BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 winter

[Dake21]

I'm considering these tire for the winter. I want to keep an A/T pattern since the hunting camp road isn't always plowed.
The BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 have the snow peak on it (This is what is required in provinces that requires you to have winter tires during the winter.) but I'm skeptical about it's ice traction. On a Canadian tire video it gave it 100% ice traction
I have cooper AT3 on my GV and the ice traction was simply horrible. Note that I went with slightly larger tire so that probably didn't help. Maybe a the Goodrich in 225 or 215 will give better result? Anyway, what are you guys experience with the tire in winter condition?

 

[comptiger5000]

If you really need good traction in the winter, especially on ice, get a second set of wheels and some dedicated winter tires. Even cheap snows will make any all-season (including A/Ts) seem like a racing slick when the snow starts flying. Studdable or studless snows both work well (studdable tires tend to do a little better in deep snow), but don't run studdable tires without studs if you care about ice traction.

Personally, with it seeing mixed use and lots of street time, I keep 3 sets of tires for my ZJ: summer street tires (wider, stickier, but not helpless in dirt, 29" tall), winter tires (narrower, 29" tall) and off-road tires (narrower, going to 31s or 32s soon).

 

[LocoCoyote]

The new version is winter rated ( snowflake symbol) as well as reworked....have a look here ( in German)

http://explorer-magazin.com/2015/bf-goodrich-at-ko2/

 

[Dake21]

The older version also had the snow peak symbol.

 

[KevinsMap]

The older version also had the snow peak symbol.

Actually, not all sizes had this, on the original KO. But many sizes did.

To the OP; this past winter I was in the French Alps during that amazing just-after-Christmas blizzard, the one that stranded 15,000 people for over 24 hours... and I drove right through the worst of it. Rented Audi quattro, manual trans and turbo diesel - with Cooper Winter tires. Simply awesome, climbing the grade to the Mt. Blanc tunnel on sheer ice and heavy falling and drifting snow. Not many of us made it, even the cars and trucks with chains. No chains on the Audi, just surefooted winter tires and all wheel drive.

So I second the motion; true winter tires, the toughest built you can find.

 

[KevinsMap]

The older version also had the snow peak symbol.

Ah, Halifax. That answers. I will just bet the KO sizes sold in your province were only snow peak rated?

I'm in Southern California. All KO2's have the snow peak symbol; not too relevant below 1500m altitude ;-) for about 8 months a year.

 

[Ryan87LX]

I had my second set of Gooyear Duratracs installed today. They also have the mountain snowflake on most sizes. I really waffled between these and the KO2, but in the end could not move past my good experiences with the 'tracs. Fantastic tire in the winter on my Bronco, and I'm sure they'll be great on my current Explorer as well.

Many of the reviews I read claimed the KO2 was amazing, but the comments on these reviews tended to disagree. One of the most common complaints was that the KO2 had terrible wet traction. Again, I have no real experience with the KO2.

 

[jCubed]

I had the KOs that came stock on my Tundra and loved them in snow!!! Got my KO2s just a couple months ago, had to wait for my size but so far they are great. Only dirt road and on road travel. FWIW


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[fortel]

Haven't had my KO2s long enough to go thru a winter with them yet, but a couple of thoughts compared with the original KOs which I ran two different sets of: the KO2s seem to have more traction and clear better in muddy situations than the KOs did; they are quieter at normal driving speeds than the Cooper AT3s on my wife's SUV; at slow speeds (parking lots, etc.) they sound "sticky" which I assume is from the redesigned tread blocks/siping and is something I don't remember with the original KOs. This is purely my impressions from the sets I've run.

My assumption based on the four months I've had them and the 4,500 miles I've put on them is that they will do better in the snow than the original KOs I ran. But ice is ice. At that point I would agree with the others and say go to a true winter tire on a second set of wheels. Possibly a set of chains to use on the unplowed camp road with your regular AT tires would work also.

 

[XJLI]

I think my AT3s are fantastic in snow and ice, so if I were you I'd be looking into a set of Hakkas.

 

[Dake21]

Maybe I should just get a "proper" winter tire and put chains on whenever I go to the hunting camp instead of getting AT winter tires after all.

Kevins I'm not sure about all sizes but they are advertised with the snow peak symbol. The one I saw on the floor had it. Which cooper did you had on?

 

[comptiger5000]

As far as snow tires, I run the studdless Nokian Hakka R2s on my ZJ. I've yet to find something they wouldn't go through (pushing hood-deep powdery drifts with snowy ground around it, etc). Only time they've struggled to have enough grip is getting uphill out of a driveway once (10 - 12 inches of heavy, wet snow on top of thickly iced-over gravel). I got out of that, but it took 2 tries and a bit of wheelspin to break through it (I was dragging both diffs, LCAs, etc. which wasn't helping).

 

[KevinsMap]

Maybe I should just get a "proper" winter tire and put chains on whenever I go to the hunting camp instead of getting AT winter tires after all.

Kevins I'm not sure about all sizes but they are advertised with the snow peak symbol. The one I saw on the floor had it. Which cooper did you had on?

I am sorry to say I did note note the specific model, just the brand - which I found most remarkable, since it was a Swiss rental car. I certainly did not expect a Cooper tire in Geneva.

Nokian Hakka have a really excellent reputation, and certainly whatever Cooper I was on handled the worst of winter ice and deep drifts with no need for chains. Really, I never felt a significant traction problem - glare ice at -10C, or slick ice at lower elevation and just barely below freezing. The drifts were 30cm deep near the tunnel, but no issues just going right over them. I have been driving to ski resorts for 40 years, but this was one remarkable demonstration of snow tire (and Audi quattro) technology.

 

[wrenchMonkey_]

After two winters and a few way to close calls on I gave up on running my BFG AT KO in 275/70-17 and ponied up for some Studded Nokian Hakka LT2's in 265/70-16. Best thing I ever did.
Here in Edmonton, where its winter 7+ months of the year, roads don't get plowed and will ice over and turn into hard pack on the side streets, I almost look forward to winter driving with those tires on. Total control, great traction, new tech with helps keeps the studs last longer, noise is minimal.

I've spent some time in Halifax in the winter and I don't think you could go wrong with dedicated winters if you can afford it. Very hilly as you know.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

If you're looking for an All-Terrain tire that's biased towards winter performance, Cooper's Discoverer A/TW fits the bill.