The tires being discussed here belong to the All-terrain family, which deliver an overall satisfactory performance on both on-road and off-road driving.
Hankook Dynapro ATM is a reliable tire for all conditions; whether you want to enjoy a smooth paved road drive or want to go on wild adventures, this tire will not disappoint you.
On the other side, the BFGoodrich KO2 has also sufficient on-road capabilities with exceptional off-road performance due to its unique tread design that provides enough contact patch to satisfy the requirements of all types of on road surfaces.
Let’s check out both of them in detail, starting with their designs.
Table of Contents
Overview of Both Tires:
Hankook Dynapro ATM
BF Goodrich KO2
Dynapro ATM is uniquely designed to meet the requirements of both smooth and rough surfaces.
The tread blocks are divided into 5 pitch patterns with straight cuts to provide a sufficient void ratio which will help the tire to propagate through mild rough terrains as well.
This tire can work well on wet surfaces too as the zig-zag sipes pattern perpendicular to the grooves works splendidly by clearing the water from tread and maintaining the overall grip with the surface.
It is composed of a tough compound with a thick sidewall rubber gauge that provides excellent durability by minimizing damage from off-road impact.
Overall, the performance of this tire is excellent on road with acceptable performance in off-road journeys.
Side Note: Hybrid tires also perform great when it comes to a mixture of on road and off road. Example of Hybrid tire: Nitto Ridge Grappler.
Moving on to BFG.
The KO2 comes with a unique tread pattern. Instead of rectangular cuts, the blocks are divided in an uneven pattern with irregular design.
The grooves of both the tires have almost same depth but the void ratio of KO2 is slightly larger due to small tread blocks and slightly more groove spacing which helps in attaining more traction on rough surfaces without compromising the grip and handling of the tire.
With the help of efficient sipes patterns spread all over the tread blocks, this tire does not have to struggle in wet conditions too.
The staggered shoulder pattern promotes sidewall protection, and the robust lugs design increases lateral stability on rough surfaces.
Overall, this tire gives impressive off-road performance while fulfilling on-road requirements as well.
| KO2 | Dynapro ATM | |
| Average Weight | 55.3 lbs | 46 lbs |
| Average Tread Depth | 15/32″ | 14.5/32″ |
| Diameter range | 27.5 to 34.5″ | 28.8 to 34.8″ |
| Sidewall Construction | 3 ply | 2 ply |
FYI: BFG KO2 looks exactly like the General Grabber ATX.
Which tire is better in On-road traction?
A tire that has higher contact patch will provide good grip than the one having less surface area in contact with the road.
Dynapro dominates over the paved roads as its inventively built tread pattern allows it to have maximum grip with the road due to more contact patch.
Due to the relatively less void ratio, it does not allow much air to get trapped inside the grooves thus, delivering smoother ride.
The wet traction of this tire is also not negligible as 3D sipes technology swiftly removes the water particles from the voids and maintains the mobility of tire.
The on-road performance of KO2 is pretty decent too but this tire has a slightly higher void ratio and more groove spacing as compared to its competitor which makes it not the perfect fit for asphalt roads where more speed is required.
Due to wider groove spacing, the contact patch gets limited which results in reduced traction and increase the braking distance, thus compromising the stability and handling of vehicle.
However, the wet traction of this tire is pretty good as the wider grooves along with efficient sipes on tread blocks enhance the grip with the slippery roads and maintain the required traction.
Muddy Terrain Performance of both tires:
If we talk about off-road areas, then the tire with wider groove spacing will perform better. Dynapro has to struggle a bit while navigating through muddy terrains due to its densely packed tread design.
The tightly packed blocks are vulnerable to mud filling up between them as the soft mud could enter the narrow grooves of the tire which compromises the grip and handling of the vehicle.
The lower void ratio does not allow sufficient cleaning of the tire from the soft mud.
It is not recommended to expose the tire in deep mud terrains as the tire could get stuck and keep rolling at one place instead of moving forward.
KO2 shows impressive performance in mud terrains due to its higher void ratio and more spaced tread pattern.
The widely spaced grooves improve the mobility of tires by throwing chunks of mud backward and maintaining a smooth forward motion.
The higher void ratio gives this tire an edge in mud terrains and improves the self-cleaning capability of the tire to maintain maximum grip with the road without compromising the handling of the vehicle.
Note: For even better off road performance than the Ko2, you can consider, Toyo Open Country AT3, or the Goodyear DuraTrac.
In the links above, we compared both tires with BFG KO2 as well.
You can compare them separately too: Toyo AT3 vs Duratrac.
Performance of both tires in Snow?
Hankook ATM has a comparatively lower void ratio which is not so favorable in extremely snowy conditions.
The narrow groove spacing of this tire is not efficient enough as compared to its competitor as the snow could fill up the spacing between tread blocks which will make the tire slippery and lose its grip with the road.
It can be used in mild snow but they are not recommended in extremely snowy conditions.
However, it is more reliable on hard ice where higher contact patch of tire along with 3D sipes pattern will allow to maintain maximum traction with the surface.
The unique tread design of KO2 does not have to struggle much while propagating through soft snow.
The relatively wider groove of this tire helps in scooping out any snow that gets trapped inside the blocks which increases traction with the surface.
The wide staggered shoulders easily bite the soft snow and maintain the grip of the tire with the road and provide lateral stability while cornering.
Which tire has better traction in rocky terrain?
Dynapro performs well in light rocky terrains as it has more contact patch which helps in attaining traction with rough surface but, one thing to notice is that this tire comes with relatively less spacing between tread blocks which makes the tire vulnerable to stone attacks in extreme rough terrains.
The stones and pebbles could get stuck in the densely packed tread design which could lead to stone drilling and damage to the tire as its stone ejection feature is not sufficient enough to remove all the pebbles getting stuck in narrow grooves.
If you are an off-road wanderer who loves to explore rough areas while experiencing a smooth ride, then KO2 will not disappoint you as its performance in rocky terrains is quite impressive.
The innovative tread design comes with wider spacing and more grooves which favors the tire in rough conditions.
It comes with bold stone ejectors that do not allow any small stone to get stuck in the groove spacing.
The prominent shoulders and sidewall lugs increase sidewall protection and promote lateral stability while cornering.
What about Treadwear and Durability for both tires?
Dynapro has a large tread block design with more surface area in each block coupled with small cuts.
This provides an overall larger surface area and more contact patch with the ground which increases the rolling resistance, therefore, decreasing the tread life and its durability.
The tire is made up of reinforced carcass compound which greatly improves the life span of the tire to provide a smooth drive with minimal treadwear.
KO2 is made up of a robust compound with aggressive staggered shoulders to protect the tire from external damage and make it withstand rough conditions but, due to the lesser contact patch, the rolling resistance of this tire is decreased which increases the lifespan of the tread.
This tire provides a mileage of 40,000 to 50,000 miles which is quite good.
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 AT3.
- General Grabber AT2.
- Yokohama Geolandar X-AT.
- Firestone Destination AT.
- Hankook Dynapro AT2.
- Michelin LTX A/T2.
- Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 3.
- Kumho Road Venture AT51.
- Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus.
- Goodyear DuraTrac.
- BFGoodrich Trail Terrain.
