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Tire opinions please!

8K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Breathing Borla 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I am getting new tires before the winter and need to change them to load E for trailering (2 horse bumper pull). I drive curvy country roads and I really want something with good traction for the winter - according to our town - plowing snow is merely a suggestion and they mostly hope and wait for it to melt :) I tow the trailer several times per week so snow tires are not really a good option. We get lots of rain here so I want good traction especially on those curvy roads.

My choices at the local Costco are either Michelin Defender M/S or the BG KO2. Looking at reviews - it seems the michelins are better with wet roads and overall driving comfort/quiet - but BG's might be better in snow or pulling the trailer in wet grass. The last set of tires were Kumho and I only got 30K miles out of them.

Anyone have these tires that they love or hate for the above issues?
 
#2 ·
I'm on my 4th set of KO2s on four different types of vehicles. First thing I did to my truck was put KO2s on it. I had Firestone Destination AT and MT on a Dodge Ram and they cost less but lasted 30,000 miles. I had Goodyear Duratracs on a 4x4 Nissan NV van and they were louder at highway speed and were prone to punctures. Use Tirerack's comparison guide and I think you will see the KO2s are hard to beat.
 
#4 ·
I think it depends on the driving you do. I drove 99.9% Road/freeway. I have had both the Michelin LTX and Bridgestone. I tried the Bridgestone because there was a huge savings from the Michelin’s. Total mistake. In comparison, the Michelin’s are was more quiet and grippy. I got 50k miles out of them driving them HARD (aggressive stops/go and hard around turns) from brand new to the wear indicators on the tread. In comparison, the Michelin’s at their wear indicators still rode and handled better than the brand new Bridgestones. In any kind of wet weather the BS break loose constantly and TC is always kicking in. That rarely happened with my Michelin’s unless I just absolutely gunned it in a downpour. Would never have another tire now. If you haven’t had either yet, trust me try the Michelin’s first. After driving around on those no other tire will perform as well.


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#6 ·
If you haven’t tried the Michelin LTX yet you owe it to yourself. They make the truck drive and handle INSANELY well. They are super grippy wet and dry and just absolutely silent. I’ve had Coopers in the past and they tend to last a long time because the rubber is harder. They rode like crap and were bad in wet weather. Use Discount Tire and if you aren’t happy within 30 days they will let you change.


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#7 ·
I have a 2016 DC TRD Offroad 4WD and I tow a camper. My Tundra came stock with Michelin ATX 2's and they are great. 20K miles and still have 10/32 of tread. I am thinking about going with Nitto Terra Grappler G2 though when these need replacing. I heard a lot of good things about these tires and I think they have a 65K warranty on them. Just my 2 cents.
 
#8 ·
Unfortunately tire options are about like paint color opinions. Everyone has there thoughts and most have a good reason for their opinion. Very few people actually use their trucks exactly the same and have the same tolerances for noise, loss of fuel, loss of aggressive handling. All of the tires listed are good tires. I ran those Michelin tires on a previous truck. They did handle well in every respect but mud. I got stuck multiple times trying to get in and out of fields trying to get to broken equipment. The Ko2 or Terra Grapplers are much better suited to field work but neither of them will achieve the fuel economy numbers that the Michelins will. You have to decide what's important to you.

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#10 · (Edited)
Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT 275-70-18 (tad over 33"). Had these fitted about a month ago and absolutely love them! Very aggressive sidewall and zero noise. Much prefer the E rated tire to the soft P rated Michelins which are a cruel joke looks wise on the Tundra. You need to air these up to 40—45 psig for the right ride / wear being a 10 ply.



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#14 ·
I’m likely going with these soon, my Bfg ko2 were awesome until about 35k then they got noisy and traction has not been as good , at 40k they are loud , kinda disappointed for what they cost, but they were pretty awesome for 30k miles I guess. Time to try something else and these xlt coopers are going to be it i think
 
#11 ·
Much as jdiesel said, its massively subjective. But here is what one thing that I think is agreeable across the board. The KO2 is going to be rougher and louder than your other choice. Its an All Terrain tire in an E rating. Your other choice is a highway tire that is designed with a different objective in mind. If someone is disagreeing with that, then they are just looking for boogers. I actually run KO2s currently and am always shocked as to how quiet and smooth they are (for an All Terrain tire). I just replaced a set (they lasted 75k) that were E rated with a C rated which won't work for your needs, and I noticed a big difference. The KO2 is 14 pounds heavier (assuming you are going with stock size) and a meatier tread pattern, which will relay into lower MPG. Again, that is just simple science and if someone chooses to disagree with that, then they are again just looking to be disagreeable.

So if you want it to look super cool, get a bunch of miles out of the tires, ride a little rougher, get lower MPGs and have a little more road noise, probably lose a little ummph on the low end (maybe not even noticeable) then get your KO2s. (I've run that tire on 4 vehicles now, and twice on my current truck)

If you want to run smoother and quite and look a bit less aggressive, then run the michelin. I cant speak to the miles that you will get out of them as I have never run that tire. And unless you live in the twilight zone, I would imagine your power and MPGs will be a bit better (possible much better regarding the MPGs) than they would be with the KO2s since the tire is a highway tread design and is much much lighter.

Something to be noted is that I have noticed a TON of people posting that they have gotten as low as 30k miles out of the KO2s, so Im not sure my experience with them is the norm. I have consistently gotten around 70k (average) out of that tire on each of the different vehicles I've ran them on. But I do run mostly highway and I rotate my tires religiously as well as make sure that my alignment is good from time to time. I also dont tow much.

So Ive just added more opinionated nonsense for you to consume before you make your ultimate choice. Though a few things I've mentioned are actual facts that may help you decide. The good news here in my opinion is that either way you go, you are choosing a great tire.

Best of luck to you.

CJ
 
#12 ·
Oh and I didn't even mention the most important part for me. The traction on my KO2s is absolutely phenomenal. Performance in the rain as well. I dont drive in the ice because Im 2WD so I cant speak to that.

CJ
 
#13 ·
When I need new tires I go to the tire manufacturers websites (BFG, Nitto, Goodyear, Toyo, and Continental) and get their recommendations and comparisons on traction on pavement, wet surfaces, snow, off road, and expected life and what warranty is provided. Then I look on websites like America's Tire where there are actual reviews of tires by dozens of owners for those tires on my short list.

The warranty is important as I do not want a tread wear warranty that requires me to buy the same tires from the same company but with a modest discount which means a discount off of the full retail price and not a good deal. A few companies provide full replacement during the first year and that is a big plus.
 
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