When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I've recently leveled my 2017 F150 with an Icon kit. Now I am looking for wheels and tires. I will be going to a more off road capable 17" or 18" set vs the 20's that are currently on it. I had BFG AT KO2s on my Suburban a few years ago, and I was always happy with them. I don't want any more road noise than they have, or a rougher ride. I understand that the newer "hybrid" tires offer better off road performance without sacrificing the on-road qualities. What brands and models should I consider? If you can, compare them to my baseline of the BFGs in these areas.
Usage:
Towing boat and motorcycle trailers (want good ride a stabile towing)
Rocky central Washington forest service roads and trails (need tough sidewalls, want good traction)
Occasional sand - Moses Lake, Long Beach, Coos Bay... (will air down, want good traction)
Family road trips (want good ride and low noise)
Occasional commutes to work (want good ride and low noise)
I don't go mudding.
Here's an example of the terrain that's common here. It's a long video, but if you jump thru it you'll see the variety of terrain I commonly encounter.
Nitto Ridge Grapplers would be a great choice for you. I run them now, they're excellent. I've also run the KO2's on a previous truck and they were great, but the Ridge Grapplers have more traction and are very quiet.
I just got rid of my Cooper st maxx tires after 65k miles because one was way to low from a few burnouts. I loved those tires, they had a little hum after all the miles but I'm a very spirited driver and was impressee.
I wanted to go down a tire size and the cooper's are spendy, a few k miles ago I put on falken at3w tires. Didn't like the size right off the bat and wanted to hate the tires, but they have done good. In the first 1k miles or so they were kinda rock throwers after driving down a gravel road, now they dont. Supposedly they rate better then the bfg, tho I've heard 50/50 on the bfg for rain and snow performance. Only down side is that they are made in thailand not USA
if you added 2 inches if leveling kit here’s my recommendation .... buy a set of take off wheels on eBay .. the magnetic painted pocket wheels tgat come in 2018 trucks.. not chrome .. chrome flakes off 18 inch wheels ... the stock tire size for 2018 is 275 65 18 .. that’s 32.1 tall .. you could go to 275 70 18 that takes you to 33 .... or 285 70 18 that’s 34 inches .. with the 2 inches of leveling if you have an fx4 or off road package it should be plenty of clearance .. .. I’m personally going to try 285 75 18 .. after 2.5 inches on front and an add a leaf .. I might still have some rake left but I want to keep my stock wheel cuz they are sharp
Stock tires and wheel may 16 .. 275 65 18 ...
I just bought some Raptor take-off wheels, and I'm going to try the Raptor size 315/70R17 tire size. I'm strongly considering the Falken AT3W based on a number of positive online reviews.
There's just no good side by side comparisions available. I'm shocked at the lack of quantitative comparison tests. The one from Expedition Portal (https://expeditionportal.com/where-t...eets-the-road/) is the kind of review I want to see, but it's outdated - doesn't include the KO2 or the AT3W. Most so-called "reviews" are just spewing the manufacturer's marketing drivel. Blech.
KO2s don't seem to be much higher or lower priced than other tires in this range, but I don't know about "hard to beat". Fair or not, I'm put off of the KO2 because of the poor performance of the KO in the Expedition Portal test.
07-02-2018, 02:34 AM
Tire recommendations - BFG AT KO2 vs all the rest
