Falken Wildpeak AT3W or BFG AT/KO2

[thegipper]

I have a set of KO's on my rig right now and the only thing I like about them is when I'm off road (hunting trails). Other than that, they are stiff as hell, ride like shit and suck in the snow/rain.

As of right now, I'm still on track to buying a set of the Falken Wildpeaks. The only "off roading" I do is on our hunting trails in the woods of Wisconsin but we certainly get our fair share of snow.

 

[thezentree]

I have a set of KO's on my rig right now and the only thing I like about them is when I'm off road (hunting trails). Other than that, they are stiff as hell, ride like shit and suck in the snow/rain.

As of right now, I'm still on track to buying a set of the Falken Wildpeaks. The only "off roading" I do is on our hunting trails in the woods of Wisconsin but we certainly get our fair share of snow.

I am taking my almost-new KO2s off for AT3Ws this afternoon.

 

[John7M7]

What made you decide to swap?

 

[thezentree]

What made you decide to swap?

I bought the first set in August, had them balanced 5 times before I had all 4 replaced under warranty in September or October. I've had the replacement set balanced twice and while they're a little better, it still shakes your teeth out on the interstate and they ride like crap. If BFG made a C load range KO2 I might consider buying it but I hate these tires.

 

[ajordan1975]

I bought the first set in August, had them balanced 5 times before I had all 4 replaced under warranty in September or October. I've had the replacement set balanced twice and while they're a little better, it still shakes your teeth out on the interstate and they ride like crap. If BFG made a C load range KO2 I might consider buying it but I hate these tires.

They still make a C rated KO2, just not in 16".

 

[J4R]

Also not mentioned in a 265/75R16 is the Toyo A/T2 (on my tacoma currently, which ride great on road) or General APT Grabber which is a new A/T rated well for snow apparently with a 60k mileage. Not very aggressive but I looked at those too.. Just adding a couple of different options to the thread to consider if you haven't already.

 

[Mark_BC]

I'm going to Mexico and thinking of getting some new ko2's in California on the way back. In going to go for 275/75r16. I have 275/70r16 now. My alignment is perfect, will I need to get another alignment with the bigger tires? I know I "should" but do I really need to? I don't want to wreck my new tires. Edit: in reading the above maybe I'll get falkens

 

[John7M7]

I bought the first set in August, had them balanced 5 times before I had all 4 replaced under warranty in September or October. I've had the replacement set balanced twice and while they're a little better, it still shakes your teeth out on the interstate and they ride like crap. If BFG made a C load range KO2 I might consider buying it but I hate these tires.

So, very dumb question. Why can't they get it right? That's really annoying what happened to you, I understand why you're staying away from these tires now.

 

[thezentree]

I'm going to Mexico and thinking of getting some new ko2's in California on the way back. In going to go for 275/75r16. I have 275/70r16 now. My alignment is perfect, will I need to get another alignment with the bigger tires? I know I "should" but do I really need to? I don't want to wreck my new tires. Edit: in reading the above maybe I'll get falkens

You shouldn't need an alignment for bigger tires but if they'll check alignment for free it might be worth it just for peace of mind.

Some people may love their KO2s and I bet they work pretty good offroad. I liked the KOs I had on my fullsize a few years ago. But for a daily driver that sees a ton of interstate miles, I need a tire that rides better.

The AT3Ws that I had put on this afternoon seem to be a big improvement in ride quality so far, but I think I've put all of like 10 miles on them so far so I'm not exactly working with many data points. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison though - I went from load rate E 285/75s to P265/75s. The 4Runner is a LOT faster than it was on the 285s though haha.

 

[thezentree]

So, very dumb question. Why can't they get it right? That's really annoying what happened to you, I understand why you're staying away from these tires now.

No idea. I've been to 4 tire shops around town and requested road force balancing at all of them. I'm fairly happy with the effort they all put into trying to get it right, but both sets took 2.5-3oz of weight at each tire to get them as close as they did. BFG didn't make much of a fuss about replacing the first set, so they did try to make it right. I'm not mad at them, just kind of frustrated that it's been such an ordeal.

The AT3Ws I have on now have less than half of an ounce at each corner with the same wheels.

 

[Scramble]

So, very dumb question. Why can't they get it right? That's really annoying what happened to you, I understand why you're staying away from these tires now.

Sometimes the tires are just made like crap. The first set of Goodyear's I had on this truck wouldn't balance at all. Never had an issue after that with Pirelli's, Bridgestone's, Generals & Hankooks.

 

[Scottyboy]

I am going to get a set of LT265/75/16 tires
Falkens run $498 shipped
KO2s run $698 shipped.

Both are e load tires with nearly the same weights yet the falkens are 2 ply sidewalls and 6 ply treads vs 3 and 10 on the BFGs.

Tires expectations (in order of importance)
Smooth daily driver (60 miles/day)
Heavy snow
Weekend explorer (woods environment)

And no I won't consider duracraps....


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I don’t have experience with ko2, but I love my falken, they are smooth and quiet on the road and are wicked good in the snow and decent on ice. I’ve used them off-road a few times and haven’t had them tear or rip and had great traction in all terrains. I have like 3000 miles on them roughly and they have worn really nicely. Overall a great tire and that’s a good price for 4, considering what I paid

 

[Southk8]

Falken wildpeak at3

Have had the falken wildpeak at3 for two months now. I have no complaints!!!

 

[thezentree]

Since [MENTION=221342]Southk8[/MENTION] bumped the thread and I got the "like" notification from [MENTION=7105]Scramble[/MENTION] I figured I'd update my opinion on my AT3Ws: I still like them a lot after 5-6k miles. I haven't taken them offroad (bought some used MTs for that) but they're still really quiet and ride great. Highly recommend them for a DD tire.

 

[MT_4Runner]

Im on my 3rd set of BFG all terrains(1 set of KO, 2 sets of KO2). Love the tires and have no complaints other than there is no mileage warranty but traction is far more important to me than longevity. I work for a tire dealer and we sell both the BFG and falken quite frequently but i have definitely sold more falkens. I would say its mostly due to the significant price difference but i would recommend the falken to anyone. 55,000 mile warranty and snowflake rated for a competitive price? Hard to beat that.

 

[toyotaoffroadaz]

I bought a set of Falkens in 265/75 for my '99 a couple months ago. Love them so far. Ride very nice on the highway and hardly make any noise at all. Very good off-road for the dirt and rocks we have here. Can't speak on any other terrain. Considered the BFGs, but bought these because of the price. Lost about 1-2 mpg from stock size street tires.

 

[octanejunkie]

I'll throw in here

I have the Hankook-equivalent of the Falkens on my stock 16" 5-star rims and find them to be a great all-round AT/LT tire

I have a set of Grabber MTs on 17" rims and like them better off road. My next set of MTs may very well be Falkens

I used to run BFGs back in the day when they were still $185 tires, I don't think they last as long as the Hankooks do today.

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[jmferg]

Just an update since I made this thread over a year ago.
The unbalanceable Falkens are gone.
I purchased 265/70/17 Cooper st maxx (for the second time) and am very happy. All the bad vibes are gone. Falkens are getting given away to a friend who only does city driving with his pickup (8000 miles only).

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[phoenixtroy]

The Falkens may not have balanced because the valve stem is nowhere near the red dot in that photo. (Sorry if that had already been addressed in this old thread )

Just an update since I made this thread over a year ago.
The unbalanceable Falkens are gone.
I purchased 265/70/17 Cooper st maxx (for the second time) and am very happy. All the bad vibes are gone. Falkens are getting given away to a friend who only does city driving with his pickup (8000 miles only).

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[TacoRunn0517]

Just had my Falkens installed this past Sunday. My first set of non-highway tires. I like them. Had them mounted and balance by my local Firestone and no issues so far. I've already driven 150 miles since Sunday afternoon so its been a small but meaningful sample size. Looking forward to testing these out during inclement weather.