[ClevelandGM1500]

Alrighty guys ive narrowed down my search for new rubber to either changing to 285/70/17 BFG KO2s or stay with another set of 285/70/17 Goodyear Duratracs.

ive had Duratracs on for the past almost 3 years, great tire overall but declined quickly at the end of their life. not sure if this happens to all of them but they also became very loud after the first 10k miles, give or take, to the point where you had to say things twice to people inside the cab. handled great in mud and snow while there was still tread but once they started wearing down they caked up like crazy. finally, and i believe this may have been an alignment issue, but the insides of the tires wore down to nothing/runway slicks before the outsides and the corners of the tread and tread walls became, for lack of better words, dry rotted and cracked.

as for the KO2s, ive read many mixed reviews on both sides of the scale from best to worst tire ever. aside from internet reviews i haven't talked to many people directly about them so i dont know how truly reliable they are. i chose them as an option because they are hybrid AT/winter tires, just like the duratracs. most of my driving is on the highway at 70-80mph combined with city and suburb driving as well as the occasional off road trip. then throw in north east ohio winter conditions and its like a whole different world lol

so let me know what your guys opinions are on these 2 tires, please refrain from other tire options unless you have driven on both of these tires and have a much better idea

thanks peeps

PICTURES FOR S&Gs

 

[Andringa]

I haven't used either tire, but I've been shopping for tires and really like the K02 so far.

I find it odd that the online reviews seem to be 85% 5 star. (Basically the best tire people have ever used with 40-50k miles of wear.)
While the other 15% is basically 1 star. (Some people had multiple catastrophic failures.)

I've never seen a tire with such a bipolar split in reviews, it almost seems like they had a bad run of production tires. Will be interested to hear what other people have to say.

 

[dRewville]

duratracs. they both are similiar. but ive heard more negative about ko2 than duratrac.

only negative i heard with duratrac was you have to rotate regularly or they wear quick.

they clean better than ko2 and are better in snow (coming from all youtube videos i saw)

i did all this research already and decided on duratracs myself

 

[redtherocket]

I suggest sticking with the Duratrac.

You are correct about how they do not perform as well after once you get down to about 1/3 of the tread...

I wear them to close to half and get the sale at a department store where you get one for free if you buy four... Then sell the used ones online and usually get a decent buck.

It works out pretty good, not much of hit taken and fresh rubber all the time...

I tried a set of K02's briefly last winter, and they could not get one of them to balance so I said enough with the fuss, and give me the Duratracs again..

I really wasn't impressed with the Ko2 with my brief ownership... Stone spitting mongrels... Not very good in deep snow..

I've run the Duratrac for years. I've tried a lot of tires and these are the best IMO... And I only have 2wd.. Its just nice to know you can hop curbs, break an ATV tire off the rim here and there... :lol:

If you've had the Duratrac on your truck already and go to that BFG, you'll be pissed off with yourself the first snow,,,,

I'll guarantee that though.

 

[cintocrunch]

You will get people who are passionate both ways... when it comes down to it they are probably very similar in terms of performance, wear, noise, etc. So the difference I would look to would be price, just get whichever is cheaper since they will perform the same.

I have KO2's and love the looks and performance but I will definitely be stepping down to a lighter duty A/T tire for my next ones, I just don't utilize these anywhere near their potential and don't need the negatives just for looks (noise and mileage being the negatives, also with the knobs they are a pain to hand shine).

 

[F15E154]

Duratrac.

I've had both - Duratracs for 40K miles, currently have KO2's with 10k miles on them. The Duratrac is an all around better tire: better in snow, better in rain, quieter. Additionally, I lost another 1MPG when I switched from my Duratracs to KO2's. The KO2's are a good looking wheel, but the Duratrac is hands down a better wheel unless you need the stronger sidewall of the KO2.

I drove these while living in Las Vegas and Colorado.

 

[jgrimmz]

I've had both and am sort of torn on the subject. The KO2's were great, didn't really have any complaints about them. They can get packed with mud/snow though and you lose traction in that case. I have duratracs now and I'm not overly impressed. They are an excellent tire but I spin often in rain. I don't see the value paying the sticker price for the duratracs but if you find them on sale or the buy 3 get one free deal mentioned above, I'd go duratrac.

 

[winks79]

I've had both. The Duratracs are the better of the two. BFG's are overpriced for no better tire than they are. I'm running Cooper Zeon LTZ's now, and like them better than any tire I've ever run. Hope they do not stop making the Zeon's.

 

[ClevelandGM1500]

for some reason i expected a better response for the duratracs. ive literally gotten about 70k miles out of my duratracs, and again the only major negative thing about them is how loud they have gotten. i guess i will have to take a look at the prices and make my decision off that. thanks for the input guys, dont know where id be without this forum hahahaha

 

[Spilner]

On my first set of duratracs. I don't like the ko2 tread pattern. If you're driving in heavy rain seems like it would divert water poorly compared to the two strips on the duratrac... I found a set of duratracs at 25 % off so I went with them. First time getting them but I'm sure I am the right decision (285/70r17)

What also sold me was 18/32" on a brand new tire compared to ko2s coming with 15/32" only...

 

[ClevelandGM1500]

YEAH i went with the duratracs, out the door with installation, alignment, and full protection for 1300$ from NTB. and thats for the 285/70/17s

 

[dRewville]

I had some 275/60/20 duratrac for about 1100 out the door at discount tire once.

hope i can get similar price for 65/16's when im ready to change out the Michelin LTX MS2 on here now (which i highly recommend if you dont want an aggressive tire AKA highway tire))

 

[intheburbs]

I've had both. Currently running Duratracs. The KO2s were better with highway driving, and lasted longer. However, my opinion might be skewed because I'm towing a heavier trailer since I've gotten the Duratracs and heavy towing is murder on tire wear.

The Duratracs are the best tires I've ever had for bad weather - rain, ice, snow. The road noise was never much of an issue for me; not very noticeable. I will say that it took three attempts at balancing them before getting it right. And in the end, it was a Firestone dealer that balanced them correctly.

For me, it comes down to the bad weather performance, and the Duratracs with that compeition hands down. The Burb and both my Wranglers will be forever shod in Duratracs.

 

[Spilner]

25% off sale on 285/70r17 duratracs cost me $1260 installed (Canadian) so about $956 american... I thought it was a steal

5 year warranty from Canadian tire (seller), includes free rotations, patches and pro-rated (discount) on a tire(s) if they ever fail.