Shopping for tires is a bit like shopping for shampoo or breakfast cereal at the grocery store. Whether it’s time to choose a new set of tires for your Tacoma or a crunchy new granola, things work roughly the same: a dizzying selection of products calls out for your dollars from the sidelines, with familiar favorites and tempting new options alike flaunting bonuses, promotions, and promises as they bat their eyelashes your way hoping to be your final decision.
Relatively speaking, today’s shopper has more options than ever on how to spend their dollars on a given product. That’s because shoppers like choices, and successful brands do well to cater to them.
You can see a great example of this when it comes to one of the most well-recognized tire lines on the road: the T/A, from BF Goodrich. Over the decades, the T/A designation has grown to include various offerings in truck, passenger, winter and pursuit-rated options, each with a specific customer and use case in mind.
Related – Review: BFGoodrich Winter T/A KSI Tires
Tracing the roots of today’s T/A Tires
The BF Goodrich Radial T/A of the seventies might be the most famous T/A tire of all, having captured the hearts of hot-rod and muscle-car enthusiasts for decades with its stylish looks and solid performance.
When it comes to truck and SUV tires, BF Goodrich released the Radial All-Terrain T/A in 1976, evolving into a new version a decade later for 1986. In 2000, the All-Terrain TA/KO hit the market, followed by the T/A KO2 in 2014 and T/A KO3 in 2024, which we recently reviewed in Alaska.
The Trail-Terrain T/A Tire arrived for 2021, the HD-Terrain T/A KT came in 2023, and the Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 tires launched in 2018 (preceded by the KM2 in 2007). The Krawler T/A KX was created in 2001 and launched in 2003 for the competitive rock crawling scene.
Other T/A tire options include the sporty Advantage T/A Sport LT tire launched in 2016 (soon to be replaced by the Advantage Control HT) and the pursuit-rated Elite Force T/A, which arrived to improve law-enforcement vehicle performance in 2023.
What’s In a Name?
BF Goodrich’s T/A tires cover a wide range of products and come with a wide range of terminologies and sub-designations to understand. Here’s a look at what’s behind the names of some popular T/A tires.
KO: Stands for ‘Key benefit On and Off-road’. This designation is used in the All-Terrain T/A KO series and indicates the tire’s versatility in performance in both on-road and off-road conditions.
KM: Stands for ‘Key benefit Mud’. This designation is found in Mud-Terrain T/A KM tires and highlights this tire’s specialized design for providing traction and durability in muddy, challenging off-road environments.
LT: Denotes ‘Light Truck’ and is commonly used across many tire brands, including BFGoodrich, to designate a tire designed for light trucks, SUVs, and similar.
KX: Refers to ‘Key Benefit: Extreme’. Used in models like the G-force T/A KDW KX, it signifies a focus on extreme performance characteristics, particularly in wet and dry conditions.
KT: Stands for ‘Key Benefit Toughness’. This designation is used in certain off-road tire models, emphasizing enhanced traction capabilities.
T/A: This means ‘Traction Advantage’, a hallmark of BFGoodrich tires that indicates a focus on providing superior traction and performance across various driving conditions.
Terrain T/A
This is the family name for a line of 4×4 tires that caters to shoppers looking for anything from an off-road savvy tire for occasional exploring, to high-capability recreational 4×4 builds.
- Trail-Terrain T/A: A versatile tire suitable for SUVs, CUVs, and light trucks, offering a balance of on-road comfort and off-road capability with 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) certification for severe snow conditions.
- All-Terrain T/A KO3: A popular choice for Jeep and truck owners seeking strong off-road performance without sacrificing on-road manners.
- HD-Terrain T/A KT: Engineered for heavy-duty trucks, this tire delivers exceptional durability and chip/tear resistance for demanding off-road environments.
- Mud-Terrain T/A KM3: Designed for serious off-road enthusiasts and built to conquer challenging terrains with aggressive tread patterns and robust construction.
