Head-to-head Updated

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 1,586 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–71

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BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2

All-Terrain T/A KO2

All-Terrain tire

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 73 · 1,586 reviews

“I like mine so much I'm on my second set. I got 55k out of my first set (could have got another 10k but started to get a little noisy). Exact tire you have (265/70-17 C load) on a 2018 4Runner.”

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 72

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +7
    79
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online7484

    All-Terrain T/A KO2: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.5 = 72

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    No road tests of dry for All-Terrain T/A KO2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 70

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +12
    82
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online7086

    All-Terrain T/A KO2: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 70

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

    No road tests of wet for All-Terrain T/A KO2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Snow

    Level
    74
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7677

    All-Terrain T/A KO2: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.9 = 74

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for All-Terrain T/A KO2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 69

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6978

    All-Terrain T/A KO2: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 68.5 = 69

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for All-Terrain T/A KO2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online72–

    All-Terrain T/A KO2: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 71.9 = 69

    No road tests of noise for All-Terrain T/A KO2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +7
    80
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)75
    Reviews found online7786

    All-Terrain T/A KO2: 60% × 70.1 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 73

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80

    No road tests of treadwear for All-Terrain T/A KO2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 66

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +16
    82
    Why this score
    SourceAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online6682
Scores at a glance
BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 71 79
Dry 72 79
Wet 70 82
Snow 74 74
Comfort 69 75
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 73 80
Handling (owners) 66 82

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

All-Terrain T/A KO2

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryAll-Terrain T/A KO2Defender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #6/5 2025 Wybór Kierowców Off Road Tire Test R18 #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A All-Terrain T/A KO2

Pros

  • Exceptional off-road traction and puncture resistance on rocks, gravel, and dirt
  • Aggressive, rugged aesthetics that enhance the look of trucks and SUVs
  • Impressive tread longevity and high mileage capabilities

Cons

  • Reduced grip and slippery performance in wet conditions, rain, and standing water
  • Rubber tends to harden over time, negatively impacting cold-weather and ice traction
  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
All owner themes in the All-Terrain T/A KO2 review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability, often exceeding 60,000 miles
  • Smooth, quiet, and comfortable highway ride quality
  • Strong traction and secure handling in wet, dry, and moderate snow conditions

Cons

  • High initial purchase price compared to competitors
  • Subpar off-road performance, specifically struggling in mud, sand, and loose gravel
  • Limited ice performance compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2

Positive

Community sentiment toward the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 is largely positive, with drivers frequently praising its aggressive styling, tough sidewalls, off-road durability, and solid general performance. Many owners report capable handling in snow, though several emphasize that it cannot replace a dedicated winter tire and can struggle on ice or packed snow. Criticisms center on high pricing, added weight hurting fuel economy, mud packing, occasional tread chunking, and difficulties with balancing causing highway vibrations.

fordtremor.com ·3 upvotes ·2024-09-04

“I’ve got KO2s on a 4Runner currently, and have ran 10 other sets in the past. Installed these KO3s on a GMC Sierra 1500 a couple months ago, and I’m up to 12K miles on them so far and adding another 3K miles to that this week. Also running Mickey Thomson Baja Boss ATs on my Tremor currently with about 12K on them as well. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the KO2s durability, overall wear, and mileage on lighter vehicles such as half tons and the 4Runner. I haven’t been happy with them on HD trucks though. Traction isn’t as good on heavy vehicles off pavement, and mileage sucks. So far the KO3 has better wet pavement traction, so the same great traction off road on a lighter truck, and seems to be even quieter. We’ll see what I think I’m another 60K miles. I have yet to get less than 80K on a set of KO2s on a half ton, so I’m hoping the KO3 will do the same. The Mickeys have been a great tire for now. I’m not sure how well they’ll wear though. It seems to be noticeable tire wear already at 12K miles. However wet weather traction and snow has been fantastic. Minimal noise for a tire this aggressive. I’m just not convinced I’ll make it past 40K miles with them.”

ramforum.com ·1 upvote ·2018-10-01

“I really like my KO2s. Great traction in wet/dry/gravel/dirt conditions, not noisy on the pavement, they wear very evenly and my current set is coming up on 32K miles. The tires had 15/32" tread depth when new, I'm down to about 8/32" left, minimum tread is 4/32" so they're good for a little while yet. Won't hesitate to buy another set when the time comes.”

jeeprenegadeforum.com ·2018-03-03

“FWIW, I had the same 18s that you have and went to a 16" Vision Cross wheel and wrapped them in 225/70 KO2s. I weighed the stock wheels and the new wheels and the new set is only 2 pounds heavier than stock at most. I don't notice much acceleration loss, but I really don't beat on my jeep either. I did notice a little "hum" once I'm going 30mph but it's nothing annoying at all and I don't even hear it anymore. I have also carefully measured MPGs with both set ups and I have not lost anything. This is calculated MPG, not just what the computer says and I do add an additional 2.5% due to the increase in tire circumference. My avg is 25.1 (25.73 when adding the 2.5%) and my commute is 75% hwy and 25% local. I was afraid to get the KO2s because of added weight, tire noise and mpg loss, but I was afraid for nothing. Just my 2 cents, but I remember reading most people talk about how bad things would be with these tires. I'm glad I listened to those who said mpg loss would be minimal at most. Mike”

Top themes
#aggressive look#winter and snow traction#sidewall durability#balancing and vibrations#road noise levels#fuel economy impact#tread wear life

Based on 395 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available49—
Rim diameters15″ – 20″—
Tread depth13 - 15/32″—
UTQG—720 - 800 B A
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Raised White Lettering—
Max pressure35 - 80 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 66 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 72 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 73 on treadwear.

Tire A · BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2
Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S

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All-Terrain T/A KO2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, All-Terrain T/A KO2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, All-Terrain T/A KO2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 72 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, All-Terrain T/A KO2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, All-Terrain T/A KO2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 69 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, All-Terrain T/A KO2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 73 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology