MAST4R
New member
Ok, folks, there you have it. Just passed 30,000 miles on SL 265 70 17 Wildpeaks yesterday, bringing the offroad total over 3,000 (yes, most people claiming 90/10 probably do 99/1). Unfortunately, this will have to do it for my Wildpeaks. I have used a total of 6 new Wildpeaks.
The record:
Southern Utah: 24 trails, 814 miles, no issues, even at 8/32nds.
Western Montana: 39 trails, 1, 051 miles, no issues, even at 7/32nds.
WY (1, 11, no issues, just a dirt road)
And then there is Arizona:
52 trails, 1,134 miles, 3 issues, all in the Sonoran Desert part of the state.
On road performance (again, 265 70, P metric, NOT 285 70):
--as a good street tire in all respects down to about 6/32nds.
Off-road performance, it is really all about dirt, rock, and sand for us.
All sorts of rock:
Stellar on any dry rock so long as the tires are 9/32nds and up. 28-32 psi.
Fine under 9/32nds or so.
No issues on snow covered Tower Arch or Rainbow Rocks near Moab.
Sand and volcanic ash and deep gravel
Average. This is where airing down P metrics is necessary, not rock. It tends to dig in the deep stuff.
Snow:
No issues in the little snow around Moab that we did.
Mud: no idea. Done too little to tell.
Dirt: Tracks great. More sure footed than milder ATs.
Quality:
No issues with balancing or whatever. BUT this tires age FAST.
Longevity:
No tires last in the desert but the Wildpeak really is a two-faced tire. The first 2/32nds go down in only about 4,000 miles. But performance is amazing. Then wear improves. Performance remains stellar for a total of about 10-12,000 miles. Then it starts to slowly deteriorate. The tires become visibly "tired" of offroad beating around 22-24,000 and braking performance on road deteriorates past 25,000. All in all, 30,000 is a tall order for a frequently offroaded set. I did not dare to continue past 26,000.
Punctures:
--None in Montana, even at 7/32 on rough 4x4 trails.
--None in Utah, including Kamikaze Hill or Elephant Hill with 8/32 (front only, new rear tires)
--Arizona: three, all on rear mounted tires, all on tires with minimum 13,000 miles on them. One was a slow leak, so totally fine, one was a sidewall burst, which I think was on me for airing down, and one was a tread puncture so bad (yesterday) that all air was lost immediately like with a sidewall puncture. At this point, running them becomes a safety hazard for me (what if that happens on a trail like Pucker Ridge?). Too bad because this is such a great all arounder and the very low price compensates for the lack of longevity.
The bottom line:
SL 265 70 17 Wildpeak feels like "best tire ever" for 10,000 miles. And then it is a good AT for another 15,000, surprisingly capable in many terrains, but not up to the task in the harshest of deserts. The very low price offsets the lack of longevity but I cannot lose a tire in a dangerous spot or a difficult obstacle. The search for the best all-around tire continues and I have no choice but to go back to LT. It is not fair to fault Falken for this. Tire tech is still not at a point where it can deliver not only true all terrain performance, but also true all terrain durability. It remains a give or take proposition, road vs offroad bias.
The record:
Southern Utah: 24 trails, 814 miles, no issues, even at 8/32nds.
Western Montana: 39 trails, 1, 051 miles, no issues, even at 7/32nds.
WY (1, 11, no issues, just a dirt road)
And then there is Arizona:
52 trails, 1,134 miles, 3 issues, all in the Sonoran Desert part of the state.
On road performance (again, 265 70, P metric, NOT 285 70):
--as a good street tire in all respects down to about 6/32nds.
Off-road performance, it is really all about dirt, rock, and sand for us.
All sorts of rock:
Stellar on any dry rock so long as the tires are 9/32nds and up. 28-32 psi.
Fine under 9/32nds or so.
No issues on snow covered Tower Arch or Rainbow Rocks near Moab.
Sand and volcanic ash and deep gravel
Average. This is where airing down P metrics is necessary, not rock. It tends to dig in the deep stuff.
Snow:
No issues in the little snow around Moab that we did.
Mud: no idea. Done too little to tell.
Dirt: Tracks great. More sure footed than milder ATs.
Quality:
No issues with balancing or whatever. BUT this tires age FAST.
Longevity:
No tires last in the desert but the Wildpeak really is a two-faced tire. The first 2/32nds go down in only about 4,000 miles. But performance is amazing. Then wear improves. Performance remains stellar for a total of about 10-12,000 miles. Then it starts to slowly deteriorate. The tires become visibly "tired" of offroad beating around 22-24,000 and braking performance on road deteriorates past 25,000. All in all, 30,000 is a tall order for a frequently offroaded set. I did not dare to continue past 26,000.
Punctures:
--None in Montana, even at 7/32 on rough 4x4 trails.
--None in Utah, including Kamikaze Hill or Elephant Hill with 8/32 (front only, new rear tires)
--Arizona: three, all on rear mounted tires, all on tires with minimum 13,000 miles on them. One was a slow leak, so totally fine, one was a sidewall burst, which I think was on me for airing down, and one was a tread puncture so bad (yesterday) that all air was lost immediately like with a sidewall puncture. At this point, running them becomes a safety hazard for me (what if that happens on a trail like Pucker Ridge?). Too bad because this is such a great all arounder and the very low price compensates for the lack of longevity.
The bottom line:
SL 265 70 17 Wildpeak feels like "best tire ever" for 10,000 miles. And then it is a good AT for another 15,000, surprisingly capable in many terrains, but not up to the task in the harshest of deserts. The very low price offsets the lack of longevity but I cannot lose a tire in a dangerous spot or a difficult obstacle. The search for the best all-around tire continues and I have no choice but to go back to LT. It is not fair to fault Falken for this. Tire tech is still not at a point where it can deliver not only true all terrain performance, but also true all terrain durability. It remains a give or take proposition, road vs offroad bias.
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