Falken Wildpeak AT/4W Tires Review After 500 Miles

[AmazingSieve]

TL;DR Tire good, braking excellent, noticeably heavy

So these are a hot new tire on the market and they came out the same time I was getting new tires. I was told the tire vendor didn't have the AT/3W but they did have the AT/4W so I decided to go with those. I ended up getting the 225s because honestly I didn't know much if anything about tires. I don't regret the size though. The 225s are plenty beefy and aggressive, they weigh a bit as well.

So far I have driven these in snowy mountain conditions, snow, ice, slush and normal day to day conditions. Taken these up to about 8,000ft on some passes to get to some nice fishing spots. Last weekend the Front Range got a massive storm and I drove these in about 32 degree snow. So imagine heavy slop, some ice underneath, 4 lane roads turned into two way because that kind of happens and everyone slows down. This weekend I went fishing again, same place, froze my ass off again, hooked into two fish at least. On the way back from my friends place there was literally miles of black ice to contend with in Denver. So I've given these tires a pretty good run down in two weeks.

Ratings:
Braking: 9/10. These tires brake extremely well. It requires firm pressure to get them to breakaway and when they do they quickly regain traction. I don't imagine it can really get much better.

Snow: 7/10. I find myself occasionally getting loose in the snow and I don't know if thats due to the size, width or you know... itrs snow thats going to happen. So I may be ignorant of the limitations in snow but it seems they could be a bit better.

Rain: 8/10. Really quite good. They bring a surprising amount of confidence in rain. They don't breakaway, hydroplaning is controlled. It is a confidence inspiring tire.

Cornering: 8/10. These things easily outperform the Pirelli Scorpion ATRs in the corners which I was surprised by. I thought since Falkens are an AT they would be blocky and want to roll....no they corner flat and are consistent. They are more controlled in the canyon corners then the Pirelli's. Yes road specific tires will perform better on cars with a chassis more tuned for road conditions. But for an AT on a car that rolls like a boat...these things corner flat and do a good job.

Ice: Good. I think giving an ice rating would give an impression of safety on black ice. The truth is no tire is perfect on ice unless you have chains and studs. These certainly out performed the ATRs but I was still sliding and had to be mindful of speed and braking distance as always. It’s a night and day difference between the two tires but I can’t imagine a worse performing tire on the ice than the ATRs.

Combined MPG: 6/10. My combined MPG after those mixed miles is 23.6. They are a heavy tire. You can feel it. I imagine upping to a 235 will decrease that further. Depends on how much you care about that sort of thing. I do a bit, every dollar I don't spend I can spend on something else and I'm far from paycheck to paycheck but its nice to stretch those miles a bit.

Road Noise: Good. I can hear some buzzing but I dont find it annoying.

Weight: Enh...They are a noticeably heavy tire. My first impression after I got these installed and rolled out of the shop was the car has to try harder to get going. Its not a nothing difference. Car certainly isn't as quick. Definitely trading performance for some MPG here.

Comfort: They do provide a nice ride. Not super soft but I have these things aired up to like 35psi.

Overall:
Very happy with them and haven't regretted the purchase. They are much safer in the conditions I drive in and likely the weather out here wil get worse as the snowiest time in Denver is in the spring.

I can't make a comparison to the AT/3W, my hope someone with those buys the 4Ws and can make a direct comparison. Overall I am most impressed with the braking and how well they do in the rain. I haven't taken them in deep snow yet but for normal snow conditions they do well. I can corner just fine, I can drive with confidence.

My only complaint is that they make driving much less exciting. As a side not almost had a typo, breaking versus braking...I'm sure no one on here would've noticed that.

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[CLR]

Nice comparison!

Were you previously running the Pirellis? The mpg on the AT/4W is the same as what I see on my AT/3W.

 

[AmazingSieve]

Nice comparison!

Were you previously running the Pirellis? The mpg on the AT/4W is the same as what I see on my AT/3W.

I was ya, so it’s not really a great review because they’re two totally different tires and the differences I’m experiencing could largely be due to upgrading to a competent AT and not a reflection of its true performance. There’s certainly a ratings inflation happening here. But I will stand by the first category, braking.

 

[Dude]

AmazingSieve…

Great comparison of your factory Pirelli Scorpion ATRs to the AT4W 225s. I will be in the same situation when my Pirelli‘s wear out and your review is very helpful (although I will be selecting the 235 size for my Badlands).

Btw .. there’s good info in the attached YouTube that was posted on one of the other AT4W threads which relates to your comment “…thought since Falkens are an AT they would be blocky and want to roll....no they corner flat and are consistent. They are more controlled in the canyon corners than the Pirelli's”

Starting around 5 minutes in and past the discussion of mud there’s a good explanation around 7 minutes of the cornering ability of the AT4Ws. Although it’s a comparison video of AT3W to AT4W, the portions specific to AT4W should be interesting to you.

 

[Jmuns]

I'm glad you mention the accelerating with the heavier tires. So many people on here have claimed they can't tell a difference when switching to a heavier tire and that's just not true. I feel the difference daily between my wife's with the Faulken 235's and mine with Toyo OC AT3 245s. As long as you aren't driving in another BS though you won't notice the difference for long and it will feel normal again. I'll need tires in another 10-15k miles so it's great reading reviews on these as they are definitely on my radar.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Thanks for the write up. I’m really bummed they killed the AT3w’s. We were in the muck and ice yesterday as we are starting to thaw out and they never seemed to care. Up a pretty steep hill in the woods that was still snow covered and again no issues. Not sure what I’ll go with next time. I don’t want the extra weight and don’t care about the looks.

 

[Wolf256]

I have about 50,000 miles to decide, but pretty sure I’ll go with Falken AT4’s. I’m not exceptionally concerned about the 10 lb per tire difference from the AT3’s. I run 5 tires and honestly, by the time I need new tires, I will have dropped at least that much weight off of my body, so my baby will be carrying less weight in the the cab. May not affect the MPG, but ya never know.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

I have about 50,000 miles to decide, but pretty sure I’ll go with Falken AT4’s. I’m not exceptionally concerned about the 10 lb per tire difference from the AT3’s. I run 5 tires and honestly, by the time I need new tires, I will have dropped at least that much weight off of my body, so my baby will be carrying less weight in the the cab. May not affect the MPG, but ya never know.

If you stay with 235/65-17’s, it’s only 7 lbs difference between the 3’s and 4’s.

@Discount Tire still has the AT3’s by us. And at $35 less!

 

[SLJ]

I have about 50,000 miles to decide, but pretty sure I’ll go with Falken AT4’s. I’m not exceptionally concerned about the 10 lb per tire difference from the AT3’s. I run 5 tires and honestly, by the time I need new tires, I will have dropped at least that much weight off of my body, so my baby will be carrying less weight in the the cab. May not affect the MPG, but ya never know.

Spinning weight is more critical than static weight in a vehicle and the further it rotates from center the more critical it becomes. Especially on acceleration where your MPG is at it's worst.

 

[wessermgm]

Thanks for the write up. I’m really bummed they killed the AT3w’s. We were in the muck and ice yesterday as we are starting to thaw out and they never seemed to care. Up a pretty steep hill in the woods that was still snow covered and again no issues. Not sure what I’ll go with next time. I don’t want the extra weight and don’t care about the looks.

Maybe go ahead and buy a set of 4 and stash em? I would consider it but mine only have 2,500 miles on them. Got at least 3 years before new tires. Don't want to store them that long.

 

[NMhunter]

Amazing Sieve said: "Combined MPG: 6/10. My combined MPG after those mixed miles is 23.6. They are a heavy tire. You can feel it. I imagine upping to a 235 will decrease that further. Depends on how much you care about that sort of thing. I do a bit, every dollar I don't spend I can spend on something else and I'm far from paycheck to paycheck but its nice to stretch those miles a bit."

But, what was you mileage before that? I get 27 combined with my 235/65 R17 AT3Ws.

 

[AmazingSieve]

Amazing Sieve said: "Combined MPG: 6/10. My combined MPG after those mixed miles is 23.6. They are a heavy tire. You can feel it. I imagine upping to a 235 will decrease that further. Depends on how much you care about that sort of thing. I do a bit, every dollar I don't spend I can spend on something else and I'm far from paycheck to paycheck but its nice to stretch those miles a bit."

But, what was you mileage before that? I get 27 combined with my 235/65 R17 AT3Ws.

Good question. So I didn't do any sort of unusual driving during this period, pretty standard weekday errands weekend fishing trip. I normally get about 25/26 combined. So thats like a 3 or 2.5mpg loss. Considering its about like a what 15G tank, thats about 50mi, maybe a little less, i've always sucked at arithmetic, loss in range. Not catastrophic but over time that adds up.

If I did less driving up in the mountains I could’ve almost certainly gotten the mpg closer to 25.

I think it may be helpful to keep in mind I’m quite often driving from Denver to towns in places that are like 8kft high and driving those canyons and passes really tanks the mpg going up and I’m not quite sure it equals out going back down.

 

[Mark S.]

Good question. So I didn't do any sort of unusual driving during this period, pretty standard weekday errands weekend fishing trip. I normally get about 25/26 combined. So thats like a 3 or 2.5mpg loss. Considering its about like a what 15G tank, thats about 50mi, maybe a little less, i've always sucked at arithmetic, loss in range. Not catastrophic but over time that adds up.

If I did less driving up in the mountains I could’ve almost certainly gotten the mpg closer to 25.

How was the weather? Colder than normal?

 

[AmazingSieve]

How was the weather? Colder than normal?

Not particularly no. Very typical for Denver highs in the 40s/50s lows in the 20s. What may have tanked it a bit was that big snow storm just after I got them. But then again. I was going slower in the slushy snow.

 

[Mark S.]

Not particularly no. Very typical for Denver highs in the 40s/50s lows in the 20s. What may have tanked it a bit was that big snow storm just after I got them. But then again. I was going slower in the slushy snow.

Anything on the road--especially anything wet--will increase rolling resistance.

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