Falken Wildpeak MT being a mud terrain tire is although designed for commercial traction, it not that bad on streets as well. In fact, out of all the mud tires I reviewed, this one stands, being the best for wet pavements, offering decent handling and steering response, without too much slippage.
Being a tire engineer, my extensive testing on Falken Wildpeak M/T shows that the tire offers very decent on-road traction, on both wet and dry conditions. Though it’s not quite comfortable, especially on highways. Though they do okay on shorter commutes. And off-road the tire is a beast, offering superb durability with its DuraSpec technology, and supplying top-notch mud, sand and rocky terrain performance.
Table of Contents
Tread Appearance
The symmetrical design of this tire features very bulky shoulder blocks with prominent stone ejectors in between.
They have staggered outer margins (featuring mud scoops), and join up with thick sidewall lugs, which aids in protection and traction (when you run the tire with reduced air pressure).
These elongated lugs feature thick siping slits that gets narrower towards the middle (basically, they are designed for both wet and winter performance).
In the middle, there are two ribs, with relatively smaller L shaped blocks.
These lugs also have full depth interlocking sipes, and sharp snow vices towards their edges.
(Snow vices is basically a technical name for stepped edges these lugs form on their sides).
Wet Performance
Generally Mud tires aren’t good enough for wet roads, as they are very susceptible to slippage.
I mean sure, they are good at one aspect of wet traction, hydroplaning, as with wider grooves they are able to evacuate water out easily through multiple pathways, but they severely lack in providing ample siping, which yield most of the wet grip.
Sipes basically suck water particles in their slits, so the lugs can grip the (cleared up) surface.
And Falken Wildpeak M/T offers a top-notch performance here.
It features full depth interlocking sipes, which have a lot of angle variations. This permits them to stay malleable as the tire brakes, accelerates or turns.
Moreover, the tire also features a silica rich compound, that further enhances the siping suction abilities, by giving them the flexibility needed.
Winter Traction
Winter traction has a lot of variables, apart form tires maneuvering capabilities, you also have different types of terrains here as well, including ice, and fluffy snow.
Now for ice and packed up snow, I don’t recommend any mud tire, as they just can’t provide enough gripping efficacy.
Though in case of deeper terrains, you can never go wrong with Falken Wildpeak M/T at all, even though its not branded with 3 peak mountain snowflake rating.
(This rating isn’t everything, it’s just an acceleration test, I discussed it in detail here).
So the Wildpeak M/T basically has an all season compound that offers amazing resistance to freezing temperatures. So it’s biters stay pliable and maintain their gripping values.
Moreover, besides having full depth sipes, it’s central lugs are equipped with snow vices towards their edges, both of these feature grab up the snow particles and lodge them in.
Same goes for the shoulder lugs where you see thicker siping slits, which dig in to the snow and trap them in.
This allows the tire to form snow to snow contact, which render better friction, compared to plain rubber.
Moreover, the elongated lugs, and staggered edges of the shoulders blocks paddle through the thicker terrains like a pro.
Dry Performance
Roads and pavements are usually not so good for mud tires, as they really lack in terms of grip. And of course, they are very loud.
Though things aren’t so bad with Wildpeak M/T.
The tire offers variable pitch technology to counter the noise. It’s tread blocks vary in geometry a little bit, lug to lug, allowing for air particles hitting them to generated different types of tones.
And those tones don’t amplify together, and noise gets dampened that way.
Moreover, the tire’s silica rich rubber also accounts for decent settling of the bumps, though that only goes for slower speeds, as on highways, these tires aren’t so great.
Though in terms of traction, things are much more appreciative as they deliver good-enough steering response, where you really understand what’s going on with them, dynamically.
Off Road Performance
Off road is a piece of cake for all mud terrain tires. Yet there are some things worth noting especially when it comes to Falken’s MT tire here. Let’s consider all the terrains I tested these tires on.
Muddy Tracks
The Falken WildPeak M/T is specially designed and made for the most challenging muddy conditions. It’s computer optimized geometry of lugs, offer excellent combination of lateral and longitudinal tread voids, which pass the thick mud out quickly.
Moreover it’s scooping central lugs, and staggered shoulders combined with thick sidewall blocks supply amazing paddling efficacy, throwing mud backwards and generating forward momentum with it.
Rocky Terrains
Rocky terrains require tires to have a lot durability combined with effective multi-directional gripping.
And Wildpeak M/T meets your expectations for both.
Its softer compound is very sticking on the rocky surface, especially when you air it down.
Its pliable rubber and notched blocks chew form all directions, supplying excellent climbing abilities, while its full depth sipes split open the blocks where needed, adding to that bite.
Moreover, you get superb durability on this tire as well.
The 3 ply sidewalls combined with 2 extra layers of polyamide provide decent protection against sharper objects.
And the bold stone ejectors between the shoulders don’t allow any mud, dirt or stones to get lodged easily, while it’s cut and chip resistant rubber renders great traction on gravely roads (even at high speeds), as well.
Tire Sizes Available
Falken Wildpeak comes in 27 total sizes, in 15 to 20″ rims, having following specs.
- Speed ratings: Q on all.
- Load ratings: C to F.
- Tread depth: varies between 18 and 21/32″.
- Weight: varies from 16 to 87 lbs.
- They don’t offer any treadwear warranty, nor come with 3PMSFR, though have M+S.
All of these sizes can be found below.
| 15″ | 16″ | 17″ | 18″ | 20″ |
| 30×9.50R15LT | LT235/85R16 | LT235/80R17 | LT275/70R18 | LT305/55R20 |
| 31×10.50R15LT | LT245/75R16 | LT255/75R17 | LT285/65R18 | 33×12.50R20LT |
| 33×12.50R15LT | LT255/85R16 | LT265/70R17 | 35×12.50R18LT | 37×13.50R20LT |
| – | LT265/75R16 | LT285/70R17 | – | – |
| – | LT285/75R16 | LT295/70R17 | – | – |
| – | LT315/75R16 | LT315/70R17 | – | – |
| – | – | 33×12.50R17LT | – | – |
How to read them?
Let’s take 18″ one, the LT 275 / 70 / R18.
Here the LT means light truck.
All of them are also available in LT sizes. LT sizes although are stronger on the sidewalls, and provide you with durability for off road rugged terrains, they are not good when it comes comfort. So, LT sizes are not recommended for driving on streets.
275 is the tire’s width in mm.
70 is the aspect ratio (it means the tire is 70% thick, so 70% of 275 is 192.5mm).
R is for radial (its just inner construction)
And 18 is the Rim size in inches.
Learn reading tire sizes like a pro: https://tiredriver.com/how-to-read-tire-size/
Take Home Points
So what’s great about this tire?
- It provides exceptional off-road, dry, and wet traction.
- It is a very durable and reliable.
- It tackles noise well, with variable pitch technology.
What can be improved?
- It has high rolling resistance, so is not a fuel-efficient and with high rolling resistance they are going to wear faster.
- Not comfortable on highways.
- Tire has fewer sizes option.
