New Falken AT tire (A/T3W)
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FrontRange4Runner
New member
A few Weeks ago I had a set of LT265/70/17 (E) AT3W's installed. I had them put on a set of Level 8 MK6 wheels at 0 offset (they rub....yay!). Currently running at 42 psi. Initial impressions are very good. These have been very quiet and very smooth. 42 psi seems to be the sweet spot for me, as it is not too harsh and maintains my gas millage nicely. These are LT tires and they do ride more harshly than anything P rated - that is to be expected. They are stiff and require higher inflation pressures to preform safely and properly. I have not had them off road yet so no initial impressions on that yet.
A previous poster mentioned that he had these out in the snow and had some issues with slippage. I may have been in the same storm as him, and did not encounter any of these issues. They felt well planted, and I had no slippage at all. I was very impressed, as they seemed to preform well - for an AT tire. This may simply be a matter of driving style. One snowy night is not enough to make a true judgement on these, but they seem decent enough to me. That being said, I will be switching to my General AltiMAX Artics this week. Why? These are NOT winter tires, they are an AT tire that is rated for snow use. They will never preform at the level of a true winter tire, and I would not expect them to - it is not what they were designed to do.
It should be pointed out that your statement is a common misconception and totally false. This myth seems to be perpetuated by the millions of tire dealers telling people that this symbol means their tires will be awesome in the snow - even your google search pulled info from a tire dealer and put it right at the top in quotes LOL. The reality is that this symbol indicates a tire meets the standards for "sever snow service". Whats that actually mean? It means that this tire preformed 10% better than a set reference tire in a winter test. What is the reference tire? Unknown. How well did that reference tire preform in the first place? Unknown. What were the conditions of this test? Unknown. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the point. While this symbol does indicate a level of winter performance, how much performance can not be determined and therefore the symbol has little meaning. It certainly does not mean that any tire with this symbol will preform at the same level as a dedicated winter tire. I should also say that this symbol is not regulated by any government tests or standards. It is an "industry standard" and tire manufactures pay to have their tires tested.-----Sorry I'm gonna stop ranting now. Still happy with these AT3W's snowflake symbol or not!
Also, I have some pics, but my phone and computer are currently refusing to communicate. I will try to get them up soon.
A previous poster mentioned that he had these out in the snow and had some issues with slippage. I may have been in the same storm as him, and did not encounter any of these issues. They felt well planted, and I had no slippage at all. I was very impressed, as they seemed to preform well - for an AT tire. This may simply be a matter of driving style. One snowy night is not enough to make a true judgement on these, but they seem decent enough to me. That being said, I will be switching to my General AltiMAX Artics this week. Why? These are NOT winter tires, they are an AT tire that is rated for snow use. They will never preform at the level of a true winter tire, and I would not expect them to - it is not what they were designed to do.
It should be pointed out that your statement is a common misconception and totally false. This myth seems to be perpetuated by the millions of tire dealers telling people that this symbol means their tires will be awesome in the snow - even your google search pulled info from a tire dealer and put it right at the top in quotes LOL. The reality is that this symbol indicates a tire meets the standards for "sever snow service". Whats that actually mean? It means that this tire preformed 10% better than a set reference tire in a winter test. What is the reference tire? Unknown. How well did that reference tire preform in the first place? Unknown. What were the conditions of this test? Unknown. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the point. While this symbol does indicate a level of winter performance, how much performance can not be determined and therefore the symbol has little meaning. It certainly does not mean that any tire with this symbol will preform at the same level as a dedicated winter tire. I should also say that this symbol is not regulated by any government tests or standards. It is an "industry standard" and tire manufactures pay to have their tires tested.-----Sorry I'm gonna stop ranting now. Still happy with these AT3W's snowflake symbol or not!
Also, I have some pics, but my phone and computer are currently refusing to communicate. I will try to get them up soon.
zefram47
New member
Totally, on the mountain snowflake symbol. One only has to look at the tread pattern of this AT vs winter tires to see the differences. I'm going to give it another storm or two before deciding, but as I do want to ice race this year, chances are I'll be putting the General Grabber Arctic (replacement for the Altimax Arctic) tires on my stock trail wheels. To be clear, I don't think these tires are un-safe in the snow, but they do handle more like all-seasons than true winter tires.
For [MENTION=100894]mattyrides07[/MENTION], my points of comparison are a Subaru Forester on Michelin X-ice vs its stock all-seasons, a 2012 STi on Continental DWS and later Hankook winter i*cept evo2, and a Miata on Khumo PA-31 all-seasons. I'd say that in 2WD it was much like driving the Miata and in 4WD everything improves to Subaru levels (save for turns as I don't have a limited with center diff) and except for braking distances. To the point of vehicle weight, the 4R is nearly 1300 lbs heavier than the Subarus, but the difference in braking from all-season to proper winter tires stands and I maintain that the AT3W stops about as well as the DWS, which was the best all-season I've ever driven in snow. That said, proper winter tires out perform the DWS hands-down and there's no comparison, especially if dealing with ice. I ice raced the DWS and the Hankooks and the Hankooks would almost keep up with the other AWDs on Blizzaks, though I nearly killed them within 6k miles. Other than ground clearance, the Forester on X-ice tires is nearly unstoppable. Then again, there are many threads on here that say Subarus handle winter better than the 4R as well.
mattyrides07
New member
FrontRang4Runner, calm down and start breathing. First, what should be pointed out is your personal statement and opinion is false- and your false claims are in conflict with the link. Are their tire sales pages? Absolutely. Google any keyword that is connected to parts and you'll find links to ads and marketing. I can't help that as I don't create the lists. Try search through the various articles and come up with your own conclusions.
Secondly, your argument (of which is not shown in its entirety in the quote above) contradicts itself. The link's top paragraph quite literally states that the symbol meets the Canadian Government requirements... Thus, your claim that "the symbol is not regulated by any government tests or standards" is false.
A standard only "sets the bar." So to get the snowflake symbol the tire must meet the standard. Your comparison of top of the line General Grabber winter tires to the Falken AT3W'S is comical. OF COURSE, the General Grabbers will outperform the Falken in winter- they're two completely separate tires meant for two separate purposes. Your comparing apples to oranges- if you're biting into an apple and expecting the taste of an orange YOU are wrong.
Dude, I'm not going to get into a foot measuring competition with you because your "feelings/gospel" don't mean spit due to your limited seat time in your T4R... And this "seat time" isn't a set standard, but the general consensus is that only one drive in snow is NOT enough for your input to hold any merit. BUT to sum up your "feelings": your 2WD in winter weather statement should be common sense; the 1,450 lbs difference between the STi and T4R TE is (mathematically speaking) ~43% more weight. So, OF COURSE the braking in snow is going to be longer in your T4R than your STi. Like I stated before, your ONE AND ONLY braking experience is not a reflection of the tire's performance, but rather your "feelings" are based solely on your prior experiences driving the STi. You can look up the differences yourself by using physics and the brake distance formula (LMGTFY - Let Me Google That For You I don't hear anyone on this thread stating the Falken AT3W is the best winter tire out there, so really there's no argument. Is this a "best winter tire thread" or a Falken AT3W review thread?! Again, common sense would dictate if you're racing in the winter, and can afford a specific winter only race tire, the Falken AT3W probably isn't your best choice.
I apologize in advance if you get butt hurt from the comments above. I just don't want misinformation under the guise of "experienced input" to be put out there... I hope you're enjoying your T4R and continue to do so for many years. I look forward to reading your feedback in the future and sharing your adventures with pictures. :cheers:
FrontRange4Runner
New member
I was not attempting to offend you, nor was I posting in anger. I was simply pointing out that your statement was incorrect and misleading. The snowflake symbol does not "quite literally" - as you put it- mean its a snow tire. It simply means that it has met a certain standard of snow performance. We are not privy to the information that the testers are, therefore all we can say is that a snowflake tire has been judged to be 10% better in snow than some other all season tire. Some other tire which we have 0 information on. Also, the symbol "meets Canadian government standards". Meeting standards is not the same as the government running the tests or issuing the symbol. They do not regulate it.
Here is an article that explains some of it: Breaking Down Winter Tires - Tire Review Magazine
I have no intention of getting into an argument about this so here is my bottom line on it: Dedicated snow tires preform the best in winter conditions. That's why I run two sets. I personally didn't have any issues in the snow last week when I was running the AT3Ws, so I am thinking it will be a good winter performer, just not as good as my snows. Tires with the snowflake symbol will preform better than other tires in their category that lack the symbol, but it does not mean that they will be great in the snow. They will be 10+% better than some unknown reference tire and therefore, not very meaningful. People are welcome to believe what ever they want about it. Regardless, The AT3W is not, and never will be a winter tire. It was not designed to be. It may be decent in the snow, but it was made to preform in many different conditions and terrains, hence the A/T designation. Tires are always a compromise and the AT3w is no exception.
zefram47
New member
Off-road snow update...
Went wheeling with some friends today in the snow...not very deep, but very slick. At one point, we got out of the trucks and were shocked at how slick it was...yet the 4R on the AT3Ws gave no indication at all. I think I had A-TRAC come on twice during the entire run. Friend in an FJ on Terra Grapplers warned me of a slick descent at one point and my truck did it with no drama or slippage whatsoever. Needless to say, aired down to 20 psi, I was quite impressed with these tires in low-speed, light snow off-road.
Went wheeling with some friends today in the snow...not very deep, but very slick. At one point, we got out of the trucks and were shocked at how slick it was...yet the 4R on the AT3Ws gave no indication at all. I think I had A-TRAC come on twice during the entire run. Friend in an FJ on Terra Grapplers warned me of a slick descent at one point and my truck did it with no drama or slippage whatsoever. Needless to say, aired down to 20 psi, I was quite impressed with these tires in low-speed, light snow off-road.
Ther00ster
New member
To get the right tire pressure.. you need to do the chalk test on the tires...
RunningWithFire
New member
Just moved mine over to my 5th gen after I upgraded from my 4th gen. Couldn't let these tires go. So far they have been great for about 7000 miles. Nice and quiet and smooth.
Fit for 2008?
I'd like to give these a try, though when I look up my 2008 4runner (4.0L Limited), Falken's site says none of their tires will fit my truck. But I assume anything that is 265/60/R18 will fit. Am I wrong? Anyone using this tire on this generation of 4runner?
Thanks!
Steve
I'd like to give these a try, though when I look up my 2008 4runner (4.0L Limited), Falken's site says none of their tires will fit my truck. But I assume anything that is 265/60/R18 will fit. Am I wrong? Anyone using this tire on this generation of 4runner?
Thanks!
Steve
007Tacoma
New member
Posted some pics in the 4th gen area but forgot to update this thread.. really liking the tires so far.
:rockthrow:
AdmiralAugbar
New member
LOL at above post
Yeah I'm running them and really like them so far. Have under 1000 miles on them, I'm running them in 275/70/18 LT. I have a lift and wheel spacers to fit this size, plus some fender trimming and pushed the wheel liner forward.
Leaving Friday to roadtrip to Wisconsin for the holidays, supposed to be getting a decent storm on Friday. Should be a good test of the tires snow ability.
007Tacoma
New member
How did it go? My Firestone Destination ATs got me from San Antonio to Fort Collins yesterday with minimal fuss in really bad wind and ice. However, they are 50,000 miles old now, and I don't think they are going to make it all the way to next year.
AT3/W is on the list for possible next tire set...
So I finally got my 275/65/18 E mounted and balanced. I really like the tires, but I am pretty disappointed in the balance job. They are balanced...But they put A TON of weights on the outer lip of my rims...Are they just that hard to balance that I needed all that weight, or is there really no reason for the outer lip weight? I'm debating bringing the tires to another shop, because they're hideous IMO.
AdmiralAugbar
New member
Performed great, no issues. Tires feel very planted.
I just put Falken AT3W's on my 08 4Runner Limited and love them so far. I went with 265/70R17 and FN FX Pro wheels. I had quite a bit of rubbing even after lifting the front 2+ inches so cut away about 6" of fender liner and a bit of the inner fender lip.
I've only had a tires on two days but they are pretty quiet on the highway and around town. There is definitely more noise that the stock sized Michelin Tours but the Falkens are still pretty quiet. They even passed the wife test!
I've only had a tires on two days but they are pretty quiet on the highway and around town. There is definitely more noise that the stock sized Michelin Tours but the Falkens are still pretty quiet. They even passed the wife test!
mattyrides07
New member
Man, I just got to say that I love these tires. I ran errands all day in my wife's T4R with GY Duratracs and I can't believe the difference between the two tires. I'm actually impressed with the handling enough to order her a set to replace the 1-year old Duratracs. The Falken has much less slippage and is a bit more predictable.
sport2004
Member
I'm sold.
