- A short note here: As a former Bridgestone engineer, I strongly recommend checking Discount Tire - Treadwell out. Now, you can effortlessly get recommendations based on value, performance, and local favorites without going to the Discount Tire store.
TRIED & TRUSTED!
The long-awaited BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 has landed, and it’s about time! While its sibling, the BF Goodrich KO2, set the all-terrain standard, it had its quirks—like occasional rain slip-ups and that highway hum. And with newcomers like Toyo Open Country AT3 and Falken Wildpeak AT3W raising the bar, it’s no surprise the KO3’s tread design seems to tip its hat to them. Stick around as we technically dive into what the BF Goodrich KO3 brings to the off-road table!
At a Glance
As a former Bridgestone engineer, I think that BF Goodrich KO3 can provide great on-road manners. Since it’s only available in OEM sizes, it provides a smooth and quiet ride. Besides that, its wet and winter traction capability is huge. However, due to its narrow pattern, its loose-ground traction capability is slightly behind the competition. Besides that, longevity isn’t something that OEM tires are focused on. So, no great wear until replacement sizes will come up.
All-Terrain Tires Cheat Sheet
Finding the most suitable one for you among thousands of tires is very difficult.
My team & I have analyzed 100 different tires and generated this ‘Quick Answer Sheet‘ for those who don’t wanna spend too much time during tire selection.
Before we start, here are the incredibly helpful articles I highly recommend to take a look at;
- How to keep tire noise down?
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-noise - What is the 3PMSF symbol?
https://tireterrain.com/what-is-3pmsf-symbol/ - Off-Road Tire Buyer’s Guide
https://tireterrain.com/off-road-tire-buyers-guide/ - Tire rating charts & reviews
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/rating-chart&reviews - Are all-terrain tires good for daily driving?
https://tireterrain.com/are-all-terrain-tires-good-for-daily-driving/ - Most aggressive all-terrain tires
https://tireterrain.com/most-aggressive-all-terrain-tires/
Below the table, you can find my favorite tires that I have classified according to your needs.
If you’re in a hurry, here are the tires worth every penny;
- Toyo Open Country AT3 – Best All-Round & Longevity
- Falken Wildpeak AT3W – Best All-Round & Squishy Regions
- BF Goodrich KO2 – Best All-Round & Off-Road Adventure
- Falken Wildpeak AT Trail – Best All-Round for CUV/SUV & Severe Off-Road
- Nitto Recon Grappler – Best All-Round for CUV/SUV & Smooth and Quiet Ride
- General Grabber ATX – Best All-Round for 3/4-ton or above trucks
- Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac – Best On/Off Road tire for 3/4-ton or above trucks
- Cooper Discoverer 4S XLT – Best Commercial All-Terrain Tire & Hauling and Towing
If you’re looking for something at a bargain price;
- Vredestein Pinza AT – Best All-Round for CUV/SUV & Smooth and Quiet Ride
- Kenda Klever A/T2 – Best All-Round for Medium & Light Duty Usage
- Kenda Klever R/T – Best All-Round for Heavy-Duty Usage
Depending on your needs, also the below articles might help;
- https://tireterrain.com/best-all-terrain-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-3-4-ton-truck-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-mud-terrain-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-rt-tires/
- https://tireterrain.com/best-tires-for-snow-plowing/
I highly recommend checking the below pages out before making any purchase:
- DiscountTire Deals:
https://www.discounttire.com/promotions - TireRack Deals:
https://www.tirerack.com/specialoffers - SimpleTire Deals:
https://simpletire.com/tire-deals
BFG KO2 vs KO3: What Changed?
In the intricate realm of tire manufacturing, continuity is often the name of the game. If a design proves successful, why reinvent the wheel, right? But, every so often, a pioneer like BF Goodrich disrupts the status quo.
Delving into the tire-making universe, consider this: From the embryonic stage of ideation to the moment a tire graces the store aisles, a staggering 3-year period typically elapses. Astounding, isn’t it? One might muse, “What could possibly consume so much time?” The bulk of this duration is invested in meticulous field-testing. After all, these tires must be prepared to confront an array of challenges.
There’s some industry chatter that BF Goodrich’s innovation wheels began turning as early as March 2020, possibly upon glimpsing Toyo’s AT3. In the tire cosmos, competition is indeed intense, propelling innovations and evolutions.
Observing the Toyo AT3 and BF Goodrich KO3 side by side, parallels emerge. The heart of the BF Goodrich KO3—its center section—echoes the Toyo AT3, distinguishing itself markedly from its precursor, the KO2.
| BF Goodrich KO3 | BF Goodrich KO2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | LT285/70R17 | LT285/70R17 |
| Tread Depth | 15/32″ | 15/32″ |
| Tire Weight | 56 lbs | 51 lbs |
| Section Width | 11.5″ | 11.5″ |
| Tread Width | 8.8″ | 9.4” |
One standout trend? The advent of the ‘S-shape’ lug design. It’s the talk of the town, primarily because it bolsters a tire’s biting edges. Visualize it as endowing your tire with additional “teeth” for augmented grip. The BF Goodrich KO3 doesn’t merely adopt this trend—it refines it. By integrating these S-shaped lugs, the KO3 manifests a more consolidated center section, translating to a welcome reduction in road hum.
Yet, no story is without its twists. While the KO3 exhibits a suite of upgrades, it’s not devoid of pitfalls. When treading loose terrains, those horizontally-oriented lugs seem to present a slight impediment. But, in juxtaposing the KO2 and KO3, the latter’s horizontal inclination offers enhanced loose terrain traction, albeit with potentially accelerated wear. BF Goodrich’s answer? A narrowed tread width on the KO3. Aesthetic enthusiasts, brace yourselves!
Shifting our focus to weight, the BF Goodrich KO3 has shed a commendable 5 lbs relative to the KO2. It’s akin to your tire undergoing a rigorous fitness regimen! This weight loss promises heightened agility and an extended lifespan.
To encapsulate, the BF Goodrich KO3 emerges as a formidable contender, exhibiting superior on-road finesse and wet grip, albeit with a modicum of compromise on loose terrains. Especially for those with towing or hauling in the cards, the KO3 stands as a compelling choice.
A Caveat: This assessment predominantly hinges on the BF Goodrich KO3 specifications available for the sizes LT285/70R17 and LT275/65R20.
Dry Performance
All-terrain tires are built for traction and dry traction is actually the easiest one to achieve.
In that case, more rubber on the ground generally provides superior.
BF Goodrich KO3 has a compact and slightly narrow tread pattern. Even though narrow tread patterns tend to decrease the tire’s grip capability, BF Goodrich KO3 can still provide unique traction on dry surfaces. In fact, this kind of design is way much better for towing, hauling, or relatively heavier vehicles like 3/4 ton trucks.
I don’t have any doubt about its dry traction performance. Moreover, it has a huge advantage regarding cornering stability and responsiveness.
Responsiveness
In this case, a narrow tread pattern is a huge advantage. Besides that, the design of BF Goodrich KO3’s center section is compact and interlocked.
Since BF Goodrich KO3 is only available for OEM sizes, these sizes have different, generally softer compounds than replacement sizes. This is a slight disadvantage for quick steering response. Yet, nothing much to change.
In summary, BF Goodrich KO3 provides a quick steering response as it’s expected from a premium brand tire.
Wet Performance
The wet performance of all-terrain tires is generally questionable because of their stiff compounds.
Since this tire is only available in LT sizes for now, we can’t evaluate its UTQG rating and this reduces the accuracy of our prediction.
For this reason, I’ve contacted with BF Goodrich and asked them about the improvements. They basically said ‘ Overall performance and durability’.
When I combine this information with my tread pattern analysis, I actually expect a bit of a drop in the wet traction.
However, BF Goodrich KO3 is only available in OEM sizes for now. What does that mean? It means it should have decent wet traction and rolling resistance. OEM tires sacrifice from treadwear. Otherwise, they can’t pass homologation tests.
In summary, BF Goodrich KO3 provides decent wet traction.
Hydroplaning Resistance
Hydroplaning is the floating feeling that you feel at high speeds when it rains.
Even though it mostly depends on your driving style and speed, all-terrain tires sometimes do this because of their wide tread pattern.
In this case, BF Goodrich KO3 has an advantage.
Due to its open shoulder slots and narrow pattern, BF Goodrich KO3 provides decent hydroplaning resistance.
Winter Performance
BF Goodrich KO3 is marked with 3PMSF, proof that the rubber of this tire retains its function in cold weather.
Since the compound is okay, we can discuss the tread pattern.
In favor of a very well-siped pattern, BF Goodrich KO3 provides great light-snow traction just like its brother BF Goodrich KO2.
However, due to its relatively less void area, BF Goodrich KO3 might provide slightly inferior deep snow traction.
On the other hand, the ice traction of this tire is going to be better than BF Goodrich KO2 because of its siped and narrow tread pattern. The narrow pattern can create more force on the ground and that increases the ice traction.
Overall, BF Goodrich KO3 is a trustworthy tire regarding winter conditions.
Off-Road Performance
I don’t wanna judge the book by its cover but OEM sizes aren’t great for off-road conditions.
They generally wear so fast in off-road conditions. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t provide traction.
The design of BF Goodrich KO3 is great for gravel and dirt traction because of its sipe density. However, the narrow pattern is a disadvantage regarding mud (I’m talking about thick mud out here) and rock crawling.
So, here is the deal, this tire is going to be great on occasional mud, rock, or dirt. However, if you’re going to severe off-road with them, think twice.
I’m not saying you’ll not get decent traction, I’m saying that you probably observer rapid wear.
Longevity
Just like I told you before, if longevity is your priority, you should skip OEM tires. I don’t think that this one is going to stay short just like other OEM tires, yet, there is no way that you can get the same wear with BF Goodrich KO2.
Conclusion
In my point of view, BF Goodrich KO3 going to be a rockstar for those who need great on-road manners but don’t wanna fail off-road. It’s not going to be superstar on loose ground but it’s going to provide a smoother ride and less road noise than BF Goodrich KO2. For now, if you’re not making too many miles in a year, it’s a great tire for you. Though worth reminding, these are OEM sizes. A lot is going to change when it’s going to be available in replacement sizes.
Note: BF Goodrich KO3 is not interchangeable/mixable with the same size KO2 tires.
I hope the article was helpful, if you need any further questions, please leave them below. Have a safe ride folks!
Excellent review! Looking forward to the Wildpeak R/T and Open Country R/T Trail reviews!