Need help deciding on tires, BFG KO2 (Load E) vs Goodyear Duratrac (Load D)

I started a thread a few days ago in the wheel/tire section but I've narrowed the sizes and choices significantly so I'm hoping this thread gets a little more traffic.

I'm planning on buying new tires for my 2021 TRD Pro in the coming weeks, I'm going with 275/70/18. I really like the look of 295/70 but I won't sacrifice drivability and performance for looks. I live in central NY which sees all four seasons with significant snow and I tow an aluminum 24ft boat only a handful of times a year. I drive off road about every third weekend, but I'd hardly consider it "off-roading" as most would think of it, it's typically just driving down dirt logging/seasonal roads. I do plan to do more of it and get into some heavier stuff though, so off road traction is important, I'm installing a LSD to help with that as well. I've narrowed my options to these two:

BFGoodrich T/A KO2 (Load Range E) or Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac (Load Range D)

Just like everyone else, I want as quiet and comfortable ride as possible, but I also want something that looks more aggressive. The stock Michelins should be an embarrassment for Toyota with the truck being marketed as "Off-Road", even the base trim Chevy Silverado Trail Boss comes factory with some aggressive looking Duratrac's.

I've heard several people say that recent samplings of the BFG's aren't as good as they once were but I don't know what that even means. I had them for two years on a Tacoma (2018-2020) and I was extremely happy with them. I have heard from several sources that they get significantly harder with age but I only owned them two years so I can't speak to that. Snow and off road traction were excellent, they had virtually zero road noise, and they wore nice and even, though I always have an alignment done at the dealer after new tires. I'm also a big fan of what BFGoodrich does for the off roading community as a whole, sponsoring events and things like fixing peoples stuff for free at KOH, it seems like a great company. However, I really don't want load range E tires for a half ton truck! I've read a lot of threads on here about people regretting the move to load range E tires, hits to gas mileage, decreased ride quality, fighting balance issues, etc.

I know the Goodyear Duratrac's are good tires, I used to sell them to a guy who had a fleet of plow trucks who ran them on all the landscaping and plow vehicles, absolutely loved them. I've driven them in the snow myself and was always impressed at how good they were. Looking at the tread design, they'll obviously be great for off road as well, plus they come in load range D! Finally a tire in this size that isn't E! My only concern with these tires is the noise. I've not driven them in a long time and I don't remember how much noise they make but I've seen a lot of people mention it when talking about these tires.

I guess it really comes down to the potential sacrifice in ride quality with load range E vs the noise of Duratrac's. Any thoughts?

 

I wholeheartedly agree with every complaint you referenced for the KO2s. They’re good for looking cool and for desert conditions and little else IMO. Their tread turns hard/brittle around 20-25k miles for many people (very common complaint), and their tight tread pattern is absolutely terrible for mud.

I’ve been on E load DTs for 40k miles. They’re great. 3 mountain peak snow rated.
Edit: no noise here. I rotate every 3k miles.

Also, there’s nothing embarrassing about the stock Michelin’s performance. I reference this video all the time, but this guy does FAR more than the average Tundra driver in a bone stock (with the Michelins) TRD Pro: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3vgvtx

 

I have ran both tires and never had an issue with either of them. The only issue like you stated was the noise of the Duratracs after they had miles on them.
When I first got the 2017 I wanted to replace the stock ones with a more aggressive tire for snow. I was going to do the Duratracs but the tire place said to go with the KO2s and they came in a little cheaper. The KO2s have done fine so far and they are good in the snow and are holding up really well.

I think either way you'll be fine just make sure you do the tire rotations.

 

My old man ran KO2’s for 60,000 miles and absolutely loved them. Great in all conditions!

I currently have duratracs and they are a great tire as well. Not my first set, either. I’ve noticed they are louder than the KO2’s and they seam to sap a bit of mileage. On my last 4Runner, I had the same notes. Amazing tire in the snow, pretty hard to beat!

 

Have you had the KO2’s before? To be fair, the vast majority of AT’s will suck in the mud, they simply don’t have wide enough tread blocks.

I have no complaints about the Michelins other than the way they look. They ride comfortably, they’re quiet, good in the snow and rain… just look like they’re for a RAV4.

Glad to gear you don’t have road noise. That makes me feel a bit better if I go that route.

 

Interested in your opinion since you’ve had both!

Gun to your head, you can only choose one, which do you go with?

 

I have a friend who’s much older than me in his 70’s and is on his fifth set of KO2’s, gets similar mileage too. He won’t buy any other truck tire since purchasing them the first time. He’s not one who’s going for looks either, he’s a big time hunter with a bone stock Pathfinder right now, he just wants to get where he’s going. Testimonials like that make them hard to ignore despite some of the complaints.

 

Had Duratracs (load range E though) on my last truck (2500HD), used them about the same way you're looking at except I also did some heavier towing as we had a fifth wheel toy hauler. They were great tires! Handled great whether wet or dry, no issues on logging roads, and especially good in the snow. Waiting for the crappy Michelin's on my TRD Off Road to give me a reason to replace them as Duratracs will be my first choice. If they were noisy I never noticed, then again, after twenty years of flying airplanes, my hearing isn't that great anyway. Just turn the stereo up a little louder and it goes away.

 

Exactly.

Can’t go wrong either way!

 

Yes. I had the BFGs on a Jeep. Hard, brittle, and terrifying on wet pavement at 20k miles. My experience is not unique. There is a huge thread about them and this very problem over at T4R.org, where I spent all my time when I was driving a 4Runner.

The one caveat with the Duratracs is that I think they’re still relatively quiet for me because I rotate so frequently.

 

Bfg’s are great until they turn into racing slicks after 2 years. The tread loses all stickiness

 

I have ran the Duratracs for over 100k miles so far on one truck. The other truck I keep changing to different brands. My driving is dirt roads and winding mountain roads daily, with about 30% freeway to finished it off. I live at 6,500' and snow/ice is constant in the winter. The I have not found a single tire that will outperform the Duratrac...for the first 75% of the tires life. Once they get down to about 25% life left they are not terrific. Once they do, I hand-sype until they hit the wear bars. This seems to really help a lot.

I simple can't find anything else that handles mud, snow, ice, and snow drifts all equally as good as the Duratrac.

 

Th

That’s a pretty convincing review. What load range have you been running? And what’s your opinion on the noise?

 

I’ve had both and I would choose Duratracs.

 

I've had both as well, KO2 on my 2017 and Duratracs on my 2021 both sets from factory. I like both. Both do good in rain and KO2 did well on ice/snow. I haven't driven in heavy snow/ice on the Duratracs yet.. My only complaint on the KO2 is they throw more rocks on the vehicle than the Duratracs. When I get new tires Duratracs will be high on the list.

 

Unless I'm in a heavier truck, or hauling some serious weight, I'm never running Load E tires again. Way too stiff. Load D all the way for this truck. I run 37" Load C KO2's on my Jeep!

 

Have Duratracs on a Wrangler. The tires are awesome with traction, above any regular A/T tires IMO. Even with rotations every oil change they have gotten cupped and loud, even for a Jeep. I want to get them again but the noise and cupping has me second guessing.

 

Falken….I’ve had duratracs and KO2s. Like the duratracs more then the KO2 but I’ve put falkens on my wife’s rig and now my trucks hands down best tire I’ve ran to date.

 

You’re not even close to the first person I’ve heard say this. Most trucks that get load range E tires are 3/4 and 1 ton, not half ton. Seems totally overkill.

 

load range D. New, they are surprisingly quiet. Once they get used up I noticed an increased hum especially on groved cement surfaces. But nothing nearly as bad as say an MT tire. Very tolerable given that it is a truck.

 

I have ran KO2 on numerous trucks for years and years and I have never experienced the wet/slick issue before, even at high mileage. Granted I live in SoCal. However, I will say that the last few months we have been getting absolutely pissed on with rain and my KO2s on the tundra are at about 20k miles and they perform absolutely flawlessly. I do offroad, drive on mountain roads with snow/ice, never had an issue. I have also never had a flat tire or blowout with these tires, even cruising on rocks at low pressure. They are tough as can be and until i run into a bad set, i dont think i would ever consider changing to something else. Load E is definitely overkill, but I am an overkill type of guy and its probably the reason i never had tire issues. Lastly I think KO2s are also the best looking AT tire. I am a white letters kinda guy.

The mud argument is legit as is the case on all AT's, but they do fine in moderate to light mud. We dont get much mud where I am anyway.

At the end of the day, the differences are pretty minor and if its all the same to you, i would go with the one you get the best deal on.

 

Just when I thought I had made up my mind on the Duratracs…

 

sorry I hate when that happens to me but just being honest, it sounded like the KO2s needed some love.

 

I have. A lot. They do awesome in it.

I have almost 40k on this set. I’ve found if you keep alignment good and rotations done the cupping and noise is a non issue. Once they cup they are loud as hell.

 

FWIW a good friend of mine who is also a Duratrac lover put some Wildpeaks on his Tundra. He said they are as good or better than the DT in snow. Not quite as good in mud. Better on the highway.

 

I just don’t think the Falkens are aggressive enough for regular off-road use, plus they’re E rated. If I was to go E rated, I would just go with BFG KO2.

 

I think the Falkens are a better choice than BFG. If you want aggressive, get the DT.

 

BFG KO’s are my go to for diesel 2500s and 4Runners. Fishing buddy loves Duratrac they are loud imo.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/bfg-ko3-coming-soon.122224/