BFGoodrich KO3 coming soon!

[Todd n Natalie]

I just can't support BFG after their ads with the crown hicks doing donuts on the Bonneville salt flats and tearing them up. After being called out for the destruction they quietly pulled the ads but offered no statement.

Never heard of this so looked it up. Doesn't appear it was an ad of theirs and they did issue a statement.

"Thank you all for voicing your concerns. The vehicle in the photo wasn't owned, driven, or sponsored by BFGoodrich" and acknowledged its poor judgment. The post was then removed.

People Went Nuts Over a Photo BFGoodrich Posted. Here’s Why

After a destructive photo accidentally appeared on BFGoodrich’s social media, there was an online uprising that ended with a donation to the cause.

www.motortrend.com

Utah Residents Rip Up Fragile Bonneville Salt Crust - Save the Salt

Cameron Ramage and Skyler Pittman recklessly drove a highly modified Ford Crown Victoria on the Bonneville Salt Flats plowing ruts into its thin surface. The photo posted on BF Goodrich’s national website and Facebook pages ignited hundreds of negative responses from the U.S. and international...

savethesalt.org

 

[wicked1]

Still haven't heard anything about them. Thinking I'm going to go with Wildpeak AT3W's.

I'm not happy w/ my Wildpeaks.. Had ko2's before. But were out of stock for my size this summer when I needed tires... (still are apparently).
In comparison to the ko2's..

The wildpeaks are super bouncy! Every bump I go over, is like I'm driving a basketball or something.. It's a little unstable for a second as it wiggles around. The side walls are thinner, and I can feel it on the road. It feels like it's starting to slip every time I turn, but it's just the side walls flexing. The siping isn't deep and will quickly wear away.
And, not sure if I can really blame this on the tires, but I will.... I was driving on a road I've been on several times. There's a ledge.. Maybe 8". I always drove right up it w/ my worn ko2's. I could not get traction to drive up it w/ these new tires. I eventually started to get up it, slipped off, and fell back down and destroyed my differential!

-Edit to say, it probably matters that my truck is incredibly heavy, and I have to run about 70psi in the rear. They might be great at lower inflation.

As soon as my size ko2's are back in stock, I'm unfortunately throwing away the $1000+ I just spent on the wildpeaks and getting ko2's.

 

[Superduty]

I'm not happy w/ my Wildpeaks.. Had ko2's before. But were out of stock for my size this summer when I needed tires... (still are apparently).
In comparison to the ko2's..

The wildpeaks are super bouncy! Every bump I go over, is like I'm driving a basketball or something.. It's a little unstable for a second as it wiggles around. The side walls are thinner, and I can feel it on the road. It feels like it's starting to slip every time I turn, but it's just the side walls flexing. The siping isn't deep and will quickly wear away.
And, not sure if I can really blame this on the tires, but I will.... I was driving on a road I've been on several times. There's a ledge.. Maybe 8". I always drove right up it w/ my worn ko2's. I could not get traction to drive up it w/ these new tires. I eventually started to get up it, slipped off, and fell back down and destroyed my differential!

-Edit to say, it probably matters that my truck is incredibly heavy, and I have to run about 70psi in the rear. They might be great at lower inflation.

As soon as my size ko2's are back in stock, I'm unfortunately throwing away the $1000+ I just spent on the wildpeaks and getting ko2's.

What kind of truck do you have and what size tire?

 

[wicked1]

What kind of truck do you have and what size tire?

Tacoma (but a super heavy flatbed tacoma with a permanently mounted pop-up camper).
235/85r16.. Which is a tall tire, with a lot of sidewall.

And, I can't balance them.. I've had 4 different shops take a shot at it. Some ended up better than others, but even after two road force balances.. Still get shake at about 75mph.. which is my traveling across the country for 16 hours at a time speed... The tire techs are happy to barely get it in the green.. They say they aren't technically 'bad' because they can get them 'in the green' on their hunter machine.. But.. there's always a but.. They're like.. Yeah, you're good to go. Got them in the green.. "But.... it was difficult and you'll still notice some shake".. always a "but"...... (I'm in IT and there is no gray area.. it's either perfect or it doesn't work. Having work done on my truck as taught me there is a LOT of gray area in mechanical things, unfortunately... And hard to find anyone willing to take it past the bare minimum of acceptable..)

 

[UglyViking]

I have a love hate with my AT3Ws. On the one hand they are the best winter tire I have had for slush, hard pack, ice, and other general new england road conditions one may experience "on road". I've not had the chance to take them off road during the winter, but anything deep I'd be nervous they don't have the correct tread pattern for it.

As others have experienced, I've also had challenges getting the tires to balance, and not hearing about the tire "bounce" I'm wondering if that is something I've been experiencing as well and couldn't put my finger on. It's a real bummer as I really love their winter on-road performance. I'll likely keep them around just for that to be honest.

I've had KO2s before, and love them, but they are not without fault. I think there are better, more modern options out there now, and with them being horribly undersized I'm less interested.

I plan to do a MT this summer, and keep the AT3Ws for the winter. Outside of the issue with balancing, which isn't horrendous but is there, it's probably been my favorite AT to date.

 

[DRAX]

I had Falken Wildpeak A/T3W (275/55R20) on my truck for a couple of years and loved them, great tire all around; Snow, rocks, wet, dry. I swapped out those and the 20" factory wheels with some ZR2 wheels that have 265/70R17 Duratracs. Honestly...I had really high hopes for them based on so many people loving them, but now I'm left wondering if they even know what a good tire is. Semi joking... They haven't let me down, but they are wearing poorly and are getting loud and they only have like 10k miles on them. I was excited to try them in the snow this winter but honestly I couldn't care less how good they are because I won't run them again.

I haven't decided if I'll go back to the Wildpeaks, try the General Grabber A/TX, or go with BFG A/Ts (KO2 or KO3, whichever is proving to be better). Whatever I go with will have the 3-peak rating. I might even go with the BFG Trail Terrain T/A, we just put a set of those on my wife's Grand Cherokee and I really like them but haven't had a chance to play in the snow yet.

 

[ramblinChet]

There is no argument when scientific testing is administered by TireRack - here is a screen shot:

 

[CSG]

I live in Southern Idaho and drive a 2002 LX470 stock. I've had the KO2s on my rig for a few years (since early in their release) and find they handle winters fine. I have yet to own a tire that's great on ice, specifically, but the KO2s handle our backcountry roads and winters with confidence. Other AT tires may be as good or better but I've been happy with the KO2s.

 

[fireball]

Bump, anyone heard any more info on release date?

 

[dur66@msn.com]

I'm going to need new tires for my Avalanche this year. It would be great if these were out before Fall.

 

[XJLI]

I heard April 1st… not a joke.

 

[ramblinChet]

Recently I met with some BFG guys and they gave me the scoop and showed me pictures of the tires that are not available on the interweb. These tires have been tested for several years now under some of the harshest of real-world conditions. If I remember correctly, the release of the full line of KO3s will take place during the first quarter of 2024.

That should work for me since my KO2s have around 35k on them and still look very good. I would prefer to install new tires before the snow falls up north so I may be forced to spend next winter in Florida, Texas, or Mexico.

 

[ntgbrl]

Came across some pics of the KO3s, still no news on specs or a release date

https://www.rivianownersforum.com/threads/new-bfg-ko3s.5332/#lg=thread-5332&slide=0