Excited! Just ordered mine tonight, but they're probably ~2 weeks out direct from Falken. Then maybe another week for the install... can't wait!
I think airing down SL tires for puncture resistance is going to be a trade off between tread punctures and sidewall damage. Airing down should reduce the chance of a tread puncture but will expose the sidewall more. Keeping higher pressure keeps the sidewall safer, but probably invites more chance of a tread puncture. It’s just a choice we have to live with to keep the benefits of SL tires on-road.
For PNW trails I’m not overly worried about airing down. I’ve done some pretty rocky wheeling on the stock Duelers aired down to 22psi and was surprised how well they did actually. I think our rocks tend not to be quite as sharp and jagged as those in AZ where it’s a lot dryer.
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I have yet to air down for anything in PNW. Never had the need much less the desire to do it.
The Wildpeaks in SL/P are great in all conditions except the Arizona desert and similar. I have done many trails in Montana on the SL version. They do indeed drive great in rain on road.
As for tire pressures, that's a tough topic for SL tires because very few of us have extensive experience driving SL offroad. You won't find anything in 4WD magazines about SL AT tires, at least nothing useful. For LT tires, the more you air them down, the more puncture resistant they get. But this has not been my experience with SL. In southwestern AZ, the SL Wildpeak proved weak, no matter the pressures. Elsewhere, like Utah, it was great at anywhere between 25 and 35 psi. Meanwhile, others have had no issues aired down in Utah. So maybe the terrain matters more than the pressures. The Utah desert is much friendlier to tires than the AZ desert.
In short, my position is that there is no need to air down SL tires for either comfort or traction whereas SL strength at various psi remains TBD. If you place a wheel over a small rock at 32 psi you will see that the SL version conforms rather well to the rock at street pressures. Deep sand or very challenging rocks are another story (but I climbed Kamikaze near Moab at 35 psi in the rear, 30 up front because I forgot to air down the rear lol).
I'm looking to replace my stock tires and I think I've narrowed it down to the Falken Wildpeak AT3 and the LT Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 in stock size. I knocked the KO2s out because of snow/wet concerns and the Toyo AT3s are more expensive than the two finalists. Cooper AT3s are in third place.
Any pros and cons of either to help sway my decision? Also, what load/rating do you recommend?
I live in Colorado and spend the summer on the 4x4 roads to hiking trails and the winter on I-70. Everything is stock and I likely won't make any major upgrades/mods anytime soon ($$).
Based on wet weather these have been way better than the G2's they replaced and better than my KO2's on my Jeeps. They are quiet. I would go with the AT3's based on looks as well.
Did you have an issue with your falken or something else
Curious because my falken performance in the rain has been outstanding
Mike
Did you have an issue with your falken or something else
Curious because my falken performance in the rain has been outstanding
Mike
Looking At them in LT spec, been on ko2s for a while, so
1) How is the puncture resistance
2) How have the sidewalls faired with rocks, Puncture’s.