BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 Tyre to be available in Malaysia in October – successor to iconic KO2 made in Thailand

To say the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 has been long-awaited is an understatement. That’s because its predecessor – the legendary all-terrain (AT) tire the KO2 – has been around for a decade now. As with iconic cars, it’s hard to replace an icon.

But nothing lasts forever without improvement, and with the new KO3, BFG has retained the strengths of the KO2 and improved on areas where rivals have caught up. BFG recently held a hands-on preview event for the Asia Pacific region in Brisbane, where the new tyres were fitted to a series of one-tonne pick-up trucks and tested at Sirromet, a vineyard and event venue in the southeast of Australia’s third most populous city.

BFG has summarized the KO3’s improvements into 3Ts – durability, traction and tread wear. For durability, the KO3 features CoreGard Technology and an advanced offset design for enhanced sidewall strength. Excellent traction is provided by an updated serrated shoulder design and mud bar for better traction in mud.

Last but certainly not least (since the KO2 isn’t exactly known for its durability) is tread wear. BFG has developed a new tread compound that’s more durable and long-lasting, even on gravel, along with optimized bonded tread elements for even wear over the long haul.

There are three driving workshops designed to show off the KO3’s strengths, as much as possible for a one-day event. ‘Toughness Built to Overcome’ sees us driving over an off-road course of slate hills, gullies, rock gardens and slippery slopes. My guide tells me that picturesque Sirromet no longer produces wine on site, making it a popular spot for launching trucks and 4x4s.

In the ‘Traction & Treadwear’ section, they showcased the KO3’s durability and performance through braking on dirt, acceleration in mud, and tread wear under acceleration.

Finally, ‘All-Terrain On-Road & Off-Road’ takes us on gravel and a short stretch of tarmac. The public road section is short (and certainly the least interesting of the exercises); however, it’s still useful for demonstrating the KO3’s vastly improved road manners.

The KO2 – and all-terrain tyres in general – aren’t exactly quiet on tarmac, but the KO3 is quite polite – I expected and would happily accept a bit of road noise given its aggressive tread (this is a really aggressive tyre, and for the price I’d go for the white lettering) and off-road capabilities, but the KO3 really surprises in this regard.

We then turned off the tarmac and onto the off-road track for some light off-roading, water crossings and rough terrain.

To be honest, this was ‘nothing’ to our Ford Ranger and BFG KO3 after the previous ‘endurance’ exercise, but my instructor for this leg (an 18-year-old girl who is legally required to wear a P-label, but races an open-wheel Formula!) explained that this was to simulate what a person with regular AT tyres would do – drive to a campsite that was still fairly accessible – as opposed to actual off-road driving. Made perfect sense, just like the KO3.

With the tagline ‘Legendary Durability. More Durable’, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 off-road tyre will be launched in our region in September and will be available in Malaysia from October. This time, BFG’s AT tyres will be produced in Thailand for our region of the world, covering popular sizes for trucks and SUVs in Asia.

More information about BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 as it nears its launch date in the Vietnamese market.

PHOTO GALLERY: BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 Brisbane Area Launch

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