i went out and checked mine - they mounted the red dots where the valve stems are - the yellow dots are on the tires as well. first tire i have ever purchased that has colored dots on them :shrug:
Falken Wildpeak AT3W or BFG AT/KO2
- Thread starter jmferg
- Start date
i went out and checked mine - they mounted the red dots where the valve stems are - the yellow dots are on the tires as well. first tire i have ever purchased that has colored dots on them :shrug:
From reading online info the yellow and red dots refer to the heavy spots on the tire and should be mounted where the wheel stem is for least amount of weights to be used. Supposedly the yellow dot is the one you line up from what I read. My tires balance out pretty good and only one of my tires used more than one inner weight. Still need snow here in denver to try the snow capabilities of these things. So far very good road manners for such a heavy tire. Do feel a loss in power but 6000ft will make most cars feel sluggish.
HOJeepster
New member
I've been 100% pleased with the Falkens in sand, snow, mud, and highway.
electroCrunch
New member
I have KO2's in 265/75R16. Next tire size will be 285/75R16. These two tires are my top 2 picks when I move to the 33's.
I have approximately 20k-25k miles on my KO2's. I haven't measured the tread depth, but there's still a ton of life let in them. My impressions are that it's been really awesome offload. I mostly wheel in the Sonoran desert terrain, so lots of dirt, rocks and sand. But I don't go out of my way to "rock crawl" so I know I'm not pushing them. In those conditions they have performed extremely well for me. The KO2's have only rarely seen mud, and that usually just means driving through a muddy puddle on a trail. I did get into some slippery mud not too long ago at the dump, and pulling a +1k lb. trailer, and had zero issues with grip. That was pleasantly surprising.
Additionally, I have honestly been disappointed with the wet on-road performance. It doesn't rain much in Arizona, but being an Oregon native I'm not scared of driving in the rain. It's far too easy to spin the rear tires and get it fish-tailey when the road is wet. Fun for some, but the family doesn't enjoy that at all.
At some point within the last six months the tires got a lot louder. Much more noticeable than when I first put them on, but still not too bad. I mean, it's a 90s SUV with AT tires, so road noise is going to happen. I don't mind it, but some may.
All of that said, my buddy put the Falkens on his GX470. He loves them. He's trying to persuade me to go to the Falkens when I upgrade. He's wheeled with me, and has never gotten stuck or had any issues... on a bone stock open diff GX470.
I would lean towards the KO2's when it's time to move to 33's as I like the BFG reputation for quality and they're a known factor for me at this point. However, the Falkens are definitely cheaper. So it's going to come down to cost most likely and if I can find a great deal on the KO2's.
My experience is not scientific and is only anecdotal.
I have approximately 20k-25k miles on my KO2's. I haven't measured the tread depth, but there's still a ton of life let in them. My impressions are that it's been really awesome offload. I mostly wheel in the Sonoran desert terrain, so lots of dirt, rocks and sand. But I don't go out of my way to "rock crawl" so I know I'm not pushing them. In those conditions they have performed extremely well for me. The KO2's have only rarely seen mud, and that usually just means driving through a muddy puddle on a trail. I did get into some slippery mud not too long ago at the dump, and pulling a +1k lb. trailer, and had zero issues with grip. That was pleasantly surprising.
Additionally, I have honestly been disappointed with the wet on-road performance. It doesn't rain much in Arizona, but being an Oregon native I'm not scared of driving in the rain. It's far too easy to spin the rear tires and get it fish-tailey when the road is wet. Fun for some, but the family doesn't enjoy that at all.
At some point within the last six months the tires got a lot louder. Much more noticeable than when I first put them on, but still not too bad. I mean, it's a 90s SUV with AT tires, so road noise is going to happen. I don't mind it, but some may.
All of that said, my buddy put the Falkens on his GX470. He loves them. He's trying to persuade me to go to the Falkens when I upgrade. He's wheeled with me, and has never gotten stuck or had any issues... on a bone stock open diff GX470.
I would lean towards the KO2's when it's time to move to 33's as I like the BFG reputation for quality and they're a known factor for me at this point. However, the Falkens are definitely cheaper. So it's going to come down to cost most likely and if I can find a great deal on the KO2's.
My experience is not scientific and is only anecdotal.
jmferg
New member
Update. I will NOT purchase a Falken product again.
Tires will not balance and Falken will not return them unless I ship them to Chicago or Cali from a Discount Tire (of which I have to pay for until they determine if they are out of round of not). After talking to other owners and some google research, this is an extremely common problem with these AT3Ws.
I will dumping them on CL and getting something else
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Tires will not balance and Falken will not return them unless I ship them to Chicago or Cali from a Discount Tire (of which I have to pay for until they determine if they are out of round of not). After talking to other owners and some google research, this is an extremely common problem with these AT3Ws.
I will dumping them on CL and getting something else
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muscle_doc
New member
Any additional update with what you went with? Found this thread because I'm looking into Falken ATW3 due to the wet weather and highway driving I do (KO2s are slick from what I read, and I currently have Duratracs which are slick as well in the rain)
Trojan4x4
New member
Wildpeaks are outdated, also hard. Most likely will be end making that model or change it to a newer one. Does come with miledge warranty, so will last longer. It's not a true all terrain tire though.
KO2's are way better than KO's. But rubber is softer and does have more silicone, to address the hydroplanning issue KO's have. However, it is some what of a "gold standard" of all terrain tire.
I would suggest looking into Cooper AT/3s LT or Kumho road ventures
KO2's are way better than KO's. But rubber is softer and does have more silicone, to address the hydroplanning issue KO's have. However, it is some what of a "gold standard" of all terrain tire.
I would suggest looking into Cooper AT/3s LT or Kumho road ventures
octanejunkie
Elite Member
Last two sets of tires on my 4runner have been Hankook Dynapro ATMs in 265/70 R16 and I've been happy all around: quiet, well mannered, good in rain, snow and ice, but I've not offroaded them bc I'm 2WD but less than $120 installed at my local American Tire Depot (internet price match)
Black798
New member
The at3w was released to market less than 2 years ago. The rubber compound on them is also way softer than any ko2 I've ever been around so I'm not really following your point there. The Cooper at/3 have some good reviews but I've also heard they hold rocks in-between the blocks like no one's business.
Personally I'd steer away from the kumhos. I've wheeled with some people running them and was very unimpressed with their performance. I am very glad I bought the falkens rather than the kumhos.
AZBub
New member
How is the Falken AT3W Outdated? It’s newer to market than the KO2. Confused here.
The Cooper At/3 has been around for how many years now???
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Scramble
New member
I owned these tires before this awesome FJ40 commercial. :jump:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vASwC4Wy2_c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vASwC4Wy2_c
octanejunkie
Elite Member
I put my first set on in 2011-2012 and got over 100K on them, they are pretty great tires for the price.
Scramble
New member
Thats insane! Mine will probably dry rot before I put 50K on them. I got 70k out of my old Pirellis & thought that was good.
octanejunkie
Elite Member
The tire shop was impressed as hell, they wouldn't believe it until they looked it up in their computer system and confirmed mileage at install.
CertifiedT4R
New member
I have not ever had BFG KO2s on my truck but from people I have talked to they like they Falkens much more. I currently run the falken 265/70/17 looking back I wish I had got 285/75/17 since I recently lifted but overall I love this tire, they were actually quieter than the cheap highway tires the dealer had put on my car when I purchased it. I am planning to sell my current tires with less than 5k miles and I will for sure be purchasing the larger size Falken Wildpeak A/T
John7M7
New member
And how about a nice set of Dick Cepek Fun Country E load tires? They have sipping, are better off road than a KO2, are easy to balance and look bad ass. That's what I run.
.... but they're loud. Not MT loud, but more than AT loud. Still, super tough sidewall, deep thread, for me it's the best option on the market in this category.
I would skip the KO2s just because everyone runs them and I don't like to do things like everyone else. But they're great tires, are cheap because subsidised almost everywhere, and perform well.
The Falkens have a weak sidewall from what I remember researching, but if you don't really off road who cares?
For simple AT tires, I'd go Cooper AT3. For a more aggressive tire, I'd go KO2 or Cooper ST Maxx. For an even more aggressive one, which is what i wanted, Dick Cepek Fun Country.
Stay away from trash like Kuhmo, Firestone, etc.
.... but they're loud. Not MT loud, but more than AT loud. Still, super tough sidewall, deep thread, for me it's the best option on the market in this category.
I would skip the KO2s just because everyone runs them and I don't like to do things like everyone else. But they're great tires, are cheap because subsidised almost everywhere, and perform well.
The Falkens have a weak sidewall from what I remember researching, but if you don't really off road who cares?
For simple AT tires, I'd go Cooper AT3. For a more aggressive tire, I'd go KO2 or Cooper ST Maxx. For an even more aggressive one, which is what i wanted, Dick Cepek Fun Country.
Stay away from trash like Kuhmo, Firestone, etc.
