KO3's!!!

[RUN-8]

I still might buy a set of these for my 2nd set of wheels for fall hunting and winter duty.

It would be nice to see a head to head test of these against the Falken Wildpeak AT4W, and Toyo Open Country AT3.

 

[Roonie]

I still might buy a set of these for my 2nd set of wheels for fall hunting and winter duty.

It would be nice to see a head to head test of these against the Falken Wildpeak AT4W, and Toyo Open Country AT3.

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.

 

[JSFoster75]

Ok so got the KO3's in the stock size 265/70/18. Now I was not 100% that I needed an LT tire. But this tire has so many appealing characteristics in terms of it's development, for sure I needed a snowflake rated off-road tire and at least for now it was what I wanted to experience. The other aspect of it even though I figured out how to get along better with the stock tires, I did not like what I perceived to be the roll from the weak sidewall. So now I am not a tire guy so the words that I am using are likely incorrect but this is my perception.

These were installed at the dealer and once again inflated in the high 40s psi as I when I took delivery of the vehicle. It must be their thing. What I can say right off is that roll that I was experienced with the stock tires was gone, so at least for now that aspect of picking the KO3's I regard as a success. Also the steering response IMO was excellent. And even with the high PSI these were not as floaty as the stock tires were at similar pressures.

To me anyway this gives the Land Cruiser the feel that I was anticipating would be consistent with the character of this vehicle. Also IMO the off road tire is very handsome and compliments the Land Cruiser. Just my preference.

Now I wasn't sure about what to do about the PSI, however driving it home I had several occasions to experience rough railroad crossings and definitely felt that was too harsh and was not allowing the suspension to do it's thing. So that made up my mind on needed to bring down the pressure.

Got home brought it down to 40 psi and then went and retested it over the railroad tracks and now we're golden. The tires are working with the suspension to dampen beautifully. After that I drove into the adjacent subdivision which has curvy roads and round abouts and the handling is now beautiful. Great steering response, well planted. This is where I wanted it in terms of the driving characteristics.


We'll see what of hit to the mpg, but so far so good and we'll see how it goes in the winter.

When we ran KO2's on our Jeeps, we always ran them at 37psi, seemed to work the best. Not sure about the LC, but they are good tires.

 

[MCW]

New forum member here. I recently put on 275/70/R18 KO3's from Discount Tire. Tires inflated to 46 all-around. They look great, but so far that's about all. I have put on 68 miles, mix highway and street. I didn't expect to feel this much difference compared to stock. On street, up to 50MPH, the LC feels stiffer with increased vibration, but tolerable. At highway speeds between 70-80MPH, the entire cabin vibrates. If I go around a gradual curves, vibration seems to increase...maybe more like shuddering. I plan to return to Discount soon, but any ideas on cause, like not balanced correctly? The OEM tires were very comfortable compared to KO3's, with basically no excessive vibrations/shuddering at similar speeds, whether street or highway.

 

[Buckfever]

New forum member here. I recently put on 275/70/R18 KO3's from Discount Tire. Tires inflated to 46 all-around. They look great, but so far that's about all. I have put on 68 miles, mix highway and street. I didn't expect to feel this much difference compared to stock. On street, up to 50MPH, the LC feels stiffer with increased vibration, but tolerable. At highway speeds between 70-80MPH, the entire cabin vibrates. If I go around a gradual curves, vibration seems to increase...maybe more like shuddering. I plan to return to Discount soon, but any ideas on cause, like not balanced correctly? The OEM tires were very comfortable compared to KO3's, with basically no excessive vibrations/shuddering at similar speeds, whether street or highway.

Even at 84mph for me the KO3's are smooth no vibration what so ever.

 

[Gabel1]

Air down to 35PSI, then test drive it again. If your issues persist, I would take it back to Discount Tire.

 

[DaveTravel]

Same. Great tires so far, around 4k miles. 275/70 on stock 18 inch rims.

 

[Altitude]

Not for nothing, running E load tires at 45+ PSI at highway speed over broken pavement isn’t totally safe. Mainstream suspensions aren’t built to compensate well against that kind of movement at speed, and the truck will feel like it’s jumping all over the place. Especially so if the pavement imperfections occur on sweeping curves.

 

[LcAz]

New forum member here. I recently put on 275/70/R18 KO3's from Discount Tire. Tires inflated to 46 all-around. They look great, but so far that's about all. I have put on 68 miles, mix highway and street. I didn't expect to feel this much difference compared to stock. On street, up to 50MPH, the LC feels stiffer with increased vibration, but tolerable. At highway speeds between 70-80MPH, the entire cabin vibrates. If I go around a gradual curves, vibration seems to increase...maybe more like shuddering. I plan to return to Discount soon, but any ideas on cause, like not balanced correctly? The OEM tires were very comfortable compared to KO3's, with basically no excessive vibrations/shuddering at similar speeds, whether street or highway.

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.

 

[msenske]

New forum member here. I recently put on 275/70/R18 KO3's from Discount Tire. Tires inflated to 46 all-around. They look great, but so far that's about all. I have put on 68 miles, mix highway and street. I didn't expect to feel this much difference compared to stock. On street, up to 50MPH, the LC feels stiffer with increased vibration, but tolerable. At highway speeds between 70-80MPH, the entire cabin vibrates. If I go around a gradual curves, vibration seems to increase...maybe more like shuddering. I plan to return to Discount soon, but any ideas on cause, like not balanced correctly? The OEM tires were very comfortable compared to KO3's, with basically no excessive vibrations/shuddering at similar speeds, whether street or highway.

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.

Based on your description it sounds like your tires aren’t balanced correctly. Many people have experienced difficulty balancing their KO2s in the past and reported similar driving characteristics. I haven’t heard many people complaining about the KO3s yet, but I would assume they are somewhat similar. In some cases people have had to swap out the offending tire(s) with new examples because they are essentially not able to be properly balanced (i.e., defective). I’m sure Discount Tire will get sorted out for you.

 

[Dominus]

New forum member here. I recently put on 275/70/R18 KO3's from Discount Tire. Tires inflated to 46 all-around. They look great, but so far that's about all. I have put on 68 miles, mix highway and street. I didn't expect to feel this much difference compared to stock. On street, up to 50MPH, the LC feels stiffer with increased vibration, but tolerable. At highway speeds between 70-80MPH, the entire cabin vibrates. If I go around a gradual curves, vibration seems to increase...maybe more like shuddering. I plan to return to Discount soon, but any ideas on cause, like not balanced correctly? The OEM tires were very comfortable compared to KO3's, with basically no excessive vibrations/shuddering at similar speeds, whether street or highway.

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.

I switched to Michelin LTX Defenders and am more than pleased.

 

[LCColorado]

Not for nothing, running E load tires at 45+ PSI at highway speed over broken pavement isn’t totally safe. Mainstream suspensions aren’t built to compensate well against that kind of movement at speed, and the truck will feel like it’s jumping all over the place. Especially so if the pavement imperfections occur on sweeping curves.

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.

 

[LCColorado]

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.

I switched to Michelin LTX Defenders and am more than pleased.

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.

 

[MCW]

Air down to 35PSI, then test drive it again. If your issues persist, I would take it back to Discount Tire.

Thanks. I’ll do that when I get home. I was wondering if 46PSI was too high.

 

[MCW]

Not for nothing, running E load tires at 45+ PSI at highway speed over broken pavement isn’t totally safe. Mainstream suspensions aren’t built to compensate well against that kind of movement at speed, and the truck will feel like it’s jumping all over the place. Especially so if the pavement imperfections occur on sweeping curves.

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.

 

[MCW]

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.

I switched to Michelin LTX Defenders and am more than pleased.

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.

 

[MCW]

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.

That could be it. What pressure are your tires at?

 

[DaveTravel]

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.

That’s been my experience in Florida as well, although the main roads are quite smooth overall.

 

[bobs619]

anyone in the Socal area looking for a set of kO3s? I will have a slightly used set of 275/70 up for sale soon.

 

[ewarren423]

mine are at 46psi (the proper calculated pressure for these) and so far so good! props to Costco for a really smooth installation.