Falken's Wildpeak A/T4W apparently suck in snow

[Ratbert]

lolol I love how you say it's not a direct comparison, but it's literally them testing the different tires, in the SAME CONDITIONS, on the SAME RIG. It's exactly what a direct comparison is

I'm pretty sure @RudeJeepin was saying HIS analysis wasn't a direct comparison, not @TFL's.

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[LukeDagny]

It is hard to argue with objective data, but after watching the video again, I question how repeatable is the testing.

As RudeJeepin mentioned, tire pressure can effect the outcome. Comments like "had to back off throttle" make me question repeatability.

I don't think the video is purposely biased, but I don't think they used the best scientific methods. BTW, I like the BFG's that came on my JL.

 

[Midwestjeepguy]

We reached out to falken and the team said there’s no break in procedure that would improve performance

Woof, not a good look for the AT4Ws then.

 

[liquids]

Even time of day for the three tires could have affected the results. Was there more or less sunshine during the parts of the day? Was the temperature above or below 32 deg F? Each would affect slippage on the snow surface.

They should have brought out three Jeeps each fitted with different tires and test them all together or right after one another, and done three or more iterations of each test as another member mentioned earlier.

 

[S Spiff]

My dude you completely missed the point of this video

I wasn't going to respond, but the emoji. Mmmm.

I thought the point of the video was to generate clicks. If that wasn't the case I apologize.

As to substance, perhaps you will forgive me misunderstanding because the goalposts moved significantly during the video. At the outset, you claimed that you were going to debunk the idea that "traditional four wheel drives" are better than "modern computerized stuff." By the end, your point was that computerized all wheel drive is better for most folks experiencing light offroading in snowy conditions. That was slippery. To be clear, I'm not faulting your conclusion. I'm faulting the journalism.

You got my attention in a bad way when you weren't objective explaining how to use the four wheel drive in the CJ. You referred to the "four sticks" including the shifter and the PTO as if they were part of engaging four wheel drive. Even the range selector can be left alone to engage four wheel drive. You made it seem more complicated than it really is to support the conclusion that you wanted.

I'm not saying you don't know what you are talking about or that you don't understand approach and departure angles as per your concern in the video. I'm saying you made a big vague controversial claim at the beginning and carved out a much smaller less controversial conclusion at the end while acting like that was what you meant all along. And I'm saying that you unfairly exaggerated how "complicated" it is to use tradiitonal four wheel drive to justify your conclusion. That's why I no longer take you seriously.

 

[nm23]

We reached out to falken and the team said there’s no break in procedure that would improve performance

What were the tire pressures for the test?
It looks like you used the E rated tires vs load C rated OEM AT3W equivalent. The Es would have a ~60psi normal street pressure.

 

[RudeJeepin]

lolol I love how you say it's not a direct comparison, but it's literally them testing the different tires, in the SAME CONDITIONS, on the SAME RIG. It's exactly what a direct comparison is

Like @Ratbert already said. The "not a direct comparison" was in that I have experience with the previous generation of the tires. Not the current ones they tested.


I'm still skeptical of their results.

 

[Ratbert]

Even time of day for the three tires could have affected the results. Was there more or less sunshine during the parts of the day? Was the temperature above or below 32 deg F? Each would affect slippage on the snow surface.

I would tend to agree if the tires that deviated in performance massively from the others were tested at the beginning or end of the test. They were tested between the others, so that analysis becomes less compelling.

They should have brought out three Jeeps each fitted with different tires and test them all together or right after one another, and done three or more iterations of each test as another member mentioned earlier.

Quite possibly, but then we'd be complaining that the three Jeeps weren't identical. And yes, they should have replicated the results, but I'm thinking that swapping out those tires repeatedly would have pushed them beyond their limits.

 

[mjbenedict]

What were the tire pressures for the test?
It looks like you used the E rated tires vs load C rated OEM AT3W equivalent. The Es would have a ~60psi normal street pressure.

That’s my question. All tires should have a slight bulge at bottom under load and those Falkens look blown up like a balloon. It would have been nice to see what they had for pressures as I think that made up the huge difference.

 

[JesseT]

We reached out to falken and the team said there’s no break in procedure that would improve performance

How did you ask the question? Did you ask them if brand new tires straight out of the mold would have the same grip as tires that have been driven a few hundred miles? Because if you just asked about specific break-in procedures I could see "drive on them however you want" not being considered a specific procedure. I also have a hard time believing there wouldn't be a performance difference in traction between rubber that was specifically formulated to grip and residual mold release that was specifically formulated not to.

 

[liquids]

I would tend to agree if the tires that deviated in performance massively from the others were tested at the beginning or end of the test. They were tested between the others, so that analysis becomes less compelling.

Not necessarily.... 11am, 1st tires: cold, no melting. 2pm, 2nd tires: warmer, melting surface layer. 5pm, 3rd tires: colder again, no melting.
Who knows, they could've been different days.

Anyway, it's just a data point from two guys who weren't that concerned with generating data. There are other subjective data points out there. I'll wait until other have assessed snow performance in a more controlled manner.

 

[Ratbert]

There are other subjective data points out there. I'll wait until other have assessed snow performance in a more controlled manner.

Good luck on that. Let us know if someone happens to do one with tires that we'd be interested in that also adheres to a rigorous set of standards.

 

[Ratbert]

This test looks to be flawed as the Wildpeaks are brand new (paint stripe down the center of tread). The other tires have been driven, not sure how much though.

Watch the beginning of the video again. The Firestones were also brand new (paint stripe down the center of the tread). They performed similarly to the BFGs, so that might not be a valid excuse for the poor performance of the Wildpeaks.

 

[Ratbert]

What were the tire pressures for the test?
It looks like you used the E rated tires vs load C rated OEM AT3W equivalent. The Es would have a ~60psi normal street pressure.

Good question. @TFL said in the video that they're all Es, which is really bizarre (IMHO). Were they all at the same pressure?

 

[ObiMatt87]

The 37 inch KO3’s aren’t available until 2026… I don’t know if the 35’s are available yet either.

Ah, that's right. I forgot about the lack of size availability. Thanks for setting me straight. Strange they still don't have them available in all sizes/load ratings yet. They've been out for a while now.

The performance comparison is very interesting. I would not have expected that out of the Wildpeaks, but everything excels in one environment or another. Fascinating.

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