dag019

dag019

Well-Known Member
I currently have BFG AT tyres fitted (267/75) and they have been great. Lasted about 120k and still have enough tread left that I can sell them on as usable rather than wear them down to nothing. But the tread is getting low enough now that they are not as good off road as they once were so I am looking to get a new set. There are still places that have old stock of these but there is the new generation KO2 out now.
Does anyone have any experience with these?
I know the KO2 muds were initially reported to not be as hard wearing as the old design. I am trying to work out if it is worth getting the new style or sticking with what I know to be good and buying some old stock originals.
 
this ad that I came across (link) highlights my concern, where these tyres look to be over half worn in the pic but are claimed to be nearly new and have not been on the market long enough to be that old.
 
Sadly making tyres that last 120k and still be good, is not the new business model. Law's and chemicals used have changed and so it might not be possible to make the same compound as the old BFG's . Think you will have fun trying to find a set, But good luck in your quest
 
120k seems a lot, I mean how long does it take to do that anyway? 10 years maybe.

Personally never been a fan of the original BFG AT. But I have had chance to run a lot of different tyres. While they look nice, they are pretty rubbish on road, esp in the wet and half the reason they last so long is they go hard, making them even worse on road. And they are pretty pants off road compared to any MT's tread.

For gravel, sand, baked mud or rocks I think they'd be quite a good tyre. But unless you live in North America, we are sadly short of that kind of terrain in the UK.

The new AT pattern I haven't used yet. But IMO looks a lot better. It now has sipes, so should be miles better on wet tarmac and on ice. And should at least perform as well as the old one off road.

To be fair, when I talk off road ability I do think of MT's. If you are heading off the beaten track to any degree, AT's rarely cut it well.

To this extent I'd give the new tread a go and see how it went. But I wouldn't want the old AT, not even if if it was given to me.

But I'd probably opt for an MT with good road manners given the choice. In fact, I suspect the BFG MT rides 90% as well on the road as the AT does, but will be miles better off road.

Maxxis make some nice mild MT's with sipes in too and I rather like the look of the new Cooper STT Pro.
 
I had the old AT's and replaced them in June with the new KO2's. My old ones had loads of tread left, but were about six years old and were starting to crack (just) However, they were never that great and had deteriorated in to being scary/dangerous in the wet on tarmac. I 100% agree with 300bhp/ton.
The new ones are a softer compound and have transformed the ride, noise and grip on the road. I was split between these and the new Cooper AT's, but couldn't get the Coopers at the time. Very happy with the KO2's for what I need.
I wouldn't try to get the old BFG's if I were you.
 
300bhp/ton said:
120k seems a lot, I mean how long does it take to do that anyway?
Click to expand...
They have been fitted for 8 years. Most of my milage is on the road which is why I have an AT over an MT but I do regularly go green laning or have to tow the car trailer across muddy fields so a pure road tyre is not good enough.

I have heard the complaints before about wet road handling and being poor in the snow and ice, but I have never had any problems with them. I have driven them in all conditions and they have never let me down. The reason I chose them last time was for the length of time they last, being almost a fit and forget tyre, for the price of a new set I do not want to be having to change them every couple of years because they are too soft and have worn out.
 
The old BFG AT's were an excellent tyre, I ran them for 10-years and I never felt them to be a compromise on tarmac. Of course off-road performance was negligible on anything other than grass or dry / loose surfaces but as a balance between road / off-road grip, performance and wear I don't think they could be beaten. On snow they were truly excellent. :D
Made the mistake of turning to Cooper ST Maxx a couple of years ago, admittedly they are a different type of tyre but on tarmac it is like going back a decade (or two) and almost like running on crossplys. Off road they are excellent but they are too far in that direction for my use nowadays. Wet weather performance is especially poor. Also they are very tall & heavy, nearly 1.5 inches taller than similar sized BFG AT's (265/75x16). I think that I will be junking them very soon and trying the new BFG AT. :(
 
Well I am going to keep my eyes out for a new set of the old ones to replace the ones I have. I am currently phoning around all the suppliers to see if any one has any remaining stock. They come up on ebay every so often where someone has had a brand new spare which has never been used so may just have to build up a set over time.
 
Shame, you could have had mine. :( They had that much tread on them the tyre place asked me if I wanted them all back. Maybe mine were from a bad batch. The traction in the wet was low to the point if you had to break a bit hard it would lock up and become a 2 ton sledge fairly zipping along. They were fit and forget though, miles per pound off the scale.
It'll be interesting to see how many miles I get out of the KO2's.
 
dag019 said:
I currently have BFG AT tyres fitted (267/75) and they have been great. Lasted about 120k and still have enough tread left that I can sell them on as usable rather than wear them down to nothing. But the tread is getting low enough now that they are not as good off road as they once were so I am looking to get a new set. There are still places that have old stock of these but there is the new generation KO2 out now.
Does anyone have any experience with these?
I know the KO2 muds were initially reported to not be as hard wearing as the old design. I am trying to work out if it is worth getting the new style or sticking with what I know to be good and buying some old stock originals.
Click to expand...
Just a quick note the KO2 tread is apparently shallower than the old type from new
 
Foxyred said:
Just a quick note the KO2 tread is apparently shallower than the old type from new
Click to expand...

Well I think that has made the decision a lot easier. I will hunt down a set of the old ones. I have been very happy with them and if they last me as long again will have no complaints.
 
As I am struggling to find a complete set of the old tryes has any one using these KO2 tyres got any information on their longevity and the achievable on road mileage.

Foxyred said:
Just a quick note the KO2 tread is apparently shallower than the old type from new
Click to expand...

Looking online the tread depth of the KO tyre from new is 16/32" (12.7mm) and the tread depth of the KO2 tyres from new is 15/32" (11.9mm). However the KO2 tyre is claimed to have a 15% increase in longevity on tarmac. This would result in the new style tyre lasting longer on the road even with the decrease in initial tread depth.
 
As far as I know the KO2 is a softer compound than the KO to comply with lower noise reg's,
 
That was my understanding as well. Having spoken to a few tyre suppliers now trying to track down a set they have all said that the old model was a much better tyre and is the one you want if you can find some.
 
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