RT (Rugged Terrain) tires come in between the MT and AT. They are also called hybrid tires because they have the shoulder blocks of a mud terrain tire and the central area of the AT.
This way these tires are able to perform better off road compared to All Terrain tires, without compromising too much on road comfort.
But how would a BFG KO2 perform against this hybrid tire from Toyo?
Toyo RT Overview:
Toyo Open Country RT, having big tread blocks with wide grooves, has more aggressive tread design.
It has shoulder lugs of two different shapes, both types of lugs are broad and have a deep sipe on them.
The central part has blocks placed in group of four, all blocks have sharp edges and have narrow lateral grooves running in between, the group of these blocks is closed from two sides.
In every group two blocks have one sipe on each while other two do not consist any sipe.
Shoulders have wider spaces in between them while central part has comparatively narrower circumferential grooves.
Bold and long stone ejectors are placed between shoulder lugs.
BFG KO2 Overview:
The BFGoodrich KO2 has a comparatively less aggressive tread design its tread blocks are smaller in size and have equal sized grooves all over the central area, while the shoulders have somehow wider grooves compared to the central area.
The serrated shoulder blocks of this tire are also of two shapes, both have two faces but half of the blocks have a deep cut on them.
Central tread blocks are of somehow similar shapes, some having round while others having edgy corners.
Frequent sipes are placed all over the tread and the stone ejectors are also placed between shoulders and central part.
Middle part has triangular shaped ejectors.
On Road Traction of Both Tires:
In terms of dry on road grip and handling, BFG KO2 performs better due to its closed central part. As the central blocks are closely packed, they provide more contact patch which results in higher stability on dry roads.
Toyo RT has wide spaces between its shoulder which hinder its handling performance by decreasing the contact patch.
Side Note: If you are planing to stay on-road mostly, you should also check out Cooper Discoverer AT3.
When it comes to wet grip KO2 again performs really well due to its frequent siping all over the tread, it is able to move on wet roads with confidence.
Its wet handling is also very high due to its increased contact patch from shoulders plus again due to presence of frequent sipes.
These sipes wipe away the water and help the tire to move without slipping.
Mud traction comparison:
The Toyo RT performs quite well on muddy terrain due to its wider grooves.
The wide grooves allow the tire to grab more mud particles and throw them backwards, clearing the path and allowing the tire to move forward smoothly.
For BFG KO2, the interconnected grooves also allow the mud to pass efficiently. The tire also provides more biting edges to the tire. So overall the traction on muddy terrains is great here too.
But Toyo RT being the Rugged tire performs better orverall.
Traction on Snow and Ice:
Soft snow is similar to mud and a tire which is good on mud will surely perform well on soft snow. So Toyo RT is better here.
The BF Goodrich KO2 has interconnected lateral and longitudinal grooves so this tire has enough area for the snow particles to get into the tread and move out.
The tire due to numerous smaller tread blocks has many biting edges which provide firm grip on snow and the steering response is improved.
If we talk about solid ice, where a lot of grip is required, the KO2 would perform better, again because of it’s numerous siping and blocks that would grap the ice more firmly than the open grooved Toyo RT.
Similarly the handling on the ice would be better for Ko2 as well, for the very same purpose.
Rocky Terrain Traction comparison
Surprisingly when it comes to rocks, both tires performed exceptionally well.
KO2 has great traction on rocks due to its more biting effect on the ground with sipes and C shaped blocks.
Moreover, as this tire has numerous stone ejectors placed all over the tread, the traction on small rocks is great as well. This improves the traction and tire is easily able to crawl on rocks.
The Toyo RT has spaced tread blocks and it may seem that the “biting” is less but that is not the case. The tread design along with the space between, allow the blocks to move more freely. This causes a sticky affect with the rocks especially while on a slope.
So Toyo RT is able to keep it’s traction on rocks very efficiently. And the wide space also account for small rocks getting pushed back so traction is not lost even there as well.
Are these tires Comfortable?
Mostly the on road comfort is calculated by the noise of the tires and overall feeling of suspension of the vehicle. For off road, it’s just how comfier your ride feels.
The on-road comfort of BFG KO2 is better as it has lower void ratio. Less void ratio means lesser space for air particles to resonate, creating less noise.
So, it will provide a comparatively quieter and comfier journey.
On the other side, the Toyo RT has higher void ratio so it will produce a little more noise than its rival.
If we talk about just the off road comfort, the Toyo RT is better. This is because this tire is softer (so you get the cushioning effect) and with open tread blocks the tire’s suspension feels flexible as well.
Comparatively, the BFG KO2 would feel firm off road.
In other words the bumps are felt more here.
Durability And Treadwear
Both tires are highly durable.
KO2 uses Core Gard technology to protect its sidewalls while RT also has durable compound in its sidewalls.
Due to the higher tread depth RT will take more time to wear out completely, as it will take higher mileage to level with the grooves, though it has comparatively lesser treadwear warranty.
KO2 has higher tread wear warranty, which gives its durability an edge over the counterpart.
| Toyo RT | BFG KO2 | |
| Durability | High | High |
| Treadwear mileage warranty | 45,000 miles | 50,000 miles |
| Tread depth | 16.4 | 15 |
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.
- Goodyear DuraTrac.
- BFGoodrich Trail Terrain.
