Help me pick. KO2s or GY Territory -315/70R17

[MudderNuker]

I'm trying to be responsible here with the purchase. Given that we have spent almost $140K on home additions and other projects since we moved to our vacation home late last year and we did not finance any of it (all cash). I am trying to stay reasonable in the tire/wheel upgrade on the JTR. Both tires have great prices. The BFGs are $500 more for a set of five. Then I have to factor in the wheels, studs and TPMS. The extra $500 almost cover the wheels at their current sales price. On Tire Rack the BFGs are rated #1 of 11 and the GYs 11 of 11. Is it worth not buying the BFGs for the sake of saving $500 given their ratings and pedigree? My mind is telling me KO2s but my wallet is fighting it. I'm thinking about Fiftenn52s Metrix HDs. I'm a little concerned about the 0 offset and 12.5" tires poking too much. I do plan on adding fender flares and mud flaps as our driveway is 1/4 mile then another 1.5 miles to asphalt and the sides get too dirty.

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[jeepers29]

I love my BFG's. On my third set and will buy another when needed. Sorry, I don't know anything about the GY's.

 

[AstroZombie]

I have Aturro trail blades I think they are great!! BEen on a year and Zero issues. They are wearing great and are not obnoxious on the road. Pretty cozy off road too.

 

[AstroZombie]

They stuff up in there pretty well too.

 

[mx5red]

I always buy the best rubber I can afford at the time - tires, wiper blades..
Having said that I think KO2s are overrated and there are several which are likely better for the price.
KO2s have a reputation for being slick in rain. They also run really small so they will not be as big for the size.
I’ve had them and can vouch for this. We also blew out a sidewall but I feel like that may be flukey so hard to say that wouldn’t have happened to another brand.

I’d go Mickey Thompson Baja boss A/T.
Other well reviewed options are Toyo ATIII and General Grabber A/T.
I thought the Falken Wildpeaks that came on mine were excellent as well.

 

[MudderNuker]

I always buy the best rubber I can afford at the time - tires, wiper blades..
Having said that I think KO2s are overrated and there are several which are likely better for the price.
KO2s have a reputation for being slick in rain. They also run really small so they will not be as big for the size.
I’ve had them and can vouch for this. We also blew out a sidewall but I feel like that may be flukey so hard to say that wouldn’t have happened to another brand.

I’d go Mickey Thompson Baja boss A/T.
Other well reviewed options are Toyo ATIII and General Grabber A/T.
I thought the Falken Wildpeaks that came on mine were excellent as well.

The reason I'm looking at the KO2s is due to the almost $100 discount each. I don't think I've ever seen them at this discount. I had them on my YJ and they do great offroad. I don't purposely go mudding but when it rains here the gravel roads turn into a muddy mess. I heard KO2s aren't that great in mud but I think most ATs will be similar.

 

[bleda2002]

The reason I'm looking at the KO2s is due to the almost $100 discount each. I don't think I've ever seen them at this discount. I had them on my YJ and they do great offroad. I don't purposely go mudding but when it rains here the gravel roads turn into a muddy mess. I heard KO2s aren't that great in mud but I think most ATs will be similar.

The ko2s are on discount because they're being replaced by ko3s. The ko2s are fine tires, I'd still say they are overrated at this point though as they're a fairly old offering in the class and have been surpassed by the general atx and Baja boss and the falkens. (All tires I've had experience with between all the jeeps/trucks).

That said there is nothing inherently bad with the ko2s (other than bfg's often take a shit ton of weight to balance) they're just not really a class leader anymore imo.

 

[Gizmo]

Been running BFG AT s on my daily drivers since they came out in the mid 70's. They have changed slightly since then but never had a single issue and that was a lot of tires. Great in snow and never had a problem in rain although I drive accordingly in bad weather. Not much in mud but they were never meant to be hence BFG Mud terrains . At one time they were the AT all others were compared too. I am sure by now some others have grabbed some of the AT market but I can only speak for BFG . Never felt the need to try another brand at this time. If the size ya want seems a little small then read the actual specs as you should for any tire and possibly buy the next size larger numerically then, not rocket science

 

[RodRecket]

KO2, Wildpeak ATW3, Toyota AT3. I've run them all and been happy with them all. KO2 were light but run small, the Wildpeaks were the heaviest, and the Toyos were the loudest. All 3 are 3peak certified for winter and had a 50k tread life guarantee which was important for me at the time. If none of that matters for you I'd just go with the most affordable tire. There are a lot of good AT choices out there.

 

[johnchabin]

I'm a little concerned about the 0 offset and 12.5" tires poking too much.

It’s a matter of opinion and how much you care about your paint, but I think it’s too much. Fifteen52s are not an option for me because I only see zero offset in their offering.

I think the sidewall “poking” is ok, but not tread.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

I see way too many people complaining about KO2s on this forum to ever buy them.

In comparison, tires I never see people complain about and only praise:

General Grabber AT
Mickey Thompsons (all tires)
Falken Wildpeak AT3W (now AT4W I think)

I doubt KO2s are bad, but I’m also not gonna find out for myself while there’s more loved tires available lol (unless it’s on a stupid sale).

 

[MudderNuker]

Thanks for the replies. I expanded my search and now I'm going to add a 285/75 to the mix. With the 75s I don't need new wheels and the difference in height compared to the 315s is .5" or less depending on tire brand. Not sure what brand tire but I want an AT with the 3 Peak certification. It snows quite a lot at our altitude (7,300') in NM. Going to do a search on members who went with the 285/75s to see how they look.

 

[johnchabin]

If you dare mention KO2s, someone is guaranteed to tell you they run small.

100%

 

[Jason_92586]

I have Aturro trail blades I think they are great!! BEen on a year and Zero issues. They are wearing great and are not obnoxious on the road. Pretty cozy off road too.

What size are those-

 

[JustKruzn]

My 02 cents
I put k02s on my wifes 2017 jkur. 1900.00 mounted and balanced for five. God or bad deal i needed tires to replace the stock bfg mud terrains.
i went up a size to the 285 70 r17. same size as on my gladiator rubicon.(wildpeaks)The k02s do run small so they were only about half an inch taller than what i had on there. Cannot give any input about the GY tires as I have not tried them.

two things::
- Mounted on stock wheels the tires will rub at full lock unless you add a wheel spacer or lift -

+ they run quieter on the highway than the wild peaks. +

both have a 3 peak snow rating ( good for vermont winters)

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