BFGoodrich KO2 vs Falken Wildpeak A/T3W

I think the KO2 is one of the best AT tires out there. I haven't experienced any notable negative issues in the rain, snow, sand, gravel, mud. I've also not had balancing issues across several sets on multiple vehicles.

I have not personally owned the Wildpeaks, but I did have a set of ZIEX 902s on a sports sedan that wore terribly fast. A good friend put Wildpeaks on his brand new Sierra and they also wore out very fast and were loud to boot.

I'm running Toyo Open Country AT3 on my 4runner right now and would consider them just a little better than KO2s. Personally I would not put Falken tires on any of my vehicles when there are so many other great choices out there.

 

Been running KO's and KO2 for years across multiple vehicles. Never had any issues, except for a balancing issues one time when I had to go to firestone instead of my normal place. I dont have a bad thing to say about them. I have not noticed any issues in the rain, and they have been great in snow for me. In ice, they are no different than any other AT tire. Also never had a flat on them, even all the offroading and airing down they see. I would like to try a new tire, but i cant justify changing to something else when they have worked flawlessly for me. I cant wait for the KO3 to come out, I am due for tires in the next couple years.

 

Pacific Northwest
Specifically SW WA state not far from Portland. Our snow is wet and heavy (when we get it, or when we go into the mountains to find it). Our rain is +/- steady for 8-9 months, but rarely of the instant deluge, flood everything, flash-flood type

 

But why not?

 

Ive ran KO2’s for at least 150k on this truck. Haven't had a balance issue. They are quiet and flat out work in snow/slush.

Situationally better than some and worse than others, I guess…but a tire to avoid? Stop it.

 

Well because I passed puberty.

 

Damn puberty takes the fun out of everything!

By the way, I'm digging the Wildpeaks so far. Much better ride then the Nittos.

 

For reference, my KO2 tires were/are 285/70R17 (Load Class E), so not really a huge tire. I'm running those on my F-150. My Tundra's only rocking street tires for now.

 

For years I wondered what all the hype was about FWs and now I know - so do you

 

Mine are 33” can’t remember the exact size. As for prices, BFG aren’t cheap either. Most big, 33” and above, tires are going to cost a pretty penny. I have a long ways to go before I need tires but if the balancing issue isn’t fixed with the KO3 then I am out.

 

Ran 2 sets of K02 and never had an issue, great tires... never had any balancing issue.

I do not have experiences with the Wildpeak but before I bought my new set of tires I did a lot of research on them and all reviews were positive that the Wildpeak AT3 are awesome tires in rain or snow and "best bang for your buck" tires. Only negative I read was the flat spot issue and based on my observation it tends to be members living in cold climate where if truck is parked for a few days will get flat spot and it will go away after driving for a few minutes.

These reviews I read were 2-3 years old, now the Wildpeak tires are expensive in the higher price range. My top 4 tires were: Toyo, Wildpeak, Nitto and K02 (in this order). I ended up getting Cooper AT3 XLT due to pricing. Cooper tires wasn't even considered but it was $200-$300 cheaper than my 2nd, 3rd and 4th option. $400 cheaper than my 1st option. The final price includes Discount Trie certificate. Good luck on your decision.

 

I’ve had every tire you mentioned. At3w is the best by far. Ko2 wasn’t bad but duratracs were hot garbage.

 

My Tremor came with Duratracs and I 1000% agree that they're literal trash.

 

I just saw an ad in one of the 4x4 magazines for Falken's new Wildpeak R/T01 tires. They look interesting. This youtube video goes into some detail about the tires.

 

Interesting. I’ve had about a half dozen sets of Duratracs and found them to be a great tire.

 

I'm actually considering Open Country AT3 (D) vs Wildpeak AT3 (F) in 35x12.5x18 to go on 18x9 wheels. I've been back and forth for about a week now and have changed my mind a dozen times at this point. My main concern with the Open Country from what I've seen and read is the weaker sidewall against punctures. I have ran the Wildpeaks on my 2018 in 295x70x19 and liked them a lot, but the almost 10 lb difference in weight has me considering the Open Country.

For the tire/wheel gurus out there, how much of a difference will that 10lb/corner make in driveability and I guess mpgs, if anything?

 

Cant speak specifically for your 3rd gen, but adding 10lbs per corner is noticeable at first. Not terrible by any means. Gas tank notices a bit too.

 

I have never run the KO2 but my last three vehicles all run Falkens. I think they are the best all-around-performing tire. They all have lasted past 50k miles. They are great in all weather. I think the general census I see is that if you are off-road a lot then you are better off with the K02 but if you are mainly on the road with a little bit of off-roading then better to go with the falken.

 

The weight was a consideration for me as well. So far no complaints - haven't really been too rough on them yet though.

 

I have warn down ko2’s that are out of balance but I’m looking at trying the Falkens since I’ll need get new tires seems like a lot of good reviews on them

 

I like mine so far

 

I was on the fence too up until last week and ended up ordering another set of Wildpeaks over the Open Country. The slightly heavier weight didn’t outweigh the sturdier sidewall on the WPs, just imo anyway

 

Update here. I have now driven through a pretty heavy rain storm in Montana on i90 at 85mph. The wildpeaks (LT version) are head and shoulders better than the bFG K02’s in the rain.

 

4 yrs & 45k miles on my Wildpeak 255/60r20s. Still lots of life left, no vibes, good traction. 1k mile roadtrip a few months ago. The prices have gone up since I bought them but I don't think they're BFG level yet.

 

Circling back here to update with my experience in the snow with the wildpeaks. The K02’s are better in the snow than the wildpeaks,
But the wildpeaks are better in the rain. Guh. There’s no free lunch!

 

2nd set of Duratracs on my Tundra. I got 47k HARD miles out of the first set. I rotate every 3-5k miles (at least with every oil change, sometimes 3 rotations to 2 oil changes). I believe this is why mine stay quiet and do not wear funny. Toward the end of the last set, I had a couple of sketchy moments in the rain, but not sketchy like I’ve had with BFGs…

I put the new Duratrac RTs on my LX in 275/60R20. Supposedly has Kevlar in the tread. I had a 45% off Goodyear coupon that I couldn’t pass up. The LX comes with a matching spare, so I’ll be doing 5 tire rotations. We’ll see how they wear.

I have had absolutely terrible experiences with KOs and KO2s in the rain. At around 20k miles, the rubber turned hard and became slick as snot on wet pavement. Bizarre and terrifying. They also have the worst tread pattern for clearing thick mud.

 

I live in the high country of the Rocky Mountains and drive in snow approx 6 months a year depending on when winter starts and ends. I live out of town on a dirt road and this road is usually snow packed once winter starts until the late spring when it starts to thaw and become a rutted out ice/slush road depending on if it's day or night. The other 6 months of the year are a mix of winter conditions in regard to road conditions with only about 3 months of summer conditions.

I've driven over 350k miles in these conditions for the last 24 years on bfg ko or ko2 tires. And after I had to rescue a friend who got stuck on our road this am I won't be considering any other tire. She had a fresh set (3 months old) of wild peaks on her 4 runner and even after I pulled her out of the ditch her tires weren't hooking up on the snow covered roads as well as my ko2's with over 7k miles on them. She couldn't drive her truck over an incline on the road due to it sliding all over the place so I had to get out and drive her truck for her while I parked my truck 50 yards up the road at the top of the incline. At first I thought, I don't remember her being this bad of a driver. But after driving her truck I could tell that the main difference was the inability for her tires to hook up and gain traction.

I get it that tires are such a personal decision to make when thinking about how we use our trucks. But after this mornings adventures in snow, it only cemented my brand loyalty to the ko2 line. It outperformed the wild peak in a head to head comparison by a long shot.

edit: forgot to mention that I've never had a balancing issue with my ko2's and they seem to wear evenly as I rotate the tires every 5k miles and balance only the rears when doing so. I personally have also never felt the tires underperform in the rain. Maybe I just drive within the limits of the conditions though. Big powerful trucks aren't supposed to go fast on winding asphalt roads when they're wet...

I'm also aware that I'm joining this convo late but wanted to throw my opinion and experience out here for others reading this when considering tire choices available.

 

^^

In all fairness, 4runner can be terrible is the snow, we have a 4runner as well and both cars run AT3W, the Tundra is noticeably better in the snow compare to the 4runner, it's very squirmy in the 4runner in the snow, while Tundra just go, I have no complains about AT3W, just wish they were lighter and had more sizes.

Looking to change up to KO2 in Spring, so eager to see the difference.

 

From listening to different user experiences seems like at3's perform better in rain, ko2's better in the snow.

And let's not forget that the 4 runner is designed for kid hauling and grocery getting these days. It's no truck to be compared with a tundra.

 

My wife would probably disagree with you on that statement with 4runners lol, it has typical brolander set up, 33s, slight lift, stock locker, went through 2 sets of tires, alignment check, still squirmy in snow, and I am not a fan of how it behaves on the hwy.