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Dilemna on tires…

CanHydroGlad

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I had both on my Rubicon with 1.5" teraflex level and 3/4" rear spacer. I started with the 35 x 11.5 AT4s and they were good, not as good as my past AT3s though.

I then got a great deal on the 37" KO2s so I switched to them. I was pretty surprised they were barely bigger than the Falkens. They do ride nice, and no issues with 25k on them.

Falkens
Jeep Gladiator Dilemna on tires… PXL_20250106_210759546


KO2s
Jeep Gladiator Dilemna on tires… PXL_20251115_154001957
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Woosah

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I had both on my Rubicon with 1.5" teraflex level and 3/4" rear spacer. I started with the 35 x 11.5 AT4s and they were good, not as good as my past AT3s though.

I then got a great deal on the 37" KO2s so I switched to them. I was pretty surprised they were barely bigger than the Falkens. They do ride nice, and no issues with 25k on them.

Falkens
PXL_20250106_210759546.webp


KO2s
PXL_20251115_154001957.webp
Great looking rig - which cap is that? (sorry OP)
 

CanHydroGlad

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Great looking rig - which cap is that? (sorry OP)
It's just a no name Chinese cap. At half the price of a smart cap which I really wanted, I thought it was worth a shot. It has been great so far, besides the locks freezing in the winter
 

Mr Miami

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Yeap, the heavier the tire the more rotational mass (the boogeyman in the closet some seem to be very concerned about). The greater the mass the more work is needed to start and stop the tire rotation and control it up and down. The more mass the greater the gyroscopic forces, but gyroscopic forces can also be increased with a taller tire too.

Again, it depends on use case, if you are driving only highway all the time then having a heavy tire in theory will detract from your driving experience. But the JT is fat, heavy, slow, over built and archaic when it comes to suspension design so tire weight, acheem I mean rotation mass for the sensitive types is the least of your worries. Lots of people do regears and change brake pad compounds, replace the crappy OEM shocks and go from 33" to 35/37" which will have a greater impact on drivability then tire mass.
That was my original thought (taller tires may have a greater impact on the vehicle than 4-5 pounds of weight in similar diameter tires). I can barely remember the terminology from my physics classes, but if I remember correctly, the further the weight is from the central axis requires greater power, torque or whatever the proper term is to set it in motion.

Whatever the case, I am probably one of the people who would not really notice it anyway.
 

rharr

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That was my original thought (taller tires may have a greater impact on the vehicle than 4-5 pounds of weight in similar diameter tires). I can barely remember the terminology from my physics classes, but if I remember correctly, the further the weight is from the central axis requires greater power, torque or whatever the proper term is to set it in motion.

Whatever the case, I am probably one of the people who would not really notice it anyway.
Rotational Inertia I believe is what you are thinking about.
 

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Mr Miami

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Rotational Inertia I believe is what you are thinking about.
You took the words right out of my mouth .... lol.
 

Wheelin98TJ

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If you look at any of inertia formulas, radius is squared and mass isn't.

That would make radius/diameter a bigger factor.
 
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ColoMojaveX

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Gotcha. I ask because of your use case that you mentioned. 11.5’s 35’s are usually designed to go back on stock width rims. If you go with an aftermarket rim, just make sure that you don’t go wider than an 11.5 is supposed to mount to, or you may have some performance issues, the very complaints that you read about. I’m somewhat skeptical of disaster stories that don’t mention what wheel the tire was mounted to, spacers, offset backspacing width, etc. I don’t think you’ll have buyers remorse if you do your due diligence and research. The KO2 and the wild peak are both well rated and reviewed. I’m currently running that exact KO2 that you’re looking at and I’m very pleased.
I had good experience with Wildpeaks and also the Mickey Thompson’s……the other two I’ve never run.
As far as wheels I should be perfectly fine. These are the wheels i’m going to be putting them on

Jeep Gladiator Dilemna on tires… IMG_2782
 

Woosah

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I had good experience with Wildpeaks and also the Mickey Thompson’s……the other two I’ve never run.
As far as wheels I should be perfectly fine. These are the wheels i’m going to be putting them on

IMG_2782.webp
You’re right. That wheel width and backspacing is pretty close to stock scrub and poke. I think you’re gonna do great...Unless you want to wait till May for BFG KO3 35x11.5R17…
 

CJ5w4wdSmokyOnMyTail

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Hey folks,
I really hate posting this, there’s a million threads out there on the subject. I’m debating between these 3 specific tires and sizes as far as being cost effective and needs. So, new MojaveX which will have 2 inch AEV lift. Occasional trail/dirt road, mostly mall crawler.No towing at this time. Not looking to regear at this time. Want 3p snow rated.

My dilemma on these 3 is that the 37’ KO2’s weigh 4-4.5 pounds less than either of the 35’s in this list. So in actuality, the rolling mass would be less. 🤷🏻

I’d like to stay on topic with these 3 tires if possible. TIA

IMG_2768.webp


IMG_2769.webp


IMG_2770.webp
Unsprung weight matters. More so without a regear. But I am a bit of a weight Nazi and evaluate carefully what I want to add to my JT and consider every pound.
 

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Wheelin98TJ

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Unsprung weight matters. More so without a regear. But I am a bit of a weight Nazi and evaluate carefully what I want to add to my JT and consider every pound.
Doesn’t matter enough to sway a decision on what tire is better.
 

D_JT

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No it's real, you guys spend to much time counting pennies, not everything in life needs an exact engineered solution. You have a fat shoe box of a truck, who cares if one set of tires is 12 lbs heavier in total to another set. This is not some high precision race car, if you care that much about MPG don't buy a shoe box, get a prius or a Buick.

My wheel set is 120lbs per wheel and the truck hasn't exploded or crashing uncontrollable into a tree, drives just fine.
12 lbs makes a HUGE difference. Regardless if its for a sports car or a Jeep.
1 lbs of rotating mass is the equivalent of 7-10lbs of stationary weight. So with a 12 pound differance per tire of rotating weight you are talking about 84- 120lbs of stationary weight PER tire. Now multiply that by 4. Thats 336-480lbs. That 12lbs is a huge deal.
https://www.signaturewheel.com/single-post/the-secret-of-rotating-weight-vs-static-weight
 

rharr

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12 lbs makes a HUGE difference. Regardless if its for a sports car or a Jeep.
1 lbs of rotating mass is the equivalent of 7-10lbs of stationary weight. So with a 12 pound differance per tire of rotating weight you are talking about 84- 120lbs of stationary weight PER tire. Now multiply that by 4. Thats 336-480lbs. That 12lbs is a huge deal.
https://www.signaturewheel.com/single-post/the-secret-of-rotating-weight-vs-static-weight
Ok, buy your light weight tires and get them sliced up in the rocks. It comes down to your use case, if you just run highway and the math above is your worry then buy some rubber band thin highway tires. If you wheel in sharp rocks then get a tire with thick sidewalls and the 12 extra pounds of weight and live with the results.

MFR's aren't just adding weight for fun, these tires are being designed for different uses and as such have different properties.
 

BearFootSam

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I have not been happy with BFG. The Falken ATW3 that came stock on my Rubicon were good. I've had really good luck with both Toyo AT3 and Toyo R/T Trail. Also, I would look at a load D tire. What you posted are load C, E and C.
The stock Falkens have impressed me too. I've given them a rough life, driven cross country, towed, a lot a lot of gravel and never suffered a puncture (knock on wood). I've previously replaced the OEM tires within a few months on every vehicle I've owned but this one. They're not great on slick mud but it's not their designed use case anyway.
 

Mr Miami

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My JTR stock Falkans are relatively new (12k), but show very little wear and overall seem like a very good tire for the highway and my off-roading (primarily in trails, mud and some sand). No rock climbing in my neighborhood but they seem to wear much better than the Goodyears I have on my JKU. Next time around, I may put a set of Falcans on the JKU also.
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