KO2s or Toyo Open Country AT3s?

Hey,
I'M having a hard time choosing between the two and would like people that have ran these to chime in. I have read a bunch of threads and there is not to much info about the toyo AT3 I guess being they came out in 2020. They will be going on a 2021 TRD Pro that will spend most of its time on the street (pavement princess I guess ?) 265/75/16 is the size I'm not sure which load range. I read so many different opinions about the Ko2s I dont know what to believe. main concern is road noise at low and high speeds and ride quality.
thanks all for replies !

 

Toyo AT3's are far more quiet and perform about the same as BFG's.

Toyo's tend to have less issues than BFG's over time, like road balance or cracking. The AT3's are still new, but the AT2's had a great reputation.

The BFG's are more aggressive looking and do fairly good offroad. Also BFG's have much better availability than the Toyos.

If I had a new truck I'd go Toyo's. I'm rocking cheap coopers and wish I had spent more lol.

 

I have AT3s on my ‘97 4runner in 285/75/17 flavor (34s) and they’re the best all around tires I’ve ever had honestly. I can’t really compare them fairly to BFGs since I haven’t had a set of them since the ‘90s, but the Toyos are quiet on road, they balanced easily and they are GREAT off road and in the snow. I bought them right before last winter. The Toyos are a lot newer in design and technology, so that’s something to think about. I’ll post this pic again (I answered another post on here recently about the AT3s and posted the same pic)...

 

thanks for the pick they look good. I do favor the BFG looks better but the toyos still look aggressive and nice as well IMO

 

I've got the 285/75/16 KO2 on my '20 Pro and they've been great so far. Truck feels firmly planted to the road and very low road noise. Happy with the purchase

 

I’ve always liked the white lettered BGF’s.

 

I’ve had Toyo AT3’s on my truck for about 15,000 miles, 265/70/17. They’ve been great tires. I don’t go off-road much, but wanted a more capable tire, and ones that didn’t look like they belonged on a minivan. These have been awesome in the rain, snow, and better in icy conditions than I expected. No balance issues, no weirdness after rotations.

I did notice an increase in road noise over the stock Firestone’s, but it’s not bad at all. What little noise they do make effectively cancels out the slight diff howl, and the sound seems to have mellowed out some since new. I probably dropped 1mpg over all, more noticeable in the winter. I’m hoping they stay this good for at least another 35,000- 40,000 miles.

 

I just had 265/75r16 (SL rated) Toyo AT3's installed last week, drove around town for a bit, and then did a 900 mile road trip.

They're louder than any other AT I've run on any vehicle, including BFG KO2's, Dueler AT3's, Cooper AT, Hankook Dynapro ATm, and Walmart special Goodyear Trailmark's the PO installed. They are stable, handle great, no tread squirm, road imperfections don't seem to affect them. When cold/resting temp, it also has taken several miles of driving for them to smooth out.

At 34 psi front/32 psi rear, they were brutal. I noticed that after ~100 mi on my road trip at high 80's ambient air temp, they ballooned up to 39 psi front and 36 psi rear.

So for my return trip, I dropped them to 32 front. 30 rear. They were more compliant and only increased to 34 f, 32 rear. Mpg hit sucked.

However, they're still loud as hell - like, MT level of noise. Going to check back in w/ Discount Tire and see about swapping them out.

 

Do you want a very heavy, 10 ply, load range e tire? Because that's the only way a 265/75R16 KO2 comes.

I've had a set on my truck for a year now. They are as heavy as some 10 ply 285/75R16 tires, that combined with a very stiff sidewall makes for a harsh ride on stock suspension. I also find they have a ton of rolling resistance, so much so that I'm into the throttle descending some hills. Overall, not a fan.

Not sure why I went so overkill when I had zero issues with my Hankook Dynapro ATM in P265/75R16. I pushed them hard off-road with no problems at all.

 

I had LT285/70r17 Toyo AT3's on my 2020 TRD OR before I sold it. They were good tires, not noisy, smooth riding. I've never had BFG K02's so I can't chime in on those (they're popular for a reason that's all I'll say). I liked the look of my Toyos.

 

Never had the Toyo’s, but the KO2’s have performed very well for me in the woodlands and farmlands of central PA. I’ve also been pleased with their on-road manners in various weather situations. They seem to wear like hog snouts too. There is a reason this tire has been around in some form since Christ was a Corporal.

 

I have a set of the Toyo's on my Grand Cherokee - has been a good experience so far. As a guy that has mounted A LOT of KO2's over the years the Toyo's balance up way better than the BFG's. The Toyo's are barely any louder than the Michelin street tires that came on my Jeep. I'm sure the BFG will be better off road but I have spent a fair bit of time driving on gravel the last few months and have no complaints. Also my tires are wearing very evenly - they get rotated every 5000km. When I get my Tacoma next month it will be getting a set of Toyo's for sure!

Edit - like someone else said too the KO's only come in a 10 ply in that size - so a much heavier tire (54lbs vs 41 for the P rated Toyo) and it will have a bit more of a rougher ride. But good if you plan to tow at all.

 

I only have experience with the KO2s but in my opinion they perform really great and are pretty quiet. I have the KO2s on both my Taco and Jeep XJ. I have over 40k miles on the tires on my XJ and still have lots of threads left. I’ve done lots off roading on my XJ and the tires have been more than sufficient.

 

I’ve ran both.

Bfgoodrich KO2 in C load on 285/70/17s

Now on Toyo at3s in 35x12.5x17s

ko2s were amazing, quiet, great ALL AROUNDER. They did everything I asked them to do and more all while sounding like a true Highway tire. I’ve heard different opinions (love or hate) but I loved mine.

Only put 10k+ miles on them before going to a larger size. So my time with them was limited.

My aT3s are distinctly louder (hum) around town and on freeway. They are also E range. I’ve put about 3k miles on them. So I can’t comment on longevity and or overall experience but so far so good.

ko2s on first pic, 2nd is AT3s


You won’t be disappointed either way if your mostly around town/mall crawlin. I’d recommend C load for that stuff unless your carrying a lot of weight.

 

The BFG's are a pretty old design, this doesn't make them bad but it is not like they were decades ahead of others when they were new either. Sure they added more sidewall tread but the Toyo is an improved design over the previous AT2. Those are my thoughts that perhaps nobody cares about haha!

 

I just put a set of K02's on my truck, went up from a 31x10.5015 to a 32x11.50 15 on the stock 15x7 rim. I'm kind of biased on BFG's since I have been running them for over 20 years.

 

I've had BFG's on numerous tacomas and have liked them but they are heavier and are a pain to keep balanced.........the BFG's look cooler but I guess that's a matter of opinion........here's my previous 2019 Taco with the BFG's and my current 2012 Taco with the AT3's......I like the AT3 much better for my current truck as they seem to grip better in the rain and do great on the highway and are lighter than the BFG's.......The AT3's are also less $$$........I score the BFG a solid 8 out of 10 and the AT3 a solid 9 out of 10........but this is just based on my experience.......either way, both great tires!

 

both look good.

 

Thanks for all the input. still a tough choice between the two. In this very thread some have said ko2s loud and toyos are loud on road, Ko2s are the best tire they ran or toyo AT3s are lol Toyo at3 seems to able to be had in a lighter weight tire I believe 41-43 pounds and a newer designed tire. I dont think the Ko2s can be had in any other load range other than E for the 265/75/16 which they would weigh 51 pounds I believe and look slightly cooler IMO. Does the tire weight matter that much? I could care less about gas mileage.

 

The tire weight is pretty significant but it mostly affects your MPGs. Some folks say the ride is really harsh on e-rated tires but personally I don't feel a big difference after the switch from stock, even with stiffer-than-stock Pro front and rear suspension on my setup