My1stHemi
Well-Known Member
Backstory: Last week I purchased a set of BFG K03's in 275/70/r18 to replace my worn but well-liked Cooper AT3's in 285/75/r18. The Coopers were incredible tires that looked great, were very quiet when new, however at 55,000 miles they became noisy at 5/32nds of tread depth. I did get great life out of them and could have done a better job at rotating, and if Cooper had continued producing the tire in that size, I would have bought another set. The Coopers didn't have the 3peak snow rating which was also a selling point on the BFG's.
I started my tire purchase/hunt in search of a set of Yokohama AT4's in 285/75/r18, but none were available in time for my 4hr winter road trip to Sunriver Oregon, so I paid more for a smaller tire and joined the KO3 fan club, or so I thought.
While driving home from Discount tire, I noticed that at 25-35mph speeds, the KO3's had noticeable tire hum. A hum that is higher in pitch than MT's but nearly as loud. My work truck (2018 F150 EB with 20in wheels) also has KO3's and they have been a good quiet AT tire and I do not notice a hum at this speed, but the Ford is not as quiet a cabin as my Ram. The set I purchased for my truck were considerably noisier, and so I thought I would give them time to "break in" and hope that after the road trip they would quiet down a bit. Mind you, the Coopers had been quiet from mile 0, and the factory ORP Falkens on 20in wheels are still a very very quiet AT tire, however I dislike the 20in wheels and factory tire size.
After getting home from our trip my concerns for these tires have not diminished. In fact, after we got in the house from our trip my wife said that she felt like her ears are tired, like she had been in a commercial airliner all day. She has never said anything like this before, and the DT is her preferred roadtrip vehicle over her Wk2 Grand Cherokee(which I quite like driving for long distances). The K03's seemed quieter on the Highway but I am wondering if it was masked by engine noise or wind noise.
Either way, the fact that the tires are noisy in the speed range which I do most of my driving with the vehicle these days(not my DD anymore) is problematic. Performance wise, the tires are great. They are firmer but tolerable. I drove through a lot of rain and freezing rain on the trip and I always felt sure-footed. The BFG's also look fantastic for what that's worth, but from the driver and passenger seats, it's a hit and miss relationship. When coming down long grades at 60-65mph I had to apply the brakes as we entered 35mph speed zones in the small rural communities. Twice I noticed a shimmy in the steering wheel, like I had warped rotors(which I do not). With the family and dog in the cab, and inclement weather, I couldn't perform a lot of brake tests and tire performance tests to replicate the issue, but it's not a coincidence that the shaking happened after the tire swap.
I am going to drive a few more miles on these tires and give them a chance, however I am not impressed so far and I am very likely going to return to Discount tire and ask them to swap out the tires for the Yokohamas or some Coopers again. I've never exercised my option to exchange tires, but I feel that I am about to cross that bridge here shortly.
Has anyone else had similar experiences with these tires? I feel that at the price that that BFG commands, the tire should leave me with no doubt that I made the right decision. At this point I am feeling like I just married Fran Drescher. Looks good, but when she talks... oh boy.
I started my tire purchase/hunt in search of a set of Yokohama AT4's in 285/75/r18, but none were available in time for my 4hr winter road trip to Sunriver Oregon, so I paid more for a smaller tire and joined the KO3 fan club, or so I thought.
While driving home from Discount tire, I noticed that at 25-35mph speeds, the KO3's had noticeable tire hum. A hum that is higher in pitch than MT's but nearly as loud. My work truck (2018 F150 EB with 20in wheels) also has KO3's and they have been a good quiet AT tire and I do not notice a hum at this speed, but the Ford is not as quiet a cabin as my Ram. The set I purchased for my truck were considerably noisier, and so I thought I would give them time to "break in" and hope that after the road trip they would quiet down a bit. Mind you, the Coopers had been quiet from mile 0, and the factory ORP Falkens on 20in wheels are still a very very quiet AT tire, however I dislike the 20in wheels and factory tire size.
After getting home from our trip my concerns for these tires have not diminished. In fact, after we got in the house from our trip my wife said that she felt like her ears are tired, like she had been in a commercial airliner all day. She has never said anything like this before, and the DT is her preferred roadtrip vehicle over her Wk2 Grand Cherokee(which I quite like driving for long distances). The K03's seemed quieter on the Highway but I am wondering if it was masked by engine noise or wind noise.
Either way, the fact that the tires are noisy in the speed range which I do most of my driving with the vehicle these days(not my DD anymore) is problematic. Performance wise, the tires are great. They are firmer but tolerable. I drove through a lot of rain and freezing rain on the trip and I always felt sure-footed. The BFG's also look fantastic for what that's worth, but from the driver and passenger seats, it's a hit and miss relationship. When coming down long grades at 60-65mph I had to apply the brakes as we entered 35mph speed zones in the small rural communities. Twice I noticed a shimmy in the steering wheel, like I had warped rotors(which I do not). With the family and dog in the cab, and inclement weather, I couldn't perform a lot of brake tests and tire performance tests to replicate the issue, but it's not a coincidence that the shaking happened after the tire swap.
I am going to drive a few more miles on these tires and give them a chance, however I am not impressed so far and I am very likely going to return to Discount tire and ask them to swap out the tires for the Yokohamas or some Coopers again. I've never exercised my option to exchange tires, but I feel that I am about to cross that bridge here shortly.
Has anyone else had similar experiences with these tires? I feel that at the price that that BFG commands, the tire should leave me with no doubt that I made the right decision. At this point I am feeling like I just married Fran Drescher. Looks good, but when she talks... oh boy.
