K02 tires

I got a 2020 TRD Off Road that I just put a 3 in lift kit on. I’m shopping for tires and spotted some 285/70/R17 K02s. I wanted to get the ones with black lettering but the americas tire app says it won’t fit but as soon as I select the white letter ones it’s a match. Is there a difference I should know about?

 

I would check the tire specs on BF Goodrich’s website.

Also, the KO3’s are out now in some sizes. Might want to look at those before you buy the old version.

 

As far as I know, the lettering is white on one side and black on the other. They aren't directional so you can choose which side you want facing outwards. That being said a 3" lift won't guarantee that you can run 285 tires on your truck. Still mainly depends on wheel offset. K02's run narrower than stated size though, so you might get lucky.

Typically offset will determine whether you hit the cab mount or upper control arm, which is why 0 offset is a pretty decent bet.

 

Not that I am aware of, most likely just the way they have their system set up. The black letter ones are usually harder to find, and as mentioned, you can turn the white letters in. I just got a new set in 285/75 R16 running on stock TRD Pro rims, Accutune UCA's, no rub.

 

My only complaint about the KO2s was their wet traction. Especially as they aged. If they improved this aspect I might revisit them. They certainly are one of the best looking AT tires IMO. I will be looking to replace around the time of their release. I have been pretty happy with the TOYO AT3 Ws

 

The K03's are out for 285/70R17 currently with many more sizes releasing this August. The water evacuation channels are much better.

 

Oh I see. You're right. Some sizes are still to be released. The pizza cutter I looked up wont be released until November. I look forward to some reviews on here

 

If you're curious
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bfg-ko3-review.812711/

 

That's my issue as well, they are absolutely brutal in the rain.

 

My dad and I both have Ko2’s. I’ve been really impressed other than the fact that we have both had a bad cupping issue. I rotate every 5k but don’t know if I need to have them balanced every time as well or if there is anything I can do to help with that. Ko3’s sounds good though.

 

I hear quite a few people talk about the K2 and wet traction. I’ve been running BFGoodrich tires on either a truck or Jeep for nearly 30 years.

I’ve never lost traction in the wet or the snow. Maybe I’ve been lucky. Maybe I drive like grandpa I don’t know. I’ve never had an issue

 

I rotate every 2500…..I have for years. I have tires balanced every spring. No cupping issues for the last 30 years

 

Good to know. I’ll try that. I’ve never had wet weather traction issues with them. In fact these were a huge improvement over the Nitto Terra Graplers I had before. Those were horrible on wet roads.

 

Same. I've only run through one set, just got a second set. No issues with wet traction that I've noticed.

I rotated once a year at about 6500 miles. Maybe skipped a year. Mine wore evenly.

The cupping I've seen on other tires is usually due to worn suspension components, or shocks that are not up to the task. Shocks wear out slowly and many people just don't notice that their shocks are no longer working well. I'd never run any shock longer than 50k miles. OEM shocks aren't up to the task of running E-rated tires on them.

 

I think it’s the driving style. Mine doesn’t go well in wet with hard compounds because I haul ass. The KO2’s are a hard compound. Built tough and to last. They can put all the water channeling they want in the KO3’s they want but the hard compound of the KO2 loses grip from lack of tread block flexing. If they improved the compound into something softer they’d have better wet traction. That said, it only seems to matter for the guys who corner like it’s a car and demand more out of their tires for road use. I know quite a few guys who run the KO2’s and they love them. I’ve had them on a work truck and with weight they had plenty of traction and insane longevity. If you don’t drive like you’re in a hurry all the time they can be a great tire. But if you want superior wet traction there are softer tires out there for that. Driving style and environment Trump looks imo

 

I have lost traction. I judged this by a light I come to a stop on at the bottom of a hill. I drive through this intersection almost everyday. I almost didn't stop in time twice coming up to that light as my ABS activated. They also got worse as they aged. That has NEVER happened with Toyo tires. It is what it is, I guess but too many people have the same complaint for it not to be true.

 

I definitely drive fast, but if you go into a turn with any speed at all on a wet road, you are going sideways on K02s. I have to basically crawl around the turns, and it was like that from the start. And if you floor the gas in a lower gear the tires are spinning.

They hold up really well in terms of durability, and otherwise no complaints, but I'm definitely a little on edge when the pavement is wet.

 

Exactly true about the hard compounds. I had a set of Michelin (who owns BFGoodrich) LTX MS2 and those tires lasted over 80K miles. The last 40K miles I had to drive VERY cautiously in my Explorer (that only had rear ABS) I had to pulse my brakes coming to a stop in rainy weather. But those tires were smooth, quiet and TOUGH. It's always a trade off with a longer tread warranty which seem to be a harder compound vs a shorter tire warranty, which seems to be a softer compound. I will always go for better traction vs longer tire wear.

 

I would have bought the KO3 if they would have been available in the size I wanted