All- terrain tires are made to perform well on and off the road. Both of these are highly durable products that do not disappoint their owners. Each tire has its own abilities, RT has a very unique tread design, its shoulders are open while the central part is comparatively closed. While KO2 has an open tread design.
We found numerous interesting facts about RT while driving it off road, dig in to know more about both these tires.
| RT | KO2 | |
| Tire type | Rugged terrain | All-terrain |
| Usage | Off-road, on-road, all-weather | Off-road, on-road, all-weather |
| Mountain snowflake ratings (3PMSF) | No | yes |
| Tread depth | 16.4 | 15 |
| Inflated overall width (in.) | 11 | 11 |
| Maximum inflation pressure | 80 psi | 80 psi |
| Maximum load capacity | 3415/3085 Ibs | 3415/3085 Ibs |
| Weight lbs | 58 | 55.2 |
Tread Pattern
Both the tires have a very different tread design. 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.
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 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 Dry Traction
In terms of dry on road grip RT performs better due to its closed central part. As the central blocks are closely packed so they provide more contact patch, this results in higher dry grip. But talking about dry handling this tire can’t beat its opponent as it has wide spaces between its shoulder which hinder its handling performance by decreasing the contact patch. KO2 has wide grooves in the central part so comparatively it provides less grip but as its shoulder grooves are narrower from RT so it has better handling, as more contact patch is provided from shoulders side.
| RT | KO2 | |
| Dry on-road Grip | High | Moderate-High |
| Dry on-road handling | Moderate | Moderate-high |
On Road Wet Traction
When it comes to wet grip KO2 performs really well, although it has less contact patch but 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.
RT also performs good on wet roads in terms of grip as it has more contact patch from the central part that improves the grip, but it lacks sipes. The increased contact patch with deep grooves fills the gap of sipes. Its handling is rated moderate due to wide spaces between the shoulder lugs that lessen the contact area of the tire, affecting the handling performance.
Hydroplaning resistance of both tires is really good. KO2 has wide interconnected grooves which provide ample space for the water to move out, keeping the grip of the tire with the surface. RT does not have wide grooves in the central part but it has deep narrower grooves with wide grooves in the shoulders, which allow high volume of water to pass from them. This improves the hydroplaning resistance and the chances of accidents are minimized.
| RT | KO2 | |
| Wet on-road Grip | High | High |
| Wet on-road handling | Moderate | High |
| Aquaplaning resistance | High | High |
Off-Road Traction Comparison
| RT | KO2 | |
| Mud traction | Moderate-High | High |
| Snow traction | Moderate-High | High |
| Ice traction | Moderate-High | Moderate |
| Rock traction | Moderate-High | High |
Mud Terrain
KO2 performs quite well on muddy terrain due to its wide 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. The interconnected grooves of KO2 allow the mud to pass from them and this also provides more biting edges to the tire. So overall the traction on muddy terrains is High.
RT also performs well on mud but it isn’t able to defeat KO2 as its void ratio is lesser from the central area of the tread. This hinders its performance as less mud particles can be grabbed, though it has a plus point of higher tread depth so due to deep tread more particles can get into the grooves, but as the channels aren’t interconnected so it isn’t able to defeat its opponent. But its handling is quite good on mud due to wide grooves in the shoulder lugs, more mud can pass through the shoulders while cornering and the chances of getting stuck are minimized.
Snow and Ice
Soft snow is similar to mud and a tire which is good on mud will surely perform well on soft snow. As discussed before, KO2 has wide interconnected lateral and longitudinal grooves so this tire has more area for the snow particles to get into the tread, as the tire accelerates these particles are thrown backwards and tire can smoothly move froward. KO2 due to smaller tread blocks has many biting edges which provide firm grip on snow and the steering response is improved. Talking about ice, KO2 is not able to beat its companion in terms of grip on ice. As it has lesser contact patch and low tread depth but it has several sipes so it will do good but won’t be able to defeat its opponent. The handling performance of this tire on ice is better than RT due to more contact area from shoulders plus having the edge of more sipes.
RT is not better than KO2 on soft snow as it has lesser contact patch. Its handling is good due to open shoulders that allow more soft snow to pass through them and while cornering, higher void ratio makes sure that tire does not get stuck. On ice, this tire has good grip due to its increased contact patch and deep grooves. But as it has huge spaces between shoulders and it also lacks sipes so it isn’t able to perform very high on ice, but its grip is still higher than its rival.
Rock Terrain
KO2 has higher traction on rocks due to its wide grooves. The wide grooves with comparatively smaller tread blocks, improve the grip on rocks by providing more biting edges. Moreover, as this tire has numerous stone ejectors placed all over the tread, so the chances of rock particles getting stuck into the grooves are reduced. This improves the traction and tire is easily able to crawl on rocks.
RT has closely placed broader tread blocks so it has lesser biting edges. This hinders its crawling motion on rocky surface. Moreover, it does not have stone ejectors in the middle section, only shoulders consist bold ejectors. So, its handling will be better compared with grip, cause of wide shoulder grooves plus stone ejectors, both work together to improve steering response while cornering.
Comfort
The on-road comfort of RT 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. While KO2 has higher void ratio so it will produce a little more noise than its rival.
Off-road comfort of KO2 is more compared with its rival, this is due to its higher void ratio. The higher void ratio gives the feel of a lesser inflated tire and absorbs jerks providing a comfier and less jerky ride. RT also provides comfortable ride as it has higher tread depth so it will also work as a suspension for the vehicle and will help to decrease the effect of bumps.
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.
| RT | KO2 | |
| Durability | High | High |
| Treadwear mileage warranty | 45,000 miles | 50,000 miles |
| Tread depth | 16.4 | 15 |
Quick Summary
RT is a rugged terrain, while KO2 is an all-terrain tire.
RT:
- Has higher tread depth.
- Has good dry on road traction.
- Provides good grip on wet roads and has higher hydroplaning resistance capabilities.
- Grips well on ice.
- Provides higher comfort on the road.
KO2:
- Provides higher wet traction.
- Provides good traction on mud and snow.
- Has good grip on rocks.
- Has higher comfort off the road.
- Provides more treadwear mileage warranty.
