Grabber ATX vs BFG KO2

Like I said...my tire guy had nothing bad to say about KO2s other than a real pain in the ass to balance and he sells a lot of them.

 

Yeah, I've heard from a few in some of the local 4x4 clubs complain about balancing issues with the BFG ATs. Only other set of BFGs I've run that had no balancing issues were a set of used mud terrains I put on Bronco once.

 

I disagree.


J/K

 

We find that they take significantly more weight to balance

 

Yeah I hate the at2's as well.

 

My BFG KO2's SUCK! So I would pick General if I had to pick between the two. KO2's have never balanced right. KO2's traction is nothing to write home about....I have had them break loose before they should have in many different driving conditions including towing. I told myself I would NEVER buy BFG again after my first set. One of the walls failed with 1/2 the tread left on them while my best friend was driving down the highway and almost killed him. I thought with the "new" design that maybe they would be a better tire. I WAS WRONG. Can't wait to take these KO-CRAPS off my baby. F**k BFG.

 

The original tread design was like my old Desert Dogs. Those tires were great. It's been so long I don't remember who made them. 1974. I used to love Armstrong TruTracs. Now longer made either. I really like my Cooper Maxx's but those ATX just might be a good tire. Guess we will find out soon enough since a couple here have posted that they are buying them. I'm not going to write them off yet. My 3 cents!!

 

Coopers can be tough to balance also. I had a bunch of weights on a couple on my Tacoma. I ran them for 30k with zero problems before selling the truck. If they had not been 16s I probably would have bought a TRD OR and installed on Tundra.

 

I had a set of LT265/70R18 KO2s on my Tundra and they were pretty terrible. Dry on-road traction wasn't that good, wet traction was bad, it was OK in the dirt and rocks, bad in mud, and the tread wore down extremely fast. I'd go with the Grabbers though I have never ran a set of them before.

 

Same here.

 

I have two sets of Coopers. Pro M/Ts and Maxx's. I did have one Pro that took a few extra weights. Coopers aren't known to be a problem balance historically.

 

I feel like the OP is holding something back and is fishing for something?
Maybe something like brand recognition sells a lot of tires?

What’s up OP?
I’m running the KO2. They are fine. I’m sure there are better tires out there.
So, what’s the price difference of these two tires? I would run them if they prove themselves over some time...

 

I just wanted to get a real feel if branding was more driving than actual tire comparison. So as you see in the picture we sold a set of each this week. The KO2's were $40 a tire more than the ATX's and took on average 1.5 oz more to balance. The Atx has a treadwear warranty where the KO2 does not. The ATX has a deaper tread depth as well.

However when I presented my customer with the Atx as an option it was like I was trying to sell Ocean front property in Arizona. He had no interest in even hearing me out. So I wanted to see how much we are brand driven or brand loyal over something new. That is all, Thanks for the response guys.

 

That helps. For every BFG KO/KO2 I’ve run, I’d say I’ve also run with several other brands (Coopers, Interco, Firestone, Pro Comps, Goodyear, etc.). Price is also a big factor for me when it’s time to replace tires, and if I had been given a choice to try the ATXs at $40 less per tire, I would’ve been tempted to try them out.

 

I would guess it has more to do with BFG being a "known" quantity vs General. I have ran KO's in the past, bought one set and that was it. Nothing against anyone who has them, I think there are better alternatives for less money.

 

I went with KO2s on one of my old trucks due to some friends with solid real world experience I could trust, on and off road.

Plus I think they have the best looking tread/sidewall for an AT.

I was extremely happy with them. I put 28k miles on them before I traded that truck in(it wasn’t a Toyota) and the only sign of wear was it lost the little whiskers on the tread.

Super quiet on highway, but I am used to MTs...

I was extremely happy with them and nearly bought them again but decided to go with a popular hybrid on my new truck.

I think Grabber makes great tires tho for the record.

 

Tread life brings me back to bfg's on all my jeeps/trucks since the 90's. The ko2 with the deeper siping just made them even better.

 

Hello all just found your site while Googling about balancing General Grabber ATX tires. I just acquired a set of 315/70R17 ATX's for my F-250 and have been having issues getting them to balance. I am hoping that Mike's Custom Toy's will respond with his experience since posting this thread back in May? I have 8 oz. bags of Counteract balance beads in the tires now and called Counteract this morning to ask them for advise. Guy said he has had many calls about the General Grabber's and that guy's were having to put upwards of 14 oz. of beads in the tires to get them to balance. So I ordered another 6 oz. kit so that I can slowly add more beads to the tires through the valve stems until they balance out.

 

We have been having issues with Counteract beads............We have had to pull them from a couple different sets and go back to traditional balancing. My rep was saying a bad batch of silica but I am not sure. Also I would not use more than 10oz of beads on that size.

 

BFGs are known to be good tires. That's just a given. I prefer the older style ATs to the KO2s but that's just me.

I had a set of the general grabber MTs when they first came out on my old jeep and they were a really good tire. I beat the crap out of them and they crawled better than the BFG MTs they replaced. Based on that positive experience, I wouldn't hesitate to look at the Generals when it's time to replace the KO2s that came from the factory on my Tundra. Everyone that I know that runs BFGs run them because that's what they've always ran and they swear by them. If it aint broke, don't fix it. When it comes to tires, I'm always looking for a good deal. There never seems to be a good deal on BFGs.

 

How can the beads be bad? Weight? And why wouldn't you put more than 10 oz. in these tires? The Counteract tech told me that he has gotten feedback from many guys of having to go to 14 oz. to get this size tire and this brand to balance? I respect your opinion as you said you are in the business so that is why I asked you specifically. Thank you for your input.

 

The beads were sticking together and sticking to the tire. I can only relate what we do in my shop to help our customers. 14 oz will shake pretty well from a stop to get balanced out again.

 

I noticed that there was a fair amount of beads stuck around the tires when we first dismounted and remounted mine. Had to actually wipe the inside of the tires all the way around to make sure there wasn't any significant residue left over. I assume that is NOT supposed to happen??? Maybe I should call that guy back that I spoke with earlier this morning? And when you say they "will shake pretty well from a stop to get balanced out again" what is the difference between 8 oz. and 14 oz. both amounts still need some speed for the centrifugal force to take place and balance the tire right?

 

Yes the only difference is 14oz running around trying to find balance will shake way more than 8 oz. If you had to wipe the beads off they are too sticky. I would be tempted to ditch the beads and try traditional balance.

 

Your favorite AT is the Flaken At3w? How come?

 

Well we tried the traditional balancing initially but it kept asking for more weight? I talked to the guy at Counteract again as he gave me his direct number. I discussed with him what we are discussing here and he made it sound as though the beads sticking to the inside was not a big deal and that it is like rubbing a balloon and then putting it near your head and seeing your hair stand up AKA static cling. He also agreed with you saying that even though others have used as much as 14 oz. that he personally wouldn't go higher than 12 oz. total. I will try adding some more beads and see how that fairs. If it doesn't work then I will try and find a place that can handle balancing big stubborn tires.

 

yes, I'd like to know as well!

 

Wear great, balance well, outstanding snow and Ice traction, price for what you get

 

Nice, they weren't even on my radar until you mentioned them. Amazing price for sure. Wish they had a size slightly bigger than the 275/70/18 to go on my stock wheels.

-Jim

 

Just ran across this thread while researching the grabber atx, and wanted to chime in on a few things, and ask a few questions. First of all, as far as the guys who swear by the bfg at's, I'm one of them. Some people don't understand it, and I get that. Let me explain. Of all the people who swear by them, consider the application they use them for, it's all relevant. I don't think that they are the best off road tire, but they are good for an a/t in most normal conditions on road and mild offroad. All of the a/t tires are designed to be the best of both worlds, that's a given. I have a lot of experience with a lot of different tires. I have spent the last 15 years doing maintenance work on loading docks, all over the country, and logged over half a million miles in 3/4 ton pickups in that time frame. I have owned 4 trucks doing it, 3 of them being 2wd, including the one i have now, so all my experience is with e-load range, 265 and 285-75-16 tires. Engine drive welder, torches, air compressor, all my tools put around 1500lbs in the bed, all the time. And then stack another 5 to 800lbs of scrap on a regular basis. Or pull my trailer with up to 3000lbs of scrap iron. Where the bfg shines for ppl like me who use them on a little heavier duty truck, is their ability to handle a load way better than the competition. I don't mean the load rating, I mean how much the truck sways if you have it seriously loaded. How much the tires squat, sidewall flex how the truck handles in general with a load. Basically they have proven to be nearly indestructible. I've ran Michelin, cooper, firestone, and another one I don't remember now. I keep buying the bfg's because they handle the load better than any other tire I've tried, hands down. As far as traction, nobody will believe this, in the snow the firestone transforce a/t is by far the best, at least when they are fresh, but they flex way too much for my needs. Now that I got all that out. ....does anyone have any experience with the new generals yet? Im thinking about trying some on my suburban, they could wind up on my work truck at some point. I may know what works, but I'm not above trying something new by any means!