The Snowflake Rating is a Joke. KO2’s have it Defender LTX dont. Wassup with that ?

So on my 2015 I recently removed the Winter rated K02’s I was hoping would allow me to sell my Winter tires. NOPE. One snowfall convinced me of that.

My 2018 has Defender LTX MS on it cause I use it highway allot and they have No Snowflake yet it performs significantly better in the snow and ice than the KO2’s

mind you my Hakka r2suv’s trump them all but the LTX should get the Snowflake if they giving it to BFG’s

 

so get a white marker and draw a snowflake on your defenders, problem solved.

i'm sure your opinion is based largely on your specific driving conditions, and the fact that you drive highway a lot, and it's likely you're driving on ice quite a bit; i've always felt all seasons worked better on ice, but not in snow.

 

Defenders are the best tires you can get.

 

My KO2's are pretty bad when the snow falls. Icy? Even worse. I knew that before I bought them because I researched TW and read other's thoughts before making the purchase.

 

Snowflake rating is a joke and often times simply a tread depth dealio. You will find some tires in a P rating without a snowflake rating but in the LT they will simply due to marginal extra tread depth new.


You literally wont find a better NON DEDICATED snow tire in light snow / icy road tire than the defender LTX M/s

Lack of siping / big tread blocks found in pretty much every AT tire will make them sub par in just about everything outside of dry pavement or in ganglier off road conditions.... But hey they look cool bro.

 

Yea. The Snowflake is meaningless. The ko’s I got to drive like a Granny in snow and w/the No Snowflake Defenders I almost feel like i’m riding on my Hakka Winters in most conditions.

crazy stupid meaningless designation

 

I've used KO2s through the winter, like any AT tire you have to be cautious on ice.
This guy is from Quebec, they have lots of winter and reviews the KO2, how much weight do you have in the back? What psi were you running in them?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKRXtuHC1s

 

k02s are junk thats all there is to it

 

Haha! Best tire ever! unless you're on black ice.

 

fify

 

Whats your tire choice?

 

Thems fighting words! Tarps off boys!

OP @MikeDeason seems pretty set in his ways, but theres a lot more to it than just the tire, like others said. How much weight in the truck? How old are the tires? What pressure? etc etc

 

currently running stt pros. apples to oranges

 

That’s a good tire, but yeah MT vs AT.
I’m sticking with the kO2. It’s one of the best all round tire AT tires.

 

Super swampers ftw!

 

KO2's are good for certain things, but wet and snow are not one of them. Not all all terrain tires are created equal.

The mountain snowflake rating is NOT just for tread depth. There are certain parameters for a tire to meet to get it. But that doesn't mean they're all great in the snow.

You won't find a better snow tire than a dedicated winter tire. However there are some pretty good options out there. I've never tried the Defenders but I have had great luck with the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S and have had multiple sets. Some comparisons had them even rating closer to winter tires than the other all terrain tires they tested, by a lot.

The Defenders appear to be a highway type tread while the Discoverers are more of an all terrain style so it is kind of apples to oranges and just depends what you want out of a tire.

 

No, you need some good, ol' fashioned racing slicks!

 

I do run winters from the end of December till start of March, they are the best when it comes to dealing with winter. Of course I put the winters on and now we are having one of the nicest winters yet, I can still see my lawn! Come March I'll put the KO2s back on.

 

competent driving formula for winter roads/4th season:
99% driver+1% tire selection= safe arrival at ones destination

just dont run worn out tires & slow the bleep down yall
I get brand new tires right before winter every year to avoid the taco death slide

 

This is our eventual plan for our 4Runner. 2 sets of wheels and 2 sets of tires to include the KO2 and a set of winters. Absolutely no feeling like a dedicated set of winters tires in the snow!