Toyo AT3 vs Falken Wildpeak Winter

I loved my Wildpeaks. Had them for 3 years and some change and over 45k miles. They had decent tread left when I moved on, but had given up all winter traction at that point. Very good in snow and rain, not good in mud, but for an AT, they were very good, borderline great IMO. Much better traction in all conditions than the Cooper A/T I currently run. The ST Maxx's I ran in between were better overall, but heavy and wore terribly.

 

I initially thought I purchased the E rated Wild Peaks, and put them through some harsh large graveled trails, small bouldered washes, hit the curb once REAL bad (for being a peeping Tom passing a bus stop, lol) and ran over a good sized rock in some bad rain as I couldn’t avoid it. They took the beating as a XL (extra load) at 6 plys.

Sorry OP, back to your scheduled programming!

 

I've had both tires. First set were open county AT2 and I hated them in the wet. They were terrible trying to leave a stop sign or anything when it was slick out from light rain but damn good in the snow. Maybe they changed this with the AT3 model idk, but the wet performance is the only thing that did not like about the Toyo tires. Other than that they were fine. I Currently have wildpeak 265/70/17 that are almost at the end of their life with 49k miles 3.5 years. They have performed great the entire time I had them. No problem with balancing either tire too. The wildpeaks can have some tire shake at 75+mph but that's the only performance issue. They have been great in the snow and rain here in New England. I I'm trying to decide what tire to install this summer when I get new ones and I think I am staying with the Wildpeaks at3w again. I love how quiet they are on the highway.

 

As an X-Calgarian I can appreciate this post, yeah without a doubt I'll be getting dedicated winters then. Just looking for a highway AT that won't wobble at speeds of up to 80 mph. Been getting some great suggestions, thanks!

 

Although I completely agree with what you posted, I had no issues driving through mountain passes in winter with KO2s and wildpeaks. Drove from surrey to Clinton to ice fish.

FWIW, buddy has identical truck running Nokian winter tires and he got stuck in deep snow where I had no problems. It was kind of funny because he would always say how awesome those tires are in the snow and that manual sucks for off-roading in snow.

I’ve never had dedicated winter tire but I’m sure they are better for our icy highways.

 

Another +1 for duratracs however my roommate has had toyo at3's on his explorer for the past 3 years with 0 complaints they are on year 4 and definitely in need of replacement.

I have 6 some off years on duratra s on 3 different trucks and wouldn't hesitate ro run them again they are louder than other but they are one of the most agressive AT on the market. But overall all aspects of the tire were good, winter traction was as good as you can ask of a 3 peak rated tire. A true winter will always be better but I never had any real issues besides wheeling on solid ice.

Being on an MT now I get to start the search for an over sized dedicated winter...

 

Those photos sum up what it means to drive a Canadian highway in the winter lol. Thanks for your help!

 

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has shared your experience with me. Lots of info out their and can be overwhelming but glad to know there's a community of you willing to help. Thanks again!

 

I run wildpeaks in 235/85 16 here in Montana. I think they are good for winter for maybe 20K miles. Then they are still fine for other uses but drop that bit of extra traction you need for winter. Dedicated winter tires are in my future.

I also run the skinnies for extra traction but that opens up another discussion.

 

I would agree with you. I bought The Falken At/3s 2 years ago when I purchased my 17 Taco back in 2020.. I read reviews here, and they look nice. Quiet Ride, and have worn well. I am about ready to replace them and will go with another set I think. They balanced good and have had no issues since.

 

This really depends where you are from, on highways here in BC the police will stop you and if the tires don't have the 3 peak snowflake they will tell you to turn around or throw chains on. This was the main reason why I chose an AT tire with 3 peaks and I've never been harassed since so the 3rd party verification doesn't really matter (to me). Last thing I need is for some cop to be a dick about it again on a trip to Whistler or something. Been running the Wildpeaks for 2 years now year-round with zero issues in the snow on and off the trails.

 

Ran Michelins for over 20+ years. First time considering an A/T a year and a half ago. It was between the Falken Wildpeaks or the Toyo AT3’s in a P/metric one size up from stock. Did not need E-rated for a daily driver, snow and light off roading only. The balancing issues expressed by others swung me towards the Toyo’s.

They have been great so far. Long hot summer road trips, light off roading, atmospheric rivers and snow storms.

As mentioned, a dedicated snow & ice tire for the interior of BC and either the Falkens or Toyos the rest of the year.

Tires are a very subjective subject. Road conditions, driver skills and tire age can have a huge impact. Vehicle mechanical condition and traction aids play a roll. Also, in snow/ice conditions can change very quickly.

Weight in the back of the truck can really help. Some folks on here suggest that a full size pick-up is better in the snow.

 

It's been a few years since I have been into bc but is it not 3 peak or M+S

 

Well put, thanks for that.

 

Thats surprising the wildpeaks are smoother than the defenders. Are you finding the wildpeaks mpg worse than the defenders? Thanks!

 

depends on conditions obviously but i had LOTS of miles @ 25psi-ish on rough gravel and 16-18psi on trails. my method wheels are on the wide side of the recommended width of the 255s so i didnt like to go lower and lose a bead. never any complaints about traction with the Wildpeaks.

early on i was starting to notice alot of accumulating sidewall cuts/damage and chunking on the Wildpeaks and given the amount of aired down gravel miles i was doing, i knew i wasn't going to get even close to typical expected tread life but i accept that.

one other thing i noticed moving to the ST Maxx is the significantly stiffer sidewalls vs the Wildpeaks. less marshmallow feel at similar pressures but still a longer footprint.

these are just my observations/experience and everyone's driving habits and conditions are different. the Wildpeaks were good tires but i just needed a little more sidewall strength and now after some miles the ST Maxx are proving to be a better fit for my type of use right now.

 

I'm in the same camp as you. Once I started with Yokohama, I havent gone back. They're the perfect blend of on & off road for my "soft roading". Nice and quiet for my weekend trips that are 80% highway, 20% rough dirt roads. I have their winter tires too, and again I feel like those are the Yokohama blend. Are there better winter tires? Yeah, but all winter tires are better at different things, and the yokohamas are quite good across the board.

They're not a flashy brand, but they work damn well.

 

I think I'm in agreement @Junkhead , the wildpeaks are great when it's real unplowed snow, i.e. there are at least a couple of inches down, they'll even trudge through a couple of feet like a tank! Where my Blizzaks blow them away is in semi-plowed and ice roads, the traction and stopping power is unrivaled. I can't see myself going back to attempting to run a single set of AT tyres all year round now.

 

I ran both Duratracs and BFG KO2s on my 4Runner for a number of years and was never impressed with the snow traction on either of them. I ended up trying some Kumho AT52's after some dry rot issues with the BFGs and they were much better in the snow at least with the limited miles I put on them this past winter. Might be worth looking into for a more highway oriented all terrain.

 

General Grabber AT/X would be my choice and was. I ran dedicated winter tires in Cooper Snow Claws for two winters and they were fine on the street, but basically useless in deep snow up logging roads to go sledding or ice fishing. I studded the Generals and they have been just what I wanted so far. Studs are fairly annoying around town on bare roads, but they are meant for ice and do the job very well. They are also snow flake rated, so you dont need to them studded to be legal on BC highways