BFG KO2 265/60/18

[Mike57]

My compomotive rims arrived 2 weeks ago and I fitted the BFG KO2's in 265/60/18. They are more noisier then the original HT's but only just. I have noticed that they also provide a softer ride.

I have them at 40 PSI all round at present and seeing a 4psi rise around town. I might take them up to 42PSI for long trips. Does anyone else have experience with pressures in this tyre and size?

I also had to remove the paint from the inside hub of the compomotives to get them on comfortably. Mine were repainted silver. I can vouch for the toughness of the paint that Gordon uses. Has anyone else had to do this?

[LandyAndy]

Thanks Mike,I WAS happy with the colour of my Compomotives.First silver set Ive seen,they look AWESOME:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:: cool::cool:
Andrew

[sctsprin]

I use 42 front, 44 rear unloaded and up to 47 on the rear when loaded

[Mike57]

Thanks for that. I went from 40 PSI to 42 PSI all round today to see what the ride was like and I still saw a 4 PSI rise on all four wheels. I was thinking 46 PSI was a bit high but the ride was still OK. Thanks for the info.

[Garfield]

Hi Mike, I tell you a story. I took my D4 to the tyre shop about a week ago with a brand new set of compomotive wheels ( in their box ) to the local tyre place to put a set of Ko2 on and fit to the car. I walk to a coffee shop near by to fill in the time and get a call from the tyre shop stating the new rims do not fit the wheel hubs.( heart drops to my stomach ). I tell the tyre shop to try again , as they are specially designed for D4 and came all the way from UK. He rings back again and states they miss fitting by 1 mm. I tell him to use a bit of emery paper on the inside of the wheel where hub fits.


Bobs your uncle they fitted, albeit tightly on to the hub ( with torgue wrench ). Anyway I too expected the Ko2 to not be quite as noisy as they are on tarmac - especially on overrun between 60 down to 45km/h. They also did a 4 wheel alignment when they fitted the new wheels and tyres.

[ramblingboy42]

Mike 57 I had a set of Khumo Kl71 muddies on my d2.

Ran them highway and town at 46psi all round.

as soon as I hit dirt I ran at 25psi and lower to 15psi when required.

the wear was perfect on all 4 , I took them off when blocks started to get hard and noisy and my daughter drove on them for 18mths in her triton.

So dont be scared to run your muddies a little higher. Just keep an eye on the wear.....you can feel it with the palm of your hand if it gets out of whack.

[Mike57]

Garfield

Was that before or after you read my note? You will find that your 18 inch rims might be stuck on the hub if he did not remove enough paint. I removed all the paint (about 1mm) from the inside of the hub and added some copper grease and they fit fine. Before that when I did a trial fit just tightening the wheel on with the wheel nuts I had to use a lot of force on the rubber hammer to remove the wheel. If yours were forced on make sure you carry a hammer to remove them if you get a flat. Best to remove all the paint. If taking them off yourself be careful not to knock off the wheel weights from the front. There is not a lot of clearance.

Mike

[Mike57]

Mike 57 I had a set of Khumo Kl71 muddies on my d2.

Ran them highway and town at 46psi all round.

as soon as I hit dirt I ran at 25psi and lower to 15psi when required.

the wear was perfect on all 4 , I took them off when blocks started to get hard and noisy and my daughter drove on them for 18mths in her triton.

So dont be scared to run your muddies a little higher. Just keep an eye on the wear.....you can feel it with the palm of your hand if it gets out of whack.


Thanks for that info.

[Garfield]

Thanks for the advice Mike. I will check the inside of the wheels when I do the next wheel rotation in 5,000km :)

[Hogarthde]

My D3 manual recommends no rotation, and now have 100,000 on the front with BFG AT.

[pjcd4]

My compomotive rims arrived 2 weeks ago and I fitted the BFG KO2's in 265/60/18. They are more noisier then the original HT's but only just. I have noticed that they also provide a softer ride.

I have them at 40 PSI all round at present and seeing a 4psi rise around town. I might take them up to 42PSI for long trips. Does anyone else have experience with pressures in this tyre and size?

I also had to remove the paint from the inside hub of the compomotives to get them on comfortably. Mine were repainted silver. I can vouch for the toughness of the paint that Gordon uses. Has anyone else had to do this?
I've ordered my Compomotive rims and in trying to choose the tyres. I've shortlisted the BFG KO2's. Any thoughts or recommendations? How are they wearing on and off road? I'm looking for something that will handle Lithgow trails, Vic high country, Sand etc.

Thanks

[cjc_td5]

Hi Mike.
Have you got a good pic of the wheels in silver (on a white D4)? If I ever went the Compomotive way I would get them painted to match the OEM wheel colour, as I just can't bring myself to go to the black (or dark grey) wheel brigade.. :):)

Cheers,
Chris


My compomotive rims arrived 2 weeks ago and I fitted the BFG KO2's in 265/60/18. They are more noisier then the original HT's but only just. I have noticed that they also provide a softer ride.

I have them at 40 PSI all round at present and seeing a 4psi rise around town. I might take them up to 42PSI for long trips. Does anyone else have experience with pressures in this tyre and size?

I also had to remove the paint from the inside hub of the compomotives to get them on comfortably. Mine were repainted silver. I can vouch for the toughness of the paint that Gordon uses. Has anyone else had to do this?

[LRD414]

I've shortlisted the BFG KO2's. Any thoughts or recommendations? How are they wearing on and off road? I'm looking for something that will handle Lithgow trails, Vic high country, Sand etc.
So far I'm very happy with mine in 265/60/R18 (~7,000km).
There is a resonant type hum between 50 & 60kph particularly on overrun but I don't find the noise to be intrusive or annoying.
The Bridgestone D697s were less noiser until quite worn & then they were similar for noise.

Traction on the tracks around Lithgow & some local tracks has been excellent in the dry. Pressures at 26/28.
I have no experience in the wet on them yet, other than wet bitumen on which they have been fine.

Too early to say regarding wear long-term but signs are good so far.
For around the city and long trips I have been running 40/42 and sometimes 40/44

Regards,
Scott

[LRD414]

I removed all the paint (about 1mm) from the inside of the hub and added some copper grease and they fit fine.
Mike, I would remove the copper grease and use a nickel-based product instead.
Copper doesn't go well with alloy and over time it's possible you'll get galling between hub and wheel.
There is a lot of conflicting info about this but I think easy enough to use nickel or even lanolin grease to avoid any risk.

And also more photos of the silver compomotives please. You don't see too many ....

Regards,
Scott

[PJR]

I've ordered my Compomotive rims and in trying to choose the tyres. I've shortlisted the BFG KO2's. Any thoughts or recommendations? How are they wearing on and off road? I'm looking for something that will handle Lithgow trails, Vic high country, Sand etc.

Thanks

I am thinking of Cooper ST Maxx 265/60 18 to go on my new Compomotive rims. Has anyone got an opinion on them
Cheers
Peter

[Smcconnell]

So far I'm very happy with mine in 265/60/R18 (~7,000km).
There is a resonant type hum between 50 & 60kph particularly on overrun but I don't find the noise to be intrusive or annoying.
The Bridgestone D697s were less noiser until quite worn & then they were similar for noise.

Traction on the tracks around Lithgow & some local tracks has been excellent in the dry. Pressures at 26/28.
I have no experience in the wet on them yet, other than wet bitumen on which they have been fine.

Too early to say regarding wear long-term but signs are good so far.
For around the city and long trips I have been running 40/42 and sometimes 40/44

Regards,
Scott

Hey Scott,

Can I ask - why did you decide to go with 265/60/18 and not 265/65/18?

Steven

[BrianElloy]

Hey Scott,

Can I ask - why did you decide to go with 265/60/18 and not 265/65/18?

Steven

good question. same question from me.

[BrianElloy]

i noticed on tyresales.com.au that the KO2's come in 2 different load ratings - 117 and 122 - and for marginal differences in price.

would going the higher load rating make any material difference in sidewall strength? any other reasons why this would be a factor to consider?

cheers
Brian

[LRD414]

Hey Scott,

Can I ask - why did you decide to go with 265/60/18 and not 265/65/18?

Steven
Hi mate, thinking of joining the fat tyre brigade hey.

For me, there were three reasons:
- zero rubbing in any situation or issues if vehicle drops to bump stops
- fit a fully inflated spare under vehicle
- stay close enough to factory size (775 vs 763 OD) to use one 19" as a 2nd spare in an emergency situation

I've since learnt that the bump stop issue is for older models anyway and I believe the later model bump stop would prevent locking of the wheel in the wheel well with 265/65/R18. However, at the time this wasn't clear and I suppose still isn't in that I haven't seen it tested definitively.

The deflated spare is not a show-stopper just a bit painful.

I have tested the 19" 2nd spare scenario and no errors thrown but not something I would run long-term. However, I am now favouring sourcing a cheap 18" rim and having the 2nd spare as a properly matching diameter to the main five, so that reason becomes somewhat redundant.

Since my selection I have been offroad with friends who run 265/65/R18 KO2s and I haven't detected any real world difference. Of course they have slightly better clearance and slightly better sidewall height so there will eventually be a situation where they are better off but not to date. Neither size stops cosmetic wheel damage.

What would I choose next time? Not sure really. Bigger is better in some ways but there doesn't seem to be much in it in my experience.

Cheers,
Scott

[scarry]

Hi mate, thinking of joining the fat tyre brigade hey.

For me, there were three reasons:
- zero rubbing in any situation or issues if vehicle drops to bump stops
- fit a fully inflated spare under vehicle
- stay close enough to factory size (775 vs 763 OD) to use one 19" as a 2nd spare in an emergency situation

I've since learnt that the bump stop issue is for older models anyway and I believe the later model bump stop would prevent locking of the wheel in the wheel well with 265/65/R18. However, at the time this wasn't clear and I suppose still isn't in that I haven't seen it tested definitively.

The deflated spare is not a show-stopper just a bit painful.

I have tested the 19" 2nd spare scenario and no errors thrown but not something I would run long-term. However, I am now favouring sourcing a cheap 18" rim and having the 2nd spare as a properly matching diameter to the main five, so that reason becomes somewhat redundant.

Since my selection I have been offroad with friends who run 265/65/R18 KO2s and I haven't detected any real world difference. Of course they have slightly better clearance and slightly better sidewall height so there will eventually be a situation where they are better off but not to date. Neither size stops cosmetic wheel damage.

What would I choose next time? Not sure

Cheers,really. Bigger is better in some ways but there doesn't seem to be much in it in my experience.
Scott

Thats the reason i stayed with 265/60/18 as well.
Also deflated spare can be a PITA,at times.

Each to their own,what ever suits i recon.

[rar110]

Your more likely to find a 265/60/18 if you needed one in a hurry outside a capital city.

[Smcconnell]

Hi mate, thinking of joining the fat tyre brigade hey.

For me, there were three reasons:
- zero rubbing in any situation or issues if vehicle drops to bump stops
- fit a fully inflated spare under vehicle
- stay close enough to factory size (775 vs 763 OD) to use one 19" as a 2nd spare in an emergency situation

I've since learnt that the bump stop issue is for older models anyway and I believe the later model bump stop would prevent locking of the wheel in the wheel well with 265/65/R18. However, at the time this wasn't clear and I suppose still isn't in that I haven't seen it tested definitively.

The deflated spare is not a show-stopper just a bit painful.

I have tested the 19" 2nd spare scenario and no errors thrown but not something I would run long-term. However, I am now favouring sourcing a cheap 18" rim and having the 2nd spare as a properly matching diameter to the main five, so that reason becomes somewhat redundant.

Since my selection I have been offroad with friends who run 265/65/R18 KO2s and I haven't detected any real world difference. Of course they have slightly better clearance and slightly better sidewall height so there will eventually be a situation where they are better off but not to date. Neither size stops cosmetic wheel damage.

What would I choose next time? Not sure really. Bigger is better in some ways but there doesn't seem to be much in it in my experience.

Cheers,
Scott

Yes Scott, the car is finally being transformed from an urban socialite into a tourer. Everything is happening within the next 2 weeks - I'll start a new thread with the details soon.

Thanks for explaining your reasoning behind your 265/60 choice. It's something I've been mulling over for the past few days. My main issue is the fact that I have only 4 Compomotives (as much as I understand the benefits of having a 5th one, I'm already spending over $16K on the car and had to make a compromise there).

I'm currently running OEM 20" Pirelli Scorpions - they're 255/50/20 from memory. This means that after I put the Compomotives on, these will become my spares. Not a big deal if I'm running 265/60R18's, however if I was to go with 265/65R18's the overall diameter difference between the two would be quite significant.

The question is - how to get around this problem?

In the end, I'll use 265/60's if I don't find a way around it - I know that I'll be very happy with that setup. But there's something about having a larger tyre that appeals to me, and if I can make it work, I'd like to give it a shot. Currently, two options that I'm considering are:

1. Buy an old 18" rim, like this one, for a spare (obviously would only fit on the rear axle, so some swapping would be necessary if a puncture happened on the front):
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/willetton/wheels-tyres-rims/land-rover-discovery-3-18-oem-rim-wheel/1143128789 (cost: $100-200)

2. Replace one of the OEM Scorpions on my 20" wheel with a tyre which, when placed on a 20" rim, is sufficiently close to the overall diameter of the 265/65R18 tyre/wheel combo. For example, 275/55/20 (cost: $300-400).

Thoughts? Would you be able to sanity-check these two options, just in case I'm overlooking something?

Steven

[Graeme]

Don't disregard the change in gearing in fitting 265/65R18 if towing. For 3.0 engines with 6-speed gboxes the larger size may be beneficial whereas the higher diff ratios fitted to 8-speed gbox vehicles could push the ratio too high.

[LRD414]

1. Buy an old 18" rim, like this one, for a spare (obviously would only fit on the rear axle, so some swapping would be necessary if a puncture happened on the front):
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/willetton/wheels-tyres-rims/land-rover-discovery-3-18-oem-rim-wheel/1143128789 (cost: $100-200)

2. Replace one of the OEM Scorpions on my 20" wheel with a tyre which, when placed on a 20" rim, is sufficiently close to the overall diameter of the 265/65R18 tyre/wheel combo. For example, 275/55/20 (cost: $300-400).
Steve,

Option 1 seems much better to me. Keep the 20's as a complete set with all same tyres, especially if they still have decent tread.

For your first spare you definitely want a matching diameter because you are far more likely to get one flat than two before the first is repaired.

If you think your trip(s) warrant a second spare, buy two cheap 18's. And then the 18" tyre selection is independent of the wheel situation.

Cheers,
Scott

[scarry]

Yes Scott, the car is finally being transformed from an urban socialite into a tourer. Everything is happening within the next 2 weeks - I'll start a new thread with the details soon.

Thanks for explaining your reasoning behind your 265/60 choice. It's something I've been mulling over for the past few days. My main issue is the fact that I have only 4 Compomotives (as much as I understand the benefits of having a 5th one, I'm already spending over $16K on the car and had to make a compromise there).

I'm currently running OEM 20" Pirelli Scorpions - they're 255/50/20 from memory. This means that after I put the Compomotives on, these will become my spares. Not a big deal if I'm running 265/60R18's, however if I was to go with 265/65R18's the overall diameter difference between the two would be quite significant.

The question is - how to get around this problem?

In the end, I'll use 265/60's if I don't find a way around it - I know that I'll be very happy with that setup. But there's something about having a larger tyre that appeals to me, and if I can make it work, I'd like to give it a shot. Currently, two options that I'm considering are:

1. Buy an old 18" rim, like this one, for a spare (obviously would only fit on the rear axle, so some swapping would be necessary if a puncture happened on the front):
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/willetton/wheels-tyres-rims/land-rover-discovery-3-18-oem-rim-wheel/1143128789 (cost: $100-200)

2. Replace one of the OEM Scorpions on my 20" wheel with a tyre which, when placed on a 20" rim, is sufficiently close to the overall diameter of the 265/65R18 tyre/wheel combo. For example, 275/55/20 (cost: $300-400).

Thoughts? Would you be able to sanity-check these two options, just in case I'm overlooking something?

Steven

The other thing is,running LT BFG,you will have to be unlucky to get a flat that you couldn't temporarily repair with plugs and an air compresser.
In all the years,around 15,i have run these tyres i have never had a puncture while in a remote area.The only tyre damage in that time was a large coach bolt,and the tyre didn't go completely flat over night,and could have easily been repaired with a plug if needed.

In fact on the last desert trip,i took a spare carcase,not a complete rim.I have actually given up taking two spares on some trips,as i have never used one.

Maybe i have been lucky.Keeping tyre pressures correct is important as well,although i get a bit slack at doing this at times.

I also replace tyres before they are completely worn out,i find with our work vans,as soon as the tread depth gets low we start picking up screws,pop rivets,etc.

Don't get me wrong,you still have to be very careful,as tyre issues can be a show stopper.

As for 265/60/18,they are OEM size for some Hi lux,prado and Paj models ,so are fairly common.

I would take the 19",and forget about it,unless you can pick up a single GOE from somewhere.Using an OEM 18 is a pain as you may have to do some tyre swaping,as said.But then again,i recon most tyre failures are on the rear,particularly the rear left.

Good luck with your decision.[smilebigeye]

[BrianElloy]

Don't disregard the change in gearing in fitting 265/65R18 if towing. For 3.0 engines with 6-speed gboxes the larger size may be beneficial whereas the higher diff ratios fitted to 8-speed gbox vehicles could push the ratio too high.


going from 60 to 65 aspect on a 265 tyre is a net 3.5% increase in overall wheel diameter. would that make a notable difference in drive-ability (or towing) given the torque we produce and the efficiency of the ZF gearbox's?

see pic below

[scarry]

going from 60 to 65 aspect on a 265 tyre is a net 3.5% increase in overall wheel diameter. would that make a notable difference in drive-ability (or towing) given the torque we produce and the efficiency of the ZF gearbox's?

see pic belowof the two tyres.

And if you want to get pedantic,if the tyre starts with 12.5mm of tread and you run it down to 3.0mm,the 9.5mm is not far off the difference of aspect ratio(60 verses 65) for the 265 size.

[Graeme]

The 275/55R20 in my 4.4 TDV8 L322 with 8-speed and high ratio diffs is too high to tow my 2.5T van in top gear unless the speed can be kept right up to 100 kph. It's diff ratio is higher than that in the current 8-speed D4 but so is its torque. Getting back to standard ratio is one of the reasons why I'm considering a conversion to allow 18" rims to run LT265/60R18.

As the original size is 255/60R18, changing to 265/65R18 is a bigger increase.

[Mike57]

I see there was a request for a photo of the silver rims on a white D4. This one is pre-bull bar.

121551

[Smcconnell]

Steve,

Option 1 seems much better to me. Keep the 20's as a complete set with all same tyres, especially if they still have decent tread.

For your first spare you definitely want a matching diameter because you are far more likely to get one flat than two before the first is repaired.

If you think your trip(s) warrant a second spare, buy two cheap 18's. And then the 18" tyre selection is independent of the wheel situation.

Cheers,
Scott

That's very sound reasoning, thanks.

After much deliberation I decided to go with 265/60/18's. In the end it came down to legality - I checked the rules in each state and a 65 profile would put me outside legal limits. I'd probably get away with it, but I don't that thought lurking in the back of my head. If something happens, I want to be on the same side as the law and my insurer.

The car went in to OL today. Getting it back on Thursday. Very exciting :)


Steven

[Garfield]

Hi mate, thinking of joining the fat tyre brigade hey.

For me, there were three reasons:
- zero rubbing in any situation or issues if vehicle drops to bump stops
- fit a fully inflated spare under vehicle
- stay close enough to factory size (775 vs 763 OD) to use one 19" as a 2nd spare in an emergency situation

I've since learnt that the bump stop issue is for older models anyway and I believe the later model bump stop would prevent locking of the wheel in the wheel well with 265/65/R18. However, at the time this wasn't clear and I suppose still isn't in that I haven't seen it tested definitively.

The deflated spare is not a show-stopper just a bit painful.

I have tested the 19" 2nd spare scenario and no errors thrown but not something I would run long-term. However, I am now favouring sourcing a cheap 18" rim and having the 2nd spare as a properly matching diameter to the main five, so that reason becomes somewhat redundant.

Since my selection I have been offroad with friends who run 265/65/R18 KO2s and I haven't detected any real world difference. Of course they have slightly better clearance and slightly better sidewall height so there will eventually be a situation where they are better off but not to date. Neither size stops cosmetic wheel damage.

What would I choose next time? Not sure really. Bigger is better in some ways but there doesn't seem to be much in it in my experience.

Cheers,
Scott

Same here - same reasons for staying with 260/60/R18 KO2s size.

[nismine01]

I've got a feeling that I remember from somewhere that copper and aluminium are not compatible so I Googled it.

Aluminum will be very susceptible to galvanic corrosion in contact with copper, assuming that the two metals are also in contact with a common electrolyte (such as water with some ionic content.) Almost any text or handbook on corrosion will have galvanic series table. The farther two metals or alloys are separated on the table, faster the corrosion of the less noble of the two will be when they are in contact.

There are other products out there that do the same job, might be worthwhile checking a different product before your wheels will never come off.

Regards

Mike