We are conducting a multi-year test of the Falken WildPeak A/T3W all-terrain SUV tire. Here are the results of our off-pavement, heavy rain, snow, and back-roads sporty driving testing.
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Falken is a tire brand on the rise. More and more of our test vehicles are now equipped with Falken tires. Recent all-new vehicles we’ve driven that have come equipped with Falken tires include the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport First Edition, 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Sport, and 2024 Mazda CX-90 3.3 Turbo S. One tire from Falken that has garnered a lot of attention as an aftermarket tire added to enhance an SUV’s capabilities is the WildPeak A/T3W all-terrain tire. We felt the tire deserved a multi-year test and now have the opportunity to provide you with one.
Related Story: Falken WildPeak A/T Trail Long-Term Review Conclusion - MPG Surprise
Many reviews you read are from one owner with limited experience owning and testing modern tire designs. We are a little different. We test multiple new cars each month and test many new tires each year. Our testing and review of the Falken WildPeak A/T3W tire will consist of tires mounted to test vehicles and also a set that we ourselves own mounted to a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands, for which we paid full price. They were a $525 stand-alone option on our 2023 Bronco Sport.
One thing that makes Falken a bit different from some other manufacturers is that the company designs tires specifically for certain types of vehicles. Sure, the company does have some general-use models, and it does make tires it designs for a specific model of SUV in additional sizes. However, based on our testing, Falken’s claim that it specifically tailors some of its tires to certain types of crossovers and SUVs is valid. One way to say it is that the tires seem to go hand in glove with the models to which they are fitted.
Falken WildPeak A/T3W Tire - Designed For Real World Use
Many all-terrain tires are extreme. They have crazy knobby tread blocks, huge tread depth, and are so oversized for the vehicles to which they are mounted that they are the equivalent of jewelry. They are made to look tough and may actually be, but the downsides are enormous. Many are very loud, suffer badly from tread squirm, and a lot of the ones that get the most attention on big trucks and full-size SUVs are not great on pavement in winter.
Falken’s WildPeak A/T3W is a little different. The tread on ours is about 10mm in depth. That’s about two or three millimeters deeper than an aftermarket all-season tire. Deep enough for off-road use, but sized so that they can also be used on-road and on-highway without a meaningful handling penalty. The tread design also features significant siping. Those are the little zig-zag slits in the tread blocks that help grab and retain snow for better winter traction. Speaking of winter traction, Falken created a rubber compound that works well in cold and snowy conditions. So well that it earned the three-peak-mountain snowflake symbol denoting a severe snow duty rating.
Falken WildPeak A/T3W Tire - Flooded Roadways Testing
It’s been raining cats and dogs here in New England this year. During our time with our new 2023 Bronco Sport Badlands equipped with Falken WildPeak A/T3W tires, we have had a chance to drive in extreme wet-weather conditions. Standing water, pounding rain, wind-swept rain, and even minor road flooding. Through all of this, the tires were sure-footed. We are not reckless. We do slow down for standing water. However, it is apparent that these tires resist hydroplaning. We will credit the wide tread channels for this. Also, despite a very respectable 277 lb-ft of torque, the Bronco Sport does not seem slippery when starting off on wet pavement.
Falken WildPeak A/T3W Tire Testing - Highway Comfort
All-terrain tires are really targeted at off-pavement capabilities, but the vast majority of miles covered in SUVs are highway miles. We are pleased to report that the two vehicles we have tested with the WildPeak A/T3W tires mounted on are quiet and comfortable on the highway. The Bronco Sport tracks straight ahead, and the handling inspires confidence. We tested the Bronco Sport with Falken WildPeak A/T3W tires in temperatures as low as the teens and as high as 90F. We drove on snow-covered highways, flooded highways, wet highways, and of course, warm dry pavement. The Falken WildPeak A/T3W handled every scenario very well.
Falken WildPeak A/T3W Tire Testing - Back-Country Sporty Driving
Many of the SUVs we test are sloppy and boring on a lonely mountain road. Some handle so poorly that we keep speeds low. The Bronco Sport equipped with the Falken WildPeak A/T3W all-terrain tire is an exception. Driving on twisty roads with speed limits that allow for some fun is very enjoyable. The Falken tires are certainly not performance tires, but they offer good grip, and they even turn pretty well, given their tall sidewalls.
Falken WildPeak A/T3W Tire - Comfort
Over even the most badly damaged pavement, the Falken WildPeak A/T3W is a tire that offers a lot of comfort. Our size has a lot of sidewall. That helps with comfort and also helps prevent damage. Over road imperfections like railroad tracks, washboard dirt roads, and rutted paths, the comfort afforded by this tire is worth its weight in gold. Many of the crossovers and SUVs we test come with low-profile touring tires. They transmit so much harshness and vibration into the cabin is hard to understand how the automakers expect owners to be happy. The WildPeak A/T3W is the solution to real-world broken-up roads.
One side effect of the extreme rain we have had in New England is washed-out roads. The dirt roads in New Hampshire are quickly being restored by the state’s outstanding DPW crews, but it is still easy to find areas where private roads are in tough shape. We picked our way up and down a few miles of such roads. The grip of the WildPeak A/T3W treads is ideal for such adventure driving. More important may be the rugged sidewall design, which features tread on the sides, not just the bottom of the tire. Damaging a sidewall is a real concern during such driving. The WildPeak A/T3W can even be aired down a bit to allow for more tire sidewall flex and a slightly larger footprint.
Two years ago, we had the opportunity to test the Falken WildPeak A/T3W in deep snow on and off pavement. We hope to do more winter driving on them this coming winter. Our summary of these tires is simple - Nearly as good as a dedicated winter tire in fresh snow, regardless of depth. However, winter tires do meaningfully better over sheet ice, and also do better when there is ice under a layer of snow.
The really big deal is that many drivers, we would say most, can skip having a set of dedicated winter tires they swap on and off two times each year and just use these instead. Short of studded winter tires, there is no way to deal with ice after a certain point effectively. Our suggestion to those who can sit out the few ice storms each year until sanders have been out is to forget winter rubber and move to a new all-weather, trail, or all-terrain tire with the three-peak mountain snowflake rating. If you must go in all conditions, keep an AWD vehicle with studded winter tires.
One big upside of the WildPeak A/T3W is that snow often means broken-up pavement and deeply rutted dirt roads. The rugged construction of the WildPeak A/T3W means that you have a lower risk of tire damage in such conditions. Also, mud often follows the snow, and these are about as good as it gets when the dirt roads turn the consistency of chocolate chip ice cream.
As we have more adventures with the Bronco Sport and its WildPeak A/T3W tires, we will add new updates. These will include coverage of the tire’s noise and wear characteristics. Check back for more content about the Falken WildPeak A/T3W tire soon.
Fast Facts:
Tire Size Tested: 235/65/17
Measured tread depth when new = 9.1mm
Vehicles on which the tires were tested include the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport First Edition and 2023 Badlands.
Distance covered thus far totals approximately 900 miles.
Image of Falken WildPeak A/T Trail tire by John Goreham.
John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.
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