pattern which is better for sand, mud, and deep snow conditions but what also helps it in those areas are the same things which degrades it in the slippery road conditions. An M/T (Mud Terrain) tire is always particularly bad in this area.....although many on the forums may claim otherwise. If I had gotten a narrower KO2 instead of the 12.5in(32cm) width, then I would expect the KO2s to perform closer to the Dueler A/Ts but likely not better. So keep that in mind when you're shopping for tires and if slippery road conditions are a deciding factor for yourself. Narrower=Better in this area.

Daily Driving Highway Noise: I'ld give the slight edge to the Dueler A/Ts in this area. They are not noisy at all. With that said, I've been highly impressed with how quiet the KO2s are, the slight noise increase does not bother me at all where if I didn't own the Duelers just prior to installing the KO2s, I likely wouldn't have been able to notice a difference. The KO2s are quiet. More knobs in the tread pattern typically equals to more noise. This is an area where typically a dedicated M/T falls short.

Sand/Mud: Hands down, this is where the KO2s shines over the Dueler A/Ts. The KO2s are not better than a dedicated M/T in this area but they're no slouch like the Dueler, where the Dueler you would fill up the tread with mud immediately and start spinning. My KO2s are also wider and wider=better in this area.

Mileage wear: I would say they're about even. I got 85K miles (136KM) out of my 1st set of Dueler A/Ts. I currently have 50K miles (80KM) on my KO2s, where I'm currently anticipating getting another 20-30K miles from them. Typically, the more knobby the tread pattern, and the softer the rubber, the less wear you will get from highway driving. So the likely slight edge may go to the Dueler based on that, but the KO2s also have a deeper tread pattern which provides more tread to wear down which makes them about even.

So which is better? Neither. It depends on each individuals preference of what is most important to them because no tire is great in every condition. The KO2s I feel are one of the best at pushing that boundary.

Rednroll

I've never owned a set of the Dura's but from what I read from others on the forum who are more honest with their reviews and have, is that the Dura's are a great all around tire until they start to get more wear on them (50Kmiles/80KM).

I'ld also take a look at the Cooper S/T Maxx and Cooper S/T Pros. Those tend to be a great all around tire, that many really like with a more aggressive look than the KO2s if that is important to you. Just realize with the more aggressive look, typically comes more noise and less wear as I outlined earlier....there's always trade-offs.

I saw a set of Cooper S/T Pros on a JL last week and they really caught my attention in the looks department. I'm currently thinking I may give those a try when it comes time to replace my KO2s, even though I really like my KO2s.

redsfan

I have a mix, lol! Still have a couple of stock Duellers, but also a couple of Hankook's, one as a spare patched. Definitely time to replace as 2 are bald, the others on their last legs. We have varying conditions up here, snow/ice/rain, etc. Understood that a more aggressive tire may handle better in snow, but loose a bit on ice and rain. This is the debate in my mind. I am going to run my stock wheels with this (18's), so no changes in sizes needed. I wasn't overly impressed with the Duellers, granted they are likely going to be quieter not being that aggressive.

As for the Dura's, I have 275,000 kms on the Jeep and not putting on as many miles, so if I get 80k out of them that could be another 3 years which would be great if she is still breathing, ha. Now also reading up on the Nitto Ridge Grapplers, but not sure how easily found they are.

tjkamp

I ran duratracs all over rural western Kansas for work. Had them on a Ford Ranger, two different F-150s, and an XJ, so all different widths including 235s, 275s, and 285s. They are brilliant on ice and snow, they do really well in mud (for an AT), way better than the old school BFG ATs (I don't have any experiences with the KO2s). The durratracs are exceptional on wet pavement as well. I always got exceptional mileage out of them, and didn't notice any real deterioration in performance until the tread got real low right before time to replace.

redsfan

ST Maxx looks great, descent reviews as well, thanks. Not sure I need anything more than that, don't want overly aggressive and sacrific traction. Looking into prices, etc as well