Falken's Wildpeak A/T4W apparently suck in snow

[IdowaJeeper]

I just watched that video and was about to come here and lament the fact that Falken ruined the Wildpeak AT for snow performance.

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[RaddDad]

Did the A/T4W's ever come on the Mojave, or are you talking about the A/T3W's? CompareTheTire found the A/T4W's to be worse on both wet and icy surfaces than the A/T3W's.

You’re right, it was the AT3W’s

 

[JesseT]

I just watched that video and was about to come here and lament the fact that Falken ruined the Wildpeak AT for snow performance.

For real, that was like their niche.

 

[Ratbert]

I was kind of surprised that you posted that first clip, especially with your apparent disdain for people that would dare to spend money on equipment to air down / up. He aired way the hell down.

At about 22:30 they did something that was pretty sketchy in my book: they used a kinetic tow rope in reverse. My understanding is that diff gears are significantly weaker in reverse and that there's a decent chance of trashing the back side of the diff when pulling like that.

But yes, those Mickey Thompson's performed exceptionally well in that snow. Thanks for posting those videos.

 

[TyRoosevelt]

I disagree with their opinion on the at4w. I have had the baja boss, the ko3, and at4w on my wranglers and my 4runner. I just drove through last week’s Colorado blizzard. The ko3s struggled but the at4ws didn’t. Both are JLU’s and both have the same setup. Our 4runner also has the at4ws. Since, I live and drive in bad weather consistently in Colorado, I am confident in saying which tires do well and don’t do well. I think the ko3s are better than the ko2s but not nearly as good as the at4ws. I have also previously had the at3ws and I don’t notice a difference. The baja bosses were also exceptional on snow. I would say the falken at4w are better than the baja bosses and the baja bosses are better than the ko3s for snow. The ko3 and baja boss look better though. I drove from Colorado Springs to Parker in the blizzard last week where there was as much as 8 inches of snow. I didn’t slide one time with the at4w.

This is just my own opinion from someone who is driven in snow weather for 20 years. I have no loyalty to any brand.

 

[Ratbert]

I disagree with their opinion on the at4w.

It wasn't an opinion. They tested them head-to-head and showed the results.

 

[Fast-n-Furious]

I disagree with their opinion on the at4w. I have had the baja boss, the ko3, and at4w on my wranglers and my 4runner. I just drove through last week’s Colorado blizzard. The ko3s struggled but the at4ws didn’t. Both are JLU’s and both have the same setup. Our 4runner also has the at4ws. Since, I live and drive in bad weather consistently in Colorado, I am confident in saying which tires do well and don’t do well. I think the ko3s are better than the ko2s but not nearly as good as the at4ws. I have also previously had the at3ws and I don’t notice a difference. The baja bosses were also exceptional on snow. I would say the falken at4w are better than the baja bosses and the baja bosses are better than the ko3s for snow. The ko3 and baja boss look better though. I drove from Colorado Springs to Parker in the blizzard last week where there was as much as 8 inches of snow. I didn’t slide one time with the at4w.

This is just my own opinion from someone who is driven in snow weather for 20 years. I have no loyalty to any brand.

Thanks for the feedback! Always good to hear from members with real life experience!

- Are they the same size?
- For daily driving but also wanted to have the best snow performance/safety in PA winter, which one you'd suggest? KO3s are lighter, but MT Baja Boss AT is high in my list too.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Here's another video. Falken didn't do well in snow in this test either. But, I may never see snow in my tires.

I Tested the BEST All Terrain Tires in the Dry, Wet, Snow, and Dirt!


I recently bought a set of AT4W tires for my pickup. I only have one hwy trip of about 1200 miles on them. There was a good bit of heavy rain on the hwy. I also drove them on both dry and wet winding roads of the Sonoma Valley area. I found them to have a stable feel for braking, responsive steering and they were overall confidence inspiring. The truck is a 2014 GMC crew cab 1500 4x4 6.5ft bed with a topper that weighs around 180lbs and about 400 lbs of additional weight in the bed, plus my wife and I. The tire size is 275/70R18 (33.4" ) LR E, on 18x8.5" wheels.

 

[RandyP111]

@TFL did a snow-based comparison of BFG KO3s, Falken Wildpeak A/T4Ws, and Firestone Destination XTs. It's surprising how poorly the Wildpeaks did. I was considering those since 37" KO3s won't be out for "a while", but maybe not since being able to play / drive in snow is somewhat important to me.

I like my AT3W's for travelling in heavy snow/weather in Wyoming mountains, hunting, and highway. Good grip, good traction, and good even wear, now at 25,000 miles, still about half depth. I can't speak to the AT4W or "playing in snow", as I just try to travel through it on 285/70 x 17 (33").

 

[calemasters]

They should have done 3 trials for each brand and taken the average. The acceleration test is subjective based on the driver's ability to modulate the throttle.

I have the Falken A/T3W and I like them. I found them to be a good tire for dry payment, wet payment, highway, dirt, rocks and snow.

 

[Ratbert]

I like my AT3W's for travelling in heavy snow/weather in Wyoming mountains, hunting, and highway. Good grip, good traction, and good even wear, now at 25,000 miles, still about half depth. I can't speak to the AT4W or "playing in snow", as I just try to travel through it on 285/70 x 17 (33").

The AT4W is a completely different tire that's focused more on the massive market of F-150s on the job site. Thinking that they're an upgrade to the AT3W is only valid for that audience, not ours. Sad, but true.

 

[RudeJeepin]

Not a direct comparison, but I've ran the KO2 and several sets of AT3W on a few different rigs.

We only got 40k out of the ko2s on our JLURD and they were shot. They were pretty sketchy in the rain and snow for the last 10k or so.
I took the AT3W off my JTRD at 40k and put them on the JLURD, they still have 25%-30%. Still feel good in the rain and we'll see about the snow soon.


As to my experience, air pressure is pretty important. Those TFL guys ran the same air pressure in all 3 sets. From my experience, the AT3W run 3-4psi less than the KO2.
Also, from my experience, a fresh set of tires need to be broke in for optimum performance. Since they drove the Jeep there with the KO3???
Fresh snow over hardback snow makes for decent traction. Packed snow not near as much.
Just some food for thought, not saying they didn't come up with the right conclusions, but maybe not. I've had issues with some of their other videos.
Just my 2cents, take it or leave it.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Anyone that has lived in snow country or even just a recreational skier, knows that there are vastly different types of snow. One snow test can't tell the whole story.

 

[Ratbert]

Anyone that has lived in snow country or even just a recreational skier, knows that there are vastly different types of snow. One snow test can't tell the whole story.

Yep, a mud terrain tire can actually do pretty well in powder.

 

[roaniecowpony]

The Falkens do weigh considerably more. The C rated versions that come on the Gladiators weigh nearly as much as any other E rated tire from other brands. I’d hate to know what the E rated Falken weighed on their rig.

The two heaviest materials in a tire are rubber and steel. My guess is they don't put much more steel in their tires than anyone else.

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