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Scaling Greatness: How BFGoodrich Built the Modern UTV Tire

Under the dry desert skies of Northwest Mexico, amidst the roar of engines and the cheers of spectators, a small, almost inconspicuous UTV rolled across the finish line of the SCORE San Felipe 250. This small vehicle stood out among the trophy trucks that had crossed earlier. Its oversized tires, gleaming with the unmistakable BFGoodrich brand, caught the eye of Matt Hanlon, a Motorsports Engineer with BFGoodrich. That seemingly insignificant moment ignited a journey that would soon transform the UTV industry forever.

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A Time for Change

In the rugged terrains of the off-road world, where the thrill of the journey often outweighs the destination, a revolution was quietly brewing. This is a tale of innovation, driven by the relentless pursuit of perfection, beginning with a whisper of discontent from the heart of the off-road community.

“We saw how many people were absolutely hating the tires that came on their UTVs from the factory,” recalls Brandon Sturgis, a Global Product Manager at BFGoodrich. Factory-installed tires, though economical, often failed to meet the rigorous demands of off-road enthusiasts. Designed for cost-effectiveness, these tires lacked the durability and performance needed for serious off-roading.

Brandon explains, “The OEM requirements for tires are a lot different than what replacement market consumers want.” While manufacturers focused on low rolling resistance and good dry braking for better fuel economy and test results, off-roaders craved durability and reliability. This demand for better tires became the ultimate catalyst for BFGoodrich Tires’  entry into the UTV market.

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It Started with Racing

The journey truly began with the rigors of off-road racing. Matt remembers the UTV that rolled across the finish line at San Felipe was equipped with BFGoodrich off-roading tires — the kind built for lightweight trucks. The encounter highlighted a growing need for durable, high-performance tires built for UTVs.


For the next year and a half, BFGoodrich engineers went to work. In 2015, they introduced the Baja T/A KR2 UTV tire, tailored for the rigors of off-road racing. This tire quickly gained popularity among racers, setting new standards for performance and durability. Matt notes, “The team saw the success with the race tires and wanted to create a product for everyday use that was better than what was on the market.”

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Development and Innovation

With a clear demand in sight, BFGoodrich set out to create the KM3 UTV tire. The development process was anything but ordinary. “We had to do a Shark Tank kind of pitch to our management team,” Brandon explains. The team’s passion and vision won the day, and they were granted the resources to develop the tire within a year — an incredibly quick turnaround for a tire.

But luckily, thanks to their successful UTV race tire design, they were halfway there. Leveraging that experience, BFGoodrich created a tire that was not only durable but also versatile. “We used what we learned from the race tire development and put that right into the tires we were selling to the general consumer,” says Matt. The KM3 UTV tire was designed with input from race teams and incorporated advanced features to enhance both durability and performance.

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TWO TOUGH TIRES

These tires didn’t earn their reputation easily. They’ve proven over the years to be some of the toughest tires on the road.

“We're a little bit different in the all-terrain space because we really focus on sidewall durability and toughness.”

In fact, they were so focused on sidewall durability and toughness, they had to invent new technology just to test it. The way most companies test their tires is with a machine that pushes a plunger into the tread. Then, to test the sidewalls, they just turn the tire sideways. But that’s not how punctures happen in the wild.

"Tires are moving, then they hit something on the side and that's what rips the sidewall, so it's a different mechanism for how the sidewall gets damaged.”

The team at BFGoodrich Tires knew they couldn’t put their name on a tire without knowing that the tire was as tough as people needed it to be. Not in a testing lab. But out in the real world.

“We were so hell-bent on improving the KO2 and really making it legit that we came up with our own sidewall durability splitting test."

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When it came time to develop the KM3, though, they had to step it up even more. “We built the KO2 to have tough sidewalls. But the KM3 has even tougher sidewalls.”

Brandon recalls a moment in Baja when the KM3’s toughness was put to the ultimate real-world test. A tire designer was testing a prototype of the KM3 out in Baja, when they hit a massive hole.

“Boom! It ripped the wheel off the car. It was that big and they were going that fast."

“They went and found the wheel and brought it back, looking at the tire and they're like, ‘we think the tire's fine.’ So they put it on another wheel…and kept going."

After that, the tire wasn’t a prototype anymore.

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WHICH TIRE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

When it comes to choosing the tire for your truck, do you go with the KO2 or KM3? The parent who can do it all, or purpose-built pro wrestler? According to Brandon, “it really gets down to what you plan on doing with your vehicle day in and day out.”

The KO2 offers excellent traction in mud, snow, and gravel, while maintaining good “road manners”—a quiet ride and more steering precision than its mud-loving sibling. The KM3’s design offers better traction in mud and rock than the KO2, but when it comes to on-road performance, “you're gonna have to sacrifice that a little bit with KM3 to get that off-road performance.”

Said another way, the KO2 is the everyday, do-everything parent that will take care of you. The KM3 is the purpose-built pro wrestler, who can kick but off-road, but will be a bit rougher around the edges to live with as an everyday driver. 

Which brings us back to the question: Which tire wins in a head-to-head battle? Well, it turns out the answer is up to you and what you’re building for. 

If you’re spending a lot of time in mud or in low-pressure rock climbing, you might opt for the KM3. But if you plan on driving through snow, need good on-road manners, or just need a tire that excels in most any condition, KO2 is likely your winner. 

So, what are you building for?

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