KO3's!!!

[Buckfever]

Response from Pirelli:
Thank you for your prompt response. We would like to inform you that this product is currently under production and is not yet available for sale to the general public.

We recommend that you periodically check with your authorized Pirelli dealer for updates on the availability of this product. They should be able to provide you with an accurate ETA on when it will be available on their shelves.

 

[FishLips]

I joined the KO3 club via 275/60/R20 "D" rating. Changed out the spare too and it still fits in the well like a glove.

 

[Matthew@LC250Mods]

I joined the KO3 club via 275/60/R20 "D" rating. Changed out the spare too and it still fits in the well like a glove. View attachment 67832View attachment 67833View attachment 67834View attachment 67835

Looks excellent! How're you liking them?

 

[Maximum Bob]

I joined the KO3 club via 275/60/R20 "D" rating. Changed out the spare too and it still fits in the well like a glove. View attachment 67832View attachment 67833View attachment 67834View attachment 67835

K03 D rated stock size on my 18’’ rims. Running at 40 Psi after doing a lot of math and table lookups. Seems like a perfect tire for the LC250. Ride seems about the same and mileage is fine.

 

[FishLips]

Looks excellent! How're you liking them?

I haven't had a chance to really warm them up. I had them installed and drove a short distance home (less than a mile). I'll post my findings as I give them a go. Right off the bat it's definitely a heavier tire, maybe 20lbs more than oem each? Looks-wise I really love it.

 

[RCFTE]

I haven't had a chance to really warm them up. I had them installed and drove a short distance home (less than a mile). I'll post my findings as I give them a go. Right off the bat it's definitely a heavier tire, maybe 20lbs more than oem each? Looks-wise I really love it.

Great choice. You will love them ! Great in deep snow and off road.

 

[MandatoryOutsideTime]

New here, I have gotten KO3s on my 2026 in stock size and they HOWL on the highway. I was told they are supposed to be pretty quiet and I feel like they're not quiet at all and I'm not sure maybe my expectations were too high.... I have had KO2s long ago on other trucks and they were not like these from what I remember...they only got loud if they wore badly.

I'm not sure I can keep these, I do about 4,000 miles a month...

On the upside the traction is great and they didn't really impact the fuel economy, still getting tank averages around 23 mpg.

 

[Maximum Bob]

I got the 265/70R18 D load (stock size for my LCLC) I didn’t notice any real noise difference from the stock tires. Was pretty happy about that. Dont really go blasting down the highway much but did take a 1000 mile trip immediately with the new tires. The ride also seems pretty close to stock tires. Was concerned I might feel the extra stiffness but I haven’t noticed it at all. I run them at 40psi. So far they seem like a perfect upgrade.

 

[ultane]

New here, I have gotten KO3s on my 2026 in stock size and they HOWL on the highway. I was told they are supposed to be pretty quiet and I feel like they're not quiet at all and I'm not sure maybe my expectations were too high.... I have had KO2s long ago on other trucks and they were not like these from what I remember...they only got loud if they wore badly.

I'm not sure I can keep these, I do about 4,000 miles a month...

On the upside the traction is great and they didn't really impact the fuel economy, still getting tank averages around 23 mpg.

View attachment 68080

Welcome to the asylum.

What wheels are those?

 

[FishLips]

I had the D loads installed last week but haven't drove it until yesterday with a 55-mile, mostly highway trip to get a feel for them. I couldn't gauge any noise difference because it's been raining all weekend here. They do perform well at highway speeds in the rain, especially through puddles.

This video by TFL offroad has a set of D load KO3's on thier LC.

 

[APIOQM]

New here, I have gotten KO3s on my 2026 in stock size and they HOWL on the highway. I was told they are supposed to be pretty quiet and I feel like they're not quiet at all and I'm not sure maybe my expectations were too high.... I have had KO2s long ago on other trucks and they were not like these from what I remember...they only got loud if they wore badly.

I'm not sure I can keep these, I do about 4,000 miles a month...

On the upside the traction is great and they didn't really impact the fuel economy, still getting tank averages around 23 mpg.

View attachment 68080

I want to see more pictures of your ride. Love the steelies!

 

[MandatoryOutsideTime]

Welcome to the asylum.

What wheels are those?

They are 17 inch Tacoma wheels. I like them because they are very lightweight and also aerodynamic. The tire options for the (ugly and heavy) factory 18 inch alloy wheels were slim, so I changed the wheels to open up more options in the future and help offset the weight increase of going to an E load tire.

 

[MandatoryOutsideTime]

I want to see more pictures of your ride. Love the steelies!

Before I changed to KO3s

 

[Buckfever]

Okay so now at 45K miles, 43K on the KO3 265/70R18 E rated. Down to 9/32nd, so looking like I'll easily get 65K out of these, wanting to change them out before the winter of 2027.

On Tire Rack the E series are rated at 56lbs while the D series are listed at 52lbs. I would not rule out going with these again, very happy with them except for the MPG hit.

 

[ultane]

Before I changed to KO3s

View attachment 68144

Welcome to the asylum.

 

[Buckfever]

Went for the oil change at 52500, which is ~ 51400 on the KO3s.

12/32nds on all 4 corners. I'm mostly cranking highway miles, these tires are just not wearing out.

 

[Sugarloafer80]

Believe me I wish that I could get a definitive answer. In this case this dealer had the Stock tires at 48 upon delivery and the spare at 52 which is the max pressure for that tire. They inflated the KO3's the same which dofor a hard riding E oad by UNDERINFLATING IT!es not make sense. I for sure have heard that for the e load tires should be run higher than the recommended pressures as you say, but most have been telling me 5 over. 50 would be 17 over the 33 manufacturer recommendation.

I think I'll reach out to BFG and see if I can get guidance. IMO though 47 was too harsh going over the railroad tracks, the suspension seemed overwhelmed to me. But that is a very anecdotal opinion.

Thank you for the response.

That is because they are harsh! You are compensating for a harsh riding E load by UNDERINFLATING it. See below.

The Load-Inflation Comparison
According to the official Tire and Rim Association (TRA) load inflation tables, the weight capacity scales as follows for a single tire setup: [1, 2]

Tire Type & Size	Inflation Pressure	Load Capacity Per Tire
Original: 265/60R20 SL	33 psi	~2,315 lbs
New: LT265/60R20 (E Load)	45 psi	2,175 lbs
New: LT265/60R20 (E Load)	50 psi	2,335 lbs

To safely match or exceed the original load capacity of ~2,315 lbs, you must step up to the next available tier on the LT chart, which is 50 psi (supporting up to 2,335

 

[Buckfever]

That is because they are harsh! You are compensating for a harsh riding E load by UNDERINFLATING it. See below.

The Load-Inflation Comparison
According to the official Tire and Rim Association (TRA) load inflation tables, the weight capacity scales as follows for a single tire setup: [1, 2]

Tire Type & Size	Inflation Pressure	Load Capacity Per Tire
Original: 265/60R20 SL	33 psi	~2,315 lbs
New: LT265/60R20 (E Load)	45 psi	2,175 lbs
New: LT265/60R20 (E Load)	50 psi	2,335 lbs

To safely match or exceed the original load capacity of ~2,315 lbs, you must step up to the next available tier on the LT chart, which is 50 psi (supporting up to 2,335

For the Toyota Land Cruiser LC250 running the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 265/70R18 (Load Range E, 124/121S), the technically calculated inflation pressure to match the vehicle’s original factory load capacity is 45 to 46 psi cold. [1]
Because the factory stock tires are typically Standard Load (SL) or Passenger (P-metric) tires rated for a recommended 33 psi, switching to a heavy-duty, stiffer LT-metric Load Range E tire requires higher air pressure to safely carry the exact same weight. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The pressure range you select should be tailored to how you plan to use the vehicle:

• Daily Driving / Street Use (45–46 psi): This is the official recommendation given by BFGoodrich representatives utilizing standard load-and-inflation conversion tables for this specific setup on the LC250. It ensures the sidewall handles highway speeds without generating excessive heat or degrading prematurely.
  
  
  [1, 2, 3]
• Maximum Comfort Compromise (38–42 psi): Land Cruiser owners on the Land Cruiser Forum note that 45+ psi can feel overly harsh and stiff over rough surfaces or railroad tracks. Dropping into the around-town sweet spot of 38 to 42 psi plants the vehicle well and smooths out the ride, though BFG engineers caution against sustained high-speed highway driving at the lower end of that range. [1, 2]
• Towing or Heavy Overlanding (50–55 psi): If you fully pack the vehicle with heavy gear, tongue weight, or roof racks, scaling up toward 50 psi keeps the rear stable under load. [1, 2, 3]

Note: Never drop the cold inflation pressure to the factory door placard rating of 33 psi for these Load Range E tires. At 33 psi, a 124S E-rated tire lacks the necessary air volume to safely support the vehicle's weight at speed. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The above from Gemini.

I think you're right, for the Landcruiser 250 especially considering the powertrain here in the US the D rated would make more sense than the E series on the KO3s though those were not available at the time.

 

[jpto]

That is because they are harsh! You are compensating for a harsh riding E load by UNDERINFLATING it. See below.

The Load-Inflation Comparison
According to the official Tire and Rim Association (TRA) load inflation tables, the weight capacity scales as follows for a single tire setup: [1, 2]

Tire Type & Size	Inflation Pressure	Load Capacity Per Tire
Original: 265/60R20 SL	33 psi	~2,315 lbs
New: LT265/60R20 (E Load)	45 psi	2,175 lbs
New: LT265/60R20 (E Load)	50 psi	2,335 lbs

To safely match or exceed the original load capacity of ~2,315 lbs, you must step up to the next available tier on the LT chart, which is 50 psi (supporting up to 2,335

This is useful information, to simplify it even further look at your door sticker for your GAWR by axle. Take the axle with the higher value. In my case (CA version) it's 1860KG/4092lbs for RR, divide that by 2 to get your load required by tire = 2046 lbs per tire, this value is different that your 2315 lbs calc because you need to derate the load capacity of a regular passenger tire when used on a SUV/light pickup/Van by 10% so 2315 = 2084 pounds.

Take this value and use the inflation tables for the first value that exceeds your load rating per tire, for LT265/60R20 (single) the value be 45 PSI. If you have time do a chalk test to fine tune the PSI.

For those running LT265/70R18 the tables suggest 40 PSI

 

[MSINAL]

You can see the TR&A load inflation tables here, starting at page 13. I think many will be negatively surprised at how low the load rating is for an LT tire under 40psi. The passenger tables are followed by the LT tables.

https://www.toyotires.com/media/pxcjubjs/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20200723.pdf