A relative newcomer to the off-road tire game, Falken made a name for itself with the release of the Wildpeak A/T in early 2012. This new tire quickly proved itself both on- and off-road, solidifying its reputation for outstanding performance and durability. A couple years later Falken did it again, with the introduction of a mud-terrain tire, the Wildpeak M/T. Now they are set to round out their off-road tire lineup with their latest offering, the Wildpeak A/T3W.
The Wildpeak A/T3W falls square into the newly fashioned hybrid-crossover tire category. Tires that fall into this spectrum are more aggressive than a traditional all-terrain, while having better on-road manners than a mud-terrain. Since most of the major tire players have gotten into this space recently, we were truly excited to see how Falken’s take on an in-between tire would play out. So we got ourselves a set of 35x12.5R17 Wildpeak A/TW3s and mounted them up to our mildly modified Ford F-150 and went out to throw up some dirt.
| 002 Falken Wildpeak AT3W Tread
Packed with features, the Wildpeak A/TW3 sports a distinctive outer apex construction and unique sidewall design that protects the bead area by limited heat buildup. Advanced tread and shoulder design provide superior grip no matter the road surface. Large center blocks provide stability while the long edges of those blocks create traction in wet, icy, and snowy conditions. The tread’s step-down block design acts to dig through dirt and mud, giving essential grip in these most challenging conditions. Construction of the tread comprises of six plies: two steel, two polyester, and two polyamide. Sidewalls are two ply polyester. Our test set sports an E load range with a maximum load rating of 3,195 pounds at 65 psi.
In our testing, the Wildpeak A/TW3 has performed as expected. On-road ride quality is fantastic, even considering that our standards are quite high after spending a year on the original Wildpeak A/T. Loose dirt is no challenge, and rocks tremble when an A/TW3 is near. When the trail gets really tough, the A/TW3 has what it takes to stand tall and resist chipping, chunking, and tearing. While it has yet to snow on our testing grounds, the abundant siping in the tread blocks leads us to believe Falken’s claims as to the tire’s snow and ice ability. While not directly related to performance, we love the look of this new tire. The tread pattern provides just the right amount of aggressive attitude without sacrificing ride quality, handling, or noise volume, and the sidewalls sport just enough detail to keep the theme flowing with out resorting to gimmicks. Overall, the package performs exceptionally well in both the form and function departments.
| 003 Falken Wildpeak AT3W Sidewall
If we’ve gotten you excited about this new all-weather tire, as you should be, you’ll have to practice a bit of patience as they are not currently available to the public and won’t be until early 2016. As such, not much is known other than they will be available in 54 different sizes that will fit almost every pickup truck and SUV on the market today. Wheel sizes range from 15 to 20 inches, and each tire comes with an up to 55,000-mile tread-wear warranty and Falken’s 30-day hassle-free ride guarantee.
Size Tested: 35x12.5R17
Type: Radial
Load Range: E
Maximum Load (lb @ psi): 3,195 @ 65
Sidewall Plies: 2 polyester
Section Width (in): 12.5
Overall Diameter (in): 35.0
Revolutions Per Mile: 593
Weight (lb): 73
Test Vehicle: ’07 Ford F-150
