JKU Tire Opinions?

[chasespeed]

Couldn't disagree more regarding the Duratracs, it's extremely well mannered on pavement and frankly kicks the crap out of the BFG KO in wet and snow. I switched away from the BFG KO precisely because of the wet and snow handling, otherwise it was a wash between the two in terms of dry and off pavement. Hopefully the new BFG KO2 has addressed this.

Maybe it depends on the vehicle.

Going to have a solid opinion on that this winter. The snow was the DuraTracs strong point.

Other than that uncertainty, the KO2s are great.

Chase

 

[dstock]

Going to have a solid opinion on that this winter. The snow was the DuraTracs strong point.

Other than that uncertainty, the KO2s are great.

Chase

Been reading reviews on TireRack.com and overall seem good but a couple still mention tire spin in wet weather. I also noticed the 285/70-17 in the Duratrac is "D" rated and the same size in KO2 is "E" rated, I wonder if that would contribute to a harsher ride? I'm about due for tires and was considering the K02's just to try something new.

 

[chasespeed]

Not to spin too far off topic...

All the KO2s are E rated. I'm running 35psi. Ride is fine. No issues with wet traction.

Running the tires at the psi on the tire, will result in poor traction, harsh ride, etc.

Chase

 

[dstock]

Not to spin too far off topic...

All the KO2s are E rated. I'm running 35psi. Ride is fine. No issues with wet traction.

Running the tires at the psi on the tire, will result in poor traction, harsh ride, etc.

Chase

Ahh! Thanks for the info regarding the rating, for sure on the full psi on any of these AT tires would knock some fillings loose!

 

[GetOutThere]

Couldn't disagree more regarding the Duratracs, it's extremely well mannered on pavement and frankly kicks the crap out of the BFG KO in wet and snow. I switched away from the BFG KO precisely because of the wet and snow handling, otherwise it was a wash between the two in terms of dry and off pavement. Hopefully the new BFG KO2 has addressed this.

Maybe it depends on the vehicle.

Have to agree. My Duratracs have had fantastic pavement manners, and rain/snow traction is spectacular. Sidewall is a valid concern, however.

They also seem to be wearing even, and look like they will last 70k+. That being said, the siping does not extend through each lug entirely, and looks like it will be gone around the half life mark. Not sure if this is standard, or has a practical reason behind it?

 

[MTSN]

All the KO2s are E rated.

Huh? That's not true at all - many KO2s are available in non-E rated sizes. My 37" KO2s were D rated.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire...es/all-terrain-t-a-ko2/tire-details#techspecs

 

[surly]

Have to agree. My Duratracs have had fantastic pavement manners, and rain/snow traction is spectacular. Sidewall is a valid concern, however.

They also seem to be wearing even, and look like they will last 70k+. That being said, the siping does not extend through each lug entirely, and looks like it will be gone around the half life mark. Not sure if this is standard, or has a practical reason behind it?

I'm loving my Duratracs as well. We've got the 315's if that matters

 

[vtsoundman]

Duratrac is the best snow AT Ive ever had/used short of a real snow tire. Crossed the US 5x in the heart of winter...4x along the northern route. Have 285s on my Jeep JKU. Been driving in snow all my life and much of it in Boston area. Torrential downpours are a non issue too.

Outstanding mud performance too. I can attest to weak sidewalls though ...dealt with several sidewall slices. The DT is a lighter tire, so compromises must be made.

Had a set of the BFG AT, then the KOs on my old suburban...crap tires in snow and mud. Decent road performance, but got slicker as they wore down. Never again...not sure I trust the new KO2s...

The snow and rain performance of the Duratracs makes me pause when thinking of switching to other tires. The wife became much more confident with the Jeep because of the DTs. They wear pretty fast - I don't get anywhere near the mileage of that others claim...I think a manual on really steep windy paved roads ends up being pretty hard on them...

via pyramid energy waves.

 

[vtsoundman]

Last thing I forgot to mention. I'm running stock Rubicon wheels with custom 1 inch spacers. Tire is just inside the wheel well. I think the 1.5 inch spacer puts the tire too far out. No rubbing even on full stuff. No lift.

Will be putting the 2inch mopar lift here shortly but will still run the D rated 285s. Springs are shot. 105k miles and 9yrs old with many many miles at GVWR. I would prefer a narrower tire that is slightly taller, but would be hard pressed to change to a non DT.

Some have commented on poor on-road manners...I couldn't disagree more. The DTs stick like glue...I've had well over two dozen different AT tires over the years on my jeep and other trucks. The DTs are the best behaving to date. I had one out of round (out 10 tires)...but that is not uncommon. Weights aren't bad...I'd say its about average.


via pyramid energy waves.

 

[Fishrising]

Thanks again all, I appreciate the comments...

 

[Jakes01234]

I also went with the st maxx in 255/80. 600 miles so far, still quiet and handled rain and dirt roads very good. I have 4:10 gears and could still feel their weight fairly easily in comparison to the stock 255/75. It is an 07 so weak engine to begin with.

 

[dstock]

I've heard about the sidewall issues but never had the issue myself despite multiple trips to Death Valley and other unforgiving places. I've got roughly 56K on mine but they have worn very evenly. I could probably get another 5K out of them but I don't tend to wear them all the way down before I replace them. As much as it would be interesting to try out the new KO2's it's tough to leave a product that just plain works well.

 

[vtsoundman]

I've heard about the sidewall issues but never had the issue myself despite multiple trips to Death Valley and other unforgiving places. I've got roughly 56K on mine but they have worn very evenly. I could probably get another 5K out of them but I don't tend to wear them all the way down before I replace them. As much as it would be interesting to try out the new KO2's it's tough to leave a product that just plain works well.

Couple of questions - manual or automatic? What PSI do you run on pavement? Curious about your ability to get rougly 1.3x more miles...(I replace them a bit early too). Is your jeep heavy (or loaded down with cargo like mine)? I have a 6sp manual, and run 30-32lbs. (anything softer and find there is too much roll). I rotate & balance every 5-7k miles.

I've had to replace 3 tires due to sidewall issues - one was a stick on a trail, one was a rock in my driveway, one was a piece of metal on driving on the freeway. Never had to replace a tire prior to the DTs - might be luck I guess. Never had a flat either...then I had 4 in a month on 3 different vehicles...luck of the draw maybe?

Those that comment about not noticing tire weight - depends on the use case & vehicle.
The jeep is a relatively light vehicle - I tried a set of heavy E-rated ATs (the brand is escaping me at the moment) and immediately noticed the weight. I yanked them off and went back to the DTs. (I have an '07, 6sp, 4.10s). On any my lighter vehicles (Corolla, K10 Suburban, Jeep, Audi etc) - I immediately noticed the additional rotating mass of either heavier wheels or heavier tires negatively affecting stopping distances and therefore have tried to balance rotating mass against need.

 

[Callahan]

I went through the same thing you are going though several months ago. Looked at every tire on your list and then some. I went with the BFG KO2s in 34 x 10.5. They are far better than the previous generation on all surfaces IMO (which I had on my previous Jeep in 285/70/17) and served me well in Moab this year. Love them. I think I paid $280 each at Discount Tire. I get the same MPG as I did with the stock tires and they are way more quite.

You might check this out, a good review of the tires in this size (great blog too)

http://theroadchoseme.com/tire-selection-bfgoodrich-ko2-all-terrain

 

[dstock]

Couple of questions - manual or automatic? What PSI do you run on pavement? Curious about your ability to get rougly 1.3x more miles...(I replace them a bit early too). Is your jeep heavy (or loaded down with cargo like mine)? I have a 6sp manual, and run 30-32lbs. (anything softer and find there is too much roll). I rotate & balance every 5-7k miles.

I've had to replace 3 tires due to sidewall issues - one was a stick on a trail, one was a rock in my driveway, one was a piece of metal on driving on the freeway. Never had to replace a tire prior to the DTs - might be luck I guess. Never had a flat either...then I had 4 in a month on 3 different vehicles...luck of the draw maybe?

Those that comment about not noticing tire weight - depends on the use case & vehicle.
The jeep is a relatively light vehicle - I tried a set of heavy E-rated ATs (the brand is escaping me at the moment) and immediately noticed the weight. I yanked them off and went back to the DTs. (I have an '07, 6sp, 4.10s). On any my lighter vehicles (Corolla, K10 Suburban, Jeep, Audi etc) - I immediately noticed the additional rotating mass of either heavier wheels or heavier tires negatively affecting stopping distances and therefore have tried to balance rotating mass against need.

My Jeep is an auto and is on the heavy side, check sig, winch bumpers, dual batts etc. I run about 37psi on pavement. I get much better mileage out of them on my 2013 then I did on my similarly 2010. I attribute this to the 3.8 having to work much harder then the 3.6 does as I would really have to keep up on rotations on the 2010. On the 2013 it almost wears completely even front to rear.