SEMA 2014: BFGoodrich Blazes New Trails with KO2 Tires

SEMA 2014: BFGoodrich Blazes New Trails with KO2 Tires

Evan Perkins
November 10, 2014
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Kevin Reim of BFGoodrich shows off the company’s entire performance off-road tire lineup.

For off-road excursionists with a quenchless thirst for exploration, having the right tire is paramount.  BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires fill that niche excellently. BFG had them on display at this year’s SEMA show and even let some show-goers romp through a snow-covered track to test the all-weather potency of their newest hides.

IMG_0215The goal of the KO2 was simple, toughness. While its predecessor, the KO1 had exceptional durability, BFG engineers felt there was more to be gained.

“This [tire] is borrowed right from the technology we use in motorsports for the Baja T/A KR2,” said Kevin Reim of BFGoodrich. “That tire was used by Bryce Menzies and he won the [Baja] 500 this summer with it.”

Much of the added strength of the new tires is in the sidewalls. Rock crawling places a heavy load on the sidewall of any tire and inevitably it will make contact with rock, stone, or worse. The KO2 features split and bruise resistant rubber pulled from the KR2, as well as thicker extended shoulder rubber to protect more of the critical sidewall failure zone.

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Bryce Menzies race-winning truck is shod with BFGoodrich KR2 rubber. This is the non-street legal competition tire the KO2 is derived from.

In addition to durability in the worst possible conditions off-road adventuring can muster, BFGoodrich  also wanted customers to get more street life out of their tires. The KO2 offers up to a 20 percent longer tread life than the outgoing KO1. The specially formulated rubber is chip and tear resistant and features an advanced tire footprint shape to better distribute stress –this equates to longer, more uniform tread ware

Make sure to check out BFGoodrich’s website to see their entire lineup of trailblazing tires.