The successor to the wildly popular KO2 promises better wear, improved gravel durability, and enhanced snow traction. After 3,000 miles of testing through mud, snow, and rough terrain, we evaluate whether BFGoodrich’s latest all-terrain lives up to its legendary predecessor.
BFGoodrich invented all-terrain tires back in 1976. The company (named for company founder, Benjamin Franklin Goodrich) introduced the Radial All-Terrain T/A for blasting around the desert. Since then, it’s had three more iterations, including the wildly popular KO2, which debuted in 2014.
In fact, I’ve had KO2s on three different vehicles. When the LT215/75R15 KO2s were ready to be replaced on our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek, I reached out to BFG about the KO3s, and they sent a set for review and testing.
KO2 vs KO3: The differences
With each KO (“key off-road”) all-terrain iteration, there were improvements, and that’s the case with the latest KO3s. According to the company, the KO3s provide better wear performance, higher durability on gravel, and increased snow traction versus the outgoing tire.
This is while maintaining the things buyers liked about the KO2, such as tough sidewalls and a rugged look.
The KO3s have a redesigned tread pattern helping to achieve some of the aforementioned traits. While the lugs look similar, they are different. You can see the shapes are not the same, and there are more sipes.
The KO3 has a different rubber compound than the KO2s as well. This is designed to help increase the gravel road durability and snow traction. In fact, after doing the 7,100+ mile TransAmerica Trail on KO2s in a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness, we noticed they were pretty chewed up.
BFG says the KO3s will fare better on gravel. Like the KO2s, the KO3s have serrated shoulders and mud-phobic bars helping this all-terrain do as well as possible in stickier mud.
I can tell you that, as my KO2s wear, they got louder, and that was the case with the tires on our Subaru. While we have KO2s on two other 4x4s, those vehicles are loud to begin with. The Subie is quieter and you could hear the road noise more.
BFGoodrich KO3 On-Road Traits
First off, the KO3s look great. They continue BFGoodrich’s tradition of making aggressive-looking all-terrain tires. They are not lightweight, but they’ve always been exceptionally durable.
As mentioned, I could tell from leaving the tire shop on the KO3s that they were quieter than the KO2s. We had racked up 30,000 miles on the KO2s on our Subie, and still had plenty of tread, by the way.
The first part of our testing was on pavement. We logged 1,000+ miles on the tires, and my reality was validated: they’re quieter than the KO2s.
The other thing I noticed? Better wet traction. I was able to fairly easily induce understeer with the 215mm-wide KO2 on the Crosstrek, but the KO3s tended to grip better in the wet.
KO3 In the Snow and Ice
We took our ’22 Crosstrek up to British Columbia for the 2026 Thunderbird Rally, a multi-day time-speed-distance event. Usually, this event features hundreds of miles of snow-covered backroads.
This year? Only a few; the rest was dirt, gravel, and mud. However, the KO3s did a good job in what snow there was.
They’re 3PMS (3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rated), so they’re going to provide improved traction vs. a M+S (Mud and Snow) tire, but not as good as a dedicated winter tire. We had an icy stage as well, and we were able to successfully keep the car out of the ditch.
However, studded winter tires would’ve been the right tools for that job. Overall, I’d say the KO3s are as good as the KO2s in the snow, but we didn’t get tons of snow testing.
Slaying it in the Slop
While the snow was lacking, the dirt and mud wasn’t. This is where the KO3s really shined. We did countless miles of rough, pothole-strewn dirt tracks with puddles and muddy conditions. The KO3s ate it up. The improved all-terrains offered scads of grip and chewed through the muck.
Handling on the dirt, gravel, mud, and slop was predictable and confidence inspiring. Our performance on the ice wasn’t great, but we slayed it in the slop. The tires were very impressive here.
Weightier Rubber
The KO3s aren’t lightweight, but they’re not the heaviest option either. The LT215/75R15 KO3 we tested weighs 34 lbs. per tire, up from 32 lbs. on the KO2 in the same size.
By comparison, the same size Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 are just 30.9 lbs., the Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme and Kumho Road Venture A/T 52 are also 34 lbs., although the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W in LT is a hefty 37.5 lbs.
Weight might not be a concern on bigger, more powerful rigs, but smaller vehicles, such as our Subaru, can have their performance affected by heavy tires.
To combat this, we utilize lighter-weight wheels by Reika to help keep rotating mass in check.
A Substantial Sequel
BFGoodrich has done a solid job with the KO3. The new compound and revised tread blocks have proved their worth over the first 3,000 miles we’ve put on them. We’ll be interested to see how the gravel road durability stacks up over time. But if you liked the KO2s, you’ll like the KO3s.
Tires aren’t something to skimp on, and BFGoodrich continues to be at the forefront of the all-terrain-class, even 50 years later.
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