KO2 vs KM3 vs ATZ P3

Hammer24

Hammer24

TJ Enthusiast
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Hi all, looking to move up to 33's soon, currently have mickey thompson atz p3's in 31x10.50. Looking at Bfg's as they're one of the only brands that make a 33x10.50 tyre but can't decide between the KO2's and the KM3's. How would a KO2 all terrain compare to the Mickey thompson ATZ all terrain? Curious how it would stack up in general but also specifically in mud. I'm not convinced I need the KM3's, but I don't want to lose any capability. Cheers
 
I personally like KO2s and Goodyear Duratracs. Those are the two I've tested, and I'd never run anything else because they work so good that I have no need to.

KM3s are pointless unless you're doing a lot of rock crawling / mudding. On the street, you're way better off with an A/T.
 
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Chris said:
I personally like KO2s and Goodyear Duratracs. Those are the two I've tested, and I'd never run anything else because they work so good that I have no need to.

KM3s are pointless unless you're doing a lot of rock crawling / mudding. On the street, you're way better off with an A/T.
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What about KM2? Like on a khaki tj? ;)
 
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Chris said:
I wouldn't run them again... well, not on the street at least. Not to say the are bad tires, but here in the PNW, an A/T tire is better suited for the rain and occasional packed snow (y)
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Absolutely agree. I’ve been running 35” KM2s for about 3 years up here and really only needed a mud terrain once (and could have just used a winch). Buying KO2s in 2 months for Christmas!
 
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BuildBreakRepeat said:
Absolutely agree. I’ve been running 35” KM2s for about 3 years up here and really only needed a mud terrain once (and could have just used a winch). Buying KO2s in 2 months for Christmas!
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Yep, that's the conclusion I came too. The A/T is the better tire unless your rig is almost entirely off-road. I never had an issue with the Duratracs or the KO2s. I suspect the only thing they wouldn't be that great at would be deep mud and sharp rocks.
 
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Chris said:
I personally like KO2s and Goodyear Duratracs. Those are the two I've tested, and I'd never run anything else because they work so good that I have no need to.

KM3s are pointless unless you're doing a lot of rock crawling / mudding. On the street, you're way better off with an A/T.
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Chris, I live in a very muddy/rocky area, but don't offroad that often. I'm seriously considering the Duratracs, because I like the more aggressive tread on the duratracs, and I feel like these would be slightly more suited for where I offroad. How are their mannerisms on road? How loud are they?
 
I've had both KO2s and the ATZ P3s. Of the two, I'm a big fan of the the ATZ P3 over the KO2. My experience may be different than others, but I had one sidewall puncture on the KO2s and noticeable chunks taken out of the tread rubber. This happened with only two wheeling trips on the tires and I'm not the type to abuse things. I switched to the ATZ P3s and have now put more than half-dozen trips offroad on them and have not experienced the same problems.

Truth be told, the KO2s performed extremely well on the road in all conditions (e.g. dry, rain, snow, etc.) and were very quiet. If I spent a lot of time in the snow, I'd definitely pick them over the the P3s, because the KO2s are simply awesome in that area.

On the other hand, the P3s have a more aggressive tread pattern that's a hybrid between an AT and MT tire. They're still quiet, wear well, and perform amazingly well offroad. I liked the Mickey Thompson ATZ on my TJ so much that I replaced the tires on my LJ with MTZ P3s.

As is always the case, what will work best for you depends on how you'll use your Jeep. In my case I was daily driving the Jeep and wheeling it occasionally, primarily on the rocks. To be clear, I still think the KO2 is a good tire, but if you spend anytime on the rocks it would not be my choice.

I'm sure I'm going to stir something up here!
 
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I've got about 10k on some BFG KM 3's and I like em just fine. They are wearing evenly, and maintain sharp edges on the lugs. They are good on rocks, mud and fresh snow, less so on packed snow. But most tires struggle on packed snow. KO 2's are better on packed snow. When these are done I'm going to spoon on the same tire but in 35"s. The biggest problem I've had is they like to pick up rocks and throw them at my side mirrors. 😎
 
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Carter6 said:
Chris, I live in a very muddy/rocky area, but don't offroad that often. I'm seriously considering the Duratracs, because I like the more aggressive tread on the duratracs, and I feel like these would be slightly more suited for where I offroad. How are their mannerisms on road? How loud are they?
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My Duratracs are quiet IMO. I think they've seen 4 winters and 2 summers (can't remember exactly).
My 2 summer Cooper Discovery STT Pro's are, as of this summer, louder than my Duratracs. (Although I love them much more overall).
fyi - I would not consider the Duratracs great for mud or rock. But if you're not offroading often, they are "fine".

There are definitely quieter tires than the Duratrac. For a short period of time, I had "street tires" on my Jeep that I'm sure were quieter...but hard to say, as I think any noise from them was quieter than the Jeep noise in general.
I would not consider the Duratracs to be a "loud" tire - but that's also relative.
(I don't think my BFG T/A KO's where any louder/quieter than the Duratrac).
 
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Carter6 said:
Chris, I live in a very muddy/rocky area, but don't offroad that often. I'm seriously considering the Duratracs, because I like the more aggressive tread on the duratracs, and I feel like these would be slightly more suited for where I offroad. How are their mannerisms on road? How loud are they?
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They are excellent on-road. I never had a single complaint in all the pairs I've owned.
 
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Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I think I should've been more specific in how I'll be using the tyres. I very rarely drive on sand and never drive on snow, I'm also not particularly concerned how they perform on road as whilst this isn't a trail only rig, I don't drive it particularly much. My biggest concern is how they'll perform in mud as around here there is some serious thick clay stuff. Most of my wheeling is very rocky trails which I'm sure the KO2's would be fine in but due to the mud I am leaning towards the KM3's now.
 
Given the mud you mentioned I’d lean towards the KM3. My Duratracs have been awesome as an on road and wheeling tire, but I tend to shy away from a lot of mud. A few of the trails I’ve been on after a good rain and you can tell the Duratracs are ATs. I’d expect the same from the KO2s but I don’t have any experience there. I did have the original KOs and they were slicks in the mud.
 
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Hammer24 said:
Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I think I should've been more specific in how I'll be using the tyres. I very rarely drive on sand and never drive on snow, I'm also not particularly concerned how they perform on road as whilst this isn't a trail only rig, I don't drive it particularly much. My biggest concern is how they'll perform in mud as around here there is some serious thick clay stuff. Most of my wheeling is very rocky trails which I'm sure the KO2's would be fine in but due to the mud I am leaning towards the KM3's now.
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I would definitely go with the KM3 then. They are amazing in the mud. Drove through an offroad course in a Raptor with KM3s after rain the day before and never had to put it in 4wd! I was super impressed.
 
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Considering you don't really want an A/T tire, take a look at the Cooper Discoverer STT Pro's. I like these tires a lot, but I haven't used them in mud. I hate mud and avoid it at all cost.
 
One thing about this thread is how preferences vary , and all have good viewpoints and input for their recommendation.
 
Carter6 said:
I live in a very muddy/rocky area
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An all terrain tire is the last design I would choose for muddy conditions. They pack easily with mud and turn into slicks. For those two conditions I'd go for a mud terrain like the BFG KM3.
 
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Another vote to look at the Cooper STT. They seem ideal for what you are looking for if I understand your goals. They just had an article in JP Mag for a year long "long term" write up. It sounds like what you are looking for. Everyone here will have a favorite and often it will be for a common tire. Not saying that is good or bad, and everyone is dealing with a different situation. I had been a Goodrich fan for decades. But after I got an amazing deal on a set of Coopers it completely changed my opinion. For me. Where I am. In my conditions. I've never had good luck with Goodyear, but obviously a lot of people love them. For them. Where they are.
Look around and see what people around you are using. That should give you a good idea of the type of tread pattern should be good for you. Not necessarily the best specific tire, but the type of tire (oops, sorry. TYRE where you are I think.) And type of tread to look for. If noise and street manners are not a priority, and snow is of no concern, and you are not "overlanding" then I would lean towards a full on mud tire. If you are more of the "overlanding" persuasion then I'd suggest more of a "tween" tire such as the Duratrac or STT.
 
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