I'm curious on whether or not anybody is noticing the weight difference between an LT & SL gas wise.

 

If you go Falken, get the regular lighter version (not the LT version). It will ride better. Both the BFG and Falkens are great. Have the BFGs on my JLR, Falken's on my Gladiator.

 

Both are great, I honestly doubt you’ll be able to tell a huge difference between the two. Wild peaks may pick up/throw stones less than the ko2s though. That’s my one gripe with the BFGs

 

I was all set to get the BFG TA KO2 LT265/70R17/6 when the guys at my shop suggested the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, LT265/70R17/10. They use them, and have lots of return customers use them. I'm replacing Duratracs, but not LT version. Is LT overkill for Jeep AT? How will it affect ride and noise or off road grip. Price difference is not really significant.

2012 JKU Sport, stock wheels. 265/70R17.
Daily driver and weekend off-road to get to cabin (old, unmaintained, logging roads ,mud, roots, sharp sticks/rocks, and gravel. No sand or rock crawling.)
Replacing Duratracs.

Both of these options are solid choices and are used by many enthusiasts.

Since they are both AT tires they should do well in the conditions you mentioned, although the KO2's might have a more aggressive look, but both the KO2's and the A/T3W are known for prioritizing their tire to work well in winter and wet conditions while also standing strong when they are worn down.

So with price range being so close on these options it really can come down to personal preference and if you like a more aggressive tread.

If we can be of any assistance please let us know, we will make sure you are taken care of!

 

I went from the stock BFG KM2's to the Falken Wildpeak's and they are quieter than the Mud Terrains as I would expect. They also do very well on pavement and in the rain. I've even used them in the snow and was impressed. I have not use the BFG KO2's for comparison.

 

Ko2 has three ply sidewall, AT3W has two ply sidewall.
If you offroad, consider this.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

That's where I get confused because the estimates I was given show LT versions of these tires as follows:
LT265/70R17/10 121/118S FAL Wildpeak A/T3W is a 10ply Load range E
LT265/70R17/6 112/109S BFG All Terrain TA KO2 is a 6 ply Load Range C
Is the LT the difference? and which TA KO2 has a 3 ply sidewall?

 

I have KO2's on my Gladiator and love them did amazing in snow drove them over the mountain into Tahoe from Reno and never slipped a bit; I can attest to the snow and ice driving. Even pulled another Gladiator out from driver trying to drive his through deep snow with stock street tires. Also have Toyo AT2's on my JKU Rubicon and they have done very well also. Not trying to make your tire decision harder. I have run BFG AT's on many of my 4x4's and have never been disappointed they tend to last for a long time as well.

 

Even aired down, a load range E tire will ride rough on a wrangler.

 

Yeah I like the falcons. Have had several sets. But I think I am going to buy a set BFG TA KO2 next time the go on sale at Costco. They are a good quiet tire. Have had good luck with BF Goodrich tires over the yeas. Michelin owns them.

best regards

 

I was all set to get the BFG TA KO2 LT265/70R17/6

I am getting ready to have a set of five 265/70/17 BFG TA K02's for sale. Am going up in size to a 285/70/17 K02. Any chance you are in the central Ky. area??

 

Sorry no. Did you have to add a lift to go that size?

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

 

Big fan of the BFG TA KO2. I have a set 325/60R20 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2, diameter of 35.3", a width of 13", They are very quiet on the road. Ride smooth at 80+ MPH. I have over 50,000 miles on them and still plenty of tread.

 

I have run the AT3Ws and KO2s on my JT Mojave back-to-back (since I have a set of each mounted on their own wheels). So, I have experience with both tires in 285/70R17.

The KO2s are a little quieter and seem to respond slightly better to steering input. However, the AT3Ws provide a nicer highway ride. I would say both are about equal in the rain. I can't comment on the KO2s in the snow, but the AT3Ws are great in the snow.

My original plan was to run the KO2s as my summer tires and the AT3Ws in the winter. However, I much prefer the highway ride of the AT3Ws, so I am using them as my summer tires since that is when I take the most road trips. The KO2s will go on for the winter.

If I had to choose just one set, it would be the AT3Ws.

 

I should add, I have lots of experience with KO2 and also agree with others, excellent tire in all road conditions, all seasons. Off road in mud, fills up and becomes a slick, no amount of throttle cleans the mud out until you hit the road again.
Both these tires have excellent road reputation amd tread wear life. The KO2, for those keeping track, is made in the USA. Not a dig at the Falken, just stating it in case it matters. It was part of my decision for sure, but not the only part. It is a nice thing though.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

I had KO2s on my vehicle and liked them -- good in snow and a fine all-round tire. Never wheeled them so I won't comment on that.

 

I have run the AT3Ws on my wife's JKU, my JK, and my son's F-250. They are fantastic, smooth, quiet, and my JK has done great off road. My experience was recently somewhat tainted though. My wife's JKU is running the 285/70r17 SL version and I'm running 315/70r17 LT version. Both have a similar manufacturing date though hers have been on ~4 months longer but probably 3 times as many miles. I rotated her tires before a trip recently and noticed the start of cracking on the case of the tire between the tread blocks. It's consistent on all 5 tires. I have not experienced that on my JK or my son's F-250. Maybe It's the SL version or maybe isolated to the batch I got, but that's the one disappointed that I recently experienced.

 

I was all set to get the BFG TA KO2 LT265/70R17/6 when the guys at my shop suggested the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, LT265/70R17/10. They use them, and have lots of return customers use them. I'm replacing Duratracs, but not LT version. Is LT overkill for Jeep AT? How will it affect ride and noise or off road grip. Price difference is not really significant.

2012 JKU Sport, stock wheels. 265/70R17.
Daily driver and weekend off-road to get to cabin (old, unmaintained, logging roads ,mud, roots, sharp sticks/rocks, and gravel. No sand or rock crawling.)
Replacing Duratracs.

All the tires in that class are LTs. There are basically two types of tires P and LT. The P series are passenger tires and don't generally get a load rating. The LTs do get a load rating the most common are LR C, LT D or LT E. In various sizes you may not have a choice or can only choose between two of the three. The higher the load rating the stiffer the sidewalls, possibly a bit thicker tread area and the higher the letter the stiffer the ride, not to say that an LR E is uncomfortable. If your off road use is going to be light - dirt roads, forest service roads and the like, then LR C would be fine. If you are going to be in an area with a lot of rocks, then you would be better off with the LR E.

The Goodyear site shows two tire options in that size one has a load index of 115 and LR of SL the other has al load index of 121 and LR of E. But I believe both are classed as an LT tire (light truck) vs the P series. Before you consider the load index of 115 as a P series tire, I looked up a tire for my old mini-van and it had a load index of 102.

 

I would also consider the General Grabber ATX. Seems to be just as good as the KO2 but cheaper. I’m probably gonna pick up a set soon

 

The answer to the question is no, you do not need a lift for "normal" driving. Taking them off road and desiring full articulation you may want a very mild lift. The tires are "33s" but actually 32.8" tall which means they are only 0.4" closer to the bottom of the fender (with 255/75R17 factory tires), and you already have the 1" spacers. If you have them mounted on stock wheels, they may or may not rub depending on how the stops are set on your front axle.

I went with new wheels (Quadratec CJ Retro white spokes) with 5.2" of back space vs the 6" back space of the factory wheels. I do not have any rubbing. I did rest the tire size in the computer and the TPMS threshold with Jscan. Without the reset when the speedo says 60 think 61. My '17 Chief came with 255/75R17s which are an actual 32" tall so I gained 0.4" closer to the fender. Your 265/70R17s are 31.6" tall (according to BFG) so you will gain 0.6" closer to the fender than your current tires. BTW I run mine at 31PSI. They have been on for two years (14,000 miles) and are wearing evenly and I have had no issues with them.

There was a member who commented on a posting that he did not have rubbing mounting the 285s on his stock Mopar wheels.

 

My vote is for the Falken AT3Ws. I run them on my JKU and have been extremely satisfied. Rain, snow, winter conditions have been no problem. I’ve had multiple sets of Michelin LTX M&S over the years and believe they achieve nearly the same ride quality / sound but offer a more aggressive all terrain tread.

Regardless, no bad choice in this scenario

 

If you are on the fence between them check tire weights as this does impact acceleration, deceleration, gas mileage, stress on steering components, etc. There are some big differences between manufacturers of the same tire size in ATs, sometimes E rated even being lighter.

 

I have found the falkens to be heavier than BFG on average. Weight definitely matters

 

I might just throw out.... that your tire selection will likely be influenced by the terrain you drive. How much off roading do you do?
I had Falcons, my nephew used Falcons on several vehicles, and loved the mileage he got out of them.
On my Jeep jk they were a good tire, but the rubber compound must be fairly hard to get that good mileage. When off road, climbing slick rock, they did not have great traction.... a lot of slipping and squealing.
Friends with the KO2s didn't seem to struggle quite as much.

 

I’ve had both. Presently have the Wildpeaks on a Gladiator Max Tow, great in highway commuting in the snow and heavy rain. Had BFG’s on bigger trucks, Bronco and K5 Blazers, since 1983, no problem. On my last Jeep JK 2 door, the BFG’s must’ve not got along with the lighter weight of the truck. $ucked on the highway in snow and heavy downpours, hydroplaned bad. Had to keep speeds down. Only my opinion! Thanks, JW.

 

…oh, and the BFG’s on the 2 door JK were load range ‘E’, hard as $hit!

 

Thanks for posting that - important for other buyers to know

 

The two things that affect how comfortable a tire will be are Load Range and tire pressure. Load Range D tires have stiffer side walls than Load Range C and Load Range E has stiffer side walls than Load Range C. Another indicator is to look at the weight rating on a tire (read all the specs). A tire that is rated at 3,500 pounds will be much stiffer than a tire rated for 2,500 pounds. Part of that is the higher air pressure at which the tire is rated. For example the BFG KO2 in 285/70R17 is available in 3 choices with LR C and weigh about 51 pounds per tire, have a max weight carrying capacity of 2755 pounds at max inflation of 50 PSI. They offer one version in LR E with a load rating of 121 and a carrying capacity of 3195 pounds at max inflation of 80 PSI.

One thing to check after you have your tires rotated is the TP in each tire. Many times a shop will see on the side of the tire X pounds at Y PSI and immediately air the tires up to Y PSI. If you are in a Jeep Wrangler with LR E and suddenly your Jeep rids as if it has steel wheels, it may be that the shop you were just in aired your tires up to the max PSI. 80 PSI in tires on a Wrangler will definitely give it a bad ride. When I test drove my '17 Chief, it had a stiff ride. I brought up the TP on the EVIC and each tire was at 47 PSI even though the placard on the door frame said 37. I aired the down to 33 as that is as low as I could go without upsetting the TPMS nanny.

But even at 31 PSI, the LR C tires will give a smoother ride than the LR Es because of the difference in sidewall (and weight - the LRC KO2s weigh about 51 pounds each, the LRE KO2s weigh about 58 pounds each).

An issue right now with 16 inch wheels is finding a tire that is NOT LR E.

 

I run Faulken Wildpeaks on all my Vehicles, even RV. Love them. Do great in all weather: rocks, rain, snow, sand. They roll great on my 2 door jeep, I get 18 around town and 25 on the hwy. Mine are 32's, with a stick shift. No complaints here. I have been running them since they first hit the market. Very sturdy and long wearing tire. I've had lots of tires on many vehicles. Once you find something you like you stick with it.