BF Goodrich T/A KO2;
BF Goodrich is a company which had invented the very 1st All Terrain tyre about 45 years ago.
The KO2's are the 4th All Terrain by them.
The BF Goodrich T/A KO2 were launched about 15 years after the KO, so BF Goodrich took up good amount of time in making this tyre before introducing them in 2015.
T/A stands for Trans Am
KO stands for Key On & Off Road
& 2 denotes the 2nd generation of the KO series.
The major change of the KO2 over the previous generation is the sidewall which with the help of the coreguard technology is about 20% stronger now.
The tread also now have triangular stone ejectors placed at regular intervals these help remove stones from the tread, which could otherwise damage the tread or cause uneven wear.
Other details have been mentioned in my video posted in the opening post.
BAJA Heritage;
BF Goodrich has had several wins at BAJA (21 consecutive wins to be precise).
This tyre too has taken some influence from their T/A KR Line i.e. their Off Road Racing tire.
Why the BFG for the Fortuner ?
The 4x4 Fortuner is equipped with 18" H/T tyres where as the 4x2 is with 17" A/T Tyres, pretty shocking selection by Toyota India.
I was looking for an (early) replacement of the OE Bridgestone's as they were not only limiting the Off Road potential of the truck but also aesthetically poor looking.
The options in the market were Yokohama Geolanders, though have heard good things about them from a set of users but was not interested as they were too common.
BF Goodrich was the only tyre which could really satisfy my need for Off Road Performance, On Road Performance (Note: These BF Goodrich tyres are stock on F150 Raptor one of the most powerful TRUCK), looks & exclusivity hence i took the effort to import them for my Truck.
OFF Road;
The Aggressive tread pattern claws Off Road trails very well & this is where the BFG's truly stand out.
Its also very reassuring to approach sharp edged terrains with much more confidence.
In slush too these almost behave supremely well, with constantly throwing the muck out threw its shoulder design.
Rocky Terrain ? I haven't really done much of that hence shall reserve my comments but would certainly be expectedly good.
More details & Off Roading clips have been shared in the video posted in the opening post
HIGHWAY PERFORMANCE;
I haven't really adjusted my driving style to be honest after switching from the OE Highway terrain to these ALL Terrains. I still manage to hold healthy speeds with much confidence & also lane changing during some aggressive driving stints haven't really been a hassle with such aggressive A/T tyres.
Also the directional stability is very good with an improved steering feedback.
RIDE QUALITY;
A thing about the Ride Quality, these are heavy tyres hence the unsprung weight has increased. In a car like the Fortuner where the ride quality is naturally bumpy these tyres have sort of settled the ride in a great way. Also do keep in mind BF Goodrich is owned my Michelin & hence they know how to set the tyre compound right & overall the Michelin influence is clearly felt in this generation of the KO series.
ROAD NOISE;
Well expectedly the road noise has gone up somewhat considering the tread pattern being really aggressive ALL TERRAIN pattern. But overall people who have used the KO (previous gen) they have said the KO2's are a LOT quieter than the KO's & the credit again goes to the Compound.
BUT tyre noise is slightly more prominent over cement / concrete roads where as the TAR Roads its almost negligible.
FE Impact?;
About 5 kg x 4 of unsprung weight has been added with an aggressive tread pattern i'd be lying to say there is no FE implication. Well, Yes the FE has dropped a bit, i'd say about 1 km/l.
But again i have been able to get FE in the mid 12s easily, which is not bad at all for a Fortuner.
Verdict;
It will be fair to say that BF Goodrich have outdone themselves with these All Terrains.
You know you have a awesome tyre when you totally forget about TRACTION right, thats kinda what i feel both ON & OFF Road.
* Note: Above review has been compiled after clocking 7,500+ kms on these BF Goodrich T/A KO2 tyres !