New Boots

"lonestranger" (lonestranger)
10/22/2014 at 12:06 • Filed to: rubber fetish

Thanks, Oppo, for helping me with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of whether or not to mount my new tires with the white lettering showing. 75% of you said yes to the lettering. Even the tire guy joked that he'd have mounted them out anyway. They're the new All-Terrain T/A KO2 that was just released last month. They do look pretty aggressive for a 2WD half-ton, so I may as well go full-on with the tire bling.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

To pre-empt the inevitable question of why 10-ply A/Ts on a 2WD, they're a great tire to run year-round in Canada. They're winter rated, yet more suitable for summer driving than a dedicated winter tire. Passenger-rated tires are simply too prone to punctures on gravel roads in Western Canada.

Good rubber is more important than a good camera, hence the potato shots. I guess I should also show the obligatory pic of the Oppo sticker.

DISCUSSION (20)

HammerheadFistpunch > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 12:21

This could be the lowest riding vehicle with KO2s right now. They sure look like a nice tire, size? load rating? cost?

nermal > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 12:33

Goodness those look agressive, especially the sidewalls compared to the old ones.

What are your initial thoughts on the tires as far as ride / traction / etc?

Nibbles > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 12:35

Holy shitballs that is too much tire for a street truck :)

I want them for my Dak tho. Too bad I bought TAKOs just last year :(

lonestranger > HammerheadFistpunch
10/22/2014 at 12:40

LT265/75R16, load range E (10 ply), $1080 mounted & balanced, plus tax. The factory fitment was shitty General AmeriTrac all-seasons in P255/70R16, and the T/A KOs that I just replaced were LT255/70R16, load range D (8 ply).

The only KOs left available in 255/70 are 6-ply, and KO2s aren't available in 255/70. I was originally to get 245/75, which was close enough to the same size, but someone's wires got crossed somewhere and 265/75s were ordered instead. It suits me fine, and they were already mounted before the salesman and I noticed the mix-up, so whatever. I imagine their cost is a bit higher, but he gave me the 245/75's price.

HammerheadFistpunch > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 12:43

I was going to say, thats a good price for that size.

Plus - better highway mileage , more excellent looks

Cons - less power, inaccurate speedo

why e rated, if you don't mind me asking? I mean, I would have done the same thing, just wondering if it was a conscious decision or if it was just what was available.

lonestranger > HammerheadFistpunch
10/22/2014 at 12:53

Kinja'd!!!

I edited the post since I realized people would wonder that. I'm in Western Canada, where gravel roads aren't uncommon, and the rocks are sharp and plentiful. On P-rated tires, I'd get flats once every one or two years. On the last set, I maybe went 70,000km before getting a flat, and that was a screw through a bald tire . Even though I don't need the hauling capacity, the 6-ply might've been on the weaker side.

HammerheadFistpunch > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 12:55

I got the E rated Duratracs because I though the extra load might come in handy, and I had heard that the D rated tires had weak sidwalls.

lonestranger > Nibbles
10/22/2014 at 12:55

Out here, there's no such thing as too much tire ;)

lonestranger > nermal
10/22/2014 at 13:09

Yeam, I was initially thinking the sidewalls were too aggressive-looking for my truck. They're LT265/65R16 load range E, and they ride similarly to the LT255/70R16 load range D T/A KOs that they replaced. The higher sidewall offsets the stiffer construction in that regard.

I haven't had a chance to 'wheel them or anything yet, but my first impression is that their around-town traction is comparable to the T/A KOs when they were new. Yesterday morning, I was on three bald T/A KOs and one General all-season P-rated tire, so the difference is night-and-day.

Nibbles > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 13:26

Still a lot of knobs

blackchair > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 18:14

How did I miss that last winter's post? What a great read!! Nice looking tires.

lonestranger > blackchair
10/22/2014 at 18:19

Haha, thanks! Glad you liked it. It was shared to the FP and was much more popular than I had expected.

lonestranger > blackchair
10/22/2014 at 18:23

P.S. Just today, I put the spare tire back in the under-bed cable hoist thingy. I've been without a spare tire for the last 8+ months.

blackchair > lonestranger
10/22/2014 at 18:36

I bet it was in 3 easy steps!

lonestranger > nermal
12/08/2014 at 17:13

Update: the grip is fantastic in slush, icy slop, powder and packed snow. Dry and wet grip is good too, of course, but that was expected. The way they've handles winter thus far has exceeded my expectations.

lonestranger > HammerheadFistpunch
10/14/2015 at 19:29

I know it’s nearly a year later, but I thought about you today when I saw this Sprinter:

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > lonestranger
10/14/2015 at 19:32

are those Ko2?

lonestranger > HammerheadFistpunch
10/15/2015 at 00:01

Yep!

HammerheadFistpunch > lonestranger
10/15/2015 at 00:03

maybe they were the highest load rating for that size or something. Strange.

lonestranger > HammerheadFistpunch
10/15/2015 at 01:58

Probably for the same reason I run them on my 2WD: year-round snow tires. I used to see plenty of Chevy Astro work vans on KOs, but work Astros have been retired now for Caravan C/Vs, Sprinters, Transits, ProMasters, and such.