BFGoodrich KM3 vs Toyo Open Country M/T on a Tacoma
Short answer
Our scoring cannot meaningfully separate these two: nine of the ten axes are identical, both reach the dataset's maximum of 10 for mud and durability, and only snow differs, 4 for the BFGoodrich KM3 against 3 for the Toyo Open Country M/T. The real decision is size availability, price, and which sidewall you want - not capability.
KM3 vs Open Country M/T: a matchup the scores refuse to settle
The BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 is the highest-ranked mud-terrain in this fifty-model dataset, first of nine in its category and twenty-seventh overall. The Toyo Open Country M/T sits immediately behind it, second of nine and twenty-eighth overall. That one-place gap is the whole story of the ranking, and the score profiles explain why: on nine of the ten axes we grade, these two tires score exactly the same. Most Tacoma comparisons are decided by a cluster of one-point edges. This one is decided by everything except the scores.
| Score axis (0-10) | BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 | Toyo Open Country M/T | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road comfort | 3 | 3 | Tie |
| Wet grip | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Snow | 4 | 3 | KM3 by 1 |
| Trail | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| Mud | 10 | 10 | Tie |
| Durability | 10 | 10 | Tie |
| Tread life | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Efficiency | 2 | 2 | Tie |
| Looks | 10 | 10 | Tie |
| Value | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Blended score | 5.9 | 5.7 | KM3 by 0.2 |
Why a tie is a legitimate result
These scores are an editorial synthesis of published manufacturer specifications, tire-industry write-ups, retailer fitment data, and Tacoma-owner reports across the 83 documents this dataset cites - not instrumented testing by Taco Tires. Where the published record does not separate two models, inventing a difference would be worse than reporting the tie. The method is written out under How we score tires on the about page.
The one axis that differs: snow
The KM3 scores 4 on snow and the Open Country M/T scores 3. Both are M+S rated and neither carries the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake severe-snow rating, so the practical meaning of that point is narrow: it is the difference between a poor winter tire and a slightly worse one. The dataset's caution tags reflect the same thing from two directions - the KM3's list warns against buying it if you require 3PMSF, and the Toyo's warns against it if snow is a priority at all.
Read that as a statement about the category rather than about either tire. Mud-terrain tread blocks are large, widely spaced, and lightly siped, which is exactly the geometry that clears mud and exactly the geometry that cannot hold packed snow. Every mud-terrain in this dataset scores between 2 and 6 on the snow axis. If your Tacoma has to work through a winter, the answer is not one of these two; it is a rugged-terrain or all-terrain tire with a severe-snow rating, or a second set of wheels.
An aggressive tire is not a winter tire
A tread pattern that looks unstoppable in a photo tells you nothing about ice or packed snow. Both of these score 5 on wet grip and 3 or 4 on snow, against the 8s and 9s that severe-snow-rated all-terrains earn. Where winter tires are legally mandated on a route, neither of these M+S tires satisfies the requirement.
What they share: the toughest scores in the dataset
Both tires reach 10 on mud and 10 on durability. The durability 10 is the notable one - only three models in the fifty-model set earn it, and these two are among them. Trail follows at 9 apiece, and looks at 10 apiece. In other words, on every axis that describes what a mud-terrain is for, these two are jointly at the top of the site and nothing else in the dataset outperforms either of them.
- Mud 10 and durability 10: the maximum on both axes, and the reason both are tagged for mud trails, rock trails, and durability.
- Trail 9: level with the best all-terrains, which is a reminder that mud-terrains are not automatically better on rock than a tough A/T.
- Looks 10: both read as maximum-aggression tires under a Tacoma's fender, and the Toyo's dataset tags name aggressive look explicitly.
- The KM3 alone is tagged for maximum off-road use; the Toyo alone is tagged for aggressive appearance - the closest thing to a stated difference in intent.
What both cost you on pavement
Road comfort 3, efficiency 2, tread life 5, wet grip 5, value 5 - identical on both tires, and every one of them near the bottom of the range. That is the mud-terrain bargain stated in numbers. Against the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2's 10 for comfort and 10 for tread life, either of these scores under a third of the highway tire's comfort mark and half its tread-life mark, and both are tagged to be avoided by anyone who prioritises quiet daily driving or fuel economy.
It is worth being blunt about the money as well. Both sit in the high budget tier and both score 5 on value, which means the dataset views them as expensive tires that deliver a narrow kind of excellence. A Tacoma that spends 90 percent of its miles on pavement to reach 10 percent trail is paying that penalty on every commute. If that describes your truck, a rugged-terrain hybrid gives up perhaps two points of mud to take back three or four points of comfort, tread life, and efficiency.
Pressure and weight both change with an M/T
Mud-terrains in Tacoma sizes are heavy LT-construction tires, and the efficiency score of 2 is real mass and rolling resistance. Running the door-placard pressure on a load-range-D or E mud-terrain gives a harsh ride and centre wear; set pressure from a load-inflation table instead, and check that the load index at least matches what the truck left the factory with.
Tacoma sizes: where the real difference lives
Nine sizes appear on both lists, and they are the sizes a lifted Tacoma actually shops for: 265/75R16, 285/75R16, 285/70R17, 285/75R17, 315/70R17, 33x12.50R17, 35x12.50R17, 275/70R18, and 285/70R18. Both catalogs skip the stock-diameter fitments almost entirely, which is itself informative - neither tire is offered as a straight factory-size replacement in most Tacoma sizes.
The two exclusives are more consequential than they look. The KM3 offers 255/80R17 - the skinny 33 - which is the single most Tacoma-specific size in this comparison, because a narrow 33 clears the front of a Tacoma with far less trimming and rubbing than a 12.5-inch-wide one. The Toyo instead adds 295/70R18, a wide 34-inch 18-inch fitment for a lifted truck. If your build is aiming at a narrow 33, the KM3 is the only one of these two that makes it.
So which mud-terrain goes on your Tacoma?
When nine of ten axes tie, the responsible verdict is that either tire will do the job and the tie-breaks are practical rather than performance-based. The KM3 takes the nominal win on the blended figure, 5.9 to 5.7, entirely on one snow point that neither tire should be relied on for. Treat it as a coin flip that lands on availability, pricing on the day, and the specific size your Tacoma is built around.
- Choose the BFGoodrich KM3 if you want the skinny 255/80R17 33-inch fitment, or if the one-point snow edge and the maximum-off-road tagging matter to how you use the truck.
- Choose the Toyo Open Country M/T if you want 295/70R18, if the price on the day is better, or if you simply prefer its sidewall - looks tie at 10, so this is a legitimate reason rather than a frivolous one.
- Choose neither if your Tacoma commutes: road comfort 3, efficiency 2, and tread life 5 are the same on both, and a rugged-terrain hybrid recovers most of that for a small mud penalty.
- Choose neither for winter: both are M+S only, and every mud-terrain in this dataset scores between 2 and 6 on snow.
Frequently asked questions
Only on one axis. Nine of the ten scored axes are identical - road comfort 3, wet 5, trail 9, mud 10, durability 10, tread life 5, efficiency 2, looks 10, and value 5 - and the KM3 leads on snow, 4 against 3. That produces a blended 5.9 against 5.7. On capability terms our synthesis treats them as equivalent, so size availability and price are the honest deciders.
Neither is. Both are M+S rated only, and their snow scores of 4 and 3 are among the lowest on the site. The dataset's caution tags say so directly: avoid the KM3 if you require 3PMSF, and avoid the Open Country M/T if snow is a priority. Neither tire meets a legal severe-snow requirement, and neither is a sensible choice for a Tacoma that drives real winters.
Nine sizes overlap: 265/75R16, 285/75R16, 285/70R17, 285/75R17, 315/70R17, 33x12.50R17, 35x12.50R17, 275/70R18, and 285/70R18. Beyond that, the KM3 adds the narrow 255/80R17 and the Toyo adds 295/70R18. Most of these are lifted-truck fitments - check clearance for your generation, lift, and wheel offset before ordering.
A lot, by our scoring. Both mud-terrains score 3 for road comfort and 2 for efficiency, where the top all-terrains score 8 and 5 to 6 and the highway all-seasons score 10 and 9. Tread life is 5 against 8 or 9 for a good all-terrain. If your Tacoma is a daily driver that sees occasional mud, the mud-terrain tier is a large everyday cost for a capability you use rarely.
Tougher on the carcass, yes - both of these score 10 on durability, which only three tires in the dataset reach. But trail traction is 9 for both, which is the same trail score the best all-terrains earn. So on rock bite specifically these tires are not ahead; what they buy you is puncture and sidewall resistance and the ability to keep clearing when the surface turns to mud.
Keep going
Sources
- BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 product page (bfgoodrichtires.com)
- Toyo Open Country M/T product page (toyotires.com)
- TrailTacoma: mud-terrain setup roundup
- TrailTacoma: top off-road tires for the 3rd-gen Tacoma
- TrailTacoma: choosing tires for a Toyota Tacoma
- Five cited documents sit behind the KM3 row and four behind the Open Country M/T row; the nine tied axes reflect what that record does and does not distinguish, with no testing of our own
Compare your exact sizes
Run any size in this guide through the Tacoma tire calculator to see diameter, width, speedometer error, effective gearing, and highway RPM before you buy.