There are two different KO2 tread compounds one is 3 peaks rated but no mileage warranty and one labeled (DT) is not 3 peaks but does have a 50K mile warranty. Wildpeaks offer both the 3 peaks rating and a mileage warranty.
That's pretty cool!
I think I have an answer on why that is. In these LT rated tires they have 2 concerns, having a tire hard enough or strong enough that the side walls are rigid, enough so to support the 3/4 ton trucks that will often be using these E rated tires when under load or towing. (It's usually 3/4ton trucks using these, in addition to Jeepers airing down)
On the other hand there's the rubber compound equation that effects the traction on the road. I believe if they over do it on the hardness, while the side walls are more durable and it takes longer to wear out, the wet traction is not as good. The "softercrubber has better wet traction in the cold.
I did an absolute ****ton of reading with my original ram rebel, because I absolutely hated the toyo open country AT2 tires. In even a mild rain storm they became very slippery once it got cold enough. Again wasn't necessarily just the rain, it had to be rainy AND cold.
And I mean I would have the truck in 4 wheel drive at a stoplight, and all 4 tires would initially spin. If a hill was steep? I could be going slow enough that i almost got hit by a compact car behind me, I was being that Ginger on the gas pedal trying to climb the hill, and the rear tires slipped again anyway. I was so frustrated, I did not buy a 4x4 off road truck to have problems in a basic rainstorm, or to have the have conversations myself about, "oh hey it's raining today, do I need several hundred pounds of weight in the back?" Absolutely unacceptable. To this day that's the only tire I will never recommend, never use again, and wouldn't let a friend use.
(Again due to the rubber compounds and I believe the ingredient in particular is silica, this is apparently less of a concern in the P-rated tires in the smaller vehicles.)
After that I upgraded to the BF Goodrich KO2s. and as the same driver with the same truck on the same roads at the same speeds in the same conditions, I had no such problems. In fact at times I would almost try to break traction in the same conditions where I absolutely would have flown off the road, and I couldn't do it.
However people often complain about the KO2 tires if they have a big 3/4 ton truck, saying that the sidewalls are a little mushy, and that they didn't last very long. (Note that in the P rated tires, a lot of Toyota 4runner guys and Tacoma guys and Jeep guys that aren't running the E rated kind with a payload consideration, do not complain about the side walls at all. They all swear up-and-down it's absolutely fine. It becomes a bigger concern for the heavy duty trucks.)
To me that suggests a soft rubber, which has to do with a trade off with the silica compound in the tire.
Finding out that there are 2 different versions of the tire in each with a specialization on either longer lasting
or better wet traction? To me confirms my theory. Thank you for posting that
I think the Falken AT3W tires are freaking awesome, I think they only have the one drawback: weight, at least that's my understanding. They are aheavy tire for what they are. But they've got a lot of pluses worth looking at.
For me personally I think the BF Goodrich KO2 is the best for my uses, I think traction is everything, having almost slid off the road, I'm a die hard on that, and I personally would accept shorter life in a trade off with traction.
