New Falken AT tire (A/T3W)

Agree with this. Fortunately the AT3/W come in a 275 C-rated which I think is the perfect size and load range for our 4Runners. I came to this realization quickly over the past few weeks. About 4 months ago I went from a 265 C-rated KO2 to a 285 E-rated Cooper AT3 XLT. I live at 5000ft and travel to about 6600ft for work. The 4Runner drove like a slug and I frequently had to downshift to 3rd gear to maintain 70mph going uphill. MPG, braking, acceleration suffered and it would constantly gear hunt. At altitude you definitely need to re-gear if you go 285's.

Had my AT3/W 275 C-rated installed yesterday and already notice a big difference all around. It can accelerate uphill much easier and overall the 4Runner doesn't feel like a such a slug. Thing is I've taken my 265 C-rated KO2 on trails in Utah and Colorado without issue so C-rated is fine for most things except extremely rocky trails and high speed desert running.

Hell I seriously contemplated trading the 4Runner in for a Land Cruiser because it felt so slow. With the 275's it feels like it got some of the pep back. I still will probably trade for a Land Cruiser in the future but hopefully can hold out for another 2-3 years.

Hold up, when did 275 c-rated Wildpeaks come out? I could have sworn I was looking for them like last week and didn't see them. But I see them on tirebuyer now.
 
Hold up, when did 275 c-rated Wildpeaks come out? I could have sworn I was looking for them like last week and didn't see them. But I see them on tirebuyer now.

thats what im saying. when i checked the other day, i didnt see it. but checked today and now its available. ?????
 
any pictures? i have a '18 ORP w/ kdss and trd pro bilstein suspension, i wonder if it'll rub if i go 275 wildpeaks..anyone know?? from what ive read, 275 ko2's wont rub.. just not sure about these tires.

I was looking at my stock size wildpeaks the other day when I was parked with the wheel turned (note: I was on a hill so my rig was leaned forward and right) and I was very surprised how close I was to rubbing. Less than 1/2in of space in the front. I almost took a picture and now I wish I had. I would guess 275s would rub in some situations, with flex AND turn, but not too badly.
 
any pictures? i have a '18 ORP w/ kdss and trd pro bilstein suspension, i wonder if it'll rub if i go 275 wildpeaks..anyone know?? from what ive read, 275 ko2's wont rub.. just not sure about these tires.

No pictures yet, I'll try and get some up in a few days.

Hold up, when did 275 c-rated Wildpeaks come out? I could have sworn I was looking for them like last week and didn't see them. But I see them on tirebuyer now.

They actually released them this past fall then they went on a backorder for a little bit and now are back in stock. I had my local discount tire install them.
 
Unfortunately, according to Falken, they're 6 lbs heavier per tire than C-rated BFG KO2 285s

That's kinda lame.

The 275 Wildpeaks are listed as 1lb heavier per tire than my previous 285 Cooper AT3 XLT. Still the 4Runner struggles a lot less on the 275's. I think less rolling resistance with the smaller width and diameter has more of an impact on driveability than additional unsprung weight.
 
lol. i get my tires from ATD at a cheaper price and no tax. so when i checked, they didnt have it so i went ahead and ordered 265 yesterday and got them in today.

Nice you are a partner with ATD! I'm assuming you received your set locally nearby, did they check the national supply for you? I tried to bypass TB and called ATD directly but they told me to F off since I wasn't one of their partnered distributors LOL. My set delivered from ATD in Wilson, NC, it took them 5 days to make it to Houston. I paid TB tax but shipping was free since it was sent to a certified local Firestone installer. I thought I had to use FS service since I received a TB email quoting me $68 for the mounting service, but the FS employee said I can pick them up and take it else where to get mounted and I didn't have to paying shipping. TB was going to charge me shipping to my house so I'm glad I opted for the free FS delivery. I trust my local Discount Tire lifetime balance and rotation service, they also matched an online competitor wheel price so I scored a set of Level8 MK6 -10 GM for $542 tax included which should arrive this Friday. I can't wait for the marriage
 
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Nice you are a partner with ATD! I'm assuming you received your set locally nearby, did they check the national supply for you? I tried to bypass TB and called ATD directly but they told me to F off since I wasn't one of their partnered distributors LOL. My set delivered from ATD in Wilson, NC, it took them 5 days to make it to Houston. I paid TB tax but shipping was free since it was sent to a certified local Firestone installer. I thought I had to use FS service since I received a TB email quoting me $68 for the mounting service, but the FS employee said I can pick them up and take it else where to get mounted and I didn't have to paying shipping. TB was going to charge me shipping to my house so I'm glad I opted for the free FS delivery. I trust my local Discount Tire lifetime balance and rotation service, they also matched an online competitor wheel price so I scored a set of Level8 MK6 -10 GM for $542 tax included which should arrive this Friday. I can't wait for the marriage

if you're asking about the 265, there were 4 locally and it said 99+ national. i paid $122 per tire.
 
so i got my 265's installed today on my ORP wheels. rides smooth with no issues. however when i got home, i noticed that 3 of the wheels have a bunch of weights added. i would figure 3-4 would be normal but this is like 12-15. it was installed at costco since it was on my way to work. should i be worried??
 
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The 275 Wildpeaks are listed as 1lb heavier per tire than my previous 285 Cooper AT3 XLT. Still the 4Runner struggles a lot less on the 275's. I think less rolling resistance with the smaller width and diameter has more of an impact on driveability than additional unsprung weight.

This is why I'm stuck between the 285 C KO2's and 275 AT3 LT's they are 50 and 52 lbs respectfully.
 
The 275 Wildpeaks are listed as 1lb heavier per tire than my previous 285 Cooper AT3 XLT. Still the 4Runner struggles a lot less on the 275's. I think less rolling resistance with the smaller width and diameter has more of an impact on driveability than additional unsprung weight.

I just read a post about your previous tires you posted not too long ago. Are you like me, wearing tires every 25k or so?

I am not changing to XLT but I am curious if you liked them later in their life as much as you did new.

By the way, the Wildpeaks are unusually wide. They are much wider than other tires in the same size I have seen (speaking of the 265 width). They are easily as wide as 265 as others in probably 275 and I will venture a guess as wide as some 285s. I was in Discount Tire two days ago and had a chance to look closely at a bunch of tires in the stock size.
 
I just read a post about your previous tires you posted not too long ago. Are you like me, wearing tires every 25k or so?

I am not changing to XLT but I am curious if you liked them later in their life as much as you did new.

By the way, the Wildpeaks are unusually wide. They are much wider than other tires in the same size I have seen (speaking of the 265 width). They are easily as wide as 265 as others in probably 275 and I will venture a guess as wide as some 285s. I was in Discount Tire two days ago and had a chance to look closely at a bunch of tires in the stock size.

Honestly I intended to keep the Coopers for a long time. I only put about 14k miles on them before switching to the Falkens. My opinion on the Coopers remain the same, excellent tire overall in on-road and off-road situations. Drove smooth, quiet, and very capable. I had a chance to test them out in some pretty good conditions over the course of 6 months. Took Top of the World trail in Moab in slick rain without problems. It really crawled up the hardest sections of that trail without issue. Did Onion Creek/Thompson Canyon in the mud too on that trip. A little sliding but kind of expected with an AT in the mud. I live in the Utah mountains so we get plenty of snow, ice, and road closures. Again handled it really well although I drive like a nanny in the snow (which is how most people probably should drive). Also took a trip to Big Sky, MT and drove through some very snowy conditions in Island Park and West Yellowstone on the way there. So I can probably say they took me through some pretty rough conditions and they handled it more than well.

The ONLY reason I switched to the Falkens was that I had the Coopers in 285 E's. The 4Runner drove like a slug at altitude (I live at 5,500 ft) and I go up an down the canyon to/from work. The 4R struggled quite a bit to keep speed uphill. It needed a regear badly. If there was one con about the Coopers was that I had a mild steering wheel wobble at 60mph. It was mild and didn't bother me enough to go somewhere to get a Road Force balance.

So the Falkens at a 275 C, albeit a larger 275, fits the bill nicely between going up in size and adding capability over stock. I've already noticed quite a bit of improvement in ride quality, MPG, and overall zip. It can go up the mountains now at 70mph in 4th gear quite comfortably whereas with 285's I needed to drop it in 3rd gear to climb. Still need to take them out on some trails but I don't think there will be any issues and they are 3-peak winter rated. I'm at a point in the 4Runner where I can keep it mostly stock and enjoy good overall ride quality and mpg or go down the rabbit hole and spend money on a re-gear, run 285's, and a rear bumper. For now I'll see how a little sacrifice and maybe a reality check goes.
 
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EDIT: you all know that you should only buy Wildpeaks from approved distributors because there are tires that were supposed to be destroyed but are sold by others, right? There used to be a warning on the Falken website though I no longer see it. Hopefully the defective tires are all gone. I use Discount Tire.

Ok, I am a bit short of 15,000--but close.

Vehicle: 4R TRDOP non-kdss, March 2018. Wildpeaks a week later.

P 265 70 17.

Total mileage: close to 15,000.
Dirt use: over 1,500 miles, 61 trails, 70 runs.
Notable trails: Backaway to Crown King, Broken Arrow, Fins and Things, Tower Arch, Maze district of Canyonlands, Montana mountain trails.

Road pressure: 33-35 psi. Offroad: 28-35. Yup. Only aired down to 21 for Double Crater climb near Flagstaff.

Overall impressions: best I have had (much better than Toyo AT II, BFG KO2s, Conti AT, Geolander ATS).

Rock: superb. They are not as strong as MTs or select D/E load ATs, but they are strong enough, even at street pressures. One puncture due to high pressures, good speed, and many sharp small rocks on an easy desert trail. Bad luck more than anything. Incredible traction in rock, at least coupled with a TRDO/TE

Dirt: great in 4H. Coming from a Subaru, handling on dirt leaves a lot to be desired on a high center of gravity 4x4, but grip is great in 4H. No serious complaints.

Sand/snow: no complaints. Mud: meh, not a fan of mud. Avoid it when I can.


Road performance: No appreciable difference from the stock tire on road. No appreciable mpg drop either.

Road comfort: Impressively quiet (no noise) and comfy (no discernible harshness).

Why P metric? Because P metric is far superior almost all of the time. It means no airing down for comfort and much less airing down for traction than an E-load tire meant for super duty trucks. It means minimal impact on acceleration, mpg, and road comfort. The one place where the E-load version may pay off is the Sonoran desert but even so I would rather replace a tire once a year than put up with all the E-load compromises on daily basis.

Update to the above review. In sum, I have been arguing that a good P metric is better overall choice for a multi-purpose rig, with the noted exception bolded. I have also been arguing that P metric should NOT be aired down except when really needed (deep sand).

Well, I proved myself right on the latter count today. To preempt tread puncture in the same kind of terrain as the one referenced above, I aired down to 25, noting that the bulge is quite big for that pressure (like a D load KO2 at 15 or so). 6 miles later we blocked a narrow section of trail, halting 3 UTVs coming the other way while replacing a tire destroyed by a sidewall split bead to shoulder, gnarly! We were moving at a good pace and I am sure that did not help.

Let's look at some numbers:

I don’t have a P/LT breakdown by state, but overall it goes like this with 75% P-metric and the rest D-load KO2s. This is unpaved mileage:

Southern Utah 2800 miles no punctures, no sidewall cuts
Colorado 750 same
Montana 600 same
AZ: NOT Sonoran desert 1200 same
AZ: Sonoran desert 600 1 puncture and 1 sidewall cut
CA and NM 140 no issues, light duty only


Now before someone starts yelling “told you so” bear in mind that the various 2-ply sidewall tires have pretty similar sidewall thickness from P to E. Three-ply sidewall Ds and Es like the KO2s have much thicker sidewalls, no question about that.

For now, I think I will stick to 33 psi.

EDIT: so, yes, two weeks later we went there, did not air down, and had no issues at all completing the trail and then driving another one. We drove a total of 48 miles through the desert over the same small, sharp rocks. No issues.

EDIT 2: another 150sh miles of very rough desert terrain at 33 psi and no issues. The tire has great flex at 33 psi when over a rock.
 
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Update to the above review. In sum, I have been arguing that a good P metric is better overall choice for a multi-purpose rig, with the noted exception bolded. I have also been arguing that P metric should NOT be aired down except when really needed (deep sand).

Well, I proved myself right on the latter count today. To preempt tread puncture in the same kind of terrain as the one referenced above, I aired down to 25, noting that the bulge is quite big for that pressure (like a D load KO2 at 15 or so). 6 miles later we blocked a narrow section of trail, halting 3 UTVs coming the other way while replacing a tire destroyed by a sidewall split bead to shoulder, gnarly! We were moving at a good pace and I am sure that did not help.

Let's look at some numbers:

I don’t have a P/LT breakdown by state, but overall it goes like this with 75% P-metric and the rest D-load KO2s. This is unpaved mileage:

Southern Utah 2800 miles no punctures, no sidewall cuts
Colorado 750 same
Montana 600 same
AZ: NOT Sonoran desert 1200 same
AZ: Sonoran desert 600 1 puncture and 1 sidewall cut
CA and NM 140 no issues, light duty only


Now before someone starts yelling “told you so” bear in mind that the various 2-ply sidewall tires have pretty similar sidewall thickness from P to E. Three-ply sidewall Ds and Es like the KO2s have much thicker sidewalls, no question about that.

For now, I think I will stick to 33 psi and will watch out on these easier sections that do not invite crawling. If this happens in S. Utah or the mountain states or around Sedona without airing down, I will have to go to a 3-ply sidewall and maybe a 255 75 17 since those are lighter.

You make good points here. I think for 95% of 5th generation 4runner owners the P metric tires would be the way to go. The LT range would benefit in rock crawling but for almost everything else a P metric would be perfectly fine unless you spend almost every weekend on the trail.
Has anyone looked much at the Fallen Rubitrek? I recently had these installed. They are essentially the same thing as the AT3/W. I actually preferred them after seeing both side by side.
 
You make good points here. I think for 95% of 5th generation 4runner owners the P metric tires would be the way to go. The LT range would benefit in rock crawling but for almost everything else a P metric would be perfectly fine unless you spend almost every weekend on the trail.
Has anyone looked much at the Fallen Rubitrek? I recently had these installed. They are essentially the same thing as the AT3/W. I actually preferred them after seeing both side by side.

That's interesting, Rubitrek is literally identical to the Wildpeak except for the modified look, even the description is literally the same between the two:
http://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/rubitrek/t-tire
http://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeaka/t3w-tire

The thing is that both my puncture and the sidewall cut happened over easy terrain with small sharp rocks at some speed. Not on Crown King, on any of the harder Sedona trails, not in the farthest corners of the Maze in UT or in the middle of a Montana mountain. For now, I don't see a correlation between difficulty and issues, just between Sonoran Desert sharp rocks, faster sections of trail, and issues.
 
I have read through quite a few pages on this thread and still can’t find a definitive answer. Will 275/70/17 rub really bad on a stock setup?
 

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