Yokohama Geolander Vs Cooper AT3 Vs BFGoodrich KO2? Challenge with finding size (R18).

[Varun Mehndiratta]

Hi All

Planning to provide new feet to my JLU Sahara.  Key issue i have is that i want to stick to stock rims i have i.e. 18Inch - limiting my options as most brands have limitations in size when it comes to R18. Both 33inch and 34 inch tyres can fit into my vehicle.

Driving Style - Along with being my weekend offroader, its my daily drive as well, So onroad experience matters. However, my average mileage isnt that high. Have done 40K in almost 3 years in my present tyres. No specific plans for Wadi drive (perhaps once in a while).

Looks Preference : Surely like the aggresive look, however, not too concerned about it.  Look vs performance, i will take performance at all times - both onroad and off-road.

Request your advice on below options 

Option 1 : Cooper AT3 (4s or XLT) - They have the biggest tyre size available in R18 - 295/70/R18. However, have heard that its sidewalls arent the best and they arent very reliable tyres. 4S i understand is better than XLT onroad and in sand.

Option 2: BF Goodrich KO2 - Though not many options, could find 275/75/R18 in them. Understand a bit heavy however known for their performance. Looking for direct feedback based on usage. And is it worth going for these while compromising the size vis-a-vis Cooper (lose 1 inch on ht as well as width)

Option 3: Yokohama Geo  - Understand very nice on-road and off-road. Again the size is a challenge best i could find is 275/75/R18. Lightest of the lot. Request advice on is it worth comprising one inch vis-a-vis Cooper. And if better than Cooper (despite size limitation), how they fare compared to BFGs.

Thanks for your advice. 

[Looper]

I have KO2s on my car. Done 60k on them since I bought them in July 2021; a combination of above average amount of off-road driving and on-road and are my daily drivers. Yesterday after the newbie drive while Chatting with @GauravSoni and @Rizwanm2 the matter of upgrading my tires came up and looking at them it seemed they still have 20-30k kms in them.

They have thick side walls and moderately aggressive thred pattern. I choose to have the white labels out and if you need a less conspicuous look then you can go for all black look on them and would match your all black rims as well. Perhaps they are a tad bit heavy but thay make up with their superior grip in sand. 

It is my daily driver. After adding a couple of lights noise is not a problem because after 80kmph all that hear is wind noise. Plus anyways you tend to get used to it.
 

my takeaways are

1. Long lasting.

2. Good grip in sand.

3. Good sidewalk protection

4. Aren’t very noisy in my experience.

[Varun Mehndiratta]

44 minutes ago, Looper said:

I have KO2s on my car. Done 60k on them since I bought them in July 2021; a combination of above average amount of off-road driving and on-road and are my daily drivers. Yesterday after the newbie drive while Chatting with @GauravSoni and @Rizwanm2 the matter of upgrading my tires came up and looking at them it seemed they still have 20-30k kms in them.

They have thick side walls and moderately aggressive thred pattern. I choose to have the white labels out and if you need a less conspicuous look then you can go for all black look on them and would match your all black rims as well. Perhaps they are a tad bit heavy but thay make up with their superior grip in sand. 

It is my daily driver. After adding a couple of lights noise is not a problem because after 80kmph all that hear is wind noise. Plus anyways you tend to get used to it.
 

my takeaways are

1. Long lasting.

2. Good grip in sand.

3. Good sidewalk protection

4. Aren’t very noisy in my experience.

Thanks Looper, whats the size you have been using on them?

[Looper]

I am on 285s

[Karthik Raptor]

+1 for BF KO2s 😎. I agree with @Looper's takeaways. For me, it's slightly noisier on the tarmac but I can live with it (up the music volume)!

Edited October 3, 2022 by Karthik Raptor

[Srikumar]

I would take a slightly different approach, I would swap the 18 inch rims for smaller size, preferably 16 inch rims as a first step. This not only gives better flotation on the sand, but also opens more options to get tyres. 

Next, I would not increase the weight of the tyres any more than existing, especially if you would be using the car mainly for sand offroading wiht minimal rock. Aggressive pattern tyres help during self recovery, but are not great when doing long hill climbs. 

[Looper]

23 minutes ago, Srikumar said:

 

I would take a slightly different approach, I would swap the 18 inch rims for smaller size, preferably 16 inch rims as a first step. This not only gives better flotation on the sand, but also opens more options to get tyres. 

 

He does not want to change his rims, so that’s the bottleneck in his decision making process, limiting the options. 

[Varun Mehndiratta]

5 hours ago, Srikumar said:

I would take a slightly different approach, I would swap the 18 inch rims for smaller size, preferably 16 inch rims as a first step. This not only gives better flotation on the sand, but also opens more options to get tyres. 

Next, I would not increase the weight of the tyres any more than existing, especially if you would be using the car mainly for sand offroading wiht minimal rock. Aggressive pattern tyres help during self recovery, but are not great when doing long hill climbs. 

Limitation on approval of budget from Home Ministry… 🤣 had spent extra to get black rims when i bought my Jeep now have to live till I repay the loan 😃😃

[Rizwanm2]

@varunmehndiratta  i would suggest first you check what size tire will fit in your jeep without any rubbing,  even though you can go upto 34 inch tyres the width will have some rubbing issues. (unless you lift or install spacers).  

im all in for geolanders due to excellent performance, good road comfort and reasonable price. 

 

[Varun Mehndiratta]

Hi @Rizwanm2 I can go up to 35 without rubbing .. that part is checked (mainly as going for lift by 2 inch)