Product Review: BF Goodrich KO2
The BF Goodrich KO2’s have become a very popular tire choice amongst off-roader’s since their release in 2014. We have run these tires on two Jeeps in addition to two trucks and they have quickly become our favorite all around tire.
After racking up well over 100k combined miles with these tires on various applications, we are very familiar with their overall performance in nearly every condition.
Road Noise
For an all-terrain tire, the KO2’s sport a very aggressive tread pattern. Perhaps the most surprising characteristic of these tires is just how quiet they are rolling down the road.
On our JKU, we ran these tires in a 35×12.5×17 and the road noise was very comparable to the stock all season tires that came on the Wrangler.
Going down the road at 70 mph running a soft top, you can’t even hear them. This holds true throughout their tread life and after 45k miles there was no difference in road noise.
Ride Quality
The KO2’s are offered in several different load ranges including load range C, D and E. For those who are unfamiliar with load ranges on tires, load range E is the heavy-duty end of the spectrum offering the highest weight capacity and strength, at the cost of ride quality.
We have only run this tire in a load range E on all of our applications and the ride quality has been firm, but not rough. You will certainly not feel like you are riding down the road on pillows, but you also don’t get a headache every time you hit a large bump or pothole in the road. If you like a firm, truck-like ride then load range E would be a good choice for you.
If you prefer a more comforting ride experience you may be better served with a load range C or D, just keep in mind that ride quality is subjective and for us we enjoy a firmer ride on our trucks and Jeeps.
Tread Wear
This is an area where we have really been impressed with the KO2’s. We have racked up thousands of miles on these tires in several applications and we just can’t seem to wear them out.
Our JKU wore these shoes for 45k miles until we made the switch to 37’s. When we pulled them off they still had 45-50% of perfectly even tread remaining. It’s important to note that we did rotate these tires every oil change which is imperative to ensure long tread life and even wear. Also, we ran these consistently at 32-35 PSI.
However on some of our trucks, we’ve waited as long as 15k mile intervals for tire rotations and they still showed no signs of uneven wear. It’s safe to say that if you’re looking for long tread life out of your tires the KO2’s are one of the best options out there.
Performance
Off-road
We ran these tires for several years off-road and overall were very impressed with their performance. Most of our wheeling is done in the northeast where we have plenty of mud and slick rock.
In the rocks these tires really shine, crawling up steep inclines their soft tread compound stuck to the rocks like glue, even in wet conditions. We were really impressed with their overall performance in this area.
The limiting factor of these tires along with other aggressive all terrain tires is the mud. The KO2’s did surprisingly well in the mud, definitely better than we thought they would perform being an all-terrain.
However, if you have deep mud on your agenda these may not be the best choice. A mud tire will be much more efficient at clearing out material from the lugs and offer you better performance in this area.
Rain
In wet conditions the KO2’s again perform very well. We have never experienced any loss of traction or hydroplaning while running them in heavy rain.
However on the JKU, given the tires are 12.5” wide, we noticed you do have to be careful going through standing water puddles on the road as the tires will grab onto the puddle and can actually pull the vehicle in that direction.
On our trucks we run them in widths of 10-10.5” and have not experienced this issue.
Snow
Snowy and icy conditions are another area where these tires really shine. The KO2’s are severe weather rated and once you run these in a Northeastern winter it’s easy to see why.
Out of all the tires we’ve run on our vehicles throughout the years BF Goodrich takes the crown in this area – by a longshot. Their traction in deep snow and ice is unprecedented, they never really seem to lose traction.
Even in the most demanding winter conditions they just push through whatever is on the road and continue to track straight with virtually no slippage.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to purchase new tires we would highly recommend you consider the KO2’s. If most of your driving is done on road, you off-road moderate trails or you live in an area with severe winter weather conditions, it will be difficult to find a better option in terms of performance and longevity.
If you aren’t overly concerned with these factors and you want the best offroad performance possible, then we would recommend you look at a different option. Below we have provided a breakdown and overall rating of the KO2’s.
If you’re looking to pick up a set for your rig head over to our shop page where you’ll be able to compare prices against multiple vendors to get the best price on your new tires.
