Nitto Terra Grappler vs BF Goodrich KO2: We tested both Terra Grappler and BF Goodrich KO2 as per our standard tests and found mixed results. We concluded that Terra Grappler gives better performance in terms of dry traction and off-road performance as compared to KO2.
KO2, on the other hand, performs brilliantly in mud, snow and wet terrains.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
Here’s The Deal: If you think your tire is going to stay on road most of the time, then you should go for Nitto Terra. Otherwise you can never go wrong off roading with BFGs.
Let’s start off by looking at their designs.
Table of Contents
Design of both Tires:
Nitto Terra Grappler
BF Goodrich KO2
Terra Grappler G2 is the first A/T product by Nitto.
It offers a treadwear warranty that says something about their confidence in this tire.
It gives an exceptionally dry and off-road performance with its reinforced coupled joints, staggered shoulders. It further features full depth sipes for wet traction but its not its strong suit.
The variable tread design (like the Nitto Ridge Grappler) allows these tires to make your ride somewhat quiet.
Nitto Terra Grappler features a unique tread design, a raised thunderbolt pattern on one side and a new blade design.
The blade design extends from the outer shoulder tread blocks to the sidewall.
Coming to the BF Goodrich. The KO2 is equipped with an aggressive tread which is molded with interlocking pattern for a durable performance in all terrains.
The tire also features 3D track sides, upper shoulder sidewall armor, and a serrated shoulder design which offers a satisfactory off-road performance.
| KO2 | Terra | |
| Average Weight | 55.3 lbs | 55.2 lbs |
| Average Tread Depth | 15/32″ | 15.4/32″ |
| Sidewall Construction | 3 ply | 2 ply |
Overall Traction Comparison
A/T tires primarily focus on the traction associated with different kinds of terrains.
The Nitto Terra Grappler gives you exceptional dry (on-road and off-road) traction.
The dry traction of Nitto Terra is better, simply, because of the tread design. The KO2 offers less contact with the road because the grooves have more gaps between them. And the C shaped tread blocks are smaller. This is not the case with Nitto Terra.
The tire is also great with wet traction as well. But here it’s not better than the KO2.
KO2, offers more siping on the tire. This helps in more sticky grip even on wet asphalts.
The 3D sipes traction edges give KO2 its formidable hydroplane resistance, and the mud phobic bars, which are raised ledges within the tread, aid in the evacuation of water, mud, and slush from the tread.
The ejection tread technology doesn’t let any mud or debris get stuck within the tread, thus removes it quickly to reduce hydroplane.
According to Bf Goodrich, KO2 gives 10% better mud traction than KO.
Whereas G2 as compared to KO2 are simply not made for mud. But they still get the job done.
The KO2 also features 3D track sipes that give excellent snow and ice traction by lodging snow within the tread to increase snow to snow traction. They are also awarded Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating.
Note: Non-winter tires with the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol have extra longitudinal snow traction above all-season tires. But they still can not equal the capacity of a real winter tire
Durability and Treadwear Comparison
BFGoodrich states that the sidewalls of the KO2 are 20% stronger than the predecessor, the BF Goodrich KO.
It has a CoreGuard technology that prevents your tire from splitting and bruises, as well as enhanced rubber thickness.
BFG also incorporated the Tri-Guard technology, which consists of twin steel belts reinforced with nylon, this makes the tire even more durable.
Besides that the interlocking tread pattern effectively distributes tension on the tires, resulting in even wear.
Most tire manufactures don’t give a treadwear mileage warranty, but BF Goodrich does, with a 50,000-mile warranty and a 60-day satisfaction guarantee.
On the other hand, the Nitto Terra Grappler G2 maintains its all-terrain adaptability while also providing great tread wear and durability.
Even when the tread wear has set in, the full depth sipes keep your tire looking good enough while still keeping its water evacuation abilities.
The Nitto Terra G2 tire has a coupling connection that joins the outer and inner treads, increasing tire strength and allowing the tire to maintain its shape in off-road and to provide you excellent handling, steering responsiveness, and cornering abilities.
Speaking of warranty, the tire is one of Nitto’s first all-terrain tires to provide a Treadwear warranty.
Nitto provides a 50,000-mile warranty on LT-metric and flotation sizes, while hard metric sizes come with a 65,000-mile warranty.
Despite of Nitto’s claims, many observed some hydroplaning incidents after 20,000 miles.
Off Road Performance
One aspect that an A/T tire must be capable of dealing with is off-road performance. To cope with the wear and tear of off-road conditions, A/T tires feature a more rugged and aggressive design that helps performance and makes them durable.
The Terra Grappler G2 is built to handle your daily needs, whether it’s a freeway drive or a journey to the mountains; these tires are ready to go.
Its rigidity is maintained thanks to the reinforced coupling joints that maintain its shape even on rough roads.
At the same time, the staggered shoulder lugs provide additional biting edges to accommodate for off-road conditions.
Regardless of Nitto’s claims, we found this tire to be less suitable for on-road conditions than the ridge grappler.
The tread designs on the KO2 are aggressive and irregular, and they perform remarkably well in off-road conditions.
But when comparing terra grappler G2 to KO2, we concluded that G2 has a modest advantage in terms of off-road performance.
Comfort Comparison
A/T tires, in return for holding their own on a wide variety of terrain, take a bite out of comfort and luxury associated with the drive.
The drawback is that A/T tires can’t seem to shake, but comfort is not why people buy A/T tires.
Terra Grappler G2 features a variable pitch tread block that absorb vibrations to some extent offering you a quieter ride quiet ride as compared to Bf Goodrich KO2.
KO2, on the other hand, uses no technology for sound reduction yet offers a fairly smooth ride.
BF Goodrich uses computer optimization to feature the interlocking tread design to dampen the shocks associated with driving on off-road conditions.
What about Price?
In terms of price, both Terra Grappler and KO2 are quite competitive, given their mixed performance.
Both KO2 and G2 are fairly expensive as compared to some of the other A/T tires.
But we think their price is justified instead of their performance.
Compare Nitto Terra With Other Tires:
- General Grabber ATX.
- Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ.
- Toyo Open Country AT3.
- BF Goodrich KO2.
- Cooper AT3.
- Nitto Terra & Ridge.
Compare BFG KO2 with other AT tires:
- Nitto Recon Grappler.
- Toyo Open Country AT3.
- Falken Wildpeak AT3W.
- Cooper Discoverer AT3.
- 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.
- Goodyear DuraTrac.
- BFGoodrich Trail Terrain.
