Tire Advice: KO2 vs Ridge Grappers vs Wildpeaks

Ive read every thread there is about each tire but I havent seen any updated reviews with the wildpeaks and RGs. Looking to get new 275-70-18 all terrain tires for my new 2020 TRD Pro. Ive owned a few sets of K02s on other cars and currently have some installed on my old Dodge Durango. I love the KO2s but the wait is 6-8 weeks at my discount tire due to covid. The ridge grapplers can get to the shop by Friday and the Wildpeak AT3s can be there next day. I owned a set of Wildpeaks when they first were introduced and they were horrible. The DT staff as well as recent reviews suggest that Falken has really stepped up and vastly improved the current model Wildpeaks.

The RGs and KO2s I can get for about the same price ($10 difference altogether) and the Wildpeaks for about $130 less. I would love to get more opinions, reviews and pictures if anyone would care to share.

Thanks in advance

 

what is important to you ? snow ? mud ? sand ? noise ? etc..

 

305/70/17 Ridge grapplers.. about 3,000 miles on them and are the quietest tire I’ve owned on a pickup! They grip, and clean out very well in mud. I spend a fair amount of time on 2 tracks and gravel roads so I usually go with MTs because they don’t pickup and throw rocks. I had KO,s on my Silverado and liked them but like all other A/T tires they picked up and threw too many rocks. There has been no noticeable wear and no “chunking”! Yet? Every tire I’ve owned has had some chunking from the shitty gravel roads. I’ve had little time in sand but performed as expected..with 45 PSI, and no time yet in the snow/ice. I expect them to be better than M/T’s in the snow/ice..My local guy here was really pushing the AT3’s but they looked Like they would be even worse rock chuckers than the BFG’s? I was set on the Patagonia M/T’s until I saw the Ridge Grapplers on a lot of Tundras on this forum. Towing a heavy around 6,000 lb old boat they feel solid and no real difference from my previous tires. So far...I’d buy them again

 

Hmm never been asked that. Id like them to be utilitarian but thats still not answering the question. This is my weekend warrior, family weekend car. I want it to be dependable in severe weather conditions but I also want my tires to ride fairly quiet and do good offroad. Here in the Portland area we see lots of rain so wet traction is important as well.

 

Which Wildpeaks? They have two types.

 

Thank you for your review

 

The ones im looking at are ATW3 I think.

 

Had a rainy spring here “North Central Montana” and I felt no hydroplaning and had great wet traction.

 

Got 20k on my RG 295/70/18 and will agree that these are great all around tires. Not much noise vs the other tires I’ve had in the past KO2 / Duratrac. End of the day I’d buy them again

 

I would say the AT3W then. plus they are snowflake rated like the K02. The RG are not.

 

Took the words outta my mouth.

 

Put the RGs on about 5k miles ago. Awesome hybrid tire. But was only able to run them about 500 miles in snow conditions. No issues at all and they were fantastic in rain. Ran them off road up logging roads and out to a couple fishing spots and they are great. Super quite on the highway and balanced really well. Just did the first rotation and they said they looked damn near new still. But the price to the Wildpeaks was higher and didnt have the snowflake rating.

Wildpeaks sound like they would be great for the weather over there. Just replaced the old tires on the wife's Forester with Wildpeak trails, due to the ratings they are getting. Can't wait to see how they see how they do this winter.

 

I’ve had BFG KO2s and just put on a set of Falken Wildpeak AT3W - 275/70R18. Here how they compare to me:

price: Falkens are about the best bang for your buck, I got mine for $178/tire and have seen them for $159/tire earlier this year. KO2s were north of $220/tire.

ride: both ride about the same and are smooth. The Falkens May be a touch louder but just barely.

Looks: both have similar aggressive looks.

Performance: my biggest gripe with the KO2s were shitty traction in wet conditions. The Falkens are way better in the rain.

Tread wear: I sold the truck my KO2s were on - I’d put about 30k miles On them and figured they’d need replacing at about 40k so not great tread life. I’ve only got a few thousand miles on my Falkens so time will tell.

Hope this helps. Others really like the Ridge Grapplers too.

 

I’ve been running the falkens and they are a great tire. I put 56k on the first set I had on my Tacoma. They’ve been great both on and off road and in a wide range of weather conditions.

 

Ive run Bfg’s for 14 years on 2 different trucks. I’ll never buy them again. I loved the KO tire, it was perfect. The KO2 is a disappointment. After 4 years, the tires had all the tread in the world but zero traction on a wet road. Zero. Maybe the tread material is just too hard? Not sure but the KO2 is a garbage street tire.

 

I vote Wildpeak AT3W. I've run these about 6000 miles through everything except snow (doesn't snow much here) with no complaints at all.

 

I have been in the same boat regarding these tires. The only difference is that the Falkens for me are the most expensive option. In the 275/65R20 they are $320/ ea at Discount Tire. Even in the 275/70R18 they are now $240/ea. Now i'm thinking that I should pull the trigger on some 18's, as the tires are so much cheaper.

 

My biggest complaint with KO2s is the time is takes for them to "warm up". Sizes I've had on the past three sets.. 305/65/r18, 35x12.50 r18, and now 285/75r17. All of them seemed to have felt out of balance until they warmed up. I keep going back to them though because I like how they look, I always get 50k miles out of them when rotating every 5-7k miles, they're tough, and decent traction in all conditions. I may try a set of Toyos next though.

 

AT3W wins based on wet traction plus the lowest price. I have owned all three and the AT3W never slips here in the Charlotte were we get a fair amount of rain.

 

I have wildpeaks on my 2020 Tundra and my wife just got RG’s on her 17 4Runner. The only downfall I really see for the RG is no warranty but let’s be honest, when have you used a tire warranty.... also, now a days all tires are good. I think the biggest decision is what look you are going for. The RG are definitely more aggressive looking. I also think they make about the same amount of noise. I can take pics of both when I get home if you want. Good luck

 

I'm currently running Cooper Discover ATP. Mostly DD with the occasional light dirt and gravel trip but nothing serious. Replaced the original at 60k/65k miles. I'm now at 133k so pushing *maybe* 70k miles on it. Can probably get it up to 80K by the end of summer. If you're looking for longevity than I suggest these tires. Also I live in the PNW so climate and weather might play a role in how long they last. Will definitely get the same ones again.

 

Thank you everyone for your inputs. For those of you who still want to share, by all means please continue to do som these threads are always helpful.


Now for an update. I found another tire - Goodyear Wrangler Ultra Terrain ATs at discount tire. Based on some reviews at Tacoma world along with some incentives ($100 instant rebate for today + $50 goodyear mail in rebate) and the fact these are basically the same price as the wildpeaks, I had told my discount tire rep (who is also a family friend) that I was set on the ultra terrains. He pretty much told me to wait for the KO2s as they are a 3 ply wall vs the standard 2 ply wall on the ultra terrains. He gave me his blessings on the Falken Wildpeaks but knowing I just missed a sale at walmart online to get them for $159 vs current price of $240 was just unsettling to me lol. The ridge grapplers were not rated for severe winter so he would not recommend them to me. Ahhh I guess KO2s it is again..... i have them on my old 2000 Durango and love them. I also had them on a Subaru Crosstrek and Dodge Dakota and always loved KO2s. Such tough choices though.

 

Thanks for your input. Im the PNW as well - Happy Valley, OR.

 

Can anyone speak to how these 3 tires compare in terms throwing rocks all over the place. I've got KO2s on two vehicles, and they're pretty awful about pelting the body and anything you're towing.

 

Nice.....I'm in Gresham.

 

Nice! I grew up in Gresham. Judging by your name it looks like you are Hmong? I used to hangout and work with several Hmong folks. Love the food.

 

^^^This^^^ My biggest concern was wet traction. I was torn between the Ridge Grapplers and the AT3Ws but after reading the reviews a few stated that they weren't very good on wet roads due to the tread design so I went with the Falkens.

 

I have the AT3Ws and they don't throw rocks like the Ko2s.

 

Agreed. I sell them, and I will say that in the past 10 years the quality control on the BFG AT line has gone downhill. Nothing more frustrating than a big heavy 20” KO2 that just won’t balance or has a bad hop that we see when it’s on the balancer, before it’s even put on the vehicle. In the past few years I have had far better luck with Toyo/Nitto, Cooper, and our private brand products.

On my truck, I went with a 2755520 TerraGrappler G2 - one reason was price, with my employee discount they were only 107 each. Lol

 

That’s exactly why I passed on the KO’s and the AT3W’s...The Ridge Grapples still throw an occasional rock but worlds better! And no road noise like MT’s!