DuraTrac vs KO2: Which One is Better?

While there are many different types of all-terrain tires on the market, there are two tires that will appear often in any serious discussion about determining the best of them. You have the BF Goodrich KO2 and the Goodyear DuraTrac.

It isn’t a surprise that so many people talk about these two tires. Both of them are excellent at what they do, and if you put these on just about any vehicle that is destined to be driven off-road, then you are going to end up with two tires that are more than happy to deal with anything that you are willing to throw at them. 

Of course, despite each of these tires being brilliant, each excels in a slightly different area. In this DurTrac vs KO2 review, we want to give you a comparison between these off-road tire models. Hopefully, we will be able to help you to determine which one is going to be the best choice for you and your vehicle.


Terrain 

Since these are both all-terrain tires, you would think that they are capable of tackling well every single type of surface, right? Well, no. They aren’t. As with all all-terrain tires, both the DuraTrac and the KO2 are tires designed to tackle both on-road and off-road driving reasonably well. 

If you are looking to drive only on-road or only off-road, then neither of these tires are for you, nor are these tires going to be for you if you are planning to drive in the harshest of off-road conditions. We suppose that you could say that they are decent general-purpose tires.

Both of the tires are capable of tackling the following without any issues:

  • Mud
  • Snow
  • Paved surfaces
  • Rocky surfaces

However, as you go through our comparison between the DuraTrac vs KO2, you will start to realize that the DuraTrac has been designed for those people that swing heavily towards the off-road experience, and the KO2 is more for those that will be spending their time on-road with a dash of off-roading thrown in for good measure.

Durability

Commenting on the durability of these tires is somewhat difficult. Both the DuraTrac and KO2 are tires that are going to last you an exceedingly long time. We are talking tens of thousands of miles before you even need to entertain the idea of replacing either of them. 

We do, however, feel that you would be able to squeeze a little bit more life out of the DuraTrac tires. Their tread design helps to spread the weight of the vehicle over the tires a little bit more evenly. This helps to slow down the wear and tear. It seems that their construction is slightly tougher too.

To be honest, there isn’t really that much in it. While most people report that the DuraTrac tires are able to last a little bit longer than the KO2 options, we are talking a couple of thousand miles at the most. This is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Not when you are easily going to be squeezing 70,000 to 80,000 miles out of both of these tires before they start to wear down.

If you are spending your time mostly driving off-road, then the DuraTrac option is the better option by far. These tires do seem to be more resistant to bruising and splitting when they are having countless small stones and rocks hurled at them as they zip through off-road terrain. Although, we do feel that the KO2 can probably cope with the lighter off-road terrain with barely a scratch on them.

On-Road Driving

If you are spending most of your time on paved surfaces, with only a dash of off-roading thrown in, then the KO2 is the choice here. Well, except in one situation, which we will come to shortly. 

On smooth roads, the KO2’s tread does a slightly better job of maintaining continual contact with the road. Many people remark at just how smooth the driving experience feels when they have a set of KO2s attached to their vehicle. These are incredibly responsive tires, and it is a true joy to drive them over many, many miles of Highway.

Don’t get us wrong, the DuraTrac is still good for paved surfaces. They will get you from Point A to Point B. However, the deeper tread of the tires means that the experience is not quite as smooth nor responsive. They are a bit noisier, and they vibrate more. This means that the comfort levels are a touch lower.

Off-Road Driving

Off-Road driving is where the DuraTrac tires thrive.

As we have said previously, the DuraTrac tires have an aggressive sidewall. This is coupled with deep treads and self-cleaning shoulder blocks. You want all three of these when you are driving off-road.

Whether you are driving through thick mud or heavily graveled or rocky surfaces, the DuraTrac tires are going to cut through like a hot knife in butter. The thicker treads and the self-cleaning shoulder blocks will toss any of that road surface that gets in its way to one side. Nothing is going to slow the DuraTrac tires down.

Of course, the KO2 tires are still going to be able to perform reasonably well off-road. They are still all-terrain tires. However, many people do find that their slightly shallower tread means that they do not have quite as much grip when the going gets a little bit rougher, particularly in terms of mud and heavy rock. They will still get you to where you need to be, just a bit slower. 

In rare cases of thick mud, you may even find that the vehicle gets stuck a little bit. Although, we must stress that this is rare. They are still good off-road tires.

Heavily Rocky Areas

Duratrac vs KO2: Which One is Better?

Once you start to travel onto surfaces that are laden with bulky rocks, then the DuraTrac tires are pretty much going to be your only choice here. While the KO2 tires can cope with some heavily rocky areas on occasion, they don’t have as much grip which means that both you and your vehicle are going to need to be working a little bit harder than normal.

The DuraTrac tires are able to climb over rocky areas with virtually no slippage. You will barely feel as if your vehicle has to work for it, those tires are going to be providing that much grip.

However, once again, we do have to point out that neither of these tires are going to be that great for navigating vast landscapes of rock and mud. They are not full-blown off-roading tires. 

Rain Driving

For rain driving, particularly on paved surfaces, the KO2 is going to be the better choice.

The increased contact that the KO2 tires have with the road helps in wet weather. The extra contact will help to reduce slippage, even if there is heavy rain flowing underneath the tire. While you will, of course, have to slow down a little bit when the rain gets a little bit too heavy, most people report that they are still able to travel at a faster speed than they were able to do so with the DuraTrac tires on their vehicle.

If it is raining and you are driving off-road through thicker mud, then the DuraTrac tires are going to be the better option. As we said before, they are able to cut through mud without any issues. In fact, many people have reported that the DuraTrac tires have managed to get through incredibly thick mud with ease.

Therefore, if you live in a place that gets a lot of rain, and most of your driving is carried out on paved surfaces, then you need the KO2 tires. They are functionally better there. However, if there is a lot of rain and your driving is carried out off-road, then opt for the DuraTracs. 

Snow Driving

There seems to be a lack of consensus about which of these tires will be better for snow driving. Every driver seems to give a slightly different answer here. We feel that is likely down to the fact that they are each slightly better for a different type of snow driving.

The KO2 seems to be the best option when it is lightly snowing. If the surface you are driving on has a light lining of freshly fallen snow, then the KO2 is going to be providing you with the right amount of grip, much in the same way that it thrives when it comes to driving in the rain.

Once that snow starts to get a little bit deeper or slushier, then the DuraTrac will be the superior choice. The deeper treads and the slightly more aggressively patterned sidewalls help to ensure superior grip, no matter how snow-laden those roads start to become.

If you live in an area with heavy snowfall at certain times of the year, then we feel as if the DuraTrac is going to be your only choice here. However, if you live in a place that doesn’t get more than a small flurry of snow every now and then, you should be fine with the KO2.

Noise

If noise is going to be a huge concern for you, then the KO2 is the better choice. When hurtling down the Highway, they seem to make a little bit less noise. Now, don’t get us wrong. They are still all-terrain tires which means that they are going to be somewhat louder than your average set of tires, but still far quieter than the DuraTrac.

Vibration

The same goes for vibration. The KO2 tires tend to vibrate a little bit less when you are on paved surfaces. For most people, this is probably not going to be a huge issue. It is only a small amount of vibration. However, if you are looking for the most comfortable of driving experiences, then you want to try and keep that vibration to the minimum, and the KO2 tires really help with that.

Fuel Efficiency 

Duratrac vs KO2: Which One is Better?

While we doubt this is going to be a huge concern for most of the readers of this page, we do want to point out that the KO2 tires offer slightly better fuel efficiency on the road. Well, on paved surfaces.

This is due to that shallower, less-aggressive tread. 

It offers slightly less resistance on the road. This, of course, means that the vehicle is not going to have to work as hard to propel itself forward. While it is probably only going to be a small increase in fuel efficiency in a single journey, those savings may start to stack up over the lifespan of the tire.

As we said, for most people this isn’t going to be that much of a concern. You want a tire that can perform, not one that is going to save you a couple of cents in fuel here and there. Although, this may be the one are that swings it for you. If you were teetering on the edge of buying a KO2 anyway, and the increased fuel efficiency helped you to make that final decision.

Conclusion

There is no denying that when it comes to DuraTrac and KO2 tires, you have two brilliant options available to you. Both will function brilliantly on a car or truck that is looking for some quality all-terrain tires. However, we feel that each of them is going to be better suited for a specific job.

If you are planning on spending most of your time speeding along the highway, particularly when it is raining, then the KO2 tires are going to be the superior choice here. These are low-vibration, low noise tires.

If most of your time is going to be spent tackling off-road surfaces, particularly those lined with loose stone or heavy mud, then the Goodyear DuraTrac tires are the choice for you. They are also going to be the far better option for those people that may be spending a lot of time driving in snowier conditions.

Brent
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