I'm a fan of the "modified stock" look in my mid 40's ... So, I'm planning to finally build my family JK (4-door) in to a dual purpose rig. I want to run wheel spacers and keep the Rubicon rims for daily driving. I also would like to buy a set of factory steelies to mount my more aggressive tires on. My JK sees 95% of its time as a family car. I'm hoping to convert it to more of an expedition rig for camping trips and such. Which tire would you run on road for comfort and low noise...and which for offroad? I'm thinking KM2's on road and Kevlar MTR's offroad. I would appreciate good, honest opinions from any of you who have these tires. I don't want to get "too" aggressive...I don't need the Super Swampers, but I do want a good tire for red clay, and some snow.

Thanks for taking the time to help. If you have a link that would be helpful, please post that as well. I've searched and searched til I'm numb...and thought I might call out to some of you for help.

Jeff in GA

 

if you wanna daily driver m t need to look at the nitto trail grappler as well. I've had the mtr and the km 2 and yes they are good tires , but the trail grappler balances good and is really quiet. awesome in the snow.I too am in the forties

you'll get a lot of opinions good luck.

 

The Trail Grapplers do look good, but I wonder about the weight? Any thoughts on that? Do you have any pics of your setup that you could post?

I know everyone will have an opinion, but that's OK... I just remember how noisy my original MTRs were and I couldn't stand them when they had about 10K miles on them!! I'm hoping the new Kevlars are better? I'll study the Nittos as well....thanks!

 

If you want low road noise you should look more at all-terrain tires with a closed tread pattern. I have BFG A/T's and I don't even notice that they're there.

 

I have the KM2's and don't notice them 90% of the time. the 10% I do is usually when I have the doors off. But you will get better MPG using the A/T tires. If I was to get an A/T i would look at the Falken wildpeak. They have sparked my interest and I have heard they do well on the trail

 

I've always run BFG AT KO's on my other Jeeps as dual purpose and keep a set of more aggressive treads for serious off-road trips.

This year I decided to try the Falken WildPeak AT because of price (always buy in set of 5, 315/70/17) skipped hauling the aggressive tread to Utah. I was really pleased with the on-road ride and the off-road handling was really good. They are not a mud tire but in smaller sections of mud they seemed to clean out ok. I did hit some good rain showers on the way and they were stable. I'm planning my winter trip to see how they do in the snow.

Ride of Falkens vs. BFG AT's felt smoother, didn't think my Jeep would go 90mph without regear but it did and the tires felt solid. They are rated 50000 miles and I've always managed to max out the BFG's with regular rotation schedule so hope these do the same. Got them mounted in July and proceeded to put 5000+ road and off-road miles on them.

So far, pleased with the Falkens and saved some $$$$ for other stuff.

Forgot to answer part 2 of your question - I got the Goodyear Wrangler MT/R Kevlar for the 2nd set. For the type of wheeling I do they work great and ride well enough on the short trip/ around town.

 

I run 35" KM2's as DD's and offroad and think they are an awesome all around tire...

 

I run BFG ATs on my CJs and love them. Don't get me wrong...it's a jeep and I don't mind the roar and hum of tires...I just don't want them to be annoying for the family. I run the original Bias ply Buckshot Mudders on my XJ and love that tire...roar and all! I was hoping the KM2s might be a good road tire that navigates standing water well at 65 MPH. Also...a light tire for the road wouldn't hurt gas mileage...

Thanks for your suggestions so far!

 

Same goes for me, 35" BFG KM2's as my everything tire.

 

Strongly recommend an AT tire. Lots of overland/expedition travel occurs on paved roads, and the ATs are much better suited for that than the MTs. ATs aren't as good on the rock, but are acceptable. And they do wonderfully on sand and dirt/rocky roads and such. I have the Goodyear Duratrac (after running the Dick Cepek FC IIs for three years). I really like the Duratracs. They are not noisy on the highway (neither were the DCs), and they are incredible in sand. I also chose these because they are a lighter tire than other popular brands--less unsprung wheel weight, and just easier on the back when swapping out tires. They are also a great looking tire--somewhat aggressive, but not too much so--much more suited to an expedition/overland rig ...