A very specific tire question!

Big Red 4Runner

Big Red 4Runner

New member
Hello folks,

I have a tire question, a pretty specific question about two tires and two tires only. :)

Falken Wildpeak AT3 v. Pathfinder AT (Discount Tire brand made by Hankook, similar to the Dynapro AT2) in 265/65 or 70/R17.

I'd like to hear opinions, good or bad, on each of these tires. And with all due respect, I would prefer not to hear why Goodrich, Firestone, Generals, etc. are better. I don't intend that to sound snippy; it's just that I have narrowed my choices to these 2.

The bulk of my driving will, like a lot of people, be pavement. However, I do a lot of hunting and I drive a lot of gravel/dirt/rock/sand county roads; in and out of and sometimes across farm fields and pastures in all kinds of weather, including snow.

Thanks in advance.
 
Register to hide this ad
Big Red 4Runner said:
Hello folks,

I have a tire question, a pretty specific question about two tires and two tires only. :)

Falken Wildpeak AT3 v. Pathfinder AT (Discount Tire brand made by Hankook, similar to the Dynapro AT2) in 265/65 or 70/R17.

I'd like to hear opinions, good or bad, on each of these tires. And with all due respect, I would prefer not to hear why Goodrich, Firestone, Generals, etc. are better. I don't intend that to sound snippy; it's just that I have narrowed my choices to these 2.

The bulk of my driving will, like a lot of people, be pavement. However, I do a lot of hunting and I drive a lot of gravel/dirt/rock/sand county roads; in and out of and sometimes across farm fields and pastures in all kinds of weather, including snow.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I have no direct experience with either, but folks I know with the Wildpeaks love them. They get my vote.
 
I also have no 1st hand experience with either tire, but the Wildpeak sidewalls look more aggressive just based on google images. This will help to provide better traction in deeper stuff and with the increased contact patch from airing down.

I found a really low mileage pair of wildpeaks for sale in my area, and I'm picking them up this weekend.
 
I went to 265 70 17 falken wildpeaks from stock. They can be challenging to balance and I had issues with this. Consensus is you need a “lug centric balancing”
Personally I don’t love the sidewalL design on it. I went with the tire mostly bc I got a great deal on amazon like 115 per tire at the time

My speedometer is finally correct. Before it would over estimate my speed by 3-5 mph

I do some mild- moderate off roading and truthfully my all season tires seemed to perform just as well as these. I haven’t had a situation yet where I was super impressed. I was in some real slick clay and they didn’t grip great but a lot of tires would struggle I’d imagine. Haven’t had any issues with on pavement traction.
 
Last edited:
No experience with either but I've heard members having issues with getting their Wildpeaks balanced. Some giving up after a while and getting a different brand altogether after they couldn't get them corrected.

I was planning on going with the Falkens before I read all the threads about balancing issues. I ended up going with Grabbers AT2 and love 'em.
 
Falkens are the bee's knees. No road noise from my 285/70's and haven't had any balancing problems. Good wear too.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
 
+1 for Wildpeaks! Currently have the 265/70/17 size with no lift and only rubs in reverse with steering wheel in full turn. Quiet on pavement and does great in snow & muddy terrain from what I’ve experienced. Prior to purchase I did read online about balancing issues but mine came out all fine, including a matching one for my spare. Bought from Walmart online a few months ago for $115 each. Eventually when I get around to installing my lift, I will probably stay with Wildpeaks but in MT. Go with Falken.
 

Attachments

  • 8190F486-2150-485D-8C7E-4A46AB393148.jpg
    8190F486-2150-485D-8C7E-4A46AB393148.jpg
    137.4 KB · Views: 1,497
Last edited:
Another vote for the 'Peaks, had em for a few years with no issues at all.

I would recommend going at least /70 size-wise, I didn't (went 265/65/17) and am going to be replacing them earlier for a larger set.
 
Just picked up my second pair of wildpeaks. Like them and haven't had any issues balancing them. Also wore evenly and I didnt even rotate them.
 
Big Red 4Runner said:
Hello folks,

I have a tire question, a pretty specific question about two tires and two tires only. :)

Falken Wildpeak AT3 v. Pathfinder AT (Discount Tire brand made by Hankook, similar to the Dynapro AT2) in 265/65 or 70/R17.

I'd like to hear opinions, good or bad, on each of these tires. And with all due respect, I would prefer not to hear why Goodrich, Firestone, Generals, etc. are better. I don't intend that to sound snippy; it's just that I have narrowed my choices to these 2.

The bulk of my driving will, like a lot of people, be pavement. However, I do a lot of hunting and I drive a lot of gravel/dirt/rock/sand county roads; in and out of and sometimes across farm fields and pastures in all kinds of weather, including snow.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

70R17 is the correct size for these rigs. Very little downside to going to that size. Just hold off on tires if you are planning to lift and buy once/cry once.

Another vote here for the Falkens. I've had the Pathfinders, and they are actually quite decent for the price. Their downfall is they are a very normal AT tire, which means they are loud on the highway and slick in rain. Falkens are pretty great in both of these conditions.
 
gimlithepirate said:
70R17 is the correct size for these rigs. Very little downside to going to that size. Just hold off on tires if you are planning to lift and buy once/cry once.

Another vote here for the Falkens. I've had the Pathfinders, and they are actually quite decent for the price. Their downfall is they are a very normal AT tire, which means they are loud on the highway and slick in rain. Falkens are pretty great in both of these conditions.
Click to expand...
I don't plan on lifting my 4Runner - but I am going to be replacing factory struts/shocks with the adjustable Bilstein 5100s. And, by the way, you hit the nail on the head about tires being slick in the rain - that's one of my main concerns and is one of the reasons I'm getting rid of my Nitto Crosstek all-seasons. Their poor performance in rain is only exceeded by their nightmarish performance in snow or mud. Easily the worst tires for an SUV or light truck I've ever had.

Yotascape said:
+1 for Wildpeaks! Currently have the 265/70/17 size with no lift and only rubs in reverse with steering wheel in full turn. Quiet on pavement and does great in snow & muddy terrain from what I’ve experienced. Prior to purchase I did read online about balancing issues but mine came out all fine, including a matching one for my spare. Bought from Walmart online a few months ago for $115 each. Eventually when I get around to installing my lift, I will probably stay with Wildpeaks but in MT. Go with Falken.
Click to expand...
Really good looking truck! I'm not always a fan of blacked out rims but yours look great! Thanks for your reply!

MANY THANKS to everyone who responded. I have decided to go with the Falkens!
 
Last edited:
Yotascape said:
+1 for Wildpeaks! Currently have the 265/70/17 size with no lift and only rubs in reverse with steering wheel in full turn. Quiet on pavement and does great in snow & muddy terrain from what I’ve experienced. Prior to purchase I did read online about balancing issues but mine came out all fine, including a matching one for my spare. Bought from Walmart online a few months ago for $115 each. Eventually when I get around to installing my lift, I will probably stay with Wildpeaks but in MT. Go with Falken.
Click to expand...

Quick question about your rims. Did you buy them blacked out or did you paint/coat them yourself? As I said in my other reply, they look great!
 
Big Red 4Runner said:
Quick question about your rims. Did you buy them blacked out or did you paint/coat them yourself? As I said in my other reply, they look great!
Click to expand...

Thanks! Plastidipped them myself last year, 5 coats black/2 coats clear. It held up great through a North Dakota winter but I eventually peeled and clean everything off.
 
Not my personal truck but my dad has Fallen Wildpeak ATs in a 285/70s on his FJ Cruiser and he says he really likes them. Great tire on road but still good off-road. Low road noise, comfortable.
 
I have had a couple sets of Falken Wild Peak AT3Ws on my personal vehicles, and they were great. Good traction in all but thick mud, low road noise, pretty good wear.

We also run the Pathfinder AT on a lot of our service trucks. We don't ever have any issues out of them. I think you're safe with either choice, though I'd tip my hat to the Falkens just for cool points.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 331 (members: 6, guests: 325)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,307
Messages
3,554,048
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top