This question is directed at anyone who's running 20" wheels or larger in comparison to the stock 17s.

Have you noticed an improvement in fuel economy or is it more of a detriment?

Just for context, my 09 came w/ 20s & the crappy Goodyear SR-A tires, but I replaced them w/ 17s & 35" BFG KO2s (mostly for ride quality). The combination of the two sits at 99 lb per corner. Michellin just came out with the Defender LTX M/S 35 "tire (highway all season) for our 20" wheels. The stock wheels are 44 lb & the LTX is 58 lb, so it ends up a tiny bit heavier at 102 lb.

Now, I know not everything in terms of fuel econemy is based on unsprung weight, but a lot has to do with it. I've run the M/S2 tires & they are excellent on mileage. The Defenders are LLR as well (Low Rolling resistance). Seems like these might be a good road trip option tire who have spare wheels.

I'm wondering if this is a good tire for those of us who have 20s & use the H2 as a daily driver more so than an offroad beast. Also, I'm posting this here b/c the other forums are about off roading, but I know that there's some of us who just like to drive these beasts & not get them covered in mud.

 

I'm in the market for tires and since you have the ko2's can you tell me if they are as quiet as the original ko tire? I currently have the cooper discovery tires but way too loud and do not wear evenly at all. I'm looking for a quiet ride and comfort like the original ko tires.

 

You know, it's funny.
Crawdaddyjc had asked me about these & bought some Cooper AT3s & loves them. He can comment on those.

When I spoke to him about the KO2s I was (& still am) having some alignment issues, so I have some very slight uneven wearing, but I know the cause. Ignoring this "problem" since it's the vehicle & not the tires, I'm super happy with them. They ride really, really well. When I had just bought my 2009, the entire suspension was trashed & adding these initially fixed a lot of ride issues. It went from unbearable to bearable. As I replace more suspension components, the ride gets smoother. I'm blown away that an AT tire can ride like an all season highway.

Noise wise, there's no drone, at all. The tire is not as quiet as a highway tire, but close. I don't really notice it, honestly. The wind hitting the windshield is louder at highway speeds than the tires, so there's not really much to take into consideration, noise wise.

The KO2 is overall a better tire than the KO. The rubber, strangely is softer, but doesn't seem to wear. I've had these probably 8k miles & they look great so far. My mother owns an H3 & I was considering putting a highway all season for her since she'll never take it offroad, but she's adamant about getting some clearance for flooding & loves the ride of the KO2s. I'll probably have some 315/75r16s installed. Mine are 35x12.5r17. They only weigh 66 lb, which is fairly light for a 35" AT. I'm still on the fence about putting 37s. I might have issues fitting in some parking garages & that's one of the main things holding me back. The 37s are "only" 71 lb.

As for KO2s on 20s, I couldn't say. The only size is 325/60r20 & that's too wide for the stock wheel (it's 8.5" wide & not 9" like it should be).



I'd like to know how the Michelin Defender LTX M/S (that's a mouthful) on 20s compares to mine on 17s. This is my first time ever seeing a 35" all season highway tire. I don't believe they existed before. Not that I'd have chosen them originally, but most of my driving is going to be highway. If I drove more, I'd really consider swapping the KO2s w/ these depending on if I was driving rough roads or purely interstate. I'd also like to justify keeping my 20" wheels. The one good thing about this tire is it's the first real replacement for the Goodyear SR-A tires that isn't a 33.2" tire. Now we can get a 34.5"/35" highway again.

I'd venture that the Defender (if it's anything like my old M/S2s) is going to be the quietest tire you can get for the H2, period. And there's really nothing wrong with using a highway all season tire with these either, despite the claims only an AT or MT tire belongs on a hummer.

I owned a set of the Michelin M/S2s (the predecessor to the defender) on a ram truck in 265/70r17 & "upgraded" to a set of 35" Toyo AT2 Extremes on 18s. The ride went from smooth as silk to feeling every bump, expansion joint & rock on the road. The vehicle shook constantly. I had multiple people confirmed the tires were balance properly. All I can say is , never, ever touch Toyo. What a garbage tire. I have no clue why people love that tire or the brand.

 

Thanks for the write up. My cooper discoverys look bad *** as hell but I'm tired of the loud road noise and hard ride on bumps. The only thing making me want the original ko tire instead of he ko2 is I saw on YouTube that when you mount Thea ko2 there is a gap between the tire and rim? Is this true? That would bother me til the end if it's not flush to rim.

 

How would that even be possible?
I'll take some pics when it cools down. They are seated perfectly fine on the wheel.

 

Here is a link on youtube. Its not a hummer but you can see how the wheels are sitting on this guys rims.
I also watched a review on youtube yesterday and the person sounded very knowledgeable on tires and said BFG did away with something from the original KO tire and now tires do not lay all the way on the rim. Looks like a little lip.

 

Yeah i recently purchased the cooper at3's. I went with stock 315 70 17- so i cant really comment on the larger size but the stock size has worked great for me. I think the bigger you go- the noiser it will be. I have driven in sunny hot Georgia days and crappy rainy days and have not had an issue. Got the old truck up to 95mph the other day and they performed great. (Didnt keep that speed long but felt secure and planted well). I cant tell much difference in noise compared to the old bfg's but they are more aggressive looking. So far i have only put a few hundred miles on them but the rubber seems to be doing well. Need more time before i can judge how they wear.
I was between the ko2 and at3 and the deciding factor was the prorated warranty.
That is odd about the ko2's with a lip around the wheel. Maybe its a workaround to strengthen the bead?

 

Mine do NOT look like that.
I have no gap at all. Here's a crappy pick I took when I first install the wheel/tire combo.




I need to take a quality pic, which I can probably find the time tomorrow.
I was just outside looking around the wheel with a flashlight & I just don't see a gap that looks anything like what this guy is talking about. Maybe it's his TRD wheels or the shop he went to simply cannot install tires properly.


Back on the topic of the Michelin. Here's a pic of it.


I'm really curious how much better the mpg would be in these. Michelin claims 4% in the city, 7% highway. That's probably compared to non-LLR highway tires. I'd imagine the mpg would be even greater compared to our ATs & even better than that for MTs.

 

Thanks for the info. I do love the look of my coopers just too noisy and the ride isn't that good. I'm sure it's the size and the model cooper tire I have. I don't go off road so it's really a waste to have these tires but they do look mean.

 

Thanks for the picture. I think I'm going to go with the ko2 tires. They are also $47 cheaper than the ko per tire. That is also an odd one but I'm not complaining.