Anyone Run Falken Wildpeak 3Ws?

[Ben]

Just wondering if any of the braintrust with 4x4s are running the Falken Wildpeak 3Ws and what you think of them?

Time for new tires on the 4Runner. I'm currently running Hankook LT ATs in an E, and I really like them, but Hankook doesn't make them anymore and the current AT2 Extremes, which I was first looking at as replacements, seem to be a little more road oriented. I was looking at the "everybody buys them" KO2s as well, but these Wildpeaks seem to have a generally better rating for snow and ice than the KO2s. Anyways, just curious if anyone is running the Wildpeaks.

[Calumus]

From what I’ve heard, they’re about equivalent to the KO2’s with the exception that they’re noticeably better in the wet. They’re what I’m planning on putting on our Grand Cherokee Trailhawk once the oems are done. Prodigal Overland is a guy on YouTube who had an identical Jeep to mine and he ran them for over 50k with some pretty serious off-roading thrown in. I think he actually did a review of them vs the KO2 as well. Cool channel too, it’s interesting to see the kind of trails he hits in his mall crawler with his wife and kids onboard.

[Ben]

Thanks Calumus - I'll look up his channel.

[dogmush]

Totally not what you asked, but I have a set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my overland rig right now, and they have been really good in the little pit of Appalachian snow and ice I've been in, mud, dirt, sand, and hurricane rain storms.  I really like them.  I've run KO2's on a lot of trucks and am preferring the Nitto's.

[Ben]

Totally not what you asked, but I have a set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my overland rig right now,

Nah, it's cool - other suggestions to research are welcome. I think those Nittos come stock on the TRD Pros these days.

[Regolith]

Just recently got some Toyo Open Country A/T III's put on my Xterra. Haven't had them in the snow or ice yet, so I can't say how good they are, but the reviews I found stated they weren't quite as good as the Falken 3Ws in the snow/ice but somewhat better offroad. Given that we only get a few days of snow and ice here I thought that the tradeoff was worth it.

I haven't had any issues with them yet. They've been plenty grippy on the wet roads we've had recently.  They are noticeably louder than the BF Goodrich's that came with the Xterra, but I think those were built somewhat more for highway use than offroading.

[Ben]

Those Toyos keep popping up too, when I research comparison videos. While we don't get a ton of snow and ice here either, in the rural areas, between unplowed roads and my own 1/4 mile gravel drive, I'm probably in it more than average drivers in the area, so I'm weighting that capability a little more.

I don't do crazy off-roading anymore, but still hit rocky and sandy trails, and want a tough tire, which is why I've been running LTs. I want that extra rubber and sidewall protection so I don't have another Death Valley shitshow like I had with the crappy P series tires that came with my ride. Plus again, with my road plus some of the gravel country roads around here, I'm technically driving "off-road" almost every day. 

[Kingcreek]

i was decided to put Falken tires on my jeep rubicon unlimited. I priced them online and went to my local family owned tire shop to ask about receiving and mounting and balancing.
they were great, said they would work with me, whatever i wanted. The owner printed out some price comparisons and asked if I had considered the Toyos. I had not but he printed out a quote for 5 new toyo AT3s for $12 less than the Falkens.
I researched the specs and reviews and went with the toyos.
Im running an E load range on my JKUR 33"x10.5" and I love them. Great ride, quiet, and awesome off road. The 2 ply sidewall with an E range aggressive tread works great for me.
I cut a load of firewood today and crawled out of the timber in 4-low with a trailer load of oak and barely spun a wheel, way overloaded for what I've got.
I've put 10K miles on the toyos and have no complaints, and I actually leave the pavement more than most jeepsters.

[dogmush]

My wife's is out of town this week so I'm driving her brand new Bronco Sport Badlands, and low and behold I noticed this morning it's sporting Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws from the factory!

From the 2900 miles that car has on it, they seem pretty solid AT tires.  Quiet and composed on the road, sure-footed in FL downpour, and when we took the truck to Withlacootchie Forest and did some offroading they had good traction in loose sand, some mud, and deep ruts. 

Can't help you with snow/ice performance at the moment.

[Ben]

Cool. Thanks for the trusted opinion lowdown. I was curious on how loud they were on the highway.

I thank everyone for their input. After continued research, I think I am going to give the Wildpeaks a try.

Honestly, whether Falken, Toyo, or Nitto, the differences seem negligible and they all seem to be well-rated and well-liked.

I was most surprised at some of the not hate, but dislike I found for the KO2. All the tire places seem to rate them as #1, but a lot of people end up saying they wouldn't get them again. If I still lived in cali, I would still consider them for stuff like Death Valley/Mojave adventures, where they seem to shine. People who take them where there are four seasons though, seem to prefer the other big names.

[dogmush]

I think the KO2's were really good 10 years ago, when there was less competition in the hybrid AT tire market.  As more choices came online they fell behind a bit.  In the 90's the BFG T/A KO was THE truck tire to have.

[Kingcreek]

BTW if you look at the tread design they are almost identical. Falken and toyo AT3s vary some in weight for load range but there is very little difference looking at them.
I’ve run to Toyos on snow, ice, mud, slick forest hills, gravel, and dry pavement.
The falken are wildly popular if you can get them in the size you want when you want them.
The Toyos that I have (can’t say it’s still the same) were made here in the USA. People shy away from the E range but with a 2 ply sidewall they act more like a C or D. I run them at 37psi instead of the 42 recommended. With a 5X rotation I should get 55k miles out of them.

[JTHunter]

Okay, here is a slightly "off topic" question for you tire gurus.
I have a 2008 Ford Ranger 2WD pickup with less than 10K miles.  I am still on the original tires and will probably use them through this winter.  I don't know what they are off the top of my head but they have done well in the rain and snow we get around here (St. Louis, MO area) but I have noticed a couple of tiny "age cracks" near the rims.  At a guess, 75% of my driving is done in the 4-5 months of "winter" (Dec. - April) with occasional hauling jobs the rest of the year.  No actual off-road but I do have to drive short distances on gravel roads going to a relative's house.  That is also on a rather steep hill just above their driveway and has been impassable at times if the snow gets packed down.
What tires would you recommend for 90%+ concrete or asphalt surfaces (to keep noise down) yet still give good snow/rain traction?

[Kingcreek]

I would run any of the mentioned AT3s or at least ATs on any pickup.
15 year old tires are on borrowed time regardless of tread depth.

[Calumus]

JT, those “age cracks” are likely dry rot, and once they’ve started they’ll accelerate rapidly. Wet and snow traction is likely already compromised due to a change in the consistency of the rubber. Sooner rather than later might be a good idea. When i got our Challenger it was 8 years old with 8k miles on it. The tires still had their molding nubs on them; but they were decently dry rotted. I only lasted a few weeks with them before i had to replace them. It would light up the rears if there was dew on the ground and it was undrivable in rain. Like being in a giant Hotwheels car. Made it two years and 10k miles on the Michelin A/S 3+ that i replaced them with, then they started showing minor cracks on the corners of the tread blocks. Michelin warranted them at 75% with their new A/S4. So far so good...

Is your ranger a 4 or 6 cylinder? If it’s a 4, any of the meaty tires we’ve mentioned might be a bit too much for it. You’d see a noticeable difference in fuel economy and acceleration. Nokian makes some light truck, all weather tires that look pretty chunky; but are also approved for EVs, so they can’t be too heavy. Might be perfect for your usage.

https://www.nokiantires.com/all-terrain-tires/nokian-tyres-outpost-nat/

They’re known for making pretty much the best snow tires out there; but they’re expanding their line up. I put a set of their high performance summer tires on a VW i used to have and was quite impressed.

[JTHunter]

Kingcreek - I understand and am inclined to agree.  Earlier this summer, the body shop I've gone to for over 30 years was looking at the tires and was surprised at how good they looked for their age.  I told him the the truck is usually in the pole barn and out of the sun.  He said that's a big help.

Calumus - the truck has the 4.0 L V6 and came with the frame-mounted tow package but I've never towed anything. 
Thanks for the link.  I'll probably start looking next spring.  Normally, we don't get much snow around here but I remember late January 1982.  I bought a Toyota SR5 Longbed 4WD in late Nov., '81 and we had "thundersnows" in Jan/Feb.  I had a 4' drift in my driveway and nearly everything was shut down for 2 days as even the state plows couldn't clear the secondaries.
What I'm going to be looking for next year is an "all season" radial but on the "aggressive" end of the scale.

Thanks for the tips folks!

[Ben]

Got them put on today. They look good - more aggressive looking than the Hankooks, especially on the side lugs. They are also 2/32s deeper new than the hankooks were, coming in at 17. Good deep siping, though I have to give the edge for amount of siping to the Hankooks. We've got a week of on and off rain ahead, so I'll be able to check out wet performance pretty quickly.

It looks like I might take a mileage hit. I don't have enough miles in the MPG computer with these yet, but a guestimate will be 1 mpg less than the Hankooks, which were 1 mpg less than the wimpy all seasons that the 4Runner came with. The Wildpeaks are the heaviest of the tires that I looked at, coming in at 53lbs, so it's expected. My 4Runner gets WAY above the listed average mpgs, so I won't fret.

[Ben]

Thread necro for a Winter report.

Today was the first "hard Winter" use I put the tires through. As usual, snowplowing seems to be optional with the county on the secondary county roads where I live. The first five or so miles of driving after a good snowstorm is pretty much driving the road from memory on where I think it's supposed to be. With the change in weather right now, there was some ice too. Zero problems on those first miles in 4WD high doing 35-40mph. I never felt like there was any slipping or anything at all. That includes a fairly steep uphill on my driveway for getting back into the garage.

On the first "primary" county road I hit, I disengaged 4WD, and the traction control light came on a couple of times over ice, but again, I couldn't tell I was on ice - it felt like I had a good solid grip on the road.

When I got home, I went into 4WD low and off-roaded in a foot or so of powder in one of my fields. Also great grip and no slip.

So having now hit most all conditions I'll use them in, I can heartily recommend the Wildpeaks.

Edit: Oh - the one con is that I took a good 1.5MPG mileage hit from the Hankooks, which I recall were a 1MPG mileage hit from the stock all season P tires (both the Hankooks and these Falkens I got in an E). I was a bit surprised at that big hit over the Hankooks, which weigh only a little less and have nearly as aggresive of a tread. I can only surmise that tread design can make a big difference.