I pick up a set of used 315/70R17 Goodyear duratrac tires from a forum member about a year ago. Of the 5 tires 1 was like new, 2 had about 75% tread and 2 had about 30% tread. When I first got them I did a 5 tire rotation for a while, but could feel when the baldest tires were on the same side of the Jeep, so I put them up front and the like new tire as the spare.

So, I need to replace 2 tires soon and I want to move to KO2's. My questions are 1) are the KO2's and the Duratrac 315/70R17's close enough in actual size that it won't mess up the computer or any sensors? 2) how dumb will it look? 3) should I put new KO2's up front or on the rear?

 

Just my opinion, but if I was in your situation, I think I'd just replace with a full set of what I wanted, and look to sell the few good tires as spares to someone who might not care if they match or not as a spare. Maybe even buy 4 new tires, and keep one of the duratracs as a mistmatched spare for you. I just think looks alone of having mistmatched tires would be aggravating. Tires are just so much more prominent on a jeep than some random passenger car where you really don't notice them.

I know the idea of buying a full set stinks. You might possibly be able to find a rebate though that could help offset a small bit of the additional cost. I'd think that once you have a full set on there, you'd be happy you went that way.

 

I know that's what most would do, but it's hard for me to justify buying 5(or even just 4) when only 2 need replaced. If you had a blow out on a car, would you buy a whole new set of tires so that they matched perfectly? Or just replace the one that blew?

As far as selling the 3, I feel that it'd be difficult because it's not even a full set so someone would need to have one tire already or buy a new tire. Also, I've had no luck selling a set of 5 stock tires here locally.

 

I would if 2 or 3 were in poor shape. I would not mix brands or even models within a brand. Like was said buy 4 new ones and use your best one for a spare. I can tell you KO2's run small so very doubtful they will be the same size as duratracs. If money is tight buy something like some Milestar Patagonia MT's. They have been getting good reviews.

 

I was in your shoes at one time. I really think when you plan on switching, it's an all or nothing deal. Looks, as well as road feel differences, and balancing will come into play more predominantly. These type of tires have very different aggressive tread patterns. They're not like a standard radial where you can just mix and match and hardly notice.

So like you said, why buy 4 or 5 tires when you only need 2? Makes sense and that's what I did when I didn't have the funds. However, with that same logic, why buy 2 new ones? You have 2 used that need to be replaced and 3 used tires, so go buy 2 more used. Then hopefully things start to wear out more evenly (hint rotate the ones with the least tread onto the spare more often), and then when they do all wear out evenly, you go buy a full set of KO2s when you're due.

Many tire shops sell used tires. Just start calling around. I was riding on used Goodyear Eagle STs on my GMC S15 pickup throughout college. I just called shops around town to see if they had any used in stock and got them for like $30-$40/tire used when they were going for $200ea new. I'ld get 30-40K miles out of most of them since often they seemed to have a hardly used spare, and I'ld try to find as many shops as I could with those hardly used spares until I could piece meal a full set together.

 

Personally I'd replace all the tires if 2 are shot. Next best solution is pick up 2 new Duratracs to replace the worn 2. Not a fan of mixed tires.