Over priced, but then again I run pretty expensive rubber.  General tires are interesting, I heard good things about them as well.

I've got KM2's on my TJ, and I love them. They did extremely well at The Cliffs, the 2 times they've been there, and they are really smooth on the road. My only complaint is that they are not noisy enough for my taste.  I love noisy tires, but I cant complain that much about my KM2's. I still love the way they have performed for me.

I got mine last March, so this is my first winter with them. They were not bad in the snow we've had so far this year. A little slip around corners, but thats just cause I may have laid on the skinny pedal a bit too much, but they've done real good in light and deep snow.

Post edited 11:28 am – January 16, 2011 by Rubi04man

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Figured I would chime in on this because I've recently stumbled onto the best forum with "no-nonsense" discussions on everything including tires.  The forum I am referring to is Expedition Portal Forum.  Sure you can surf the multitude of tire discussions at sites like TireRack but I find the browsing there time consuming.  Anyway…

I once thought hey, mud tire = must be great in snow / ice.  WRONG!  I've learned from the unanimous masses that anyone who believes a mud tire makes a great snow tire, hasen't got a clue to what they're talking about.  Turns out those big tread patterns don't throw / clean snow like I once thought must be the case.

Okay..  As for the KM2's, although most of the people (on the EP forum) who run these tires are happy with the performance, not one of them lives in a climate such as ours here in the midwest snowbelt.  Bottom line regarding BFG KM2's, great tire but need to be siped for wet weather road conditions.  I once owned BFG AT KO's on a Jeep Liberty and they were great in winter but sucked for me in rain.  Come to find out the guys at Discount Tire who recommend siping (which I turned down) were right.  The AT KO's are a better winter road tire than the KM's.

 

Anyway, as for weight on the KM2's, these tires fall somewhere in the 'middle of the road' catagory – no pun intended.

As for tire "weights", I'll give you an example =

255/85/16;

Toyo = 59.5 lbs

Maxxis = 52.9 lbs

BFG KM2 = 55.x lbs

Again from what I've learned, Toyo tires are expensive, heavy, and often hard to balance.  The KM2 again falls somewhere in the middle of the road.  It should be noted that the professionals who gave their imput specs on balancing, did so utilizing cast aluminum wheels (not steel).  For the record, the Maxxis Bighorns (mud tire) many times do not need balancing as long as the wheel is true (ie; no defects or damage).

 

Another note is that the new GY MT/Rs (w/ kevlar) are also a great tire that falls into 'middle of the road' catagory except for sidewall construction where it rates among the best.  The kevlar replaces the need for ply rating strength.  Also noted; unless you're wheeling full time in harsh conditions (big rocks, etc), these tires can be overkill for many DD's.

 

I am going to need new tires soon (running the stock 1st gen GY MT/Rs that came from Jeep on my '04 Rubicon),  Meanwhile I was thinking I had finally decided on Truxus tires until I read (both on the EP forum and ROF Rubicon Owners Forum) that dozens of people have gone from Truxus to Maxxis Bighorns and are happy with the switch results.  They're suppose to be a better tire all around especially for a DD.  The Bighorns come siped, have a D load range, yet continue to hold air without leaks even with cut sidewalls.  I also learned that not all sidewall "plys" are the same.  Some tire mfg's "2-ply" are equivalent to other's "3-ply".  Such is the case with Maxxis, and a few others.  The Truxus are hard to balance, generally don't have tread life as well as the Bighorn and chip / chunk is a all too common negative issue with Truxus tires as well as some other brands.  Only drawback I learned regarding the Maxxis Bighorns, over time (consensus estimates – around half thread life) they will become noisy but not irritating noisy.

 

From one Army guy to another, I too can respect "opinions" from other's but one needs to remember that not everyone's driving styles on road & off road are the same as well as one must also remember that tire life can and will depend on vehicle condition (ie; steering parts, etc – you know, the common sense things / issues).  As for you or most others considering the KM2's, I've come to believe as long as you sipe the KM2's, you should be good.  As for myself, I am going with the Maxxis Bighorns (285/75/16) on my Rubicon.  Gave you more to realize and consider but none the less, I hope this helps.

 

EDIT:  Another consideration regarding KM2's & GY MTR's w/ kevlar, the GY's are "directional" tires.  Meaning if you mount the GY tires with white lettering inside, you are defeating the tread design purpose and will destroy the tires quickly.  For the record, the Maxxis Bighorns (Like the KM2's) can be mounted in either direction since they are not "directional" tires.