Wildpeaks versus KO2

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Paradiddle

TJ Enthusiast
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I need some new tires. Road and mild to medium trails. Typical So Cal stuff.

I have several friends running the Wildpeaks and they really like them. A couple have gone from the BFG to the Falken. Search didn't turn up much current as far as a comparison.

I seems like I can get the Falkens for about $50 less then the BFGs.

Any opinions here?

Jeff
 
Trail Built has a YouTube video comparing the two but it's mainly a specs comparison.

I like the performance of the KO2 but not of the look. I think the AT3W is a better looking tire and what little experience I have on them (very little) they matched my experience with the KO2's.

One thing I've really not liked with KO2's is the lack of wheel protection. It seems like the wheel sticks out from the sidewalk too much. The last set I had on my old work truck ('18 Silverado), you could run your finger along the rim of the wheel. Hopefully that makes sense. This is the only picture I had that showed what I mean so I zoomed way in. It looked worse in person.
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Here you can see the same on my TJ but these wheels have a thick lip so it's even worse.
PXL_20231109_224221526.jpg


And here you can zoom in and see how much more protected the wheel is on the Fallen. These were the wheels and tires I picked out (but didn't pay for!) and put on my nephew's truck.
PXL_20220409_222511678.jpg
 
I'm a fan of the KO2s, but I've never had Wildpeaks, so I don't have a direct comparison. The KO2s have good traction all around and are quiet on the street.

bbaldwin237 said:
One thing I've really not liked with KO2's is the lack of wheel protection. It seems like the wheel sticks out from the sidewalk too much.
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I know some tires have a built-up "wheel guard" layer, maybe the falcons do, but a good wheel-to-tire width ratio will do the same thing. I run 12.50 on 8" wide wheels and have no exposed rim with KO2s. I don't have a good pic handy, but my wheels suck in about 2" front and back.

1703709939920.png
 
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BlueC said:
I know some tires have a built-up "wheel guard" layer, maybe the falcons do, but a good wheel-to-tire width ratio will do the same thing. I run 12.50 on 8" wide wheels and have no exposed rim with KO2s. I don't have a good pic handy, but my wheels suck in about 2" front and back.
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Maybe so, they just seem less protective than others that I've had from a mix of AT's from Goodyear, Firestone, and BFG. I'm sure it's better with a wider tire, but then a tire with built-in protection would also benefit further from that.

I will say it's not such an issue that that alone would steer me away from them.

06TJ35's said:
I have the ko2 now my next tire will probably be Mickey Thompson Baja boss a/t
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We have Baja Boss A/Ts on my wife's Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and I love them. They're a bit noisy for an all-terrain, but they're more of a hybrid. They've been awesome for everything so far. We've put about 16k miles on them and they're holding up great. I just wish they had more 15" sizes, but they make me consider going to a 17.
 
You don't tell us what size rims you have or what you are replacing.

FWIW, the Falkin A/T3W does not offer a 33x10.50/R15. BFG makes a 10.5 and a 12.5 width.
 
I had Wildpeak ATs and when they were beat I switched to KM3s, not really apples to apples but I still like the Wildpeaks more. Like everything TJ related it depends on your goals. I prefer the Wildpeak ATs primarily because they were better looking and more true to size. The BFGs run smaller & don't look as nice, though they were certainly more effective off road. I don't go off road anymore so that feature is obsolete. I don't know how the KOs perform, I'd speculate very similarly to the Falkens, so for the purposes you described either tire you're looking at would likely be sufficient, therefore price & appearance would be more important in determining which to buy.
 
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My Jeep TJ needed new tires so I picked Wildpeak ATs in 31" size. My main driving is on he streets and highways. They were less expensive then KO's and they look nice. They run very quiet and handle nice. Very happy with them.
 
I'm running 15" wheels. I'm very familiar with the BFG's performance - have had multiple sets. Was a MT/R guy when I rock crawled. Now the Jeep is more of an adventure rig. I keep hearing how nice the Wildpeaks are and that they last a lot longer, so I was looking for opinions from folks who've tried them both. Tire size I'm replacing is 35x12.5x R15.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
Paradiddle said:
I'm running 15" wheels. I'm very familiar with the BFG's performance - have had multiple sets. Was a MT/R guy when I rock crawled. Now the Jeep is more of an adventure rig. I keep hearing how nice the Wildpeaks are and that they last a lot longer, so I was looking for opinions from folks who've tried them both. Tire size I'm replacing is 35x12.5x R15.

Thanks,

Jeff
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I’ve got Falkens on our Yukon and I’ve run BFG A/T’s on an F250. I don’t think you’ll see $200 better performance on the BFG. We are really liking our current Falken’s.
 
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Are there any cheaper brands of 33s out there that are worth having? I'm replacing mine soon, and I'd like an AT tire even though I don't do a lot of off-roading. We do have some roads that get wet and stay slippery and muddy around here. I like the Procomp AT Sports I have but I don't like the prices.
 
jblues1969 said:
Are there any cheaper brands of 33s out there that are worth having? I'm replacing mine soon, and I'd like an AT tire even though I don't do a lot of off-roading. We do have some roads that get wet and stay slippery and muddy around here. I like the Procomp AT Sports I have but I don't like the prices.
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Not a whole lot cheaper but I've heard good things about the Mickey Thompson Baja Legend.
 
I've run both the Wildpeaks and KO2s. Tire performance is pretty much identical. On the plus side, a set of Wildpeaks can be picked up cheap. They came on JLs and people offload them all the time. Of course these are 17" tires, but $800 to $1000 will get you a set of 5 JL wheels and tires like these. This set was 285/70R17. The only major difference I'm aware of is the KO2 will have a 3 ply sidewall, vs the Wildpeaks 2 ply.

20231021_111235.jpg

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vs 315/70R17 KO2

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Irun said:
I've run both the Wildpeaks and KO2s. Tire performance is pretty much identical. On the plus side, a set of Wildpeaks can be picked up cheap. They came on JLs and people offload them all the time. Of course these are 17" tires, but $800 to $1000 will get you a set of 5 JL wheels and tires like these. This set was 285/70R17. The only major difference I'm aware of is the KO2 will have a 3 ply sidewall, vs the Wildpeaks 2 ply.

20231021_111235.jpg



View attachment 486334
vs 315/70R17 KO2

View attachment 486332

View attachment 486333
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Are those 392 wheels with the BFGs? They're sick! Saw a set of 392 take offs but they wanted like $3000
 
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bbaldwin237 said:
Lucky! I see them pop up from time to time.

I just looked and it looks like there's two sets currently at $1600 (6k miles) and $2500 (2023 style). Too bad they won't trade for a set of 33's on 15's 😂
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I keep hoping the prices will get somewhat reasonable before I need tires next. They look amazing and would solve a lot of unanswered questions for my build.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
I keep hoping the prices will get somewhat reasonable before I need tires next. They look amazing and would solve a lot of unanswered questions for my build.
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Yea, I'm not really interested in running adapters but those 392 wheels look good.

I threw my current wheels and tires up on marketplace to test the waters on a wheel/tire swap but no luck so far. Just a couple people throwing out lowball offers to buy.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
I keep hoping the prices will get somewhat reasonable before I need tires next. They look amazing and would solve a lot of unanswered questions for my build.
Click to expand...

The backspacing as a big plus for me. I'm now running a 1.25" adapter in the rear and 2" in the front. The combination is perfect for my setup. With the factory 6" factory BS, I'm now at 4 up front an 4 3/4 in the rear. The front now clears my Swayloc with no issues at full lock and stuff. The one downside is I don't want to bore these out, so I'll not run a small or large hub kit. Frankly, I was inclined to not do that anyway.
 
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