KO3s in Slick Conditions?

[telenerd]

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.

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[JustNick]

I haven't gotten mine yet, but I did my test drive in the rain and it wasn't crazy bad for normal driving. They kind of reminded me of my General Grabber A/TX that I had on my '19 Ranger. Granted, I wasn't really pushing the truck on the test drive. I have seen multiple reviews point out that they're not super grippy on wet pavement though, so I'd also be curious about real world driving after some miles had been put on the rubber

 

[chasvs]

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

 

[08mojo]

I got caught in a downpour yesterday. I didn't notice anything unusual.

The worst tires I've ever experienced in wet conditions were the Goodyear Duratrac's on my Tacoma. They would spin as if it were an icy road from a stop--and that's with Tacoma power and driving normally. If you've ever driven a Tacoma, you know they are gutless.

 

[JustNick]

I got caught in a downpour yesterday. I didn't notice anything unusual.

The worst tires I've ever experienced in wet conditions were the Goodyear Duratrac's on my Tacoma. They would spin as if it were an icy road from a stop--and that's with Tacoma power and driving normally. If you've ever driven a Tacoma, you know they are gutless.

My dad's last truck came with Duratrac's stock and he was counting down the days until they needed to be replaced. He hated them from the moment he went to the boat launch and struggled to get up the ramp without using 4wd

 

[HyperM3]

Its one of the things I was worried most about before taking delivery of the truck. However, I dont even have 500 miles on the truck yet and have been through several rain storms with it and I was pleasantly surprised at how confident I felt using 4A. Im not pushing it like I would have with my previous sports cars, but Im still testing the waters(pun intended), and I really like these tires so far.

 

[Letucan_27]

Drove mine Nashville -> Denver after picking up from my dealer down there back in April.

Got caught in a snowstorm in Eastern Colorado and while the tires definitely seemed to lack for grip compared to the winter tires we keep on our other vehicles they were much better than most other summer or all-season tires I've had in the past.

I plan to pick up a specific winter set of tires for the Raptor in the fall. Wouldn't trust the K03's in a storm in the mountains.

 

[atimberwolf]

First time I drove my RR in the rain I got sideways quick. I was in sport and I'm sure that was part of the problem. I now always set up for rain/snow with the GOAT dial and haven't had any problem since. Overall, I'm not a KO fan. Pulled off my F150 Raptor and will do the same with these as they near end of life.

 

[Johnny 5]

Mine felt like it could get out from under me when I was driving down the highway in about 75 miles per hour in the rain. Going around big curves I felt like the back end could have gave out on me. I never thought about putting it in the rain/snow mode until I just read the previous post, thanks. I'll definitely be sticking with these for my next set though because the good outweigh the bad with BF Goodrich, in my opinion. Going by many sets of them on my jeeps in the past.

 

[telenerd]

Hum thanks for the feedback. I might end up buying some steelies and snow tires to throw on for winter. But first the Ranger has to show up. 🥹

 

[John E Davies]

My KO3s felt perfectly fine in heavy rain, in 2A, except I got a little spin turning off onto a very steep side road. I now use 4A when it is wet out. I like them a lot so far, at 1200 miles. Any test drive on brand new rubber won’t reveal much, they need about 300 miles before the mold release stuff (silicone) is worn from the tread. This is even mentioned in the manual.

And make sure the dealer didn’t screw up the pressure. Mine were at 50 psi, I stopped immediately and dropped them to the recommended 39 psi front and rear. With an empty bed, the rears should be even lower. Does anyone have a pressure recommendation for “no load”?

Thanks.

John Davies
Spokane WA

 

[Bonus Oz]

KO3 handle great for a semi off road tire.
they will only let go when physics intervene .
very popular tire in oz as there good off road , look an aggressive tire and will ride like a daily tire on road .
drove thousands of kilometres in heavy rain living in the wet tropics and not once did I feel worried even at high speed.
There also made by Michelin as they own Bf Goodrich and can attest to lifespan I’ve done nearly 30k kilometres and there 25% worn.

 

[Hammr_head]

This was also my main concern. After a few emails to Mickey Thompson’s tech department, they recommended their Baja Boss AT for my application. I’ve enjoyed Mickey Thompson’s on my Tacoma TRD Pro in the past

I told them my primary concern was my RR is a daily driver so on road and specifically wet traction was biggest priority (I live in Florida and we are entering our wet season). Next, was traction in mud/sand as my off-roading consists of mainly driving on the beaches and then forest trails on the weekends. I told them I have no concerns about snow performance or rock crawling but they still recommended the Baja Boss AT over the Baja Legend EXP.

I also asked them about what psi they recommended. Their response was *if the new tire is same size as stock and a LT like the stock, then to follow the manufacturer’s recommended psi that is listed on the door safety card*. I clarified that the Mickey Thompson’s would be an E load vs the C load of the stock BFGs and they still recommended to start at the stock psi. Mickey Thompsons tech department was very knowledgeable and quick to respond. Happy with their customer service.

Baja Boss AT LT 285/70/17 ordered and going on the stock wheels. Will update after a few hundred miles

 

[scout]

I was at about 2,000 miles, on a road trip, and drove through heavy rains and quite a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains on I-80. As far as I experienced the truck and tires preformed great! I was in Normal drive mode & 4A mostly but 4H for some parts. There were times when no one else was in sight and I could kinda test the traction, I felt very confident the whole way. The heavy rains earlier in the trip never gave me any concerns either.... though I had read some reviews and was a little bit wary about wet traction... my experience was great in the wet & snow.

The snowy mountain pass was probably my favorite part of the trip.

 

[telenerd]

I was at about 2,000 miles, on a road trip, and drove through heavy rains and quite a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains on I-80. As far as I experienced the truck and tires preformed great! I was in Normal drive mode & 4A mostly but 4H for some parts. There were times when no one else was in sight and I could kinda test the traction, I felt very confident the whole way. The heavy rains earlier in the trip never gave me any concerns either.... though I had read some reviews and was a little bit wary about wet traction... my experience was great in the wet & snow.

The snowy mountain pass was probably my favorite part of the trip.

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.

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