Problems with K02s?

[Ozbronco]

I'm curious if people are having issues with this brand tire. My Badlands came with K02s in 285/70/R17. I had no problems with them. Smooth riding and fairly quiet. So, when I decided to go to 315's after about 10K miles I stayed with that brand.

While shopping around I had one off road shop here say they didn't carry them due to consistent balancing issues. A mechanic at another shop said the same thing. The tire store I eventually bought them from said there were some issues but not generally with the sizes used as OEM, like the 285 or the 315. That, and the fact that they had worked well for me, gave me some confidence so I went ahead with them.

The 315s road very well. I did a 600 mile road trip and they were very smooth. At around 1200 miles there was a 5 tire rotation done by Ford during an oil change. After that I noticed some vibration. So I went back to the shop I bought them from to have them checked and they said all 4 were out of balance. Weird.

I run my tires at 32 PSI cold. That's what I arrived at by chalking. And they were fine with that pressure till after the rotation. Any similar experiences from anyone here? TIA.

EDIT UPDATE: Still had a vibration issue after the tires were balanced this morning. Went back this afternoon and the shop did a "road force" test. 3 tires tested acceptable (in the teens) but the right front tested at 37 pounds. Pretty bad. Apparently you don't notice when it's on the rear but when it was rotated to the front it is more noticable. They have a new tire on order.

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[Wannabe Techie]

I have KO2 35" and my only issue is they don't grip well when it rains on pavement. I like the look... but I may try something different next time.

 

[BossMann]

I don't ride them, but the shop saying they had consistent balancing issues makes me say "hmmm." Not sure a company as big as BFG and all their quality control along with the established mfg process would allow these out the door. May be user error on the shop's part.

 

[OpDawg]

I've heard the tires from factory are different than tires you purchase from a tire store, even if they are the same exact brand/model/size... I believe the compound is usually different and it may be other things, too... I know FortNine did a Youtube video about motorcycle tires addressing it and I want to say it applied to car manufacturers, too? However, I'd love to know if someone else can confirm?

 

[Snacktime]

All large 4x4 tires have balancing issues. BFG has other issues...

 

[Kyleshemesh]

I've heard that K02s had a period of quality issues that resulted in balancing problems. From what I've heard though, they're no longer having those issues.

 

[BeachTiger]

I generally like BFG KO2s and hadn't previously heard of any common balancing issues. THAT SAID, I have the OEM KO2s on my Badlands and 3 of the 4 have a shocking number of wheel weights. Like 6-7 ounces of total weights on a single wheel. I counted about 25-27 quarter oz. weights on this wheel (lost track).

 

[Area51BS]

I generally like BFG KO2s and hadn't previously heard of any common balancing issues. THAT SAID, I have the OEM KO2s on my Badlands and 3 of the 4 have a shocking number of wheel weights. Like 6-7 ounces of total weights on a single wheel. I counted about 25-27 quarter oz. weights on this wheel (lost track).

Oh geeze now I have to go count.

 

[Jimmiee]

I always watch the balancing on a new set of tires. I bought a set of KO2s for my 2000 4Runner back in 04. One tire was taking a whole bunch of weight. I told the service writer hey I don't want that tire! He said why not? I said look at all those weights! He said we'll put it on the spare. I said no way it will eventually end up on the ground.
So, he went over to the tire buster and had him dismount the tire and rotate it 180 degrees. The balance then only took one 1/2 oz weight.
Always watch the balancing on a new set of rubber. You have the option to reject a bad tire.

My Bronco had 3 balanced tires and one with no weight. When I installed my bead locks the tire with no weight almost balanced out with no weight. It took a quarter oz weight.

 

[TNcoupe]

I rotated mine frequently and at 15k miles they got really loud. At 30k miles they were useless in the rain. Almost wadded mine up at 27mph after a 5min drizzling rain on the BFGs.

 

[huey]

I have had the same tires - no issues so far with 8k miles

 

[Hdscreens]

I think all KO2’s sets I’ve owned there’s been a slight off balance after some miles on a tire or two. Not too bad but it can be more noticeable in some outside cold temps.

 

[Dmk08]

I just installed the K02 "Ford Performance" C Load 315/70/17s designed for the F150 Raptor this week. Once I figured out TireRack had aired them to 48LB each and took some air out they are riding great. Feel exactly the same if not better than the stock BFGs I had on my Badlands.

I went back and forth on BFG vs Toyo but ended up with BFG because Toyo is discontinuing their C load 315/70s and I didn't want to run into an issue where I had one needing replacement. Toyo still has D load but I was worried about the harshness.

 

[broncobase1]

Balancing issues doesn't make sense. Any tire can be balanced, and its not going to somehow magically change unless the tire picks up rocks and stuff, or until significant wear. That said, balancing is super critical on big tires, its not going to take much to throw them off due to their large diameter and mass, its physics. Balancing issues is probably related to the type of tire, not the brand.

 

[Nanook]

I have 25k miles on my Raptor with no issues at all and really like the KO2 for my use.
That said the KO3 is on its way and for those looking at OEM sizes it should be here soon.

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