Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT vs BFGoodrich KO2 on a Tacoma
Short answer
The BFGoodrich KO2 wins this matchup on the axes a daily-driven Tacoma leans on: trail bite, durability, tread life, efficiency, and value, for a blended 7.9 against the DuraTrac RT's 7.3. The Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT answers with the best snow score of the two, more mud clearing, and a more aggressive look.
DuraTrac RT vs KO2: which one belongs on your Tacoma?
This pair is a category crossover, not a like-for-like fight. The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 sits in our all-terrain group, fourth of the eighteen all-terrains we score and sixth overall in the fifty-model set. The Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT sits one tier more aggressive, in the rugged-terrain (hybrid) group, where it ranks second of eleven and thirteenth overall. Tacoma owners cross-shop them anyway, because both are severe-snow rated, both come in nine of the same Tacoma sizes, and both are pitched at the same buyer: a truck that works on pavement all week and earns its keep in dirt, mud, or snow on the weekend.
| Score axis (0-10) | Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT | BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road comfort | 6 | 7 | KO2 by 1 |
| Wet grip | 7 | 7 | Tie |
| Snow | 9 | 8 | DuraTrac RT by 1 |
| Trail | 8 | 9 | KO2 by 1 |
| Mud | 7 | 6 | DuraTrac RT by 1 |
| Durability | 8 | 9 | KO2 by 1 |
| Tread life | 7 | 8 | KO2 by 1 |
| Efficiency | 4 | 5 | KO2 by 1 |
| Looks | 9 | 8 | DuraTrac RT by 1 |
| Value | 6 | 7 | KO2 by 1 |
| Blended score | 7.3 | 7.9 | KO2 by 0.6 |
What these numbers are
Every score above is an editorial synthesis of published manufacturer specifications, tire-industry write-ups, retailer fitment data, and Tacoma-owner reports across the 83 documents behind this dataset. Taco Tires runs no instrumented testing of its own, so treat a one-point gap as a direction of travel rather than a measured margin. The full method is written out under How we score tires on the about page.
Where the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT wins
Three axes go the Goodyear's way, and they are the three that make people buy a hybrid tire in the first place. Snow is the headline: 9 against the KO2's 8, the best mark of any rugged-terrain tire we score and equal to the top of the all-terrain group. Both tires carry the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake severe-snow rating, so both are legal wherever winter tires are mandated, but the DuraTrac RT's deeper, more open pattern is the one the cited write-ups keep putting at the front of the snow conversation. The dataset's own lead tag for this model is, literally, snow.
Mud follows at 7 against 6. That is not a mud-terrain number - the M/T group scores 9 and 10 there - but it is a full point of self-cleaning ability over the KO2, and it is the reason the DuraTrac RT is tagged for light mud and work-truck duty. Looks close the set at 9 against 8, which matters more than enthusiasts admit: a large share of hybrid-tire purchases are made partly on how the sidewall reads under a Tacoma's fender.
The DuraTrac RT is the pick if your winter is real
If you live somewhere that gets plowed snow, slush, and unplowed forest roads between November and March, the one-point snow edge plus the one-point mud edge is the whole argument. Neither tire replaces a dedicated winter tire on ice, but of these two the Goodyear is the one built to keep working when the surface stops being pavement.
Where the BFGoodrich KO2 wins
Six axes go to the BFGoodrich, and they cluster on the two thirds of a Tacoma's life that happen on a road. Road comfort is 7 against 6 and efficiency is 5 against 4 - both modest, both in the same direction, and together they describe a tire that is slightly quieter and slightly less costly to turn. Tread life is 8 against 7, and value is 7 against 6, which is notable because the KO2 is a medium-budget model in this set while the DuraTrac RT is a high-budget one. You pay less and the dataset expects the rubber to last longer.
The two off-road axes are the more interesting result. Trail scores 9 against 8 and durability scores 9 against 8, and those are the KO2's best two numbers anywhere. The all-terrain that people buy for its sidewall out-points the hybrid on rock and dirt bite as well as on carcass toughness. If your off-road use is sharp rock, gravel roads, and desert two-track rather than mud and snow, the KO2 is the better-scoring tire even though it looks like the tamer one.
- Trail 9 and durability 9: the highest pair of off-road marks in this matchup, and the reason the KO2 is tagged for proven Tacoma fitment and durability.
- Tread life 8 and value 7: a medium-budget tire beating a high-budget one on cost per mile.
- Road comfort 7 and efficiency 5: small edges, but they compound over a commute.
- The one thing the dataset flags against the KO2 is that it now has a successor - the KO3 - which scores a point higher on wet and snow.
Which Tacoma sizes do both tires come in?
Availability is unusually well matched here, which is part of why the cross-shop happens. Nine Tacoma-relevant sizes appear on both models' lists, spanning 16, 17, and 18 inch wheels: 265/75R16, 285/75R16, 265/70R17, 275/70R17, 285/70R17, 255/80R17, 315/70R17, 265/70R18, and 275/70R18. That covers the stock-adjacent upgrades, the standard 33-inch jump, and the skinny-33 option in one overlap.
Only two sizes break the tie. The DuraTrac RT adds 285/70R18, useful on 18-inch wheels when you want a full 33-inch diameter without dropping a wheel size. The KO2 adds 285/75R17, the taller 17-inch option closer to 34 inches. If your build is already committed to one of those, the decision has been made for you.
Both are heavy tires, and pressure follows load
These are LT-construction tires in most Tacoma sizes, and the efficiency scores of 4 and 5 reflect real mass. The door-jamb placard pressure was set for the lighter factory P-metric tire, so copying it onto a load-range-D or E all-terrain gives a harsh ride and centre wear. Set pressure from a load-inflation table for the load you actually carry.
Snow or trail: the question that actually decides it
Strip out the axes where the gap is one point in a direction you will never notice, and this matchup reduces to a single trade: the DuraTrac RT gives up a point of trail bite and a point of durability to gain a point of snow and a point of mud. Everything else is the KO2 collecting small wins because it is the less aggressive tire of the two.
So the honest question is not which tire is better, but which surface you meet most often between December and March. A Tacoma that sees plowed highway, then slush, then an unmaintained road to a trailhead is being described by the DuraTrac RT's profile. A Tacoma that sees pavement, gravel, and rock, and treats snow as an occasional trip, is being described by the KO2's.
Neither is a substitute for a winter tire
A 9 on our snow axis means excellent for an aggressive all-season truck tire, not equal to a studless winter tire on ice. Both of these carry the severe-snow rating, and both give up ice braking to a dedicated winter compound. If your commute involves black ice rather than snow depth, the answer to this comparison is a second set of wheels.
The verdict for a Tacoma
On the blended score the BFGoodrich KO2 takes it, 7.9 to 7.3, and that gap is real rather than a rounding artefact: it wins six axes to three with one tie, it costs less, and its two strongest numbers are exactly the ones a Tacoma leans on when the pavement runs out. For a truck that daily-drives, tows occasionally, and goes off-road on dirt and rock, the KO2 is the default and the DuraTrac RT is the upgrade you have to justify.
- Buy the BFGoodrich KO2 if your Tacoma commutes, if your off-road is rock and gravel, if you want the longest tread life of the two, or if the price gap between a medium-tier and a high-tier tire matters.
- Buy the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT if you drive real winters, if you see mud often enough to care about self-cleaning, or if the more aggressive sidewall is part of what you are buying.
- Buy neither if you need mud-terrain capability: at 6 and 7 on the mud axis, both are outclassed by the M/T group's 9 and 10, and the right comparison is a different one.
- If you are cross-shopping the KO2 mainly on price, note the dataset's own caution on it: BFGoodrich's KO3 successor scores a point higher on both wet and snow.
Frequently asked questions
By our scoring, yes, but narrowly: the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT scores 9 on the snow axis and the BFGoodrich KO2 scores 8. Both carry the 3PMSF severe-snow rating, so both are accepted where winter tires are legally required. The one-point gap reflects the DuraTrac RT's deeper, more open pattern and the emphasis the cited sources place on it as a snow tire, not a measured stopping-distance difference.
The dataset gives the KO2 a 7 for road comfort against the DuraTrac RT's 6, so it should be the calmer of the two on pavement. Neither is a quiet tire in absolute terms - the highway all-season group scores 9 and 10 on the same axis. If low noise is your first priority, both of these are the wrong tier and a mild all-terrain is the better search.
Nine sizes appear on both models' Tacoma lists: 265/75R16, 285/75R16, 265/70R17, 275/70R17, 285/70R17, 255/80R17, 315/70R17, 265/70R18, and 275/70R18. Beyond that overlap the DuraTrac RT adds 285/70R18 and the KO2 adds 285/75R17. Whether a given size clears your truck depends on generation, lift, and wheel offset, so check the size page before ordering.
The KO2 scores 8 on tread life against the DuraTrac RT's 7, and it also scores higher on value while sitting a budget tier lower, so it is the stronger cost-per-mile pick of the two. Real mileage on either depends far more on load, rotation discipline, alignment, and how much of your driving is off-pavement than on the tire choice.
Often, yes. The rugged-terrain group trades road comfort and efficiency for mud clearing and sidewall presence, and the DuraTrac RT's 6 for comfort and 4 for efficiency are the price of that. If your Tacoma spends most of its miles on pavement and the off-road use is dirt roads rather than mud, the all-terrain tier - the KO2 here - gives up very little capability and takes back comfort, tread life, and fuel.
Keep going
Sources
- Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT product page (goodyear.com)
- BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 product page (bfgoodrichtires.com)
- BFGoodrich Tacoma tire finder (bfgoodrichtires.com)
- TrailTacoma: all-terrain vs mud-terrain guidance
- TrailTacoma: 3rd-gen all-terrain owner setups
- Toyota of Louisville: Tacoma tire recommendations
- Both score rows are an editorial synthesis of the cited record — three documents behind the DuraTrac RT, five behind the KO2 — and no tire on this page was driven or measured by Taco Tires
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.