BFGoodrich KO3 vs the New Trail-Terrain T/A+: Picking the Right Tire for How You Actually Drive

BFGoodrich builds two tires that wear the same badge but serve different roles. The recently updated All-Terrain T/A KO3 is the rugged legend, the tire churning through mud and dancing over rock. The new Trail-Terrain T/A+ is the civilized cousin, built for people who love the look and the all-weather confidence of an off-road tire but who spend most of their week on pavement. Both carry the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol for severe snow service. That is roughly where the similarity ends.

Make the right choice, and you will love your vehicle for years. Pick wrong and you will either fight road noise you never wanted or run out of grip exactly when you need it.

Let’s start with the KO3.
This is the successor to the legendary KO2, and BFGoodrich engineered it to be tougher still. It uses CoreGard sidewall technology adopted from fifty years of Baja desert racing, has serrated shoulders, and an aggressive tread that bites in mud, sand, gravel, and snow. If your idea of a great weekend involves rocks, ruts, and trails that would make a plastic-clad crossover throw its hands up in surrender, this is your tire.

That toughness comes at a cost. The KO3 is heavy, with some pickup-truck-sized fitments tipping the scales at nearly 60 pounds each. All that mass and chonky tread can dull acceleration and braking a touch. Most people notice the noise. The tread pattern produces the steady highway hum that serious off-road tires are known for. If you commute on it five days a week, you will either hear adventure calling or have a headache.

Now meet the Trail-Terrain T/A+.
BFGoodrich slots this one below the KO3 and calls the segment on-road all-terrain. It’s a soft-roading tire. The plus model is an overhaul of the original Trail-Terrain with a new compound. BFG focused on three things that owners feel every single day: 
-All-weather traction, 
-Longevity
-Fuel efficiency: BFG says the new silica-laced compound trims rolling resistance by about 5 percent on average, which helps both gas mileage and EV range, and it backs the tire with a new 65,000 mile warranty.

The bigger story is comfort. On pavement, the Trail-Terrain T/A+ behaves much more like a quiet all-season touring tire. I can attest to this having driven five SUVs and trucks on the tire. The droning you get from an aggressive all-terrain is missing, which matters enormously if your rig is also your daily driver. Especially if it’s a near-silent hybrid where every sound stands out. So which one belongs on your vehicle? Be honest about how you actually drive, not how you imagine your best trip.

Choose the KO3 if:
-You traverse mud, rocks, and actually go off-road.
-You have disconnected sway bars and have actually disconnected them.
-You air down and understand why you’re doing so.
-You drive a truck or a body-on-frame SUV built for the rough stuff.
-You think of the extra noise and slightly lower efficiency as the sound of capability.

Choose the Trail-Terrain T/A+ if:
-You spend most of your miles on pavement and groomed dirt roads.
-You want a quiet, comfortable ride and value decent fuel economy or range.
-You own a crossover, light SUV, or CUV like a Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness, Toyota RAV4 Woodland, or Ford Bronco Sport Badlands.
-You want to be able to confidently access campsites, wet, muddy fields, and light soft roading without pretending your daily driver is a rock hopper.

Here is the trap to avoid. Plenty of owners buy the most aggressive tire they can find because it looks the part, then spend the next 50,000 miles annoyed by the noise and watching their fuel economy slip away. A few buy a mild tire and then feel let down the first time the road turns to trail, turns to actual woods. The fix is matching the tire to your real life.

If your honest answer is that you go off-road to the point of needing recovery and are the backup for a buddy doing the same in their rig, you will be glad you chose the KO3. If you are like me, you love the adventure of exploring dirt roads until they end at an overgrown trail and will actually be off pavement in snow, the Trail-Terrain T/A+ is the smarter buy, and it will be kinder to your ears and your wallet every day you own it. Choose accordingly.

Please, return tomorrow, or check our Torque News Home Page for more interesting automotive news articles.

About The Author

John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Images by John Goreham