Best Severe Weather Tire for Lifted 2door JK?

[Ddays]

I ran BFG KO (315/75R16's) for 6 years here in PA with no issues at all, never swapped out my gears and was extremely happy with them, even on the highway.

Hey Pittsburgh guy - did you stop by and give a wave? If you did I missed it. Don't know where the rest of the Western Pa guys have been hiding lately....

 

[BessieII]

I ran KO2's on a Dakota pickup I had - they were really nice all around tires. Did well in all conditions I ran into. Quiet on the road too.
I have a RK kit and the springs ride ok. If you get one of their their kits just get one with adjustable LCA's, no need to replace all 8 arms. That actually pertains to all
of the kits you may be looking at.

Thanks! The kit that I'm looking at actually comes with adjustable upper front control arms

http://www.metalcloak.com/product-p/7127.htm

Which Rock Krawler kit are you running?

John

 

[Ddays]

Thanks! The kit that I'm looking at actually comes with adjustable upper front control arms

http://www.metalcloak.com/product-p/7127.htm

Which Rock Krawler kit are you running?

John

I have the 3.5" Mid arm X factor kit. I wouldn't recommend it because its not a plug & play kit. Some guys run it and have zero issues with it but moving the rear axle back an inch has consequences you have to deal with.
The quality of the kit is just fine. Their arms are well built and are plenty strong. Just the X-factor part you can do without. If you do their kit get the version with the stock length LCA's and keep the rest of the arms stock.

Have you looked at the EVO kits? If I had to do it all over I'd more than likely go that route. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about that kit ever. Metalcloak has a lot on both sides.

One thing I would highly recommend is to get adjustable shocks. They really help dial in the ride along with proper tire pressure. Do the chalk test - you'll probably be surprised. Most guys rune well over 30 and you simply don;t need that much, esp with the stiffer springs.

 

[mudmobeeler]

Thanks cozdude! Your 2 door is a monster, nice build! How do you think the performance will be with the 4.10 gears and 35s?

I run 35s and 4.10s and haven't had any issues with the exception of being on the highway between Durango and Silverton Colorado. It needed a diff gear ratio or a standard trans. I had to manually shift it down a gear so that it would actually pull. But when I down shifted it was screaming. Other than that I have had zero issues. I think it works great with that set up.

I know metalcloak and rock krawler also make progressive and dual rate coils. They might be good replacements for the teraflexers.

I would look into the EVO Enforcer kits. Wish I would've done that first but got the Teraflex 2.5 in coil lift for cheap. It served it's purpose so far. Just want something better.

 

[Draconianwinter]

Idk of mockery Thompson ever got their act together but I had a set of their tires on a 97 Nissan d21 hard body 4x4 I had. They were quiet and didn't beat you up but they had a bad habit of losing tread blocks. When I ran their tires. Swore I would never by a set of theirs again. That was about 14 or 15 years ago. Not even considered looking at their tires since lol

 

[BenJKWrangler15]

... That being said I live in NJ and have had to ride through several inches to feet of snow from time to time. I have a 2013 JKR 10a with 4.10 gears manual tran, the original BFG KM2s are ready to be replaced. I'm going to be installing a 2.5 inch Metalcloak lift (rocksport shocks), steering stabilizer and exhaust brackets. I'll likely be going with new wheels (mickey thompson classic IIIs). I've come across several tire options but only a few are severe weather rated. I've gone back and forth between 315/70r17 and 295/70r17 more times than I want to admit unfortunately. I know the 315s will look badass on the jeep but I really do not want it to be a dog on the highways.

If I go 315s I'm stuck between:

BFG KO2 and Goodyear Duratracs (Both severe weather rated tires)

If I go 295s I'm stuck between:

BFG KO2, Goodyear Duratracs and Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 (not severe weather rated)

A bit about me:

My jeep right now is my daily driver, when I do wheel I like to go to places like Rausch Creek in PA and Poe Valley in PA. I love going through the mud but mostly love going down jeep trails in PA which tend to be rocky narrow paths.

Well, if you decided to go the 295's route, than I'd suggest that you take a look at the General Grabber AT2 - you want a tire that isn't going to let you down no matter what situation? Well, my AT2 never disapointed me and trust me when I say they've been through the toughest road/highway winter conditions here in Northern Quebec. I personally love them and they also have the winter peak approved mountain on the side of it. Couldn't be happier. As for summer wheelin' I've bashed my way out mud holes, sand pits and rocked crawled them too - wouldn't be happier. I have them in 33x12.5R15 on my 2DR JK and my buddy bought the same set for his JKU. Handles like a charm as well.

Here, the JKU

And my JK in it's natural habitat

 

[BessieII]

Well, if you decided to go the 295's route, than I'd suggest that you take a look at the General Grabber AT2 - you want a tire that isn't going to let you down no matter what situation? Well, my AT2 never disapointed me and trust me when I say they've been through the toughest road/highway winter conditions here in Northern Quebec. I personally love them and they also have the winter peak approved mountain on the side of it. Couldn't be happier. As for summer wheelin' I've bashed my way out mud holes, sand pits and rocked crawled them too - wouldn't be happier. I have them in 33x12.5R15 on my 2DR JK and my buddy bought the same set for his JKU. Handles like a charm as well.

Here, the JKU View attachment 219036

And my JK in it's natural habitat View attachment 219037

A Canadian recommended snow tire now thats what I'm talking about! I'll definitely have to look at the grabber thank you! They look great on your Jeep!

 

[Heavyhaul07]

I've mounted and balanced a few sets of the ko 2s last winter one on a 97 f250 he use to put weight in the bed during winter with his old tires and now he doesn't with the new ko's. The other set the customer has been very happy with for snow and ice.

 

[christov11]

When taking delivery I was faced with the SAME SAME SAME dillema...

Ive heard nothing but good things about duratrac's record in winter conditions and being north of the border... its an important factor. I was todl the duratracs would be a little louder. a little more expensive but would handle better in winter conditions. the K02s have a better sidewall etc. so depending on the type of trailing you do might be a better idea, im guessing youve done your homework so its not new to you...

I went with the duratracs and have 33s.

Now that Ive run them for a couple months, I am more than satisfied. the noise, I couldnt care less and actually like hearing it lol. They perform amazingly well on the trail but then again I havent done some really intense stuff yet (nothing any other jeep wouldnt be able to do). but still had less trouble than a lot of my trail buddies. I havent compared to the K02s though.

Little peice of advice... if youre contemplating going bigger... youll be convinced when you have them on your rig. ive had mine for a couple months and Im kicking myself every day for not having gone straight to 35s. so just do it.

That being said, Duratracs are amazing. and Personally found them to look a little more gressive than the K02s which is what tipped the scale for me.

Having made my decision and gone to 33s duratrac and now wanting 35s. I'm for sure going to get 35s, the question now is if im going to keep the duratracs or sell them. im most likely going to keep them and use in winter and switch to 35s and get some stupid mud tires for summer since thats mostly the type of trails we get here. hope this helps you somewhat!

EDIT: I forgot to mention. I have the 3.73 gearing and have ZERO complaints. I know 33s are nto a HUGE step. and Im planning on keeping that with 35s but at least reinforce thigns a little (run it till it breaks then go to a D40). honestly not worried about the torque. im mostly on the highway and also since its manual, if i need to pass another car, i just downshift? nothing hard there and its rare. At first I was a little scared she would be crazy sluggish but in all honesty, dont worry about it at all. yeah youre going to see a little difference but yours not driving a racecar. its a jeep and its made for offroading.

 

[Stalter08Rubi]

I am rocking 37's with 4.10's and with the manual it's very manageable. As far as tire choice goes, Duratrac 100% hands down best tire I have ever had in snow and being up here in ND we see plenty

 

[jeeeep]

I've run The BFG KO, KO2, and Duratracs on several Jeeps. i currently have 37 KO2s on my Jeep and can say they are excellent in the winter/snow.
The Duratrac always seemed a bit stiffer but they did handle the conditions well. They were just noisier and stiffer than what I care for on a Jeep.
I also readjust my tire pressure in the colder climates to get a better footprint in the snow.
I can say the Duratracs are excellent on a much heavier truck. all the guys out in the field run them on their truck because they are stiffer and can take more abuse.