K03 Tires

Our son runs KO2s on his 4Runner. They're fine on dry roads, great in deep & snow packed roads - But terrible on wet roads..

Cheers

I have been running the K03s since last year. I don't notice any balance issues but I suspect that any tires of that size and weight can potentially have an issue.

I think I had to use the F Load Rated tires as they were the only thing available in the 315s. I think there are more options now.

I did lose the rear end on a steeper wet paved road once in 2WD recently. But I got these tires not for the rain, but for the snow and dirt and rocks.

I would recommend a really good installer that will stand behind fixing any imbalance issues, if you are worried about that.

I've had the KO3s since May (also the F load ones). They balanced fine & i just went 430 highway miles today without issue. Let's see how they handle Death Valley the next 2 days....

I’m running the KO3s. The better manufacturing process on the 3 should make for a better balancing tire than the KO2 but again size might play a factor, although I don’t have a balance issue. Been running these since late March. Slapped them on and headed to Moab. Then we did the desserts of NV and CA for about 500 miles. Had them aired down to about 26psi for a week with quite a bit of pavement driving no issues. I can tell you this with the top off I can hear cars with street tires passing me but I don’t hear anything from the KO3s. I do have the F load range as well. I find the tires rubber to be slicker than the Goodyears, I spin the tires just backing into the garage getting over that little hump. They seemed a little squirrely In the snow but I don’t drive in snow so not sure if that was normal. To be fair there was about a foot or better of snow.

MIGeezer

I've been studying the new K03 tires. I ran a couple of AI questions against the K02 & K03. The bottom line from that is the K03 has less road noise, especially after they had a few miles on them. They compare equal for snow, mud, and off road issues/toughness. The one thing it mentioned was there have been balance issues with the K03, especially at high speeds. Was wondering if anyone has experienced this and what they are and what had to be done to correct? Did BF cover them under warranty, etc.?

Thanks,
Dave

This is what Tire Rack says. They do in-depth on road testing.

BFGOODRICH ALL-TERRAIN T/A KO3Off-Road All-Terrain[View category averages for off-road all-terrain tires]LT265/70R17 123/120S LRE
Overall: 5.93/10
Road Ride: The tire exhibited a firm, controlled ride that managed to dull the more pointed impacts, but was largely unremarkable. There were distinct, layered tones that blended well at highway speeds but were more noticeable on smoother surfaces. On coarser asphalt, the noise evened out, blending into the other tones, but switching back to smooth pavement, there was a subtle hum that remained audible. It responded quickly to steering input with minimal delay, offering an experience that felt almost 1:1, with the motion of the wheel translating fully, immediately to the motion of the vehicle. It was both light and accurate, though feedback was only moderate in corners.Wet Track: The All-Terrain T/A KO3 felt largely adequate - in a subjective sense - with decent front-end sharpness and communication. However, when it came to actual performance, it just fell short, with slow response times, extended braking, and limited lateral grip. It felt confidently in control, especially at lower speeds, but was quickly overwhelmed at higher speeds. Power delivery lacked confidence, leading to a generally underwhelming driving experience that felt better than it was.Dry Characteristics/Emergency Lane Change: It really struggled with stability and precision in the lane-change maneuver. It would start off feeling fine, and then the front-end traction was gone. Attempts to change direction led to understeer and even rear-end instability at times. The whole experience was marked by persistent understeer and a lack of stability, with only minor responsiveness in the front end that failed to inspire confidence. It felt unpredictable and ultimately never made a successful lane change attempt.Winter: In the snow, it was a little sensitive to throttle, but not terribly so. Braking was reasonable, at just over 72 feet from 25mph. Steering was quick to respond, moving the front end with eagerness, if not athleticism. It was nice to drive around the circle, with only the occasional drift, and rarely pushed, for a more oversteer-biased approach. When it reached its limit on the off-ramp, more steering only made the tires push wider, and applying even light braking made for a full, slow rotation. The limits were edgy, easy to step over, which could be a bit unfriendly. Ice braking was the worst in the test, at over 53 feet to come to a stop from 12 mph. Still, a reasonable showing overall.

extra toasty

This is what Tire Rack says. They do in-depth on road testing.

BFGOODRICH ALL-TERRAIN T/A KO3Off-Road All-Terrain[View category averages for off-road all-terrain tires]LT265/70R17 123/120S LRE
Overall: 5.93/10
Road Ride: The tire exhibited a firm, controlled ride that managed to dull the more pointed impacts, but was largely unremarkable. There were distinct, layered tones that blended well at highway speeds but were more noticeable on smoother surfaces. On coarser asphalt, the noise evened out, blending into the other tones, but switching back to smooth pavement, there was a subtle hum that remained audible. It responded quickly to steering input with minimal delay, offering an experience that felt almost 1:1, with the motion of the wheel translating fully, immediately to the motion of the vehicle. It was both light and accurate, though feedback was only moderate in corners.Wet Track: The All-Terrain T/A KO3 felt largely adequate - in a subjective sense - with decent front-end sharpness and communication. However, when it came to actual performance, it just fell short, with slow response times, extended braking, and limited lateral grip. It felt confidently in control, especially at lower speeds, but was quickly overwhelmed at higher speeds. Power delivery lacked confidence, leading to a generally underwhelming driving experience that felt better than it was.Dry Characteristics/Emergency Lane Change: It really struggled with stability and precision in the lane-change maneuver. It would start off feeling fine, and then the front-end traction was gone. Attempts to change direction led to understeer and even rear-end instability at times. The whole experience was marked by persistent understeer and a lack of stability, with only minor responsiveness in the front end that failed to inspire confidence. It felt unpredictable and ultimately never made a successful lane change attempt.Winter: In the snow, it was a little sensitive to throttle, but not terribly so. Braking was reasonable, at just over 72 feet from 25mph. Steering was quick to respond, moving the front end with eagerness, if not athleticism. It was nice to drive around the circle, with only the occasional drift, and rarely pushed, for a more oversteer-biased approach. When it reached its limit on the off-ramp, more steering only made the tires push wider, and applying even light braking made for a full, slow rotation. The limits were edgy, easy to step over, which could be a bit unfriendly. Ice braking was the worst in the test, at over 53 feet to come to a stop from 12 mph. Still, a reasonable showing overall.

5.93/10 does not seem like a good rating, even IF they say, "A reasonable showing overall."

But GREAT info! Thank you for sharing!

SocalBonanza

5.93/10 does not seem like a good rating, even IF they say, "A reasonable showing overall."

But GREAT info! Thank you for sharing!

Keep in mind they are testing on the road. If you want a road vehicle go get a car. I want to know how my off road tires do in the rocks, dirt and snow.

swooshdave

Keep in mind they are testing on the road. If you want a road vehicle go get a car. I want to know how my off road tires do in the rocks, dirt and snow.

It is a good point.
And, they do give the report about snow, which likely applies regardless of the substrate under the snow.
And, the report does allow you to potentially compare tires you might consider.
But... Is there a site that does such testing off road?

SocalBonanza

It is a good point.
And, they do give the report about snow, which likely applies regardless of the substrate under the snow.
And, the report does allow you to potentially compare tires you might consider.
But... Is there a site that does such testing off road?

Yeah, these guys do a pretty good job testing in various terrain. Here's an example.

Cheers

swooshdave

Keep in mind they are testing on the road. If you want a road vehicle go get a car. I want to know how my off road tires do in the rocks, dirt and snow.

Most people don’t use their Bronco to off road, just like Jeeps. If off road is a priority to anyone they should have aggressive dedicated off road tires. I’ll bet most don’t. There’s plenty of information out there.
You can’t let the minority run the majority…

The percentage of Ford Bronco owners who go off-roading is estimated to be between 10% and 15%, though some sources suggest that roughly 30% of owners participate in Ford's Off-Roadeo program. Many owners primarily use their Broncos for daily driving, similar to other off-road SUVs, and don't participate in rigorous off-roading.

• General off-roading: Estimates for owners who go off-roading range from 10% to 15% of all owners.
• Ford Off-Roadeo: Ford's dedicated off-road driving program for Bronco owners is reportedly attended by about 30% of owners. This is still a relatively small percentage of all owners, with reasons for non-participation including cost and lack of interest.
• Daily use: A significant number of buyers purchase Broncos for their appearance and capability, but many use them as daily drivers and do not take them on difficult trails.

My Ranger Raptor has KO3 from factory and I have just under 5k on them. No serious off roading but dirt/gravel roads with moderate spped, they did exceptionally well. As far as balance at high speeds…. Not sure what defines high speed but mine have seen “upper” speeds and no issue as of now.

🦖

swooshdave

Keep in mind they are testing on the road. If you want a road vehicle go get a car. I want to know how my off road tires do in the rocks, dirt and snow.

The issue for me is that my new Bronco has a hybrid use case intended. Highways to get to the dirt, sometimes mostly highway on a lengthy trip, sometimes up to the mountains in winter in rain, snow, and/or ice. I need a tire that is reasonably safe and competent on pavement under all conditions and that also does well off-road. Not maximum performance in all circumstances which is just not possible, but a reasonable compromise. I don't want to go sliding off the wet or icy highway just so I can eke out an extra 10% in off-road performance. I also don't want a tire that will get shredded by sharp rocks or clogged with mud off-pavement.

extra toasty

This is what Tire Rack says. They do in-depth on road testing.

BFGOODRICH ALL-TERRAIN T/A KO3Off-Road All-Terrain[View category averages for off-road all-terrain tires]LT265/70R17 123/120S LRE
Overall: 5.93/10
Road Ride: The tire exhibited a firm, controlled ride that managed to dull the more pointed impacts, but was largely unremarkable. There were distinct, layered tones that blended well at highway speeds but were more noticeable on smoother surfaces. On coarser asphalt, the noise evened out, blending into the other tones, but switching back to smooth pavement, there was a subtle hum that remained audible. It responded quickly to steering input with minimal delay, offering an experience that felt almost 1:1, with the motion of the wheel translating fully, immediately to the motion of the vehicle. It was both light and accurate, though feedback was only moderate in corners.Wet Track: The All-Terrain T/A KO3 felt largely adequate - in a subjective sense - with decent front-end sharpness and communication. However, when it came to actual performance, it just fell short, with slow response times, extended braking, and limited lateral grip. It felt confidently in control, especially at lower speeds, but was quickly overwhelmed at higher speeds. Power delivery lacked confidence, leading to a generally underwhelming driving experience that felt better than it was.Dry Characteristics/Emergency Lane Change: It really struggled with stability and precision in the lane-change maneuver. It would start off feeling fine, and then the front-end traction was gone. Attempts to change direction led to understeer and even rear-end instability at times. The whole experience was marked by persistent understeer and a lack of stability, with only minor responsiveness in the front end that failed to inspire confidence. It felt unpredictable and ultimately never made a successful lane change attempt.Winter: In the snow, it was a little sensitive to throttle, but not terribly so. Braking was reasonable, at just over 72 feet from 25mph. Steering was quick to respond, moving the front end with eagerness, if not athleticism. It was nice to drive around the circle, with only the occasional drift, and rarely pushed, for a more oversteer-biased approach. When it reached its limit on the off-ramp, more steering only made the tires push wider, and applying even light braking made for a full, slow rotation. The limits were edgy, easy to step over, which could be a bit unfriendly. Ice braking was the worst in the test, at over 53 feet to come to a stop from 12 mph. Still, a reasonable showing overall.

"... dull the more pointed impacts, but was largely unremarkable...evened out, blending into the other tones... offering an experience that felt almost 1:1,.... It was both light and accurate, though feedback was only moderate...felt largely adequate - in a subjective sense - with decent front-end sharpness and communication... lacked confidence, leading to a generally underwhelming experience... Still, a reasonable showing overall...."

What am I reading here, a review of a Chablis from The Wine Spectator?

Here's a look at A/T tires on snow

Cheers

Kenneth

Here's a look at A/T tires on snow

Cheers

I have a genius for simplifying things--and I didn't spend my time watching the video.

Best of all worlds:

I see five tires.
Put one tire on each wheel, and
One tire mounted for your spare.

Rotate 5-way every 5,000 miles, and you're good.

You're welcome!

BostonBadlands

I have a genius for simplifying things--and I didn't spend my time watching the video.

Best of all worlds:

I see five tires.
Put one tire on each wheel, and
One tire mounted for your spare.

Rotate 5-way every 5,000 miles, and you're good.

You're welcome!

I had a pickup I bought used, had 4 different tires on it. So maybe they subscribed to your theory.
I used to laugh at the General Tire commercials where the jingle said "Sooner or later you'll own Generals" They were one of the last tires I would own, but sure enough one of the tires on the truck was a General although balder than Howie Mandel.

BostonBadlands

I have a genius for simplifying things--and I didn't spend my time watching the video.

Best of all worlds:

I see five tires.
Put one tire on each wheel, and
One tire mounted for your spare.

Rotate 5-way every 5,000 miles, and you're good.

You're welcome!

Thank You!!

It's interesting to read the stuff from Tire Rack. When I ran AI info the only thing I got was balance could be an issue and go to a good tire store that knows what they're doing.

Thanks everyone for your feed back. Think I will go with the K03 in a few months. Those that have them don't seem to issues with that or the tires. Was Load Range F the only tires available? My K02 are Load C.

A bit early Happy Turkey Day!!

I found this a few months ago. I went with the KO2s again (bigger size) bc only Load Range F was available in KO3 for the size I wanted when I had to make the change. I am counting on the Load Range D being available when I am ready next time. Plus there will be more information available from those who have been running them.

I think the Load Range D, LT315/70R17/D 121S tire is now available but cannot confirm.