BFG KO2s: Winter Driving Initial Impressions
12-30-2016, 11:01 PM
#1
BFG KO2s: Winter Driving Initial Impressions
I’ve been lurking around the forums for a few months now, mostly looking for opinions on tires for these trucks. I’ve seen little on the BFG KO2s and figured I should do a review on my initial thoughts to help anyone else out who is looking.
Terrain: Upstate New York. You have to live here to understand the absurd amount of snow we get. It’s pretty impressive at times. Stock tires were ok however I wanted a little more stability, traction and off-road capability with the next set of shoes.
Specs: 2014 SCAB FX4 Ecoboost. Previous tires were the 275/65r18 Goodyear AT/S. They were not a bad tire but also not the best. However, they came on the truck so couldn’t be that picky. I bought the truck used and from my understanding this was the LT tire option from Ford. Bought the truck with 24k on the clock and now at 30k. Overall still OK on tread life.
Replaced these with 275/70r18 BFG KO2 All-Terrains. According to spec sheets these are 1.1” taller than the Goodyears, about the same width at 11” and have a max load rate of a little over 1000lbs more. The BFGs are also an “E” Load Index compared to a “C” with the Goodyears. The KOs weigh in at approx. 57.5lbs which isn’t bad considering 10-ply.
First look on the truck: Very nice tread pattern and side walls. This is obviously a direct competitor with the infamous Duratrac which I have ran on vehicles in the past. I actually looked at the Duratracs again but they came in at about $60 more per tire. The truck has no level, nor do I plan to. There is zero rubbing in all directions with any part of the truck or mud flaps. The tires fill the wheel wells nicely.
Highway driving: Immediately after installation I took them on the interstate and locked the cruise at 75 and began checking for issues. No vibrations, no wandering, no funny noises and the thing tracks straight as an arrow. The ride is much stiffer, which I was hoping for. The truck responds well and feels glued to the road. So far, so good.
Winter: Within an hour of installation I began my 350 mile journey back to New York (visiting family for the holdiays, happened to see a local tire shop with good prices, haha). About 20 minutes into that drive home I got absolutely POUNDED with snow for the rest of the trip. I experienced everything from unplowed back roads to white out conditions on the interstate. Not exactly how I wanted to test a new set of tires but better now than never.
These tires are fantastic in the snow. I’d say right on par with the Duratracs I’ve ran for a few winters. The treads clean nice and was able to maintain speed at 65-70 in the hammer lane while the snow slowed a majority of traffic down in the right lane. Lane changes with that nasty slush in the center line are no issues and I’m a lot more confident doing so than with the old tires.
I used 4wd for a stretch of 4-5 miles just due to the limited visibility and the fact that there was 3 inches of snow that accumulated in about 5 minutes. Most traffic was moving around 15-25mph it was that bad. Still no issues.
Of course when I got home I had to find a “No Winter Maintenance” road and test my luck in the deep stuff. I’d say probably 12-14” of powder and slush. Again these tires did fantastic. Clean out really well and dig great.
Still haven’t experienced ice or mud but I’m sure I will in the near future.
Gas Mileage & Speedometer: Even with the taller tires there was minimal change in MPG's still hovering around 16-17 which is the same as I got on the trip down 2 days prior with the old tires. Impressed honestly. Speedo is off by less than 1 MPH at bout 75mph and it's very slight. This was measured with a Garmin GPS and iPhone App. Both read the same.
Overall very satisfied with the tires. Nothing will ever beat a dedicated winter tire but these do the job well. If you’re on the fence about these because of the lack of user reviews, go for it. No complaints.
I’ll get some pictures up tomorrow of the truck.
Cheers.
Terrain: Upstate New York. You have to live here to understand the absurd amount of snow we get. It’s pretty impressive at times. Stock tires were ok however I wanted a little more stability, traction and off-road capability with the next set of shoes.
Specs: 2014 SCAB FX4 Ecoboost. Previous tires were the 275/65r18 Goodyear AT/S. They were not a bad tire but also not the best. However, they came on the truck so couldn’t be that picky. I bought the truck used and from my understanding this was the LT tire option from Ford. Bought the truck with 24k on the clock and now at 30k. Overall still OK on tread life.
Replaced these with 275/70r18 BFG KO2 All-Terrains. According to spec sheets these are 1.1” taller than the Goodyears, about the same width at 11” and have a max load rate of a little over 1000lbs more. The BFGs are also an “E” Load Index compared to a “C” with the Goodyears. The KOs weigh in at approx. 57.5lbs which isn’t bad considering 10-ply.
First look on the truck: Very nice tread pattern and side walls. This is obviously a direct competitor with the infamous Duratrac which I have ran on vehicles in the past. I actually looked at the Duratracs again but they came in at about $60 more per tire. The truck has no level, nor do I plan to. There is zero rubbing in all directions with any part of the truck or mud flaps. The tires fill the wheel wells nicely.
Highway driving: Immediately after installation I took them on the interstate and locked the cruise at 75 and began checking for issues. No vibrations, no wandering, no funny noises and the thing tracks straight as an arrow. The ride is much stiffer, which I was hoping for. The truck responds well and feels glued to the road. So far, so good.
Winter: Within an hour of installation I began my 350 mile journey back to New York (visiting family for the holdiays, happened to see a local tire shop with good prices, haha). About 20 minutes into that drive home I got absolutely POUNDED with snow for the rest of the trip. I experienced everything from unplowed back roads to white out conditions on the interstate. Not exactly how I wanted to test a new set of tires but better now than never.
These tires are fantastic in the snow. I’d say right on par with the Duratracs I’ve ran for a few winters. The treads clean nice and was able to maintain speed at 65-70 in the hammer lane while the snow slowed a majority of traffic down in the right lane. Lane changes with that nasty slush in the center line are no issues and I’m a lot more confident doing so than with the old tires.
I used 4wd for a stretch of 4-5 miles just due to the limited visibility and the fact that there was 3 inches of snow that accumulated in about 5 minutes. Most traffic was moving around 15-25mph it was that bad. Still no issues.
Of course when I got home I had to find a “No Winter Maintenance” road and test my luck in the deep stuff. I’d say probably 12-14” of powder and slush. Again these tires did fantastic. Clean out really well and dig great.
Still haven’t experienced ice or mud but I’m sure I will in the near future.
Gas Mileage & Speedometer: Even with the taller tires there was minimal change in MPG's still hovering around 16-17 which is the same as I got on the trip down 2 days prior with the old tires. Impressed honestly. Speedo is off by less than 1 MPH at bout 75mph and it's very slight. This was measured with a Garmin GPS and iPhone App. Both read the same.
Overall very satisfied with the tires. Nothing will ever beat a dedicated winter tire but these do the job well. If you’re on the fence about these because of the lack of user reviews, go for it. No complaints.
I’ll get some pictures up tomorrow of the truck.
Cheers.
Last edited by mcarroll42; 12-30-2016 at 11:06 PM.
The following 4 users liked this post by mcarroll42:
01-14-2017, 06:43 PM
#2
Nice write up! 
Any photos of these tires on your truck?
Any photos of these tires on your truck?
01-14-2017, 07:02 PM
#3
Bitter sweet post, excellent review of a tires capability and the idiocy of taking pictures when the driver should be driving. 
The following 2 users liked this post by RLXXI:
lewis26 (01-16-2017),
lumpythetexan (01-14-2017)
