KM3 Tires - BF Goodrich experiences/question

Looking to upgrade from Duratracs to KM3s.

I have read many good things about them except high price and they are all E rated.

Also,
some have reported they are not as tall as their spec sheet says. I wondered if owners can report about this height discrepancy as most of us need higher not shorter tires.

 

They are so nice. I was thinking of getting these myself (In about 20000 miles, so next year ;D).

 

This was my first choice until I did more research and found out how heavy they are, the road noise, only E rated, and the bumpiness at low speed (as with most mud tires).

 

I’ll have a set on next week. The reviews I’m getting seem positive. They run small, which is common for BFGs.

 

You might get better responses in the tire and wheel section. But here’s a few of the reviews I saw that seemed to be from people that seemed honest and not biased.
I’m not advocating for you to get any certain tire. You make your own decision on that. But, for example the KM3 is about 16lbs heavier EACH than the KO2 in the same size of 285/70/17.
Un-sprung weight makes a big difference in accelerating, braking, wear on parts, etc.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SPxOXlw2ti4

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oHx0RdX7jKQ

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qGJRAP5TsqM

 

BFGs don’t always run small. The KO2 is the same or taller than most of the current popular AT tires. They are also wider by a good bit.
This is a longer video but I haven’t seen anybody else doing real time comparison measurements. And this guy is a pro, not a driveway mechanic.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=emesKTaYJOw

 

If they are as quiet as KO2s that would be great, my KO2s are good for road noise. The KM3s look good, could do the skinny 255 size to save some weight.

 

They’re not. I really wanted these tires bad but they are worse in every way unless your in rocks or mud. KO2 unfortunately are better in sand, Highway, and rain. This is a dedicated Offroad tire that does better than most other mud tires on highway but not really comparable to a good set of ATs on the highway

 

For sure they are very specific at what they are good at, If you need them awesome! I am an AT tire kind of driver, happy with my KO2s.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_tfNKG2tno
Here’s the tire size comparison video I meant to post last time. Ignore the last one unless you’re looking for sizes above 33”

 

I have Km3’s on my Tacoma in 265/75, on stock wheels. I love them, we just had a wet snow storm and they don’t pack up in the slush and drift around.

they are in fact quieter than KO2’s! I’ve had KO2’s on 2 other trucks. I have almost 10,000 miles on my KM3’s and haven’t done any tire rotations. Actual driving they ride nice, I didn’t notice any power difference. I have the manual trans btw.

I called BFG when I bought them and they suggested 40 psi to run, it’s a perfect pressure looking at the wear pattern. During the cold mornings (5 degrees, for example) they run 35 psi until they warm up. I’m very happy with them, having run TSL Boggers in the past on a truck I had, they are quiet and their snow and ice stability is fantastic.

Friday morning when I was headed home (62 mile) I was passing in 4 hi left lane on the Interstate in the left unplowed lane, they were not squirrelly across bridges etc or road imperfections. Later Friday morning the roads were very slushy, where people running street tires were all over the place the KM3 took off great from the lights.

Just my experience, since I run these year round and commute 62 miles each way.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SPxOXlw2ti4

 

1. those really cupped on that jeep, might be the caster angle with the straight axle

2. They are very noisy in that jeep, although every jeep I’ve ever ridden in was noisy. The cupping will make those louder. My Tacoma has not caused any cupping. Being that I know the Tacoma has more insulation, the KM3’s are quiet.

3. I have a 97 F-350 reg cab 7.3 with OX LOCKERS front and rear 4.10’s on 35’s. I run Mud Grapplers on it, also load range E. They are significantly louder than the KM3’s!! Hands down, that’s why I didn’t put them on the Tacoma. The Mud Grapplers do wear very well, I put them on my F-350 in 2013 and I have never rotated them, however I have approx 15,000 miles on them is all.

4. I daily drive with KM3’s for the erratic weather we get here in Colorado, and since I’m a essential employee (power plant operations) I have to get to work everyday. I had KM2’s on a 07 Titan, lifted etc in 35’s. Those were decent but wore quickly.

5. I will buy these again for the Tacoma, no complaints and zero feathering, cupping etc. I lost approx 1 mpg and it did t affect my gearing at all. I love the manual trans gearing and the 4.30’s. I don’t ever have to shift in and out of 6th.

6. All my opinions but I need a good deep snow tire, all terrains don’t cut it for me. In the summer muds does a fantastic job of driving through deep water without hydroplaning.

7. I have a set of TOYO open country’s on my wife’s Murano, also load range E. They do a great job in the snow, but load up with slush, compared to the KM3’s. I like the feel of the KM3’s more than the Toyos. They are a great tire in the Murano however and have a deep tread and wear fantastic.

 

I’m glad you are getting better results than that Jeep guy from the vid. Since the KM3 is a tire that a lot of people are looking at these days and there isn’t a tone of real average Joe reviews, this thread might get big or a lot of people will find this thread later on in their research.
Would you be able to compare this tire to the KO2? Not that it’s a better tire. Just because it’s kinda become the standard tire that others compare to because most are familiar with the KO2 and it’s a really good all around tire.

How is the KM3’s grip on wet pavement?
Do you feel the mud tread bumpiness during low speeds?
What psi do you keep yours at and does it ride well at around 32-36 psi?
Does it sling small rocks at you on the highway?

I’m pretty sure most are sure about this tire off road, but there’s not much about it reported on the highway. Since most of us will use this tire as a daily driver, the highway abilities are important.

thanks in advance for your feedback!!!

 

Sorry, anyone that claims the KM3s are quieter than the KO2 gets written off as a fan boy.

I have 285/70/17 KM3s on my '20 Tacoma and 285/70/17 KO2s on my '16 4Runner. Not a chance in the world are the KM3s quieter, they aren't an extremely noisy tire like many MTs are but they are certainly noisier than the KO2s. The KM3s do just fine in all conditions, I haven't been able to tell a difference in rain, but in snow the KM3s do better and on dry pavement, the KO2s likely are better (I've not had traction complaints with either on pavement but KO2 tread design will lend itself better the dry traction). The KO2s are a C rated tire and the KM3s are an E rated tire, this is a tough one to judge because suspension will play a huge role here. However, I have nice suspension setups on both vehicles, the Tacoma has Kings and the 4Runner has OME BP-51 springs and shocks, both have SPC UCAs. I don't fine that the KM3 E rated tires ride rough and I like the ride of the Tacoma better than the 4Runner. I'll let you make your own decision on the E rated tires but as long as you have a good suspension setup, I don't think they'll be a problem. I do often see guys complaining about E rated tires and they usually have overly stiff suspension or shitty suspension setups...that's likely their problems, not the E tires.

Overall, if you are going to be doing plenty of street driving, I'd go KO2s hands down. The only reason I went with KM3s on my Tacoma was a killer deal came up on some brand new ones, so I figured Id give them a shot. I'm not disappointed in them at all, but still like the KO2s bette.

 

do you think your suspension helps with the on road ride quality? Which King model and setup is on your Tacoma?

 

I hate that most of the desirable aftermarket tires have gone E rated. E rated tires aren’t as sticky on rocks and the heavy sidewalls don’t conform to trail obstacles as well. The tire companies are concerned about the liability of bro dozer diesel guys putting everything on their 3/4 and 1 ton trucks and the tire shops being dumb enough to put C load rated tires on instead of E where necessary. Tacomas and Jeeps don’t need a 3200# rated tire, neither does the Bronco I have. The couple exceptions to the rule I’ve found are the 315/70R17 KO2 tires used on the Raptor and the 35x12.5R17 Goodyear MT/R, both are still C rated and what I run on the Bronco. If/when I get a Tacoma I won’t be going more than 1” taller than stock. Sure enough the stock 265/70R16 BFG is only available in E, the 275/70R16 KO2 is a D. Might have to go with a 265/70R17 as it should be exactly 1” taller than stock and comes in a C load range.

 

Absolutely. With that said, a tire shouldn't be what you rely on to have a good ride. Sure a tire can ruin a ride, but it shouldn't be able to make a nice ride. If your truck rides good with Cs and like garbage with Es then I'd take a look at the suspension.

Mostly agree with this. However, the 315/70/17 KO2s that are found on the Raptor, none of the tire shops around here keep them in-stock so if I had gone with them for my wife's Jeep, it was a couple weeks out.

 

E rated tires ruined the ride on my stock 2005 Nissan Titan, it went from decent to terrible when I swapped the stock P rated tires to a 285/65R18 E rated BFG KO. Fortunately my local discount tire stocks the OEM Raptor tires, but the cheaper source is Craigslist or offer up where guys are selling almost new takeoffs for $100 per tire.

 

I keep my cold inflation at 40 psi. I called BFG what they suggested for the Tacoma. So in the cold weather they run approx 35 in the morning. They will warm on the highway and get back to 40. Since the majority of my trip is highway.

I’m really impressed the way they wear on a stock Tacoma. I commute back and forth to work so that’s why I did get the Muds, I have to make it to work period. So the low speed I only feel a vibration from tread when coming to a stop or less than 5 mph.

I had the stock tires on my OR and I wasn’t impressed with them off road and in the rain (bought the truck in June). They would easily hydroplane. Where I live we also get a lot of hail that gets fairly deep, the stock tires slid all over the place. The KM3’s do great in wet, and compared to the Km2’s I had ran in the past on a Titan, they do a better job on ice.

As for throwing rocks, the stock tires threw a lot of rocks, so much so I put the mud flaps on the same week I bought the truck. The KM3’s throw an occasional rock but the mud flap, and the front bed protection takes the hit. Which I’m impressed the protection that Toyota did on these trucks for rocks hitting the bed, and behind the rear tires with those deflectors. I’ve never owned a Toyota before this.

My Dad runs the KO2’s on his ‘13 Frontier, they are in fact noisier than my Km3’s. I know people like to say an all terrain is better on road, off road, but I disagree. I have ran Mud tires since I had my first trucks, I’ve had all terrains, I’ve tried Mickey Thompson’s, I’ve ran TSL Boggers. I loved the Boggers but they don’t last very long. I live in Colorado and for my environment Mud tires fit the bill, for rocks, snow, rain, mud. I also have a cabin that is a pain to get into in the winter. That’s why I have 2 trucks my Tacoma with a locker, and my 97 F-350 with OX lockers front and rear.

I can attest that the Tacoma with stock suspension wears these tires great with no cupping, or feathering. I have Mud Grapplers on my F-350 and those are comparable in noise to a TSL Bogger, but since it’s a 7.3 it’s a noisy truck anyway. Just my opinions, Oh if I had to guess so far I bet I’ll get 50k out of them on the Tacoma.