BFG KO2 v Blizzak DM-V2 for 2018 SR DCSB

Hoping to get some input from any tire gurus that may be on here. I am running 265/65/R17 on my 2018 SR and wanted to get advise comparing the KOs's vs the Blizzaks for daily winter driving in the northeast.

My truck came with 17" wheels with larger brake calipers (maybe because it had a tow package?) so most 16" wheels will not fit.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Sorry if this topic has already been covered in a previous thread but I didnt see it specifically.

Thank you.

 

Where specifically in the Northeast? I grew up in Philly and it doesn’t stay cold enough there to justify winter tires. You really want it to be below 40F consistently while you’ve got the tires on so that they don’t wear prematurely.

That said, Jan / Feb can stay that cold there, just not likely and not enough to justify the extra tires + rims.

If you’re farther north in New England or upstate NY or something with more winter, then yeah Blizzaks will be better than KO2s.

 

It's an apples and oranges comparison. The BFG KO's are just ok in the snow. I just got rid of mine because they were about worn out and I couldn't facke another winter with them.

 

I have driven in a decent amount of snow and some ice with the KO2's (265/75R16's) with the regular compound and NOT THE HARDER DT compound. You need to make sure you are comparing the same tire as the DT compound came out last year I think. The KO2s are down to 6/32" of tread depth (15/32" new) and they still perform quite well with careful driving when the roads are slick. They also did well enough to pull a fat Dodge truck out of some deep snow on a forest road.

Like doublethebass said, you'll get better overall performance by matching your overall temps to the correct tire. The KO2 starts to suffer when the temps drop, but have still been fine for me. When it gets really bad, I have chains I put on.

I have a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT2's mounted up and studs removed sitting in the back yard because it hasn't been cold enough consistently yet to justify putting them on.

 

KO2's i would not consider dedicated snow tires. They are OK at best. With DM-V2's on ice / snow you will feel like you're on pavement.

 

That’s the flavor of Blizzak I’ve got on now, and I’ve only had to use 4hi twice here in Minnesota, both times up super steep hills. Can’t get over the incredible grip in just RWD

 

I live in colorado and go to the mountains almost every weekend, in heavy snow usually. And I have the KO2's.
While I'll be the first person to say the KO2's are not great snow tires, they get the job done with some careful driving.
What will be the majority of your driving time, dirt/pavement or snow/ice?
KO2's are AT's that can be used in snow.
Blizzak's are snow tires that can be used on dirt/pavement.

 

KO2s are decent on snow but horrible on ice. KO2s have a very hard rubber. Great for wear, bad for winter traction. Even though they have the severe weather snowflake, they are just ok for winter tracrion. The DMV2 will provide substantially better grip on snow and ice.

If you want just one tire year round, try the Wildpeaks or Duratracs. Softer rubber and better winter traction.

 

I've run the 265/75/16 KO2s (3PMSF version) on my Gen2 in the Rocky Mountains for the last 2 ski seasons and I can't say enough about how well they handle in Winter driving conditions. For reference I drive 180 miles every weekend from Nov to Mar in snow over mountain passes, highways, and back country roads. They are a softer tire so they wear quicker and do not clear mud very well so you'll winch more if you're in those conditions, but they are quiet, have great dry traction, and look good on Tacomas. In fact, I just bought a larger set of 285/70/17s as I'm going to upgrade to Tundra disc brakes to better handle highway downhill breaking. Keep in mind, I run these year round, so my only dilemma in getting another set was their ability to handle mud during Spring offroading. MT tires, even ones with the M + S rating are prone to clogging into ice balls. As much Winter driving as I do here in Colorado I almost felt like it would be reckless of me to go with a MT tire.

I also run Blizzaks on my front wheel drive sedan. They rock. They will stop better on ice, but I think the KO2s would do better in deep snow. You won't want to run the Blizzaks year round or offroad at all. Either way you go, you'll be running a top notch Winter setup IMO.

 

Another mud-terrain advocate for snow after saying that the KO2's are horrible on ice?

 

First: Yes, I am advocating for a soft tread hybrid compound AT like Duratracs or Wildpeaks vs the very hard tread on the KO2s. Big difference. Second, I never recommended a mud terrain tire for street driving, let alone winter driving. Each tire I discussed was either a winter specific tire (DMV2) or an all-terrain. Most people don’t live in areas where a dedicated winter is necessary. A good AT usually works fine, even if they aren’t nearly as good as a dedicated winter.

I run KO2s in the summer only on my 4Runner after using them for part of one winter. They did fine through a few snow storms to ski resorts, but after one ice storm, I realized how horrible their ice traction is. I now run DMV2s in the winter on that rig. My wife had such poor ice traction during an ice storm that she was rolling backwards on road with a slight incline. I brought my 03 4Runner running General Grabber AT2s and was able to pull her up the minor hill to a safe place to park. The only reason I don’t recommend the Generals is they get noisy if you don’t rotate them a ton. Both of my Land Cruisers have wild peaks now although my 11 LC runs studded tires in the winter, as I like the additional traction, and since I am already storing 4 tires in the garage for my wife’s 4Runner, I figured I may as well stack another four for me on top. But I run wildpeaks all year with my 40, and did for two years in my 11 LC, and they perform great in ice and snow. Compared to a dedicated winter, they are obviously lacking, but they performance they provide on ice is night and day compared to the BFGs. So much so, that there really should be are better rating system that the severe weather snowflake. Getting a tire snowflake certified is a joke (research it, it only has to perform slightly better than an outdated all season tire).

On a side note, I am very impressed with how well the DMV2s perform. I do think my studded Copper Discoverer M+S tires are slightly better on ice, but the DMV2s seem more sure footed on snow, and their stopping ability on ice and snow is amazing. If I didn’t live in an area with lots of winter snow and ice, a dedicated AT would be fine. I grew up in Utah, and drove through winter passes skiing 40-80 days per season for many years, and never had an issue with Duratracs, which are pretty amazing, but they wear out quickly.

 

So do KO2's.

 

Live in Nova Scotia Canada,use taco as daily driver. Ko2’s are great in deep snow when going off pavement but really don’t perform as good as the blizzaks on cold icy roads for daily driving.

 

I live in CO and travel extensively in the high country during the winter. The Blizzaks are far superior to any AT tire traveling on roads. If I was offroad in real deep snow all the time it may be a different story. You simply can't get the same performance out of a KO2 than you can with a winter rubber compound. That being said, the tradeoff I make is that as the winters have been staying a little warmer down in the Denver area, I'm prematurely wearing my winter tires since it's not a constantly below 40 degrees. But I make that tradeoff for the performance I get when I'm in the snow and ice. My truck isn't my daily driver so it's not like I'm putting a ton of commuting miles on it.