BFG KO2 vibration issue

I purchased KO2 for my 16 off road a month ago. Put about 800 miles on them. All was well on highway and local until today.

I drove about 80 highway miles and the truck was vibrating a lot. Not only felt in steering wheel but whole truck.

Went to tire place, the rebalanced all tired and said one was way out of balance. The manager told me KO2 tires have a heat cycle issue in that some of them will actually change shape after numerous heat cycles, in turn changing shape of tire.

Manager told me this will most likely keep happening and he offered to switch me to a different brand if it happens again.

I called BFG myself and they said they stand behind their tires and will replace down the road if need be.

Do I keep the KO2 or take the mananger up on his offer and switch to a different brand?

My concern is longevity of tire thread and wear patterns.

Thanks!

 

I have had two sets of KO2s, replaced at 40k. Love them. A little noisy and heavy, but never had any issues ... Moab heat to 14000 ft above telluride (I live in Colorado).

Sounds like you got unlucky with a bad tire, would ask BFG to replace all four (or five).

 

I typically try to steer customers away from KO2s. Don't get me wrong, they are a fantastic tire that has stood the test of time, but it is a very sensitive and high maintenance tire. That includes how the tire is treated before it is mounted on your vehicle. I can't tell you how the tire was treated at the warehouse before I had it, or how it was treated at the manufacturer. But even if they were treated perfectly before they landed in my inventory, I know 99% of customer absolutely will not maintain proper pressure, and rotate every 5k.

Having said that, if the vibration issue has been solved by the rebalance, then you should be golden. If the vibration persist, your tires will wear irregularly, and need replacing much sooner then a smooth rolling tire.

 

Great info! Really appreciate the knowledgeable answer, thanks.

What is correct tire pressure for KO2s on-highway for tacoma? Also, what do you recommend as an alternative for general off road / snow / mountains?

 

It was fine and then suddenly it wasn't? You threw a wheel weight or something. I highly doubt this was a sudden tire issue.

 

It was fine until Toyota rotated them earlier yesterday morning. I went on highway and there was lots of vibrations.

 

So they probably knocked out a wheel weight. Tires just don't "suddenly go unbalanced"

 

I have 32” E rated KO2’s and they did that. It was only when they were brand new and they were aired at 40PSI so my solution was drop it down to 34PSI, ran that for a couple months and then went back to 40PSI. I don’t know if that broke the tires in but the bounciness went away and I’m super happy with them. It looks like they wear down a bit faster than some Duratracs I had but overall they’re still a great tire.

 

That hasn't been my experience at all. I know, anecdotal, but many sets of KO/KO2's with zero issues. Mounted easy and no balance issues, fortunately. If I were to go A/T's again, they'd be my #1 choice.

 

They’ve done great on the road for a road trip and have handled well for me on some trails!

 

I'm a big fan of toyo open country at2s. This is usually the tire I run on my vehicles, does well in all situations except for thick mud. As far as pressures go, I'm not sure yet. I have only had my tacoma a few months and I still have the stock p265/65r17s. I haven't worked on many Tacomas either. I'm not sure what a LT tire would need for pressure.

I service about a dozen fleets that have anywhere from 10 to 500 pickups that run the ko2s. I have seen these tires run their life cycle more times then I could possibly count. Like I said, great tire, and have had a lot of happy customers that use them, but it is not my favorite tire sell based on what I have seen. There are some tires that are more prone to creating a long term headache for me, and some that just don't. Last thing I want is a customer to come back to me pissed off and demanding I give them money for tires that have worn prematurely

Also, have you guys noticed the price of the ko2s have skyrocketed??? Its insane what they cost recently

 

Tire store gave you a line of nonsense. No such thing as a vibration being caused by a heat cycled tire. They are round and the material is consistent all the way around. If there were any shred of truth to that, folk in Texas would be replacing their tires every few weeks.

What it sounds like to me is that you had a tire that probably didn't seat properly when you bought them and a lazy ass tire tech put it on the back because you won't notice the problem until it is moved to the front as you have found out. There is a possibility that you got a defective tire, it does happen, but a defect is very rare with Michelin's quality control.

Michelin makes about the best tire on the market and they really stand behind them. If by some chance the tire is defective or there is any customer satisfaction issue whatsoever they will take care of it. I doubt they will adjust them for another non Michelin brand so you are probably stuck with BFGs, but that isn't a bad thing by any means.

If I were you, I would go back to the place I bought them from and raise hell because they should have taken care of that problem before sending you down the road.

 

I understand what your saying and it's certainly a possibility. What he means by heat cycle is driving at highway speeds for a duration heats the tire more so than driving around town. Driving several different times at highway speeds for duration is going thru heat cycles. What he is saying is this process can change the shape of a tire that is not constructed properly.

 

Yeah, that is absolutely not true and those are the exact conditions that tires are made to operate in. Not to mention that he is way off base with that statement to include BFGs because Michelin has the absolute best manufacturing process of any tire on the market.

My guess on what he is feeding you is that Michelin is ungodly difficult to deal with in terms of pricing. The margins are so slim on any Michelin tire because the costs are so high and they practically control the pricing on them by not allowing you to advertise them at certain levels. He most likely wants to put you into something that either has a nice spiff or he makes more money on. The tire business can be shady. I have seen people that come in specifically asking for Michelins that role out with Dunlops because the sales person made $10 a tire on Dunlops vs $0 on a Michelin.

 

I would have to agree, I've never heard of a tire changing shape from the heat and returning to its round shape after cooled...usually that kind of damage/distortion is permanent.

 

Aren't bfgs made by Michelin? I've been told that by a few tire companies.

 

Yes, just like bridgestone/firestone, general/continental, etc

 

Since this a current KO2 thread and I'm in the market and seems like a few responders know what sup with them I'll crash the thread..
How are they in the SNOW? I know Snow tires are made for snow and such and there seems to be much love for KO2 and also hate. I'm thinking of a set of four for winter use in New England / VT snow in this size- 245/75/16.
I've been reading though lotsa older threads too.
PS its amazing what loosing a small tire weight can do to any tire at higher speeds

 

Fwiw I have 245/75-16 General Grabber At2's on my 17' dcsb OR, they look almost identical to at ko's, not as strong as ko's but also not as heavy, so far they've been great in everything.

 

They do well in the snow. If you're buying a tire solely for winter use though, I would recommend just getting a winter tire. Why settle for lower performance when you're buying for a specific application? Especially since you're considering paying ko2 prices