There's a reason for the saying, "Where the rubber meets the road." The tire-surface interface is arguably the most important component of vehicle performance, the more so when that performance envelope is getting stretched. Replacing the stock Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires on our Project Backcountry Access Jeep Wrangler was our first order of business, and the choice was clear: BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 for the win.
The Goodyears aren't a bad all-season tire for on-road use, but we wanted a true all-terrain tire for year-round driving without having to swap out to studded tires for our Alaskan adventures. While some people (who don't live in Alaska) argue about the relative merits of studded versus studless tires, Alaskans are very clear on the advantages of studs, and we have a set for SheFlogger's Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. That said, we didn't want to buy a second set of rims and have to store and swap the larger tires for the Jeep Wrangler twice a year. Luckily there is a solution, and it's called the Alpine rating.
Also known as severe service, all-weather and 3PMSF (three peak mountain snowflake, because of the logo printed on the tire), Alpine-rated tires are designed for both extremely harsh, sub-freezing conditions but are also suitable for year-round driving. The BFG KO2 is a snowflake-rated second-generation light truck tire that is generally considered the benchmark in its category. It has features designed to enhance traction, such as siping, large voids in between the tread blocks, and tougher sidewalls with beefier lugs. For everything you want to know about winter tires, be sure to visit Tire Rack's winter tire page.
The bottom line on the KO2 is that it is a tough, reliable and stellar performer on and offroad, in winter and summer, on mud and ice and at all temperatures. As a not-insignificant bonus for our daily-driven Jeep, it has very good manners on pavement, is relatively quiet and fuel-economical, and boasts a long tread life. The KO2 is a true Goldilocks tire, and having been through a full year of Alaskan driving on them we give them a solid two thumbs up.