KO3s in Slick Conditions?

[Johnny 5]

Anyone have a chance to drive their KO3s on wet pavement or snow? I saw a review where the driver said the tires lack grip and get squirrelly.

Update. Drove this beast in a heavy downpour but this time I remebered to put it in slippery mode (4A). Wow! I will have to say this is the most stable vehicle I have ever driven. I was doing 55 and I stomped on it and shot up to 80 real quick (obviously with these right, I wasn't anticipating it getting to that speed that quick) and I could feel the power in all 4 wheels and the vehicle held to the pavement and went perfectly straight. Couldn't belive it. I wouldn't recommend doing this (there were no vehicles near me when I did this test) unless you like to have fun once in a while like me, but it worked perfectly. Never felt power in all 4 wheels on any 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive like this. I never stop smiling when I'm driving this beast. Thanks again FoMoCo!!!!!!!

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[scout]

Thanks for the feedback. Good to know. With that said, I guess I will try the tires out this winter and see how they perform. Not ruling out snow tires just yet for where I live but why not give the stock tires a try.

I'm sure dedicated snow tires would be better and steelies would look pretty sweet for a winter setup, IMO... but the KO3's are '3 peak mud & snow' rated so they are intended to have some snow handling abilities.

 

[pablo94sc]

All the issues I had with the KO3s disappeared after the first 500 miles or so. I now have the opposite issue getting the truck to actually step out when I'm having fun off road. Lol

 

[Critical Habitat]

Anyone with a RR that plans to swap the KO3's for steel wheels and snow/ice tires for winter driving.
I know the K03's are severe snow-rated, but it is the ice performance I question.
Thoughts and comments welcome.

On my older F-150 (even with limited-slip diff) and mazdaspeed3 (FWD only), I would change the stock tires/wheels out for a few months during the winter.
I usually ran Bridgestone Blizzaks mostly for their performance on ice/black ice and cold temps.
I know they are terribly soft and wear out quickly in temps above 45-50 deg F.

 

[John E Davies]

Anyone with a RR that plans to swap the KO3's for steel wheels and snow/ice tires for winter driving.
I know the K03's are severe snow-rated, but it is the ice performance I question.
Thoughts and comments welcome.

On my older F-150 (even with limited-slip diff) and mazdaspeed3 (FWD only), I would change the stock tires/wheels out for a few months during the winter.
I usually ran Bridgestone Blizzaks mostly for their performance on ice/black ice and cold temps.
I know they are terribly soft and wear out quickly in temps above 45-50 deg F.

I bought a flawless set of five Bronco 17” takeoffs (less than 100 miles use) complete with OEM sensors and Pony center caps for $650 on Craigslist. I will use those for my summer wheels and I am going to mount Hakka LT3 non studded tires on the RR beadlocks (which I dislike intensely). I have tried both the studded and non-studded Hakkas on another vehicle. Tho the studded traction was amazing, the studs are very destructive to both roads and my garage slab, and I dislike the limited number of months that they can be used in WA . Never again. The non studded ones are excellent, except on slick ice, and are relatively long lasting, unlike Blizzacks. FYI the extreme torque of your RR will eat up a set of Blizzacks in a season or two. The Hakkas are designed for truck use.

I haven’t bought the snow tires yet, nobody has them in stock this time of year and I am waiting on a Nokian promo to save some cash.

This discussion really belongs in a new thread about winter tires.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[ducktapeonmydesk]

2,000 miles on my RR. Been in the rain a few times, ranging from a few drops on my windshield to not being able to see 5 cars ahead of me. In slippery mode, the truck felt just fine. I simply maintained a safe braking distance and drove on.

 

[pablo94sc]

I know Nokian makes great tires, but that name looks kind something you'd see in an IKEA catalog. ?

 

[John E Davies]

I know Nokian makes great tires, but that name looks kind something you'd see in an IKEA catalog. ?

True, that is why most people just say Hakka.. I haven’t found a better brand for winter safety, they excel in driver feedback and have very predictable behavior on slick roads. That has a calming effect on both the driver and the passengers.

I can’t comment on their All Season tires.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[MulchBags2]

It’s why my first mod will be Michelin Defender LTX2 tires!

Did you end up switching to Defenders? How was it and pic?

 

[jburl2]

Anyone have a chance to drive their KO3s on wet pavement or snow? I saw a review where the driver said the tires lack grip and get squirrelly.

To start with, I'm not a pussy. I've had my RR for about 4300 miles. I've felt totally confident driving my truck everywhere and I drive it hard.
A few weeks ago, the town redid our roads with chips and oil.
Coming home tonight in the rain, surprisingly I got real squirrely going up a hill. It was real easy to break the rear free on throttle.
Challenge I see is, the RR has so much power, it can get away from you if you're not paying attention. It really surprised me. I was in normal mode without traction control.
I would suggest everyone be careful out there. I have a different respect for the horsepower than I have had up to now.
I'm in NE PA and hope these KO3's will do well in the winter.

 

[superj]

traction control was off? you turned it off? just checking since mine is on automatically but i noticed the truck feels like a different vehicle when you turn it off, and its more fun off.

 

[Deleted member 850]

Don’t blame KO3s for your poor choice in driving modes. RWD, no TC up hill on oiled gravel?

 

[superj]

driving old school, ha ha ha.

 

[Chuck2001]

Reviving this thread as I struggled to take a decision for my RR. Live in Canada but near within urban area, so ice is more an issue than snow.

I almost lost the truck on a overpass which was completely frozen. KO3 never gave me great confidence in the wet, it's OK, but on ice it's not designed for this.

Was going the Hakka LT3 way at first but I'm not wheeling during winter so I went studless with Continental Vikingcontact 8 and they are good. Might eat up the rubber fast but I like a fresh set, don't mind to have another go in 2 years if I still have the truck. Blizzaks are worse in thread wear from experience.

Plus I got some Method MR305 for next spring for the KO3s

 

[telenerd]

Reviving this thread as I struggled to take a decision for my RR. Live in Canada but near within urban area, so ice is more an issue than snow.

I almost lost the truck on a overpass which was completely frozen. KO3 never gave me great confidence in the wet, it's OK, but on ice it's not designed for this.

Was going the Hakka LT3 way at first but I'm not wheeling during winter so I went studless with Continental Vikingcontact 8 and they are good. Might eat up the rubber fast but I like a fresh set, don't mind to have another go in 2 years if I still have the truck. Blizzaks are worse in thread wear from experience.

Plus I got some Method MR305 for next spring for the KO3s

I’d agree with you on this for ice and certain snow conditions. The Ko3 are great in most snow conditions here in Wyoming but they suffer a bit on ice, for an all season they do work pretty well. Corners on ice you have to be extremely careful like any other tire. If you’re driving on ice all the time on snowy roads I’d look at dedicated snow tire. Slippery mode helps some but I tend to drive like a grandma when it’s super snowy or icey out. I’ve seen way too many people end up in accident driving too fast or taking corners too quick.

Off-road the tires are exceptional.

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