I have been running the KO2 on my truck and the Toyo AT3 on my landcruiser for several years. I traded in my truck for the new landcruiser and I put on new AT3 and I still have my old landcruiser with AT3 on still. I prefer them over the KO2 but I haven't tried the new KO3. They are both fairly close and equivalent on all parameters. I think the AT3 are better in the snow and slight edge in the rain. I run a lot in the snow so went with those.
Not sure about the LC, but they are good tires.
Ko3's are really good a alot of things. Balancing is not one of them. The majority of tire guys will tell you what a beast they are to balance. Some tires I have been told are nearly impossible to get right. This is a very common tale with the Ko3's/Ko2's. The gentleman I was working with at Westcott design said he wouldnt ever consider putting them on his vehicle. I ran them on 3 raptors (C load) without problem, but I know they are tempremental to balance.
I have not experienced this on my 265/70R18 124S KO3s running at 45psi. The ride has been smooth and predictable around town (20mph-35mph) all the way up to interstate highway speeds (85mph). Obviously, uneven and broken pavement results in a bit of a harsh ride at this tire pressure, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. I used to run them at 38psi-40psi and the ride was a bit better across uneven and broken pavement, but only marginally so. I reviewed BFGs load and inflation charts and it recommended between 45psi-46psi so that’s what I’ve been running without trouble.
This is almost exactly the same experience I had with 275/70/18 KO3’s that I added to my LC. Discount Tire thought they may be not balanced or even out of round… but were not confident they could fix it completely.
The stock suspension on the LC has none of these issues. I’ve driven up and down I70 through Colorado and it is rock solid and stable on our broken pavement at 70+ MPH.
Sounds like a crappy Discount tire honestly. Mine had zero issue balancing my KO3’s and they’ve all been great, even after doing a recent 5 tire rotation.
Thanks. I’ll do that when I get home. I was wondering if 46PSI was too high.
Feeling the vibrations at speed did not inspire confidence in the LC, tires, and my decision. I’ll air down to 35psi and see how that feels. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I can see why you went back. I’ll try 35PSI and then take them back to Discount. If all else fails, then I might have to do something similar to you and go back to an SL trail tire. The KO3’s look awesome, especially in the 275/70 size. I won’t give up just yet, though.
That could be it. What pressure are your tires at?
That’s been my experience in Florida as well, although the main roads are quite smooth overall.
