Though Falken is a common name in the tire industry, it's a tire brand that hasn't been too competitive in the off-road marketplace during any time that the current staff of this magazine can remember. But from out of nowhere, Falken has come up with an off-road tire that's a winner, first time trying. Call it beginner's luck or whatever you want; Falken has really hit a homerun with the new WildPeak A/T. There's no need to beat around the bush with this tire: It got excellent traction at higher speeds in the dirt, and had exceptional lateral traction. In fact, we were having a heck of a time getting a shot off of the rear end sliding out because the tires kept grabbing and keeping it from slipping. Good for driving, bad for pictures.There's no need to beat around the bush with this tire: It got excellent traction at highe We first saw the new WildPeak A/T working in Moab, Utah, on the Falken guys' Jeeps on the Moab slickrock. You see, the guys who helped bring this tire to market aren't nerdy tire engineers who have never been out of a lab; they're off-road enthusiasts who knew what it would take to create a tire that works. After witnessing the WildPeak's display of off-road prowess in the dirt and rocks, we were eager to try a set out ourselves. We ordered the biggest tire they had available at the time of testing-a 33x12.50R17-and mounted them on a daily-driven Durango we have at the magazine. Not only was off-road traction excellent, but on-road driving was as smooth as it's ever been in this particular vehicle. As you can hopefully see from these images, the tread is unique, yet reminiscent of some tread designs we've seen in the past. There is a large continuous center rib block with large channels on both sides. This not only gives the tire excellent water displacement qualities at the contact patch, it also makes for great lateral traction. The tread lugs are not as tall as on some all-terrains, and while that may be a detractor for some looking for the biggest bite possible, it benefits the on-road capabilities of this tire. You'll notice that the tread face comes out to almost the very edge of the tire, further enhancing handling.As you can hopefully see from these images, the tread is unique, yet reminiscent of some t Falken also laid two extra-wide steel belts and a continuous nylon band in the tire for stability purposes and for a better ride. Something interesting to note is how soft this tire is. It scored a 50 on our type-A tire durometer (rather soft, especially for an all-terrain tire).Falken also laid two extra-wide steel belts and a continuous nylon band in the tire for st On trails, these tires actually dug and got better bite than we expected. In fact, it was downright impressive considering they had a shallower tread depth than many all-terrains we've tried. Perhaps it was the stickiness of the rubber, but these tires would push and grab even with our test truck in 2WD. During some rather risky sidehilling, the WildPeak A/Ts didn't let the front or rear end slide sideways at all.On trails, these tires actually dug and got better bite than we expected. In fact, it was The Falken WildPeak A/Ts ride as smoothly as any tire we've tried, no doubt partly thanks to the continuous center rib. Since the rubber compound seemed a little soft on these tires, we decided to try and peel some tread off them on pavement. At 35 psi, the tires felt a little squishy but still firm. We think this may have something to do with the rubber compound. We weren't able to chunk the tread blocks or cause any "irregular" damage, but we definitely burned off the tire-molding compound. Though the soft rubber may lead you to believe that this tire will wear quickly, Falken does offer a 50,000-limited-mileage warranty.The Falken WildPeak A/Ts ride as smoothly as any tire we've tried, no doubt partly thanks We wish we could tell you how they worked in the rain, but unfortunately we had none during the time of testing. We'll let you know how these tires wear for us in an upcoming long-term update.We wish we could tell you how they worked in the rain, but unfortunately we had none durin SPECS (As Tested) MAKE/MODEL: Falken Wildpeak A/T MOUNTED ON: 17 x8 American Racing Teflon-coated wheels SIZE ON SIDEWALL: 33x12.50R17 LOAD RANGE: D MAX LOAD: 2,600 pounds at 50 psi TIRE HARDNESS: 50 on type-A tire durometer TREAD DEPTH: 17/32 # OF PLIES IN TREAD: Eight-ply WEIGHT OF TIRE: 63 pounds MEASURED DIAMETER UNLOADED: 32.50 inches MEASURED WIDTH UNLOADED: 11.00 inches MEASURED TREAD WIDTH: 10.25 inches AVAILABLE SIZES: 29 to 33 inches tall AVAILABLE FOR: 15- to 20-inch wheels Sources Falken Tire 13649 Valley Boulevard Fontana CA 92335 800-723-2553 www.falkentire.com By Jerrod Jones Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
