These tires just came out in the last 6 weeks or so, at least the 35x12.5r17.
Are you sure you have KO2s or KO1s?

Just making sure. Unless the seller literally just bought tires before selling you the vehicle in the past month.

 

My bad- mines the ko1. Didnt catch that when i read the op.

 

No problem. I just wanted to clarify.

The last years of the KO1 production had issues, from what I've read. The rubber compound was just not up to snuff compared to the originals.

I have the KO1 on an 2003 H2 through 2008 I believe & put about 89k miles on them. The 2nd was installed in late 2008 set was sold w/ the H2 aroudn 120k miles & they looked barely worn. That was back in late 2012.

I typically maxed out the PSI in them & they rode perfectly. Back then, I was a lot younger & just didn't know much about tire inflation. You'd imagine the ride would be bumpy, but I just never felt anything. H2s just ride so well.

I will try to up the pressure to 55psi, possibly closer to 60. I haven't really tried it as my suspension just needs an overhaul still. I think once I get upper control arms & rear shocks installed, I'll have a better idea of what PSI I can run.

 

Another small update.

These are interesting tires & finicky.
I've noticed that after hitting bumps, dips, potholes, etc, I'm getting swaying in my vehicle. This isn't indicative of the vehicle, so I tried to figure out why.

I decided to inflate the tires from about 50-52PSI to 55PSI. That small change stopped most of this swaying. The H2 felt more planted & stable. I noticed a tiny bit more "bump" was transferred to the rear, where I'm still running OEM shocks with 110k miles on them. I think once the rears are installed, it'll go away.

If these are anything like the original KO2s, I will be running them at max PSI (65) once I get every single worn out suspension component replaced.

On road, with a properly working & not worn out suspension, these tires want more and more PSI.

 

The ko2 has a completely different carcass. the sidewall is out of the baja ta race tire. it is 4.5mm thicker than the ko and lighter. the Belt package is different and the tread compound is different. If you notice on the KO2 they are all rated for severe snow conditions. the Original ko only had a few sizes that had that rating. in order to get that rating the changed the tread compound. rubber freezes on ice. the old ko was hard as hell. the new KO 2 is not hard, It has to stay Pliable on Ice in Sub Zero tempuratures.


I put a set of 35x12.50r17 B.F.Goodrich KO 2's on mine on march 9th,2015. I waited months for this tire to arrive. I got one of the first sets on the west coast. the 35" was released on march 1, 2015. Best tire Ive ever driven on in a truck. and your right, I was at Michelin/B.F.Goodrich in Greenville, south Carolina last year and they don't make a 35" in a Michelin.

 

Man, those wheels look sharp but they look SO Small on the H2! & seeing the white lettered tires brings back memories from the Old days, Lol (you just don't see them anymore)!

 

I think it's because the edge of the wheel is entirely black & blends in.
Pictures don't do the wheels justice. They look really nice. As much as I miss having original H2 wheels, these have grown on me.

If you like larger wheels, they come in 18x9, 20x9, & 20x12.

I'm still bitching about the 20x8.5s that the H2 came with. They are basically unusable. I did a search & then asked a question on her about running 295/285/275s on these wheels.
I have yet to find anyone running a tire that narrow. I have no clue if there's any negative implications, especially just for highway use. If I can, then I can actually use the 20s, which would be really nice. Otherwise, they'll just sit & look pretty. Kind of sad honestly.

 

Bumping my own thread.
I will update with pics tomorrow, but I want to ask any KO2 owners a question.

Have you guys had premature dryrot?
I have about 35k miles and each tire had them. My rig sits outside 24/7. I didn't experience this with the original KOs. I got 89K miles out of them.

I'm considering other options for tires at this point. Between the 35s running 33.5 and this extremely premature dryrot, I feel like I shouldn't even advise people to buy these tires. They've done well in mud, but I can't justify the price for 40k miles.


Back to tire shopping...

 

I still have the original KO's on mine..... That being said with my experience with the original KO's over the years being to good my brother in law bought the new KO2's for his Dodge truck 2 years ago. I see him almost daily. Couple of observations. His are also looking very dry and the tread wear is not as good as the originals. He has put 40k on them and they look to have maybe 5 to 10k left. Another observation (that I've also read others point out online) is that the KO2's run small - about a half to a full inch smaller than what they should be.

I just checked and the KO's on mine apparently are some of the last production. Date code 3314 (week 33 of 2014). The one on my spare, 1103 lol. That one looks perfect but is flat out unsafe for any use above about 20 mph. Many say 6 years but I think the norm now for age is watch close and inspect often at 6 years and discard at 10 regardless of appearance or tread.

It will take quite some time for me to evaluate how the KO's I have hold up over time. I've only had the H2 since March and the prior owner had those tires put on a couple of years back and then only ended up putting about 2000 miles on them. So they are still in fairly new condition with maybe 3500 miles on them. I'll be curious to see how they hold up in the long run and if the rumors of the later production having a different compound and not holding up as well.

 

Here's the cleanest shot I could get.
I'm really disappointed. The BFG hype train was all hype. They perform well offroad, but to get 40k to 45k miles out of them for $300 each and being 33.5", no. This is 95%+ highway/street driving. The other 5 is on rocks, but mostly in mud.




I'm changing brands. Just not sure what to go with. As long as I get a smooth ride like the original KOs and they last a long time, I'm happy. Also if they stop pretty well, but that's assumed.

Any advice on tires would be nice. It's a little overwhelming as there's so many out there, including hybrids. I'm leaning towards a real 37" tire (if it's at least 36" in the real world, I'm happy).