I know it's been beat to death...KO2's but here's the rub

Sugar I have 16 inch wheels. This is why you ask questions, Now I will find out what C load is as opposed to E load. Thank you again folks for your input it's greatly appreciated. My usual MO is to buy in a whim THEN do all my investigative work hoping I made the right decision

 

The most worn out Duratracs are FAR superior to KO2's in snow. Not even a contest. Duratracs are one of the best snow tires you can get. But Duratracs have a high incidence of a single tire (in 4) being impossible to keep balanced. You get a bad one and you shake and vibrate for 60K miles.

KO2's aren't the tire the "KO1" was (not really called that, but follow the history here) Less puncture resistance, lower total miles, etc...

I'd skip BOTH of them. Look at any of the multiple brands manufactured by Cooper. After owning all sorts of tires, I've settled on Cooper for the time being. Very high quality products, great ride, great performance in many arena's, and decent pricing.

I'm currently on my 2nd set of STT PRO's (285/75r16 lrE) Best street performance I've ever experienced from a mud tire. Best off road performance by a street legal mud tire. Pretty much covers my wants.

 

I disagree with alot of this.
-Duratrac's are great for one winter
-bfg's are a good all around tire....great in snow, high mileage, very puncture resistant(unlike the one above) and not as bad in mud as everyone exxagerates them too be.
-stt pro's I've never owned....it's a mud tire....street performance lol.....

 

@Jake1530

How much snow/winter are we talking?

Occasional dusting, or 5 months standing?

What do you have now, and do they work for you now?

 

You have a right to an opinion. Albeit misinformed and without basis in experience or fact.

 

I've owned 2 of the 3...but go on!

 

3 of 3, and multiple examples of each. So what's your point?

 

And what's yours? How much snow do you get?

 

3", then 2", then 5", and now 1". No thawing...Temps around 10 degrees ATM.

I put almost 55,000 on last set of Duratracs. That was spread through 3 winters. Very little drop off over that time. Snow rated....

Newer KO2's are softer rubber compound, less resistant to punctures than originals. They are NOT "Snow rated" and there's a reason for that. That straight from a tire dealer that sells hundreds of KO2's a year. He's getting way more back to be replaced under road hazard warranty.

And you really do need to realize you can get great street performance out of a GOOD mud tire. They will wear faster, but overall performance is MUCH better than KM2, KO2, Duratrac's and several others I've tried.

 

Just like you said we've all got our own experiences and opinions, we can agree to that.

 

KO2’s are snow rated, they have the snowflake symbol.

 

P rated 265-75x16 Falkin WP's.....

 

Are you going to regret duming an extra $400-500 on a set of tires you don’t need?

I would (unless I was well off).

I love the K02s but can’t justify the cost when I don’t wheel.


Also A/Ts are not ideal for snow. So you can’t manipulate that as an excuse LOL

 

Last year was my first experience with them and honestly can say they do an amazing job for an all season tire. Thinking of upgrading to 305-65-18 KO2 tires in spring.

 

Well, if you don't need any bad ass off Rodin tire, but a decent snow tire, my Bridgestone Dueler H/T P265/65R17 110s M&S OEM tires are still going at 78k miles. I drive in the snow and they are still ok. To make them look nice after a bath, I put a little tire dressing on them. I think I will make it to spring time and put the same thing back on. The ride is nice too.

 

Honestly, I replaced my stock Dunlops with Cooper Adventurer ATs (or something like that -- they are a Merchant Tire exclusive version of the Ko2s) because they looked rugged. I don't do any off-roading, my only need is the occasional little bit of snow. And I really regret the tires. They are noisier, they make the truck feel slower and sluggish, and I've lost about 2mpg around town. I'm sure those trade-offs are worth it to some, but really ask yourself if that's what you want. Next time I'm going to go for a quality all-season road tire.

 

@Clearwater Bill I live in Massachusetts and we get our fair share of snow, it's snowing now as a matter of fact. Put it in wheel hi half dozen times during the winter ( money well spent). A matter of fact I had to put it in 4 low and lock the dif last year to move off my street. All that said, I'm looking for a kewl looking tire I won't have to wear a kidney belt driving. I don't off road, I keep her very clean, I pay for it and I enjoy it like that.
I know I've already mentioned this, but I can't thank everyone enough for taking the time to reply with a well thought out and educational reply

 

The K-Bro2's FTW!
seriously, when I bought the truck, it had KO2's on it with 4/32" of tread left, had some heavy snow fall a few times, each time I was impressed at how well they worked with so little tread left (4x4, 4cyl) so much that I bought another set without even thinking about it, a year later and I'm still happy Road manners are good IMO, Gas Mileage is.... we'll I have nothing to compare with so

 

I run C Duratracs on my Taco, and they’re great. Off road they’re a nice coarse tread for trails, forest roads, meadows and some mud. On road they’re not too noisy and run smooth at high speeds on the big roads. Tacos are light trucks, and imho, a load range E is overkill and stiffness that you don’t need. Why suffer when you don’t have to? Of course, E rated tires aren’t illegal, so all you guys out there who love that stiffness should go for it! It’s all good, eh?

 

I don’t find my ride stiff at all on my E-Rated KO2’s and I’m riding in 5100 at 2.5” on stock SPORT springs.