KO3's!!!

[J44]

I am curious that how much more and less ground contact we can get from the E-rated tire at different psi? Even pressure at low 30s the tire seems to work . Should I even bother to lowering down the pressure when driving in snow or sand?

I’m running at 45-46 psi, in snow everyday, no issues. 4-5 inches of snow on roads.

 

[Lutie D.]

I’m running at 45-46 psi, in snow everyday, no issues. 4-5 inches of snow on roads.

I put K03's on 9/30, have put over 3k miles on them. Went from Santa Fe to Montrose via 285 to 114 and the switchbacks to Gunnison and then to Montrose when all the bad weather came through in November, we got 16" at our house outside of SF. I ran the tires at 36 psi on that trip with zero issues and it went like a goat through all those snow/ice switchbacks. I saw at least 6 wrecks from Antonito, CO to Gunnison, some people are really poor drivers and visibility was pretty crappy in some stretches. The fenders/wheel wells are bad about accumulating ice/snow, as well as the running boards, had to stop in Gunnison and break the ice out because the tires were rubbing against the ice. I currently have them at 39 lbs in SF and will likely go to 42 in warmer weather. I like they way they drive and corner, overall traction has been excellent.

 

[Buckfever]

I couldn’t find anybody did a chalk test with KO3 on LC. Would be very cool to find out what is their conclusion

I did at 42psi and it looked good but with those firm sidewalls not sure this test tells us that much.

 

[Buckfever]

So I aired them down to around 39 psi reset the mpg and basically watched the gas mileage continue to drift down after a few days to about 18.1 and falling so that strikes me as way too much rolling resistance. Also I don’t know if I just got used to them being firmer but 39 felt too soft.

Aired them up back to around 43 psi reset and now I’m watching the mpg yesterday over mixed driving come up over 20 mpg’s. We’ll see what happens over the next few days.

 

[Marinna]

I think you need to ask yourself why do you need KO3 first? It is for the look? is it for off-roading? Is it for grabbing the ground better? or is it for other reason?

If you care gas mileage more than any other thing than for the least KO3 is not the right tire for you. I would even consider Outback as the car to go as it can get 35-37 mpg and still retain a good snow/offroad performance

 

[Buckfever]

I think you need to ask yourself why do you need KO3 first? It is for the look? is it for off-roading? Is it for grabbing the ground better? or is it for other reason?

If you care gas mileage more than any other thing than for the least KO3 is not the right tire for you. I would even consider Outback as the car to go as it can get 35-37 mpg and still retain a goodI snow/offroad performance

You make some good points. I do a very small amount of off roading basically just a mile road to a nature preserve access that just has grape fruit sized gravel for an access road that is tightly tree lined and a seasonal shallow river crossing. And I need exceptional snow performance as every year there are multiple cars daily in the ditches on the backroads that I frequent. I absolutely love the Landcruiser, I will never sell it so it's not the vehicle.

Would the Toyo A/T III have been a better fit for me? Maybe, but I just have complete confidence in the KO3's build quality.

I probably am coming off as if I dislike the KO3's which is not true, I'm just trying to be transparent about my experience with them.

Some of it is with BFG because previously with the KO2's they provided a lot of guidance regarding PSI ranges, I remember they even had a chart about. Where as today they seem reticent do so.

I'm just sorting it out and sharing my experience and maybe I'm overly picky but I'm figuring I'll have it down to the LB in terms the PSI of where I want it.

Another thing too which is completely anecdotal, it does seem to me that the LC had to break in a little bit from new. Seems like everything is working just a little better now between the frame and suspension.

 

[Buckfever]

MPGs down to 17.7. I think PSI is at ~ 43, but hard to know as we're not going to see ambient temps near 68 anytime soon. But where ever it is I'm liking it pretty well a good combination of firmness and compliance. The handling really blows me away. It's not comparable to the Macan GTS, but it's shockingly good for a truck. And compared to the V8 4Runner that I drove for 255K it's amazing.

I had occasion to test the tires on ice and with the ABS kicking in there was very little sliding, never felt like I was out of control.

In terms of the feel and performance this combo is absolutely perfect.

The only thing is the MPGs. Will I try a standard load tire down the road? I'm not sure, because I do not want to give up this feel and performance.

 

[kmershly]

I couldn’t find anybody did a chalk test with KO3 on LC. Would be very cool to find out what is their conclusion

I attempted the chalk test at three different pressures and it never changed, the chalk wore off evenly.

It is entirely possible that I did something wrong, because I would have expected it to change at least a little.

 

[Buckfever]

I attempted the chalk test at three different pressures and it never changed, the chalk wore off evenly.

It is entirely possible that I did something wrong, because I would have expected it to change at least a little.

I think the sidewall is too robust to show the changes.

 

[lcq]

I’m amazed at how many are running high psi on these. I run 33-34 psi year round adjusting for temperatures seasonally.

Anything over 38 seems too harsh of ride for me but whatever floats your boat.

Dirt roads I like them around 17-18 psi, as long as I’m keeping speeds less than ~25mph.

I’m not a tire engineer but I doubt the sidewalls are heating up at anything over 30 psi. Need to test this though.

It’s hard for my brain to picture a tougher sidewall flexing more than the SL load stock tire and consequently heating up more.

Will take my IR gun next time on road trip and try to see if I can get it to show the sidewalls registering some heating.

I’ve been of the belief to run the tire at/close to the door jam psi and do the chalk test if size/load is much different. Maybe I’ve been doing this wrong for a couple decades on my FJC.

I’m on 275/70/18 load E KO3s. Really wish a slightly lighter and less stiff load C were available but I’m pleasantly surprised that the 250 handles the load E pretty darn well.

 

[lcq]

I forgot to add that I’ve replaced one of the KO3s from a likely rock gouge in the mountains nearby. It had been there since late July and was likely a flesh wound (3-4mm) deep. But the location on the sidewall and fact that it will be a future weak spot for the next rock made me wonder why I should even take the chance. Didn’t realize Discount tire will replace them prorated (don’t have to buy tire certificates) so the new tire installed was <$100.

Sharp shale on this trip was the culprit I believe. Unlucky, but never failed me.

 

[kmershly]

I’m amazed at how many are running high psi on these. I run 33-34 psi year round adjusting for temperatures seasonally.

Anything over 38 seems too harsh of ride for me but whatever floats your boat.

Dirt roads I like them around 17-18 psi, as long as I’m keeping speeds less than ~25mph.

I’m not a tire engineer but I doubt the sidewalls are heating up at anything over 30 psi. Need to test this though.

It’s hard for my brain to picture a tougher sidewall flexing more than the SL load stock tire and consequently heating up more.

Will take my IR gun next time on road trip and try to see if I can get it to show the sidewalls registering some heating.

I’ve been of the belief to run the tire at/close to the door jam psi and do the chalk test if size/load is much different. Maybe I’ve been doing this wrong for a couple decades on my FJC.

I’m on 275/70/18 load E KO3s. Really wish a slightly lighter and less stiff load C were available but I’m pleasantly surprised that the 250 handles the load E pretty darn well.

I would have no problem running them at stock 33 psi, but I found that the ride improved at 40 psi.

There is a ton of confusion regarding the proper inflation pressure and it gets even murkier when you are running tires not tested on the vehicle such as K03s for the LC.

As such I reached out to BFG directly and asked what they felt that I should be running my 2024 LC on 265/70r18 K03s, at first the rep came back and said that the vehicle had not been tested and as such they could not provide an answer.

I did some hunting and found the name of a few engineers at BFG and emailed them directly hoping that one of them would write back to me, eventually one of the engineers did get back to me and he said that 48 psi would be ideal for my LC on 265/70r18s, but he added that the door jam psi would also be fine from a tire safety perspective.

I asked if a lower psi would result in any loss of tire life and he said maybe marginally, but probably not anything noticeable.

I asked about my experiences with chalk test and it not showing any differences between the 3 psi (33/40/45) settings I tried and he said he was not surprised because the tire is very strong and it would take a much lower psi to affect the geometry of tire.

So, it sounds like the tire can handle various psi settings without issue.

 

[Gt4]

I have BF Goodrich Trail Terrain 265/70/18 right now on my OEM wheels. I really like them in the snow and city/highway. I just bought TRD wheels and would like to put 285/70/18 but not available in Trail Terrain. I was considering Ko3 but wondering if the stiffer sidewalls will make them uncomfortable vs the Trail Terrain and how they perform in the snow. Anybody have exoerience with both?

I had Ko2 on my 2015 4Runner Limited and ride was stiff/harsh but 4Runner Limited vs Land Cruiser 250 are different animal. LC ride so smooth IMO compare to previous 4Runner Limited.

 

[Buckfever]

I have BF Goodrich Trail Terrain 265/70/18 right now on my OEM wheels. I really like them in the snow and city/highway. I just bought TRD wheels and would like to put 285/70/18 but not available in Trail Terrain. I was considering Ko3 but wondering if the stiffer sidewalls will make them uncomfortable vs the Trail Terrain and how they perform in the snow. Anybody have exoerience with both?

I had Ko2 on my 2015 4Runner Limited and ride was stiff/harsh but 4Runner Limited vs Land Cruiser 250 are different animal. LC ride so smooth IMO compare to previous 4Runner Limited.

Maybe this would be helpful:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=337

 

[Area 51]

I forgot to add that I’ve replaced one of the KO3s from a likely rock gouge in the mountains nearby. It had been there since late July and was likely a flesh wound (3-4mm) deep. But the location on the sidewall and fact that it will be a future weak spot for the next rock made me wonder why I should even take the chance. Didn’t realize Discount tire will replace them prorated (don’t have to buy tire certificates) so the new tire installed was <$100.

View attachment 23906

Sharp shale on this trip was the culprit I believe. Unlucky, but never failed me.
View attachment 23908

Razor rock and searious shale shreds tires. Lost several sets on past adventures. This is where a high load range tire with serious side wall reinforcement really pays off, you can drive on on them. Your not gonna be able to repair the side wall while out, if you loose air well thats the dealio at that time. You want to be able to drive out and hopefully save the rim. If this is the type of wheeling,,,, you should consider a set of real beadlocks for the more tedious trips.
Good luck.

 

[LAAvila]

I debated between BF KO3s and Nitto G3s for my 1958. I don’t think you can go wrong with either. I decided on the Nitto Terra Grappler G3s because I used to have G2s on my 4R and I loved them. They’re also supposed to be a little bit more quiet. I went with 265/70R18 and don’t think will impact mileage or noise, but I will post an update in a few weeks.

 

[Buckfever]

So was running them at around 43PSI and it's been really cold here so a lot of remote starts and also driving the girl to the stores and idling while she was shopping. Saw a 16.9 mpg print but bounced back up to 17 now.

The vehicle felt very well planted at 43 PSI but i received input from another member that after 20k miles the suspension settles and higher PSI is better tolerated. I aired up to 45psi 2 days ago and it is much more tolerable than what that felt like initially, but maybe a bit too harsh/bouncy for me. I'm going to give it a few more days before I decide and see.

I absolutely love how these tires make the LC feel and perform. I feel like I have this thing is just about honed in on optimal performance and the experience of what I was looking for out of this truck.

Just the MPGs sucks with these heavy tires.

Will I think about SL for the next set? I'm not sure, because this is just too good.
And I'm sure it's part of why I'm getting such poor gas mileage, as this combination just brings the vehicle to life.

I hear people talk negatively about the engine.

The way this thing is set up right now, I am sure they would shit in their pants if I was driving.

 

[kmershly]

So was running them at around 43PSI and it's been really cold here so a lot of remote starts and also driving the girl to the stores and idling while she was shopping. Saw a 16.9 mpg print but bounced back up to 17 now.

The vehicle felt very well planted at 43 PSI but i received input from another member that after 20k miles the suspension settles and higher PSI is better tolerated. I aired up to 45psi 2 days ago and it is much more tolerable than what that felt like initially, but maybe a bit too harsh/bouncy for me. I'm going to give it a few more days before I decide and see.

I absolutely love how these tires make the LC feel and perform. I feel like I have this thing is just about honed in on optimal performance and the experience of what I was looking for out of this truck.

Just the MPGs sucks with these heavy tires.

Will I think about SL for the next set? I'm not sure, because this is just too good.
And I'm sure it's part of why I'm getting such poor gas mileage, as this combination just brings the vehicle to life.

I hear people talk negatively about the engine.

The way this thing is set up right now, I am sure they would shit in their pants if I was driving.

I have been running my KO3s at 40psi for a while now and I am averaging about 20mpg combined.

I also live at sea level, no hills, the coldest is gets is the 40s and that is only for a few days. When it is in the 40s, the mpgs do drop a little, but as it has warmed up my mpgs have improved again.

I really enjoy the ride of these tires compared to stock, especially off-road.

Speaking of off-road, I have gone off road a few times now and I have been impressed at how these tires handle the mud which can be pretty serious in my neck of the woods after a rain.

 

[Buckfever]

Ok so I ran them for 5 days at what I believe to be 44-45 psi. They definitely felt better than they did previously as the vehicle has gotten some miles on it and the suspension is more compliant as the vehicle settles in. However at this increased PSI I find it to be too harsh and bouncy and the resultant lack of compliance greatly takes away from the handling performance.

I just took it down one PSI and I was back to being able to throw it around like a maniac. We have a cobble stone round about and was ripping it around with ease. I'm real close now to where I want it, maybe right here or maybe one PSI lower but we're close. The perfect balance of compliant handling and crisp steering response.

And it looks soooo good.

 

[jpto]

Talk me out of getting a set of K03's in 265/70/R18, rationally I know I should go with a C or SL rated tire but I want to get the K03 which only comes in E rating, K03's are stupid heavy and my offroad use case is less than 5% of my driving.

I'm going from the stock 20" to 18" forged wheels, which, should save me 18 pounds a corner but probably gaining about 20 pounds a corner vs the stock tire.

E load rating also unnecessary for me, I don't tow anything heavy and ride quality will suffer. I'm considering the Bridgestone Ascent, Nokian NAT, strong winter traction is important to me, I'll likely get a set of winter tires next season but it isn't worth it for me to get a set for the remainder of the winter.