Both the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 3 and the Falken AT3w are two all-terrain tires that can handle any challenge thrown their way. They feature above average traction off-road with their deep biters, while keeping things vibrations free on smooth tracks thanks to their new gen tread compound. Though there are some things to consider while looking at both. Let’s check them out.
In my professional opinion as a tire engineer, it makes sense to me why Bridgestone Revo 3 is a better tire to have on highways, though its speed rating is still not as great, as it lacks in the wet department, and that’s where Wildpeak AT3w comes in, though the tire is also superior on all types of off-road terrains as well.
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
On one hand we have the Falken Wildpeak AT3w, which comes in 15 to 22″ rim sizes. And they have the following specs.
- Speed ratings: Q, R, S, T, and H.
- Tread depth range: 12 to 19/32″.
- Load Range: SL, XL, C, D, E, and F.
- Weight Range: 35 lbs to 79.4 lbs.
- Warranty: 55k miles on all sizes
Detailed Review of Falken AT3w.
The Bridgestone Duler Revo 3 comes in 16 to 20 inches rim diameters, having following specs.
- Speed ratings: S, R, and T.
- Load ratings: SL, C and E.
- Weight range: 30 to 60 lbs.
- Tread depth range: 12/32″ to 16/32″.
- Warranty: 60k for P-Metric and Metric sizes (Excludes LT Sizes).
Recommended Reads:
What is speed rating?
What is load rating?
How to read tire size?
Durability
Tire’s durability is largely influenced by the internal construction, with the sidewalls playing a critical role, as they are the most susceptible to punctures.
And even though both tires have cut resistant rubber, and 2 ply polyester casing with 2 steel belts on top, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w still takes the cake here.
Where Bridgestone Dueler Revo 3 gives you just a single cap ply on top, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w gives you 2 layers on nylon in the middle, and 2 more layers on the sidewalls.
So you get a better protection on this tire.
Tread Appearance
Falken Wildpeak AT3w has a great balanced tread offering great on and off road traction. Let me explain how.
The tire has shoulder lugs covering a major portion of the tread, and these elongated lugs feature stepped edges and notches which provide off-road grip. And at the same time, since they are closed up together (joined with reinforced foundational rubber underneath), they get to provide pavement stability as well.
And this not only goes for dry but also for wet as well, as these lugs are equipped with interlocking full depth sipes, providing efficient water wiping capabilities.
Moving towards the middle, here although, you see similar tread features, of notches, stepped edges and ridges, the siping pattern is a little different.
That’s because these sipes are better optimized for supplying directional grip. (That’s why these lugs are closed up together, comparatively).
Moving further, although the sidewalls of the tire are not visible here, comparatively, you get a more aggressive design with U shaped lugs, featuring superior off road traction especially with lowered air pressure.
On the other side, the Bridgestone Dueler A-T Revo 3 features a more on-road oriented design all over.
Let me start off form the middle.
So here the tread offers you with 2 fat ribs, with a single block design
These blocks have a lot of features, or should I say biters in the form of chamfered edges, off-sets, saw-toothed sides, and a mixture of multiple sipes combined with in groove biters.
All of these help with off-road traction, though at the same time as the tread voids are not too big, and blocks are attached to each other vertially, they offer on-road traction with that as well.
Though with such packed up shoulder lugs the overall dirt/mud evacuation is really affected, even with various notches on these lugs, and their outer serrated edges, and sidewall lugs.
Wet Traction
Wet traction has to do with water cleaning abilities and with efficient water evacuation, two main things are achieved, wet grip, and hydroplaning resistance.
Though with Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 having closed up shoulder lugs, the water is not able to get out (especially sideways). And its tread also is not offering as much sipes as well.
Moreover, the sipes the tire does yield, are only rectilinear, which means, while cornering they would get firmer and would give a hard time, limiting lateral traction.
Falken Wildpeak AT3w on the other hand, has dual siping design, much more flexibility and deeper grooves forming a network of channels, so it’s better in both key areas.
For Your Info: I’ve ranked Falken AT3w on top, in my list of best performing A/T tires.
Highway Performance
An all-terrain tire’s dry performance can be best determined by examining its traction, steering, and cornering capabilities. Let’s explore each of these key elements in more detail.
Longitudinal Grip
Directional grip represent the ability of a tire to stick to the road surface when driving straight, that’s why it gets measure with stopping distance.
Though keep in mind that the majority of this traction comes from the central part of the tread, as they get to meet up with the road with much more solid connection (as all weight gets emphasized there).
That’s why Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 with continuous running 2 ribs having fat lugs, gets to meet up with the road in a better way, comparatively.
Falken Wildpeak AT3w, although has a lot of biters facing everywhere, and compact enough blocks arrangement as well, it simply lacks a little due to it’s “a lot of tread depth”.
This makes the lugs flex more, and so they are not able to make a firmer surface-to-tread meet up.
Dry Cornering
The ground-outer shoulder lug contact (with the road) becomes a key factor in determining the tire’s handling and lateral traction during cornering, as the vehicle’s weight is shifted to them upon turns.
And since you get to have a continuous ribs there on both sides, the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 provides you with slightly better traction (which is very similar to the best tire here, the Continental TerrainContact AT).
Falken Wildpeak AT3w on the other hand, does not have such closed up lugs arrangement there, and so the overall lateral traction is not as grreat. Though its not too far off, as all blocks there have solid foundational supports underneath.
Steering Response
The handling of a vehicle is significantly influenced by the ease of controlling tires, as determined by the often neglected performance metric of steering sensitivity or communication. The rubber-to-road connection and its interruptions through grooves are judged.
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 being a lighter tire (going only up to 60 lbs), and having less deep of tread voids (with tread depth up to 16/32″) shows better efficacy here.
Basically with heavier tire, and a lot of tread depth, lugs want to bend more, and this causes a tire to either over or under-steer, and you don’t want that, you want a good balance between the two.
Falken Wildpeak AT3w on the other hand goes up to 84 lbs in weight and has tread depth up to 19/32″, so even with secondary rubber layers running underneath the lugs (shoulders), you get to have limited steering feedback.
Recommended Read: Are all-terrain tires good for daily driving?
Fuel and Tread Usage
Both fuel and tread usage depends on rolling resistance. And so it can be understood why in both areas, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w lacks.
The tire is heavier off the two, and with it’s lugs more spaced apart, they get to bear more pressure of that weight on them. This causes them to rub off the surface (they are on) with a much more force. And this not only burns the tread faster, but also consumes more fuel.
(Though keep in mind that the tread wear is still not that bad, as you get a lot of tread depth on this tire, which allows it to go on for a little longer).
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 on the other hand, has a stable built, with lighter build, so lugs don’t have as much pressure on them.
Moreover, you also get a stiffer rubber composition on the tread as well, providing you with better overall mileage. That’s why the tire also comes with 60k miles warranty (though Falken AT3w is not to far off, offering 55k).
For Your Info: In A/T category, the most fuel efficient tire is Firestone Destination AT2 (review).
Ride Quality
In terms of ride comfort, two key considerations play a role – the tire tread noise and the tire’s ability to effectively manage road imperfections through its structure and tread design. I’ll analyze each of these aspects in more detail.
The cause of tire noise comes from air flow, primarily through the shoulder grooves of the tire’s tread, striking the walls of the tread and generating noise.
So this tells us why Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 is a silent tire in comparison, as it’s continuous running shoulder ribs don’t allow air to come in too much.
But as for the overall comfort, I am going to rate Falken Wildpeak AT3w better, as it’s silent enough too, and with deeper tread voids (it offers), its able to soak up the vibrations of the road in a better way.
Winter Capability
The tire’s winter traction is evaluated based on its performance on snow and ice terrains, including its grip, acceleration, lateral traction, and stability.
And in all these factors one would think that the Falken AT3w with 3 peak mountain snowflake (3pmsf) rating would be much better, comparatively. Though that’s not the case.
The Bridgestone Revo 3 basically has a lot of biters and they are still pretty great at gripping the snow/ice. The tire is one of the best you’d see on snowy terrains without 3pmsfr.
Wildpeak AT3w on the other hand is a champ, especially when slightly deeper snowy lands. It’s notches and stepped edges provide efficient grabbing abilities and it’s interlocking sipes (on shoulders) ensure enhanced lateral traction on hard packed snow and ice.
Off Road Performance
Different rugged terrains present unique challenges for off-road tires, which is why I evaluated tires in all of these terrain variations.
Muddy Trails
In muddy environments, the key to effective tire performance is the ability to rapidly evacuate mud. That’s why a tire with a bolder tread design and wider grooves would be more efficient at this, leading to improved traction and stability.
Though as most of this mud escaping occurs on sides, the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 with its closed up continuous running shoulder ribs do not provide a proper gateway for the thick mud to leave as easily.
Moreover, the internal 2 ribs also not properly connected with each other laterally, as they are also continuous, (like explained in the tread section above, these lugs sit on a secondary running rubber layers).
Falken Wildpeak AT3w on the other hand creates a network of grooves, so mud can leave out form everywhere. Moreover, you also get a lot of tread depth on this tire, allowing it to handle mud much more effectively.
Recommended Read: Are all-terrain tires good on mud?
On Rocks
A tire for driving on rocky terrain needs to have a soft, flexible tread with lugs that can bend for better traction and grip in all directions, as well as durable sidewalls to protect against sharp rocks and punctures for optimal stability and security.
And since all of these features are better provided on Falken Wildpeak, the tire provides much better efficacy here. Its C shaped biters face in all directions, ensuring grip in multiple angles, and it’s saw-toothed outer edges (on shoulders) + sidewall lugs provides the highly need lateral traction while climbing.
(Lateral traction is a highly important component as it avoid sideways slippage of the vehicle which can also sometimes cause overturning).
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 on other side, does not offers as thick of a sidewall lugs, and although it’s biters in the middle are ample to provide directional grip (helpful in straight climbing), it’s less aggressive shoulder lugs don’t provide enough lateral traction.
Recommended Read: Are all-terrain tires good on rocks?
On Sand
The tire’s air pressure, weight, and tread design play a role in its performance on sand. That’s why reducing air pressure and choosing a tire with a soft tread pattern and lightweight build is key.
But whats amazing to see that even though you get a heavier build on Falken Wildpeak AT3w, you still get superior performance out of it.
The tire basically provide you with thicker sidewall lugs, and they spread out to enhance the overall width of the tire providing the needed floating.
The Bridgestone Revo 3 on the other hand, does not offer that. Moreover, it’s tread is also not that soft, so even with lowered air pressure, you don’t get the same increment in overall footprint.
Recommended Read: Are all-terrain tires good on sand?
Ending Note
The Dueler AT Revo 3 is a great catch for daily driving, though you would have to compromise a little on wet roads. Wildpeak AT3w on the other side is great with wet grip and hydroplaning, it’s going to consume more fuel.
Though you also get enhanced off-road traction with it as well, as that durability comes from a thicker tread rubber and solid internal construction.
You have done a superb analysis on these two tire models, a lot of information and advice that I needed for the choice of buying new tires, for my application on my Nissan frontier truck, I chose the Falken Wildpeak AT3w
For its use in the muddy and snowy roads of Canada, it is resistant to rocks, I make more bad road than high ways .. great thank you again.
Hey man, delighted to hear that you found my analysis helpful. Yes, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w is a pretty nice choice especially for your application. I mean it would do great on muddy and snowy conditions of Canada.
Though make sure you compare the tire with its successor the AT4w. Here’s the link to that: Falken Wildpeak AT4w vs Wildpeak AT3w