New Falken AT tire (A/T3W)

[Decipher]

Expecting to remove flaps and some of the fender. Hoping to be one of the lucky ones who doesn't need to do a BMC for now (Still warrantied lol).



Considering ordering a set 4 285/70s for $225 each to see if they fit ok. IF they dont, anyone want to buy em for less? 200?



-Kevin

I’m one of the super lucky ones who not only didn’t need the BMC, but also don’t need UCAs with the tires and lift. Everything is within spec so it does happen! I’m a success story. Haha


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[Johns381]

Has anybody put the 275/70R17 on a stock Trail or TRD Off Road? I swear I saw somebody put the 275 on a stock SR5 with no issues but I can’t find it now.

 

[mckennar]

FWIW we just had a set of A/T3W's installed on our 5th gen Trail, stock size(265/70/17), and 3 of the 4 appeared as though they were molded incorrectly. Hard to explain but I watched them on the spin balancer and if you looked at them from the tread-side as they were spinning, it's almost as though they were wobbling side to side. It was like that on 3 of the 4.

Only 1 of the 4 in this first set didn't have this wobbly characteristic, and it balanced fine BUT took a ton of weight.

Even with a road force balance, 65-75 mph (speed limits here are 75), we'd get an unsettling higher frequency vibration on that set.

After ~200 miles of this, we'd had enough. Through a local tire shop, Falken shipped a replacement set under warranty which all went on no issue and didn't take nearly as much weight. The guy doing the balancing said that all 4 combined of the replacement set took less total weight to balance than the 1 non-wobbly tire from the first batch.

Not sure if it was just a bad manufacturing run, but all 4 from the first (wobbly) batch had the same DOT code from the 2nd week of Oct, 2018. The ones that went on and balanced out fine were DOT coded mid-November 2018.

These aren't as quiet as the K02's I run on my other 4Runner, but for the price, I'm fine with it.

Wanted to follow up, we put 15,000 miles on the Falkens since I posted above & had nothing but problems.

I've sent 5 tires back to Falken after the above post (9 in total if you count the first 4), all with manufacturing defects that weren't apparent upon initial install. Sidewall bulges, broken belts, defective molding, going out of round between 5k mi rotations, uneven wear etc.

This most recent rotation was the last straw. The tech said one of the tires was out of round, and another had 4 bubbles on the sidewall. Both were recent replacements with 5k miles on them that we'd received during the previous rotation in exchange for 2 tires that wouldn't take a balance after 5k.

For background, this is the daily driver highway commuter and school run car. I've put MAYBE 100 miles off pavement on it since the Falkens were installed, 99.5 of those miles in 4x2, and mostly on forest service roads in the Ozarks.

Anyway, I just replaced the AT3W's with a set of Duratracs ~200 mi ago. Couldn't be happier to be rid of the Falkens. Discount tire let me keep the 2 good ones (gave me a full refund on the set of 4, so shout out to them), I figure I'll put them on my off-road trailer once the BFG KO's age-out next year.

Pros:
better wet traction than stock AT-20's
better dry traction than stock AT-20's
better off-road traction than stock AT-20's
looks
price
understanding / patient customer service reps

Cons:
inconsistent quality control
noise
tread wear

Glad they work for some people, but they didn't work for us.

 

[jcalvert86]

These aren't as quiet as the K02's I run on my other 4Runner, but for the price, I'm fine with it.

Most reviews mentioned the AT3W being quieter than the KO2 - opposite experience for you?

I'll be picking up something in 285/70/17 soon and was leaning toward AT3W P rated for 90% normal commuting.

Which load rating were you running?

 

[SpeedyKevin]

Wanted to follow up, we put 15,000 miles on the Falkens since I posted above & had nothing but problems.

I've sent 5 tires back to Falken after the above post (9 in total if you count the first 4), all with manufacturing defects that weren't apparent upon initial install. Sidewall bulges, broken belts, defective molding, going out of round between 5k mi rotations, uneven wear etc.

This most recent rotation was the last straw. The tech said one of the tires was out of round, and another had 4 bubbles on the sidewall. Both were recent replacements with 5k miles on them that we'd received during the previous rotation in exchange for 2 tires that wouldn't take a balance after 5k.

For background, this is the daily driver highway commuter and school run car. I've put MAYBE 100 miles off pavement on it since the Falkens were installed, 99.5 of those miles in 4x2, and mostly on forest service roads in the Ozarks.

Anyway, I just replaced the AT3W's with a set of Duratracs ~200 mi ago. Couldn't be happier to be rid of the Falkens. Discount tire let me keep the 2 good ones (gave me a full refund on the set of 4, so shout out to them), I figure I'll put them on my off-road trailer once the BFG KO's age-out next year.

Pros:
better wet traction than stock AT-20's
better dry traction than stock AT-20's
better off-road traction than stock AT-20's
looks
price
understanding / patient customer service reps

Cons:
inconsistent quality control
noise
tread wear

Glad they work for some people, but they didn't work for us.

Ahh sorry to hear about them! Similar to your case, all 5 of our AT3Ws arrived out of round. Thankfully the shop found that out early.

Glad to hear you found an alternative that works for you!
-Kevin

 

[ForRun]

Most reviews mentioned the AT3W being quieter than the KO2 - opposite experience for you?

I'll be picking up something in 285/70/17 soon and was leaning toward AT3W P rated for 90% normal commuting.

Which load rating were you running?

I've ran KO2's and now Falken. The Falcons do make more noise although not that much. For me deciding factor will be wet (cold) traction as the KO2's were awful and like driving on black ice even in rain (cold winter time) .
If reviews stand true in winter time I'll be a Falkon fan for life, if not Ill go back to my summer winter setup for KO2 summer and Michelin defenders for winter

 

[Decipher]

Wanted to follow up, we put 15,000 miles on the Falkens since I posted above & had nothing but problems.



I've sent 5 tires back to Falken after the above post (9 in total if you count the first 4), all with manufacturing defects that weren't apparent upon initial install. Sidewall bulges, broken belts, defective molding, going out of round between 5k mi rotations, uneven wear etc.



This most recent rotation was the last straw. The tech said one of the tires was out of round, and another had 4 bubbles on the sidewall. Both were recent replacements with 5k miles on them that we'd received during the previous rotation in exchange for 2 tires that wouldn't take a balance after 5k.



For background, this is the daily driver highway commuter and school run car. I've put MAYBE 100 miles off pavement on it since the Falkens were installed, 99.5 of those miles in 4x2, and mostly on forest service roads in the Ozarks.



Anyway, I just replaced the AT3W's with a set of Duratracs ~200 mi ago. Couldn't be happier to be rid of the Falkens. Discount tire let me keep the 2 good ones (gave me a full refund on the set of 4, so shout out to them), I figure I'll put them on my off-road trailer once the BFG KO's age-out next year.



Pros:

better wet traction than stock AT-20's

better dry traction than stock AT-20's

better off-road traction than stock AT-20's

looks

price

understanding / patient customer service reps



Cons:

inconsistent quality control

noise

tread wear



Glad they work for some people, but they didn't work for us.

Wow. That’s awful and, quite frankly, I’m shocked given the piles of great reviews here. Sorry you went through all that. I wish you luck with the Goodyear’s. I almost went the Duratrac route but the complaints about noise (especially with wear) and the notoriously weak sidewalls kept me away. I hope you have a better experience. You’ve been through it.


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[TexasTJ]

Got the 265s installed today. Obviously too early to tell.anything about them, but they look better than the Nittos. 05/27/19

Well, we've put about 6000 miles on them now, and so far so good. Haven't noticed any vibrations, and they're quieter than then worn Nittos I had. Didn't air down in Moab and they did pretty well.

 

[saltlife66]

Wow. That’s awful and, quite frankly, I’m shocked given the piles of great reviews here. Sorry you went through all that. I wish you luck with the Goodyear’s. I almost went the Duratrac route but the complaints about noise (especially with wear) and the notoriously weak sidewalls kept me away. I hope you have a better experience. You’ve been through it.


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love my wildpeaks, I had duratracs on my fj. I loved the look of them and great in snow. hated that they got louder at about 20k miles and were lousy in rain.

 

[kenwilliams0803]

Wanted to follow up, we put 15,000 miles on the Falkens since I posted above & had nothing but problems.



I've sent 5 tires back to Falken after the above post (9 in total if you count the first 4), all with manufacturing defects that weren't apparent upon initial install. Sidewall bulges, broken belts, defective molding, going out of round between 5k mi rotations, uneven wear etc.



This most recent rotation was the last straw. The tech said one of the tires was out of round, and another had 4 bubbles on the sidewall. Both were recent replacements with 5k miles on them that we'd received during the previous rotation in exchange for 2 tires that wouldn't take a balance after 5k.



For background, this is the daily driver highway commuter and school run car. I've put MAYBE 100 miles off pavement on it since the Falkens were installed, 99.5 of those miles in 4x2, and mostly on forest service roads in the Ozarks.



Anyway, I just replaced the AT3W's with a set of Duratracs ~200 mi ago. Couldn't be happier to be rid of the Falkens. Discount tire let me keep the 2 good ones (gave me a full refund on the set of 4, so shout out to them), I figure I'll put them on my off-road trailer once the BFG KO's age-out next year.



Pros:

better wet traction than stock AT-20's

better dry traction than stock AT-20's

better off-road traction than stock AT-20's

looks

price

understanding / patient customer service reps



Cons:

inconsistent quality control

noise

tread wear



Glad they work for some people, but they didn't work for us.

Sorry to hear this. My duratracs (315's) on the JK were very disappointing after 20k. Hope you have better results. The Falkens are far superior traction wise even after 30k but I too suffer from balance issues at times.

I think it's cooper next time around for me on the T4R. Their newest AT looks promising.

 

[MAST4R]

Didn't air down in Moab and they did pretty well.

So you did do like I do

Update on wear over time.

My rear two tires are now at 23,000 miles (with 2,200 dirt on recreational dirt roads and 4x4 trails not counting another 1,000 or so on residential dirt roads). They are at or just above 7/32 having started at 13/32.

My front two tires are at 8,000 miles and down to 10/32.

This is further confirmation that tread wear is very fast at first and then it slows down a great deal.

I am very curious to see if the two older tires can survive desert trails once down to 6/32s later this year (I would replace them at 5/32 anyway). They do show their scars from over 100 runs of which about 40 on 4x4 trails rated moderate or difficult.

 

[Decipher]

^Always great info!

My Falkens never fail to impress (285/70 SL). I’m running around 36 psi on the street. I aired them down to 30 yesterday when I hit an off road park. They did extremely well (even in mud) and the only time I got into trouble was when I had a clearance issue which had no bearing on the tire. I had two recoveries as well when other struggled. Just an amazing tire and impressive off road.





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[TexasTJ]

So you did do like I do

Since these are the SL load I decided not to air down and it worked well. My TJ with MTR/Ks and beadlocks gets aired down to ~6psi.

 

[MAST4R]

^Always great info!

Since these are the SL load I decided not to air down and it worked well. My TJ with MTR/Ks and beadlocks gets aired down to ~6psi.

Yeah, SL here.

Incidentally, I drove a short connector yesterday in 2wd. I normally use 4x4 all the time on trail but decided to try 2wd for a change. With some help from the street traction control I climbed the twisty, mildly rutted and loose hill all the way to the final short climb for which I used 4L as I did not want to risk getting sideways. I did have to carry some extra speed, as I used to do in my Subaru.

So far, I cannot say that the rear tires at 7/32 perform poorly either offroad or in rain even if the tread is visibly shallower than the front's at 10/32. I am curious to see at what point the tread will start "losing it."

 

[denim]

Thinking about doing the same and putting 285s on my orp wheels. Any trimming needed?

You'll need to do the front bumper trim and move the fender liner froward. It is very easy to do (and I didn't want to cut my plastic bumper and mess it up) but it turned out looking good.

I recommend that you do those 2 things before putting the tires on. I had no rub on stock suspension after doing them, but didn't like the look as the tires were stuffed in the fenders. I added the Bilstein 5100 all around (set to .85 up front) and I think it looks stock again. The added bendfit is that it rides better.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

You'll need to do the front bumper trim and move the fender liner froward. It is very easy to do (and I didn't want to cut my plastic bumper and mess it up) but it turned out looking good.

I recommend that you do those 2 things before putting the tires on. I had no rub on stock suspension after doing them, but didn't like the look as the tires were stuffed in the fenders. I added the Bilstein 5100 all around (set to .85 up front) and I think it looks stock again. The added bendfit is that it rides better.

Excellent! I have a 2.5 i lift so i think i should be good. Will order the 285s and see how they fair on the stock wheels. Thanks

 

[brtnstrns]

Finally got my 265/70/17 SL Wildpeaks installed.

On my 2016 that also had this tire, I had a mild steering wheel shimmy at 60 MPH with wheel spacers installed but not with them uninstalled.

This time, I have zero wheel shimmy with or without the spacers so I am quite relieved.

 

[joshoowa]

Got new rims and tires installed over the weekend. If i remember my lift is approx 2.5" front and 3" rear - hub to fender. 285s

 

[4creeper]

I've been following this thread and thought I'd chime in. I threw some C rated LT275/70r17's on my 17x7 TRD wheels. They look great to me. There was a tiny rub, more like a slight hum, in reverse at full lock, but the inner fender moved forward easily and that took care of it. I feel like I'm not running the right air pressure because the fine folks that installed them used the values on the door sticker (just before snapping a stud with an air gun) and the steering feels a little sluggish now. Anyone care to share their air pressures? Or a good way to come across the proper PSI?

Thanks!

 

[sn_85]

I've been following this thread and thought I'd chime in. I threw some C rated LT275/70r17's on my 17x7 TRD wheels. They look great to me. There was a tiny rub, more like a slight hum, in reverse at full lock, but the inner fender moved forward easily and that took care of it. I feel like I'm not running the right air pressure because the fine folks that installed them used the values on the door sticker (just before snapping a stud with an air gun) and the steering feels a little sluggish now. Anyone care to share their air pressures? Or a good way to come across the proper PSI?

Thanks!
View attachment 339985

Most P-rated tires are run at 32-psi. At 32-psi LT rated tires are underinflated, that's why it feels sluggish. I'd go up to 38-42 psi and see how it feels.