Here we are, almost a year to the date after mounting our set of Hankook Dynapro XT all-terrain tires on my 2021 Jeep Rubicon. With roughly 32,000 miles on a wide variety of terrain, here’s how they performed and why you will want them…
First, a bit of background. My Jeep came with BF Goodrich K02s, which many people consider the standard for all-terrain tires. In fact, these replaced my second set of K02s. I put a lot of miles on the Jeep, and I kinda just assumed KO2s were the way to go for off-road, overland vehicles.
But now, having driven half the rated tread life of these Hankooks, I can honestly say I like them better than my BFGs in almost every way.
To be fair, it’s not exactly apples to apples, I did go with a slightly narrower tire this time, but that’s part of the story. Here’s what you need to know…
Pizza (cutters), anyone?
With the Hankooks, I wanted a taller (although not by much), skinnier, and lighter tire than the current stock-sized BFGs that I’d been running.
The BFG’s were the popular 285/70R17 (aka “33”, but actually measure 32.7″). The Hankooks are 255/80R17 (33.1″). So, I gained a tiny bit more height, but they’re more than an inch narrower.
This decision wasn’t made lightly. It took some extensive research on my end before I pulled the trigger. Our own A/T tire buyer’s guide of the most popular all-terrain tires helped narrowed down the brand.
I also checked out the JL Wrangler forums to see what some other Jeep owners were running. But Tinkerer’s Adventure’s video on “Wide vs Narrow Off-Road Tires“, was what really helped make my decision.
The other big difference is that the Hankooks are Load Range “E” tires. My BFGs were “load range C” rated tires, which some serious rock crawlers say aren’t enough, and they’re right…if you’re rock crawling or hitting seriously treacherous terrain.
That said, I occasionally do serious off-roading, and have never had a problem with C-rated tires. And, to be fair, the BFGs are great tires – I’m not here to tell you otherwise. But I will tell you that the Dynapro XTs have outshone them in many key areas of performance.
When compared to the “C” rated BFG KO2s, the Dynapro XTs:
- Are “E” rated, yet significantly lighter
- A true 33″ tire (33.06″ vs 32.71″)
- Much, much quieter
- Get better gas mileage
- Are made in the USA
- Have better on & off-road traction
That last point is key, it’s why we’re here – traction. But also, a lighter tire will put less long-term wear and tear on the Jeep’s drivetrain and suspension, too. Bonus.
95% of Us Are On-Road 95% of the Time
I pretty much just made those numbers up, but you get what I’m saying. Most of us use our rigs for everyday driving, rarely hitting the dirt. Our Jeep is our daily driver, and if we’re lucky, we get off-road maybe 10-20% of the time.
We all love the look of an aggressive tire on our vehicles, but it’s rarely economical. Not only do the aggressive AT tires cost more, they’re heavier.
We also have to live with their on-road manners.
And a heavier, more aggressive AT tire almost always have poopy on-road manners. It literally affects almost everything negatively.
Gas mileage suffers, acceleration suffers, steering could suffer, and braking distances for sure suffer. If you aren’t towing your rig, these things matter a lot. Especially if you’re hauling precious cargo, like your family.
Weights, measures & tread pattern
The Hankook Dynapro XT 255/80R17 weighs in at a scant 47.79 lbs. I could immediately feel that on my first few drives with improved acceleration and responsiveness, and that’s before getting them offroad. Mounted, mine measured 33.06″ tall and 10.04″ wide.
The Dynapro XTs are marketed by Hankook as a tire that bridges the gap between all-terrain and mud-terrain tires. So it’s kinda considered a “hybrid” or “rugged-terrain” tire.
The tread pattern doesn’t scream “I’m aggressive”, but it also doesn’t scream on the highway. The sidewall has a mildly aggressive sawtooth design that looks sharper from the side, but isn’t very deep. The overall look reminds me a little of the older military jeep tires.
The tread features high-rigidity polygonal tread blocks and surprisingly wide zig-zag grooves. Tons of siping and V-shaped grooves cut laterally through the center tread blocks provide additional off-road and snow grip.
Performance – I Love the Dynapro XT
I’ll be honest, I love the Dynapro XT all-terrain tire. It’s been the perfect tire for my use case. It’s a combination of the size, tread pattern, and weight, and it’s excelled in almost every condition.
Our Jeep lives in a ready state. Rooftop tent, awning, lights. The only difference between Daily Driver and Overland Adventure modes is what we cram inside it. Our trips are typically two to four days, with considerable time on the dirt, lots of forest service roads, and a good bit of more aggressive, chunky, and occasionally downright rugged terrain.
Snow performance
I live in the mountains in Southern California, and we just had almost three feet of snow dropped on us in three days. Naturally, I tested the tires’ triple snowflake rating (a qualification for severe snow conditions) right away.
The XT drove through unplowed roads safely and predictably, performing exceptionally well in the snow and ice.
We even hit patches of snow and ice at high elevations on our Sierras trip, and had no issues there. We did use traction boards on extremely icy off-camber sections to avoid dying off a 700 foot cliff, but otherwise didn’t need any assistance.
Off-Road performance
Last November I really put these tires to the test. We spent 5 days in the Sierra Nevada Backcountry, and on one day, close to nine hours in 4-low on a trail that was full of very sharp rocks, mud, and bits of snow. We were climbing up and over obstacles for the whole day, eventually summiting the 11,600′ peak. It was quite remarkable.
I ran the tires at 22psi. Never once on that trip did I lose traction. Not. Once. And this is one of the key areas where the Hankooks stood out – despite being “E” rated, they felt more compliant and comfortable, without dropping air pressure into the mid-teens, than the “C” rated BFG’s I had before.
While BFG’s are known for being super tough and the “Baja Champion”, I came away from this thinking maybe they’re actually overbuilt in order to handle Baja-level speeds and impacts. Which isn’t something I or any of my friends do, so… maybe we don’t need a tire designed for that?
After that trip, I did find my one complaint with the Dynapro XTs. The sidewalls had visibly heavy wear and chipping, but…
…that trip dished out terrain that I wouldn’t normally be driving on, especially not for that long. I mean, when was the last time you spent nine hours in 4-low at reduced tire pressure?
It’s a lot to ask of any tire, and there were no failures, but I do think the damage looks harsher than it should.
Separately, many of our trips take us into the desert and through deep, soft sand. I was worried that the skinnier tires wouldn’t have the “float” that the wider tires did. But I was amazed that I’ve had zero issues in deep, loose sand so far. The Dynapro XTs just cut in there and handle their business.
On Road
These tires literally shocked me when I drove home after the install. They were remarkably quiet. Especially for the type of tread. When my BFGs were getting near the end of their life, I found them annoyingly hard and very, very noisy.
The Dynapro XTs, after 30,000+ miles, are still incredibly quiet. They’re a pleasure drive on the road. My gas mileage increased about two miles per gallon, and braking and accelerating was noticably better.
Driving in the rain is great, as the tire is quiet and predictable. Even with the tires’ “E” rating and obviously stiffer sidewall, it remains comfortable over road chatter. And on a side note, there is a quiet confidence when driving an”E” rated tire, even on the road.
Dynapro XT LT255/80R17 specs & pricing
MSRP is $328.00 per tire but street price is sometimes less. Check pricing at these shops:
Final thoughts
I have really grown to love these tires. They are wearing well, and it looks like I’ll get another 30k miles out of them.
When these eventually do give up the ghost, I’d happily replace these Dynapro XTs with another set. Other than the amount of damage the side walls received after my trip, I can’t find one thing I don’t like about them.
They have performed above my expectations in literally every application. The choice I made to abandon not only the BFG KO2, but to swap sizes and go with a slightly taller, slightly skinnier tire paid big dividends for me and my usage.
I highly recommend this tire to any and every one who asks about. I would for sure veer from the masses, do your own homework, and really dig into why you think you need to run a super aggressive, fat tire.
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