help me out: KO2 vs duratrac vs ?? in 255/75/17

Frenchy

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Yeah, been looking. But they are less tall (less clearance) and fatter (more weight) than the 255.

I think the perfect tire isnā€™t out there

As at least one thread mentioned, the duratrac w a kevlar sidewall might be our holy grail. But doesnā€™t exist.
I myself am running 265/70-17 Bridgestone Dueler Revo 3's and i can say i am impressed for what they are. They claim a size of 31.7(probably normal) and for off road they do well and for on road they have good manners. I installed them right after I put my lift on and in total I lost about 0.5 MPG overall. If you ask me that really isnt anything to sweat. For clearance I haven't had any real problems either. I want to say I hit the transfercase skid plate a few times on 1 trail near by but other than that it isnt an issue. By the way the lift I chose is Old Man EMU and I feel it gives the righr amount of lift for our trucks to keep them PRACTICAL and still have good off road capabilities.

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I went 255/75/17 (32x10) Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs and love them. I was impressed how quiet they are on the road and have been amazing off road on wet rocks and in the mud. With stock tires I was using my Locker quite a bit as the stock Hankooks would pack up with mud. With the Duratracs I haven't used the locker once yet. No rubbing at all (aftermarket wheels) and very little difference in fuel consumption over stock.
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Vandave

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I went 255/75/17 (32x10) Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs and love them. I was impressed how quiet they are on the road and have been amazing off road on wet rocks and in the mud. With stock tires I was using my Locker quite a bit as the stock Hankooks would pack up with mud. With the Duratracs I haven't used the locker once yet. No rubbing at all (aftermarket wheels) and very little difference in fuel consumption over stock.
Obviously they aren't LT. I'm debating getting these exact tires, but I'm not sure how much of a difference the lack of LT will make. I'm not planning on anything crazy off-road. I use my truck to get places, not as a 4x4 hobbyist.
 

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Obviously they aren't LT. I'm debating getting these exact tires, but I'm not sure how much of a difference the lack of LT will make. I'm not planning on anything crazy off-road. I use my truck to get places, not as a 4x4 hobbyist.
Yes they arent LT rated. They are rated at 2721 lbs per tire and have a speed rating of 112 MPH. Not sure how critical you think LT rating is on a 4500-5000 lb truck. I off road my truck on some rocky muddy trails and have noticed a substantial improvement with the Pizza Cutter Duratracs. Watch many Aussie off road vids and they love the narrower tires.
 


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I've read good reviews on the Cooper Discoverery AT3 4S. Had anyone here tried them? The P255/75 R17 is only 39# so I think the MPG penalty would be negligible.
 
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charwest

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I've read good reviews on the Cooper Discoverery AT3 4S. Had anyone here tried them? The P255/75 R17 is only 39# so I think the MPG penalty would be negligible.
interesting option. but i cant help but think its like buying a set of hancook stocks.

the at3 4s above is 39 lbs for the 255/75/17, and from a glance the tread looks uniform, flat, and on the flat side for an all terrain tire.

the hancook ATM in 255/75/17 is 38 lbs and has a visually very similar tread. so this would suggest there is roughly a similar amount of sidewall. or certainly not a huge difference anyways. so if similar tread and similar sidewall, unless the compound is fantastically different or there is a kevlar ply, it would seem i might expect similar performance.

(note, duratrac in this size is 40 lbs)

honestly, im not unhappy with the hancooks. we havent gotten stuck, or punctured a tire, or spun wheels in a problematic way, but nonetheless would like a slightly more aggressive tread if not expected to have to make major sacrifices in mileage, noise, etc.

from this thread (which is VERY helpful so far, and i appreciate it), i am leaning back towards the duratracs, but with the reluctant approach that it isnt going to be perfect. but it seems like the best option out there for me so far.
 

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One of the most important things to consider also. Is the load index.... if you choose a tire with a lower index that lowers your max payload, tow capacity ect.

Thinner sidewalls thicker sidewalls... doesn't matter as long as the tire has the same load index. All manufacturers use different liners in their products.

The load index is after the size before the speed rating. Ive done by time in our tire shop at my warehouse. Example 275/65R18 (110)S (load index) there is a table that coverts to weight in lbs. It can be considered an unsafe fitment if you go under the manufacturers tire spec... that includes going from 265 to 255 in width...

Thats from the TIA doesn't mean you can't do it... if it was me. I definitely would keep the load index the same or higher at least. I do want to go to a 32" on my Ranger. Ill do that in time.. the Ford performance tune is next @5k miles. Get her all good and broken in.
 
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charwest

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Clicking around: another interesting option would be cooper discoverer st maxx 235/80/17. The dimensions per tiresize.com put it at 32ā€ and 9ā€ wide, 51 lbs each. So this would fit a stock truck, but be even heavier than the ko2. Just thought Iā€™d put it out there for future readers of the thread because tires that hit 32ā€ and still fit stock truck are relatively few out there.
 

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Ok... Here is my 2 cents worth. And, it is only worth that much. Haha. I have the BFG KO2s on my rig. Yes, they are bigger. 275/65/R18. I love the ride!! I have also have been watching my gas mileage with these heavier tires. I am right at the estimated mpg of the Ranger that I bought. 20 city and 24 highway. I have zero complaints with these on my vehicle.
 

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Something to remember. Even if a tire is classified as a 32, 33 or 34 for that matter it is most likely going to be a little bit smaller. Nothing to be too concerned about since this is normal. I understand you want better clearance for offroad which makes perfect sense. You also dont want to impact fuel mileage as much as possible. The best advice I can give you is find a tire you like and go for it. Going to a 265/70-17 wont impact your fuel mileage enough to hurt your wallet. I am pretty sure that the lift on my truck did more damage than the tires and that wasnt much at all. I lost 0.5 average going to and from work. For that I think it is ok. If you want to get the fuel mileage back then you have the option of going with a reputable tuner like Livernois or Ford Performance. Keep a normal foot like you always have and you should gain a rough 2 MPG with such. It makes a difference and feel that is the best advice for you. Also I would not suggest going lower than a 255 on tire width. Ford made that the minimum stock size for a reason.
 

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Duratrac's... good choice. BFG KO's are rock throwin' sons a bitches. I had 2 sets on my '02 Tacoma. The place I worked at back then had road base (gravel) in their parking lot. Driving home from work the sound of rocks bouncing off the fender wells and body were... well... a bit disheartening.
 

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Clicking around: another interesting option would be cooper discoverer st maxx 235/80/17. The dimensions per tiresize.com put it at 32ā€ and 9ā€ wide, 51 lbs each. So this would fit a stock truck, but be even heavier than the ko2. Just thought Iā€™d put it out there for future readers of the thread because tires that hit 32ā€ and still fit stock truck are relatively few out there.
I run the ST MAXX in 235/85 16, pretty much the same size overall, just smaller rim. They are fantastic, probably my favorite AT tire I've ever run. super durable (I've squished the sidewalls against plenty of sharp rocks), reasonably quiet, incredible traction in the dirt/rocks/mud and quite good in snow and ice as well (duratracs might be 'slightly' better in snow/ice). Also, I can still get around 25mpg on the highway, with a softtopper, roof rack, 2" level, and nearly 1000 lbs of gear in the back. I've Been averaging around 19 around town.

Everyone on this forum loves to talk about the extra tire weight killing mpg, but I seriously doubt you will notice a difference. There are sooooo many other factors that contribute to mpg, I really wouldn't worry about it. And, imo, the 1/2 mpg you might lose in stop and go traffic, is worth it for something you can feel confident isn't going to get a sidewall puncture in the middle of nowhere.

Also, ST MAXX comes in a 255/75.

Duratracs are also a great option, but yes the sidewall is 2 ply instead of 3. They're still going to be a bit more durable than your stock Hancooks though.

Also, on the Ko2, I've never run them personally, but I've had a few friends complain about the steering response/road following characteristics. One even hated it enough he switched them out maybe a month later (on a 2018 4runner). I've experienced that on a set of BFG traction T/A I had a couple years ago on my F250, to the point where driving the truck on the highway was actually scary... I've been really hesitant to run BFG tires since, though there are still lots of people that love them.
 
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charwest

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Got the Duratrac 255/75/17 today. Weā€˜ll see how it goes.
im following in your footsteps..

we may wait a bit after all. just made it through the roughest offroad of the season on stock tires, and now have 8k miles to go on highway in the next couple months. i may leave the hancooks on to take that hit and then upgrade.
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