BFGoodrich Tires Celebrates 1 Million All-Terrain T/A KO2 Sales In North America

GREENVILLE, SC -- July 27, 2015: BFGoodrich® Tires has sold more than 1 million All-Terrain T/A® KO2 tires in North America, less than eight months after launching in the market.

The Company's most advanced light truck tire premiered in November 2014 with 12 initial sizes, and since has expanded to 40 available sizes. A total of 61 sizes will be available to more than 20,000 BFGoodrich Tires authorized dealers when the line expansion is complete in the coming months.

Engineered from BFGoodrich's incomparable championship off-road motorsports racing technology, the KO2 delivers exceptional toughness, tread life and traction for traversing the harshest conditions, including gravel, dirt, rock, mud and snow. The new KO2 provides consumers the confidence to take on the toughest challenges for work or play.

Compared to its predecessor, the formidable KO tire, the new All-Terrain KO2 delivers the total performance that demanding light truck owners require in a tire every day.

Key features of the KO2 include:

• Tougher Sidewalls: The KO2 uses race-proven and race-winning CoreGard™ technology, developed in the Baja T/A KR2 for split and bruise-resistant sidewall rubber, and a thicker, extended shoulder to prevent sidewall failures. Computer modeling was used to predict object paths and create a sidewall designed to deflect protruding objects, reducing the chances of splits and snags. Compared to the current KO tire, the new KO2 is up to 20 percent stronger in this critical off-road performance area¹.
• Longer Tread Life: The KO2 has a new tread design and rubber formulation that helps it last twice as long on gravel and 15 percent longer on asphalt than the previous tire², allowing off-road enthusiasts to extend their adventures and working professionals to get more use out of the tire. The tread rubber has been optimally blended to reduce chips and tears on gravel. A new footprint shape and interlocking tread design provide more uniform wear over the long haul. Special stone ejectors push objects out of the tread to reduce drilling into the tire.
• Aggressive Traction: The KO2 also has a range of tread features for better mud and snow traction. The improvements to the legendary all-terrain performance include 10 percent greater traction in the mud³ and 19 percent greater traction in the snow⁴ compared to the previous-generation KO tire. Side-Biter lugs in the sidewall improve traction in mud, snow and rocks. Raised bars in the shoulder help release compacted mud for better traction in soft soil. 3-D sipes create biting edges for better snow traction.

The KO2 is an all-season tire that will carry the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol, indicating that it exceeds the Rubber Manufacturer Association's severe snow traction requirements.

Building on BFGoodrich's long heritage as an innovative all-terrain tire maker, the KO2 incorporates technology developed and tested through the brand's legendary off-road motorsports teams that have earned 84 off-road wins at races in the peninsula by far the most by any tire brand.

The KO2 fits a range of vehicles, including Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, Jeep, Toyota and Nissan pick-up trucks and SUV's as well as Plus Fitments for a wide variety of vehicles.