275/70/18 KO3 tires on a Trailhunter - initial review

[tacosinnataco]

I don’t think I would want any more poke. The only thing you can do is take off the crash plate, then you can go to 35 no issues. I used to be a 35-or-die guy but honestly 33.2-33.5 is really plenty and is a nice compromise. They don’t look small and ground clearance is solid. Just my 2 cents.

I meant 285/70/18's btw LOL

As for the offset, I was referring to increasing it to move them inboard. Lowering the offset would move them outboard and would probably cause contact.

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[tacorancher]

I meant 285/70/18's btw LOL

As for the offset, I was referring to increasing it to move them inboard. Lowering the offset would move them outboard and would probably cause contact.

Ah yes, positive offset. But how would that make larger tires easier to fit? You’d probably bump the UCA. The real issue will be the rear of the tire making contact with the crash plate and the mud flap.

That said the wheels all come with slight caster position deltas and you may be able to get 285/70/18s on — typically that’s a 33.7” tire. My own observation is that around ~33.5” is the limit which translates to a “big” 275, and my Falkens are a good example of that.

 

[VermontTaco]

I don’t think I would want any more poke. The only thing you can do is take off the crash plate, then you can go to 35 no issues. I used to be a 35-or-die guy but honestly 33.2-33.5 is really plenty and is a nice compromise. They don’t look small and ground clearance is solid. Just my 2 cents.

Those look great on the TH. Perfect size

 

[Eco-nomadic]

Ah yes, positive offset. But how would that make larger tires easier to fit? You’d probably bump the UCA. The real issue will be the rear of the tire making contact with the crash plate and the mud flap.

That said the wheels all come with slight caster position deltas and you may be able to get 285/70/18s on — typically that’s a 33.7” tire. My own observation is that around ~33.5” is the limit which translates to a “big” 275, and my Falkens are a good example of that.

The stock 17” rims can fit a 34.0” x 10.50” tire without any rubbing but that would be the narrower size allowing that bit more clearance.

The positive offset would help by keeping the tire closer to the body so it wouldn’t swing as wide, potentially rubbing on the crash plate. That being said, the TRD Sport 18” rims with a +55mm offset instead of the +20mm on the Trailhunter still max out at 275/70R18 without potentially rubbing on the crash plate.

 

[Eco-nomadic]

Ah yes, positive offset. But how would that make larger tires easier to fit? You’d probably bump the UCA. The real issue will be the rear of the tire making contact with the crash plate and the mud flap.

This video shows how the positive offset can be beneficial for fitting larger tires.

 

[TacoRyno]

Really liking the KO3's so far. I only have 100 or so miles on them, so this is really an early / high level review. Some context before getting into more details - I live in the northeast in a snowy area, and was considering a few different options in 275/70/18 before settling on the KO3's:

• Ridge Grapplers
• KO3's
• Toyo open country 3's
• Wildpeak A/T 4's

For me, the KO3's represent a great combination of off-road capability, on-road comfort, snow performance and overall appearance. I know that a few of the other options may perform slightly better in the snow (like the Wildpeaks), but after talking with some guys around my area that have tried these tires, everyone agreed that the KO3's were strong enough snow performers.

Because I've had them for less than a week, I haven't had a chance to get them too dirty yet, but I expect they will perform well. More to come later once I get off-road.

On-road driving is good and getting better now that I've dialed in the psi. The installer set my tire pressure on the high side and a bit random - I had one at 44, one at 39, and two at 42. The initial ride felt generally good, but with some vibration and bouncing at various speeds. A little rough out of the gate TBH. I brought them down to 37 and the on-road ride feel really improved, nearly the same as the stock wranglers. I'd like to go a bit lower and likely will when we get more snow.

Acceleration seems about the same. I'm not too far past break-in, so I wasn't really hitting it hard before the swap so not the best comparison. But living and driving between 2-3K feet in elevation everyday, the turbo seems to be doing its job well. Not much different from stock so far.

Coasting on the highway seems about the same, not a lot of deceleration when laying off the gas. I still need to better measure MPG, I assume it will be slightly worse by 2-3 MPG.

I did ask the shop to see if this size would fit in the spare compartment, but they weren't able to. This is snow tire swap season, and these guys are working like crazy so I didn't want to push them.

Overall appearance? I really love how they look. This size seems to be the right fit for TH's. But that's just my thinking, opinions may vary. Pics below.

The THs bronze wheels are so freaking sweet. Thanks for the close ups!

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