My review of BFG KO3's after 2500 miles

[Chunky White]

I have done the Gradisca 4x4, a 100 km offroad ralley, with the Duelers and also some semi serious offroading during our last German Jeep Forum meeting. And I have to say, you can go quite far with these tyres.

Is that a Grenadier being rescued?

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[Zachanadandy]

I absolutely hate the KO series. they are the most garbage tire I have ever owned and will gladly pay money to watch them burn. I put a set on my TJ seeing as everybody praises them and they were one of the only 33x10.5" options immediately available at the time of purchase. They perform fantastically worse than my non 3peak Cooper STT Pro in the winter, and horribly worse than a standard LT street tire on the pavement. In fact I am likely going to pay to have them shredded just to watch them destroyed to put something else on my TJ despite them having more than 80% life left. You couldn't pay me a million bucks to ever run them again. But I digress. One man's trash is another man's treasure. I'm sure what I consider to be the best tire someone will have an equally terrible opinion on. It is cool to see them coming up with a new pattern to stay competitive.

KO2s are the most overrated "off road" tire on the planet. I agree completely with your assessment. The only reason I've ever run them is they came installed on our 2019 JLUR and our 2022 XR. Both sizes sucked equally bad off road. Of the few ATs I've ever run they were the worst off road. The wild peaks that came on the mojave were far better. The KO2 is mediocre on wet roads, barely better than an LT in loose dirt, mud, snow, or sand, and although quieter on road I can't say they handle any better than a quality MT on dry roads and the MT will destroy them in any off road condition. Ran the 285s on the Rubicon for 33k miles, gave up on the 35s after 20k. If I wanted a street tire I'd buy an LT, if I want an offroad tire I'd go RT at a minimum. I don't mind a bit of tire noise so the Jeeps always end up on MTs.

 

[Stuntman Mike]

Is that a Grenadier being rescued?

Yes.

 

[King Crimson]

I just had KO3's installed on Level 8 Slingshot wheels yesterday. I went with LT265/70 R17 because I tow my travel trailer quite a bit a didn't want to mess with the geometry too much. So far, they feel like they give a softer ride and are quieter than the Bridgestone Duelers that came from the factory. They definitely look more aggressive.

 

[Ghost Stingray]

I put 35" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss's on my 20' Overland and I couldn't be happier. They are tall, quiet and narrow. Look great, I get compliments on them all the time. Best tire I've owned

I put 35" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss's on my 20' Overland and I couldn't be happier. They are tall, quiet and narrow. Look great, I get compliments on them all the time. Best tire I've owned

What size Baja did you select, I want tall quiet and narrow

 

[IAGLADI8R]

What size Baja did you select, I want tall quiet and narrow

 

[Ghost Stingray]

Thanks a bunch, have a 21 sports s maxtow, I wonder if they fit with no lift.

 

[IAGLADI8R]

Thanks a bunch, have a 21 sports s maxtow, I wonder if they fit with no lift.

I thought I read somewhere here that 35's fit on max tow

Thanks a bunch, have a 21 sports s maxtow, I wonder if they fit with no lift.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...-run-35”s-on-a-stock-gladiator-max-tow.18988/

Sounds like it

 

[Ghost Stingray]

I thought I read somewhere here that 35's fit on max tow

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/can-you-run-35”s-on-a-stock-gladiator-max-tow.18988/

Sounds like it

Perfect
thanks

 

[IAGLADI8R]

Perfect
thanks

You're welcome, share a picture of them on your rig if you get them

 

[Uparms]

I had 60 K miles on my 2020 35x12.5 BFG AT2. Still almost 50% of tread left. I liked them.

 

[Bjeepz]

Please see post #3 on page 1. That is all.

 

[Ed Dell]

I purchased a set of KO3 tires (size 285/70-17) about six weeks ago and wanted to give my initial opinion after about 2500 miles. The “TL/DR” is that these are awesome tires, and I wholeheartedly recommend them.

Background: I have a 2020 Overland that I use primarily as a commuter and suburban pickup (lots of trips to Lowes or Home Depot for landscaping stuff and hauling junk & brush to the dump). I have done a few offroad trails, but nothing major (Peter’s Mill Run BOH trial, some farm trails). I originally had the stock Overland wheels & tires (Bridgestone Dueler 255/70-18) , then swapped them for a set of Mojave wheel/tire take-offs (Falken Wildpeak A/T3W T285/70-17) after 25k miles. The Falkens were MUCH heavier than the Bridgestones, and significantly louder on the highway. Over time, the Falkens became even louder, to the point that it was uncomfortable on long trips. After about 40k miles on the Falkens, I purchased the KO3’s, so I had significant experience with both sets of tires.

My impression of the KO3’s:
They are quiet! I had forgotten how much wind noise there is with the Gladiator, because the Falkens were so loud that you could not hear it over the tire howl. It felt like the KO3’s were about as loud as the original Overland Bridgestone’s, and dramatically quieter than the Falkens.

They are also much, much smoother riding than the Falkens on-road, and feeling almost like they are aired-down when driving on dirt or gravel roads (I even double-checked the tire pressure because they felt so soft). The handling in dry weather is very good, tracking well on the highway and seeming to have good grip – I’m not slaloming with it, but it seems fine. I took a 1500-mile round trip from Virginia to Maine, and the ride was great – and quiet – the whole way. On the way home, we ran into about 200 miles of rain, sometimes torrential, and it was EXCELLENT in wet weather, cutting through large puddles on the interstate without a hint of hydroplaning. I have not taken these offroad, except for some dirt roads in Maine and gravel roads here in VA, but they handled that really well.

Overall, these are the best tires I have had on the Jeep, combining the quiet, smooth riding nature of the Bridgestones with the aggressive tread of the Falkens. Time will tell about the lifespan of these tires, but I would recommend them to anyone looking for new tires if your use case is similar to mine. I can't speak to someone looking for hard-core off-roading tires. I hope this helps people who were wondering about the KO3’s.

Nice review, What PSI are you running them?

 

[JPSTR]

Thank you for your real world review!

 

[Moose95]

Nice review, What PSI are you running them?

Thanks for the comment! I am running them at 38 PSI per the door jamb recommendation while on road. I have about 5000 miles on them now, and I'm still very happy with the ride and road noise. Unfortunately I was not able to take it on any trails this summer, but the on-road performance continues to be excellent. I would buy them again.

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