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The famous BF Goodrich KO2 is marketed as their toughest tire ever made
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But how would this tire hold up against the rugged design of Nitto Ridge Grappler
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Well, let's find out. Both tires are from different categories, where BF Goodrich KO2 is an all-train tire
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while the Nitto Ridge Grappler is a hybrid, sometimes also called rugged train
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It's simply a mixture of two tires, where it has bulky shoulders of a mud tire and at
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the same time has compact blocks arrangement in the middle like an all-train tire
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Its shoulder blocks are staggered, where one block is with a scoop in it and the other
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one is seen with stepped edges. Both blocks extend to each side of the tire and form dual sidewall designs, where one
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side is more aggressive than the other. Still, both of them form bulgier lugs compared to KO2
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These lugs act as traction scoops and maintains the tire's grip when pressured down off-road
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especially on rocky trains with their flexing sidewalls. But its shoulder blocks does not
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feature any notches and presents with minimal sideming, where on KO2, its weirdly-shaped
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shoulder blocks feature more biting edges in comparison. They are seen with
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deep incisions and numerous scypes. The BF Goodrich KO2 is also staggered just
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like the Nitto Ridge but here smaller scoops and less prominent stone
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ejectors are seen. And where the KO2 does not make any proper circumferential
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grooves in Nitto Ridge the varying width and length of its shoulder blocks
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create a clear zigzag longitudinal path of grooves separating the tires central
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area. In the middle the tire features a versatile pattern. It has sharp triangular
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shaped blocks where the two on the sides have deep incisions in them and the
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outer two like the rest are seen with rectilinear side paint and offset edges
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on all of its sides. All these blocks also have reinforced foundations
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underneath So they make more stepped edges giving this tire a more biting capability They also make slanted Z grooves so the tire is better able to grip in all directions
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On the other side, the BFG KO2 features a more uniform design of interlocking worm-like blocks in the middle
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All these blocks have notches and are equipped with deep sides. These sides are deeper in comparison and they go all the way deep down to its thread space
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and this divides the blocks further and makes them more independent to move, wiggle or squirm
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according to the surface they are on. The tire also features triangular-shaped stone ejectors missing in Nitto Ridge
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These ejectors are strategically placed between the thread blocks and they help expelling the debris that would otherwise lodge in its less wider grooves
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So, which tire performs better off-road? Well, both tires show remarkable performance overall
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but the Nitto Ridge Grappler has a little bit of a upper hand here
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The overall design of this tire offers wider grooves that allow more mud to escape in comparison
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The wider staggered shoulder blocks are better able to scoop out the mud, and the bulkier
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sidewall lugs scoop the tire's way out even when it's aired down deep in mud
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The BF Goodrich KO2 would not be able to take on as much mud, as the tire has less
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wider grooves and thread depth. Its interlocking block design creates a web and traps in the mud particles, so they get
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packed very easily. But still, its staggered shoulders along with deep notches help the tire
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a lot. If we talk about rocks, the same interlocking design provides this tire a soup of lateral and
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circumferential traction. So the tire gets grip from all sides. Here, the shoulder blocks are
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irregularly shaped, elongated and have traction notches on their inner edges. All of them provide enough biting for the tire to maintain its traction
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The deep sides which divide these blocks further also allow them to deform a little bit And this loses the stiffness so the tire sticks better on rocks
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But the tire has a harder compound in comparison. And this, combined with its stiffer side walls, the tire lacks a little here as well
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The Nitto Ridge Grappler, on the other hand, with its softer silica compound, simply sticks better on rocks
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The Z-shaped slanted grooves made out of triangular blocks bite into the surface of the rocks with multiple biting edges
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And this is further enhanced with the reinforced foundations under all its central blocks, which allow the tire to hug the rocky surface firmly
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Other than this, both tires are great on gravel, especially when it comes to high speeds
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And both of them have cut-resistant rubber and durable inner construction. Both tires have 3-ply polyester casing, having 2-ply steel belts, which are then wrapped with
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2 layers of nylon. So they both protect the tire, including its most vulnerable part, the sidewalls
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tires also have lugs which come in handy when the tire is pressured down and they give additional
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support with flexing sidewalls. If we talk about their traction on snowy trains, the BF Goodrich
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KO2 is simply amazing. It provides you with three peak mountain snowflake rating despite not having
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numerous sides like a dedicated winter tire. The tire is also less wide in comparison as well. So
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being a skinnier tire, it's also better at cutting through the snow. On the other side
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although the Nitto Ridge Grappler is not snowflake rated, they are still better when it comes to deep
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snow with their wider grooves. If we talk about their on-road traction, with these tires, it's
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always been a long-lived battle between the off-road performance and the on-road comfort
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So, where the Nitto Ridge is better off-road, it has to compromise a little on roads
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With wider grooves, the tire simply offers less contact with the road
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So overall, grip here is compromised. But with the tire stickier material and multiple biting edges the difference is very miniscule Although same can be said about wet roads especially when it comes to handling On corners the tire shoulders come into action
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and the Nitto Ridge with its boulder stone injectors already loses a lot of contact with
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the road. And then the tire does not provide enough siping to clear water from its path
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Basically, when the tire rolls over the water, the side underneath is pressured to remove its air and create vacuum
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And this sucks in the water particles, which later gets sprayed out when the tire rolls over
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So Nitto, with its minimal siping, is not able to wipe water away efficiently
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The BFGoodrich KO2 on the other side is also prone to slippage
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and it gets bad with wear. The tire actually provides two layers with a softer one on top
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and once that wears off, the stiffer compound underneath makes the wet traction worse
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So both tires are not so great on wet streets but KO2 is still a little bit better than the Ridge Grappler
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The Nitto Ridge Grappler is also a bit louder than KO2. But it was surprising to see how quiet these tires are given their aggressive design
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This has to do with its variable pitch technology, where the vigorous variations of angles in
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its central blocks don't allow the sound waves to sync together and amplify
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These tires also weigh a little more on almost all sizes. So the tire would also consume more fuel compared to KO2
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If you are wondering, we calculated the average for all of its sizes and the Nitto Ridge Grappler
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is 7 pounds heavier on average. And the tire has 97 total sizes where the BFGoodrich KO2 provides you with 89
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So overall, it's pretty safe to say that KO2 is a more on-road oriented tire, while
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the Nitto Ridge would provide you better traction on tougher terrains. So what do you think
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Do tell in the comments. And please don't forget to subscribe. Till next time
