I did quite a lot of research on this tyre as it looked, and still does, to be a very good tyre .. and I was very tempted.
I looked at the reviews, particularly 'high mileage' reviews on 'https://www.tyrereview.com.au/falken-wildpeak-at3w-reviews' and found a number of reviewers that would not buy them again .. for a number of reasons.
I also came across an article from a tyre 'tester' in the US that was engaged to test and write a report on the tyre before it was introduced. He tested 4 other top brand tyres and found that the Falken AT3W was the best .. by a long shot .. and wrote his report accordingly.
He tested the same tyre again some months later and found that the tyre did not perform anywhere near as well and now easily rated below the bottom of the the original tyres tested. He made enquiries as to why .. and found that the company had changed the manufacturing materials after the report and prior to it's introduction.
He said it was still a good tyre but not as good as it was when he first tested it.
They may have changed them back again .. I don't know .. but at the end of the day the AT3W was NOT available as an LT in the 265R60-70 18" to suit my D4.
Was pretty keen on the new Maxxis AT811's but they are supposedly not available as yet in WA .. not until beginning of next month.
2001 Disco 2 - EU3 TD5 Auto
(Build Date: 08/01)
Mods: 2" Lift, HD Springs, Rear Bags,
ECU upgrade, IC, Silicone Pipes, EGR, De-web,
Digital EGT, Boost & Trans, 160W Spots,
12000lb Winch, Icom UHF & Codan NGT HF
245 75R16 Toyo 'Open Country' M/T's
2001 Disco 2 - EU3 TD5 Auto
(Build Date: 08/01)
Mods: 2" Lift, HD Springs, Rear Bags,
ECU upgrade, IC, Silicone Pipes, EGR, De-web,
Digital EGT, Boost & Trans, 160W Spots,
12000lb Winch, Icom UHF & Codan NGT HF
245 75R16 Toyo 'Open Country' M/T's
Also, don’t fall into the LT trap. It’s no indication of how well they will perform under harsh conditions.
AT3W for example have a stronger carcass than another brands LT (I know as part of testing we cut them open and checked)
A mate went to BJ recently and the dealer manager said he stopped selling the Falken because it had changed composition and was wearing out quickly. I would still give them a try though. Had Falkens years ago and they were a great offroad tyre. Have also had them on passenger cars. Cheers
I got a set of these Falkens about a month ago for the RRS to replace the BFGs that had been on there for a few years. LT285/60R18. On road these absolutely trounce them. The Falkens do everything better. (Much) more wet and dry grip, significantly sharper handling with quicker steering response, less noise, etc. Sidewalls feel similarly stiff to the BFGs with both riding firmly unless aired down (a lot). Tread depth is deeper on the Falkens than the BFGs when new. Off road I can't comment fully yet as I have only assessed them on dirt tracks, sand and some gumbo mud. Very good on dirt and gravel tracks (wet or dry) and performed solidly in sand of various depths and dryness (Western NSW and NW Vic). Poor grip in heavy, sticky mud (as you'd expect) but cleared out the treads surprisingly well once off it (this was the siltly mud you get on the banks of the Murray River after weeks of rain). I refer to that as gumbo mud. It's like Plasticine and it sticks to everything and is very hard to scrape out. Other vehicles with us on Pirelli AT+ and MT ATZ didn't do any better on that skating rink. Overall I am quite pleased with these. The others in contention at the time were the Radar RT+ and the Toyo RTs. Note that the LT-construction Falken AT3Ws do not have a silica compound. Only the P-construction ones have that according to their own info.
Comparison.jpg
Murray-Sunset.jpg
DiscoClax
'94 D1 3dr Aegean Blue - 300ci stroker RV8, 4HP24 & Compushift, usual bar-work, various APT gear, 235/85 M/Ts, 3deg arms, Detroit lockers, $$$$, etc.
'08 RRS TDV8 Rimini Red - 285/60R18 Falken AT3Ws, Rock slider-steps, APT full under-protection, Mitch Hitch, Tradesman rack, Traxide DBS, Gap IID
Nothing wrong with that choice. They’re a great tyre.
They are the AT3W? Thanks for the review. They are shuffling to the top of my lost too.
Cheers
DiscoClax
'94 D1 3dr Aegean Blue - 300ci stroker RV8, 4HP24 & Compushift, usual bar-work, various APT gear, 235/85 M/Ts, 3deg arms, Detroit lockers, $$$$, etc.
'08 RRS TDV8 Rimini Red - 285/60R18 Falken AT3Ws, Rock slider-steps, APT full under-protection, Mitch Hitch, Tradesman rack, Traxide DBS, Gap IID
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