The Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac and BF Goodrich KO2 are both all terrain tires, where the Duratrac has a more aggressive design and often considered a hybrid. Such tires are also called rugged terrain and the come in between all terrain and mud terrain tires, as they carry few features from both.
The DuraTrac, with its aggressive design, couples mud-terrain shoulders with an all-terrain central tread, facilitating quick dirt shedding for off-road traction.
And the BF Goodrich KO2, while compact in the center, features robust shoulder lugs and stone ejectors to keep its tread clean, with triangular ejectors preventing dirt accumulation and enhancing grip.
Both tires perform well on roads, with the KO2 excelling on dry surfaces and DuraTrac on wet. They also shine in snowy conditions, earning the three-peak mountain snowflake rating and M+S designation. Besides this, they have following specs.
| BFG KO2 | DuraTrac | |
| Weight Range | 34.3 to 67.4 lbs | 35 to 60 lbs. |
| Average Tread Depth | 15/32″ | 17/32″ |
| Available sizes | 15 to 22″ | 15 to 20″ |
| Sidewall Construction | 3 ply | 2 ply |
All sizes of BFG KO2 have the same tread depth of 15/32″. And the most common tread depth for DuraTrac is 18/32″ (the average tread depth was calculated by summing up all tire sizes).
Table of Contents
Side By Side Comparison
Both tires clearly have a very different design. The Goodyear DuraTrac although quite old now (launched in 2009) still considered an amazingly designed tire.
BF Goodrich KO2
Goodyear DuraTrac
Enjoy our video on these tires.
And the sipes here on tread blocks are linear and slightly angular (they are straight line’s, different, compared to DuraTrac’s wave like pattern).
If we move on to the central area of these tires.
The Goodyear DuraTrac characterizes an open tread design as its small, squared central blocks are arranged at an angle (forming broad marginal longitudinal groove rings on sides).
The central design basically offers 3 different shapes. The ones colored with blue are the mirror images of each other.
And the green and pink blocks (around blue one) exchange their positions with each other throughout the pattern.
Together they form a complicated pattern forming a tough bite (from every side) to the ground, as these blocks have teeth to them.
The base of grooves is made further efficient with what they call the “Tractive-Groove technology”.
These are simply a miniature version of the tread blocks as shown below.
These mini blocks come in handy when deep in snow and mud. Allowing the tire to maintain more friction with the mud and snow stuck in the grooves.
The tire also features 16 stud installers (on LT sizes) for enhanced traction in winter conditions.
On the flip side, the central area of BFG KO2 is not that complicated.
It has a relatively compact tread, its C-shaped blocks form three central ribs in an interlocked arrangement having narrow spacing among them.
All tread blocks are marked with zig-zag sipes and many of them have saw-toothed edges for biting over the rigid surface.
These sipes also go deep down to the base giving these blocks more room to wiggle and squirm, especially on uneven rocks.
Overall, it’s very clear why DuraTrac has a more aggressive design.
Also Read:
https://comparethetire.com/what-causes-inner-tire-wear/
https://comparethetire.com/how-to-check-tire-tread-with-a-penny/
Performance on Rocky Terrain:
Both tires are great on rocks, with DuraTrac providing little bit more lateral traction especially on wet rocks.
The tire’s shoulders are no match for the KO2s. They simply have more clawing power to them as they are wider and create very jagged grooves.
These serrated shoulder blocks combined with wave like siping and sidewall lugs create more lateral traction for this tire in comparison.
“Lateral Traction” is basically the side-way traction of the tires, which allows them not to slip towards their sides (with weaker traction, vehicles tend to slip sideways during climbing causing damage, and sometimes overturning them).
On the other side, the BFG KO2 is also not too far off.
With uniform interlocking blocks having notches, the tire is also able to produce significant grip and can climb rocks with minimal effort.
The deep siping split the hook shaped blocks further so they can move and squirm according to the grip needs of the tire, increasing overall friction with the rocks.
The serrated shoulder blocks with uneven shapes just like the DuraTrac also gives this tire efficient lateral traction. The deep notches and sipes in these shoulder blocks further aids this process.
Other than all this, both tires have silica compound rubber which resists chip and scratch damages from sharp rocks. So both tires perform great on high speeds on gravel.
From the sidewall perspective however, things get a little different where you get 3 plys sidewalls for BFG KO2 protecting the tire from sharper rocks.
And 2 ply DuraTrac sidewalls still have bulky lugs which push those sharp rocks away again protecting this them from punctures, but in a different manner.
Also Read:
https://comparethetire.com/do-all-terrain-tires-wear-faster/
https://comparethetire.com/4ply-vs-10ply-tires/
How These tires performed in Mud?
In mud, DuraTrac takes the lead over the contestant offering the benefit of its open tread.
As its good ratio is higher and its channels are very deep as well, mud gets much room to evacuate out from the tread.
Besides that, the miniature tread pattern employed in its construction further adds to its mud traction abilities.
Stepping of shoulder edges accounts for a stronger biting action while turning about in muddy areas.
Conversely, KO2 shows lesser capability while rolling through the mud because its compact and shallow tread. It simply permits relatively minor mud evacuation in comparison.
Hence, self-cleaning of its grooves takes longer.
Although its shoulders have alternate scooping to provide enhanced evacuation ability while turning, yet lower contact patch renders its mud traction lower.
Performance of Tires in Snow:
Although both tires are rated with 3 Peak Mountain Snow Flake, the Goodyear DuraTrac gets the upper hand here, especially with soft snowy terrains.
The tire simply has more grip to it.
The alternating length and width of both shoulder blocks make a zig-zag shaped circumferential grooves. These 2 grooves contain similar uneven shaped central blocks which produce further zig-zag lateral grooves.
The tire also has more wave like siping and the mini tread design in those grooves which gives this tire the extra bite and better friction in comparison.
In case of BF Goodrich KO2, the tire is also proficient enough and gives almost equal performance when it comes to on road snow.
The tire’s uniform hook design gives the tire grip from all directions. In this tire there isn’t any prominent lateral or circumferential groove pattern. It’s just a web, allowing this tire to grab the surface from all sides.
The deep siping further aids the tire and they chew away the snow in its pathway.
On-Road Traction & Comfort:
In terms of comfort, with softer material the DuraTrac would feel less bumpy off road, but they are very loud on road.
And they tend to get louder with age, unlike the KO2 which is less noisy in comparison.
The BFG KO2 also shows better performance on the dry roads because its contact with the road is relatively larger. Its tread has a strong grip on the paved surface as C-shaped blocks specify many biting edges.
Similarly, its handling efficiency is higher as it has big shoulder lugs with narrow lateral grooves among them.
Better on road clawing ability of its shoulders is credited to Irregular shape and traction notches on inner block edges. Hence, it maintains stable traction as you turn your vehicle about a corner.
(The DuraTrac feel very stiff on the steering wheel while turning).
On wet traction, however same performance is seen from both tires.
Durability and Treadwear
The BFG KO2 are tough. In fact it’s the toughest tire ever made by the BF Goodrich.
They even dropped it from 10k feet to prove it.
KO2 gets a better score for durability owing to its multi-layered composition.
It has a steel-alloy structure made of two high-strength belts which are reinforced by 3 plys of polyester with spirally wrapped nylon. (DuraTrac has 2 ply polyester instead of 3)
So here you get 3 ply sidewall construction, compared to DuraTrac’s 2 ply.
The tire also specifies a strong tread built with steel and polymer structure. It also has a rim lock to ensure proper fitting and a rim protective layer to safeguard the wheel from damage.
Tread design (and more tread depth) predicts that it will wear slowly in comparison because it encounters lesser friction while rolling over the road. But relatively less robust composition lowers its durability score.
In terms of wear, the BF Goodrich gives a warranty for 50,000 miles and also ensures even wear due to it’s uniform design.
Goodyear Duratrac provides a tread-wear warranty for 50,000 miles on all normal-sized tires, however, LT and flotation sizes do not carry a mileage warranty.
And the uniformity of tread wear is ensured up to 2/32’’.
| DuraTrac | KO2 | |
| Durability | Moderate | High |
| Tread wear warranty | Not available for LT sizes | 6 years/50,000 miles |
| Uniformity warranty | 1-year warranty, First 2/32’’ | 1-year warranty, First 2/32’’ |
| Workmanship warranty | 6 years | 6 years |
Is their cost justified?
DuraTrac is an expensive tire in comparison because it offers superior abilities in tough mud and snow terrains and also ensures safety from hydroplaning when you drive on iced or wet pavement.
In contrast, BF Goodrich KO2 carries lower price tags even yet you can enjoy optimized on-road traction combined with satisfactory off road experience and of course lesser noise.
So, what’s the Verdict?
If you are confused and stuck between a mud terrain tire and an all terrain tire, or in other words, you need the aggressive design of a mud terrain tire without compromising too much on road comfort, then the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac is made for you.
On the other hand, if you mind a little noise coming out of your tires and you go off road maybe 2 or 3 times a year, or you don’t require extreme off road performance, then you should go with the BF Goodrich KO2 and save a few bucks as well.
Following were the specs of the tires we compared here.
| DuraTrac | KO2 | |
| Three-peak mountain snowflake rated (3PMSF) | yes | yes |
| Tested size | LT265/75R16 | LT265/75R16 |
| Tread depth | 18/32’’ | 15/32’’ |
| Tread width | 9’’ | 8.5’’ |
| Load/ speed rating | 123/120Q E | 123/120R E |
Compare BFG KO2 with other AT tires:
- Nitto Recon Grappler.
- Toyo Open Country AT3.
- Falken Wildpeak AT3W.
- Cooper Discoverer AT3.
- Nitto Terra Grappler.
- Nitto Ridge Grappler.
- General Grabber ATx.
- General Grabber AT3.
- General Grabber AT2.
- Yokohama Geolandar X-AT.
- Firestone Destination AT.
- Hankook Dynapro ATM.
- Hankook Dynapro AT2.
- Michelin LTX A/T2.
- Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 3.
- Kumho Road Venture AT51.
- Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus.
- BFGoodrich Trail Terrain.
Compare Goodyear DuraTrac with others:
