KO2s load rating ‘e’ worth it?

Hello all, I currently have Wrangler Duratracs in a 265/65 r18.
They’re pretty worn and very noisy on the highway. Maybe not great for mpg either? Looking to replace them and have heard great things about KO2s. But have heard I should get them in load rating ‘c’. With my 18” rim BFG only makes them in the ‘e’ (10 ply).
I guess my question is should I suck it up and take the 10 plys or find another brand/model? I drive in snow a lot, other tire recommendations welcomed!

 

Falken wild peak at3w seems to be good and has the 3 peak mtn snowflake rating for snow as does the ko2.

In some sizes the ko2 Is offered as the ko2 DT which has mileage warranty but no 3 peak mtn snowflake.(not really sure why)

I run Ko2 DTs in a 2657516 which is only available in an E also.. I love them.. they did firm up the ride a bit and cost a mile or 2 per gallon Of gas tho.

And for what it’s worth I have around 30k on mine and still have over half the tread left

 

They are very tough tires on the E load rating, but they really are stiff and made the ride worse.

 

Also if you want good ride quality and aren’t doing much off roading look at the Michelin defender Ltx.. They handled great in the snow when I had them.

 

There is no downside to buying E rated tires other than price. I'm not sure the KO2's are worth the price, they weren't to me. I considered the Falkens, but ended up buying these Pirelli's. What ever tire you decide on I'd go with E rated tires if you drive off road, or even on rough dirt/gravel roads. I've ruined too many light duty tires on such roads. Ride isn't bad at all if you get the air pressure right. You don't need nearly as much air in them as you'd use if they were on a 3/4 ton diesel truck that weighed 7500 lbs unloaded.

The Pirelli's, about 1/3 less than BFG.

 

I'm a huge fan of E tires and like their rock hard lack of compliance for how my truck is setup and how i drive. but for you with short walled 18's, snow, and being used to C's, i would say absolutely not. find another tire in C range.

 

I just did 3.5 years on the duractracs load E in Canada in the mountains and snow. They were 285/75/16. No complains other than loud when they got old. In December I got ko2s 285/75/16 load E and I prefer the duratrac in snow and ice and also deep snow. I also think the grip in slippery mud was better with the Duratracs. I find they have better grip than the ko2. The ko2 seemed to get packed with snow or mud quicker than the duratrac in my experience.

E rated tires are much harsher over bumps and cracks than C rated tires with 16 inch rims so I think 18s would be even worse.

 

Add harsh ride to the list of negatives for E tires.

That being said I stand by my e load range tires.

 

y'all keep in mind that E range 16's or even 17's will be MUCH more complaint than 18's. the sidewalls on those 18 E's be will be nearly rock hard. i know because i run E's in a similarly small/tight size and they are different from your normal 265/75-16's, etc.

 

I liked the BFG's when I had them, ride and rain performance. I switched to Dura tracs and I'm disappointed with them in the rain, really disappointed. Only positive is the mpg when I'm on the highway. So much higher with Duratracs load range C over the BFG's load range E.

 

E loads really don't ride harsh. The people saying they're harsh must've came from a Tesla and they must have had 5 back surgeries. My E loads are very smooth and comfortable.

 

I'm about to pull the trigger on some C load duratracs after this virus dies down (job instability).

For 265/75/r16:
C load duratracts are 45 lb vs 51lb in E
K02's are 54lb in E

I'm going C to be nice to my transmission

I hear duratracs shine in the snow

More tire comparisons (16 in rim though):
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/popular-tire-comparisons.654241/

 

I'm running LT265/70R18 Falken Wild Peaks E-Load on stock limited wheels, they are a heavy duty tire for sure, they weigh [59.5lbs] 13 more pounds more than the standard load 265/70R18 in the same tire. I do quite a bit of highway driving and tires are smooth and drive very nice for a heavy duty tire. If aired properly they're fine, it's a truck, and these are truck tires, want to ride like a car, get Michelins I put those on my old tacoma I gave to my wife, that truck rides like a car.
I'm happy with the tires, I'm in Florida and the wet traction is great too.

 

Sure they do. They’re made for 3/4, 1 ton and up vehicles

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bfgoodrich-all-terrain-t-a-ko2.344486/page-109#post-22816088

 

KO2’s lolzz

 

Thanks for the responses.
After taking everything into account I’m thinking about getting these now:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+DuraTrac&partnum=665SR8WDT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
but another question. What is their load rating? Is that what the ‘sl’ is? And how does it compare to the KO2s 10 plys?

 

Yeah SL is a passenger vehicle load rating, I would recommend the in C load, I believe they come in C.
sl= 4 ply
c = 6 ply
e = 10 ply

I just checked, it looks like they only come in SL for an 18 in wheel. Also do not pay what tire rack is asking for those holy shit

 

I put a set of ko2 load range e’s on my truck after getting damn near 100k on a set of duratracs (load range c)

I’ve got about 40k on the bfg’s now and I like them but preferred the duratracs for many reasons but ultimately they got loud. Can’t complain at that mileage though.

Got the e’s on accident... I just run 30psi in them and they feel nice and soft... but they don’t do bad even without a sway bar.

 

I use load range E tires on mine, only because load range C tires seem to be harder to find. They ride pretty rough on the unpaved, poorly maintained road out of here. I would go with load range C if they were easily available. Folks complain about gas mileage with the stouter tires, but my 4 banger does well with conservative driving.