FJ Cruisers of Northern California

Mud Tires

Can anybody suggest a good brand of Mud Tires? I am currently looking at Toyo Tires' Open Country A/T.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Hope on March 1, 2018 at 7:24pm

I like BFG KM2's, they are quite and predictable on the road ( no wandering ) and sure-footed off-road. They are US made and have good longevity.

I bought some Toyo's one time for my S-10 Blazer but was annoyed at the 25,000 life!!

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Permalink Reply by Zaku65 on March 2, 2018 at 8:25am

If you're not in a hurry there are rumors that the BFG KM3 will be out sometime this year.

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Permalink Reply by UlySi on April 28, 2018 at 9:01pm

Km3 are out. For all terrains go duratracs. I highly disliked the toyo at2.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hope on May 10, 2018 at 5:59pm

Uly, do you have any experience with KM3's yet? Thanks. I have 15k on my KM2's and like them, not sure how different KM3's are. I know its a different compound and different sidewall style, but is the compound softer or harder? Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Zaku65 on May 22, 2018 at 9:31am

Unless he's been lucky enough to be one of the few testing them I don't think the KM3's are out until June/July in Australia and U.S.

Not a whole lot about the compound has been released yet at least from what I've searched on Google.

I am currently debating on getting some new shoes for my FJ but have been going back and forth between the KO2 and the KM2/3. Do you have any experience with the normal KO/2's? Can you comment on the road noise and durability? I've had my stock KO's for 60K miles and they still have probably another 4-5K miles of life in them.

I live in the bay area and like to go wheeling 4-5 times a year but my FJ spends most of its time on the freeway getting to wherever I am wheeling at. My Fj is also a weekend car so not a lot of commuting is done on it.

Any recommendations on whether to go Mud or All Terain? Thanks in advance!

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Permalink Reply by Maximus (Max) on May 25, 2018 at 9:37am

Personally, I think my KO2 are garbage. On wet roads they slide around turns that I had perfect grip on when I had worn re-treads with 73k miles. They slide in the snow and mud I've been on. They are wearing very well as a DD tire and seem pretty tough but run very small. My 285-70-17 run a hair over a 32 and I regret getting this size and not going larger. They are crazy expensive (ran me about 1500 for 5 at americas) and just do not seem worth the money for me. I know it is a love hate with these as many people find they are the best tire they have ever used. But for me, personally, when I can afford to change them out I will in an instant.

Road noise is marginal, I was used to a loud MT before so these seem quiet in comparison. I've tossed them on rocks, snow, ice, mud, dirt, gravel, malls, parking lots, highways you name it and they are overall decent. But I would never purchase another set.

If you are using the FJ as a weekend warrior and aren't worried about the mileage put on them, I would recommend going for a MT as they will prove better in traction when off road and their on road mannerisms will be perfectly acceptable for the amount of time you are on the highway. Remember BFG like to run very small so on your sizes so look into a 295-70-17 or even a 34x10.5x17 depending on your application.

Again, just my personal beliefs and I have been known to be wrong about things.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hope on May 28, 2018 at 6:45pm

///Do you have any experience with the normal KO/2's///

I had 50k miles experience on KO's

The KO came standard on my 2012 TTSE FJ.

They do not allow snow or mud to easily escape the tread. The block pattern really does block the mud and snow. Compare pics with KM2 and new KM3, they allow snow/mud to escape the tread to the outside.

KO have decent tread wear but not great off-road. They do not have high sidewall grip like KM2/3.

They can be run up to 50lbs on road and that is beneficial for mileage. KM2's can be be run higher, but I use 50psi as my road pressure.

I have been happy with my KM2's and would buy again. I would not go back to KO's.

If you never go offroad, ko's might be ok because they get good mileage and are quite on the highway, but so are KM2's.

When you venture off the blacktop, you will find a night and day difference between the two. Air down to 16lbs and KM2's show a much better grip than KO's. Sidewall grip and tread grip are fantastic in the KM2's and I have used both on the same trails so I have comparisons.

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Permalink Reply by Zaku65 on May 30, 2018 at 11:12am

Great info everyone, thanks for the feedback...looks like I'll be waiting for the KM3's :)

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hope on June 3, 2018 at 3:05pm

Me too. I might replace my KM2's with 3's. Looking forward to reviews, but they sound good so far. Petersens 4WDand offload did a favorable report recently.

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Permalink Reply by Zaku65 on July 8, 2018 at 2:26pm

I picked up the KM3's this past weekend. I will say brand new, they are as quiet as my worn KO's (I had about 4-5/32 left on them) on pavement. We'll see what happens after 20K miles. They don't have the stability of the KO's when cornering hard. I will be testing them up in the mountains this coming week.

I will say that I went from 265's to 285's so I'm not sure what I'm experiencing is coming from the tire or the difference in size.