Comparing the Falken Wildpeak RT and AT3w, it’s a tale of two tires each with their unique strengths and ideal terrains. The Wildpeak RT shines in rugged off-road conditions, while the AT3w excels in a broader range of environments, from wet roads to snowy paths. Let’s see which tire is better for you.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaway
Overall, the Falken Wildpeak RT excels in:
- Mud Handling: Thanks to its less crowded lug design.
- Rocky Terrains: With its stronger construction and thicker sidewall lugs.
- Sandy Dunes: Due to its softer composition and smoother edges, that prevent sinking.
Check out detailed review of Falken Wildpeak RT.
On the other hand, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w excels in:
- Dry Performance: Offering superior traction and steering precision.
- Wet Conditions: With its dual siping pattern and effective water clearance capabilities.
- Winter Performance: Thanks to its interlocking sipes and closed-up notches.
- Noise Comfort: Due to its better managed airflow noise.
- Fuel Efficiency: Where it offers reduced rolling resistance.
- Versatility in Off-Road Conditions: While it may lack some features like stone ejectors, it still provides solid performance across various terrains, comparing other A/T tires.
Check out detailed review of Falken Wildpeak AT3w.
Tread Structure
Out of both tires, the Falken Wildpeak RT offers a relatively more aggressive symmetrical pattern.
Looking at its tread, one can easily see how its central region is distinctly separated from the shoulder ribs, by wide circumferential grooves.
And with central independent blocks, interlocked with each other, both of these circumferential grooves on either sides, get to be interconnected with each other.
This design facilitates efficient removal of mud and dirt.
These lugs with their randomized shapes provide a lot of bite, with their numerous off-set edges.
And they offer decent siping too, though these (poorly drawn) X shaped sipes aren’t full depth.
Moving towards shoulders, you get proper staggered lugs here, with mud scoops, and thicker siping slits on them.
Moreover, these lugs also join up with comparatively more aggressive sidewall lugs.
On the other side, the Wildpeak AT3w features a more closed up tread pattern in comparison.
Its center is characterized by a mix of Z and C-shaped blocks, creating an intricate web of lateral and longitudinal tread voids.
These lugs feature stepped edges, reinforced bases, notches, and rectilinear sipes, enhancing their robustness.
Moreover, they are separated from shoulder blocks with zigzag interconnected circumferential grooves, just like the Wildpeak RT.
Speaking of which, the shoulder lugs are relatively wider, and carry more aggressive, wave-like siping structure.
Though other than that, they have very common features with the lugs in the middle.
Moving towards shoulders, these lugs are serrated, and make slanted U-shaped sidewall lugs, adding to the tire’s aggressive profile and functionality.
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Available Tire Sizes
The Falken Wildpeak RT comes in 16 to 22 inches rims, with following specs.
- Total sizes: 49.
- Speed rating: Only R is available.
- Load rating: SL, XL, and C to F.
- Weight range: 50 to 94 lbs.
- Tread depth range: 16 to 20/32″.
- Treadwear warranty: 50k miles on all sizes.
- Sizes only have M+S, and missing with 3PMSF ratings.
- Only available in black letter sidewall.
Side Note: Some sizes on R/T have DuraSpec sidewalls, explained further in its “internal construction section”.
On the flip side, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w comes in 15 to 22 inches wheels, with following specs.
- Total sizes: 88.
- Speed ratings: Q, R, S, T, and H.
- Load Range: SL, XL, and C to F.
- Tread depth: 12 to 19/32″.
- Weight Range: 35 to 79.4 lbs.
- UTQG: 660 A B.
- Warranty: 55k miles on all.
- All sizes have 3PMSF ratings only with M+S.
Wet Performance
Wet traction is a tricky beast, but it’s super important, of course, and the main heroes here are sipes and grooves. They’re what give a tire its grip and help it resist hydroplaning when things get wet.
Now to understand them, imagine a tire hitting a watery road.
Most of the water gets shunted out through the tread voids, kind of like a mini drainage system. But for the water that sticks around, that’s where sipes come in.
These little slits in the tread act like tiny water vacuums, sucking up the water and clearing the way for solid contact with the road.
Now, the Wildpeak RT is a bit lacking in the sipe department. Fewer sipes mean it doesn’t handle wet roads as well. It’s like having fewer water vacuums, so not all the water gets cleared out.
And since its sipes aren’t full depth, that means the tire further compromises its performance with wear.
On the other hand, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w is the king of wet traction, when it comes to all-terrain tires. In fact, that’s the main reason, you’d see this tire at the top of my list of best A/T tires. Check it here.
So what makes this tire so great?
Well, it’s got this dual siping pattern that’s all kinds of clever.
I mean, the middle of the tire’s tread, has straight-line sipes designed for directional grip, allowing tire to brake better.
While the shoulders have this wavy pattern for lateral grip.
Plus, these sipes are full depth, making the lugs flexible and super efficient at water clearance.
And here’s the kicker: even though its grooves aren’t as wide as the RT’s, the AT3w still nails hydroplaning resistance as well. This is because its rubber composition creates just the right pressure points to squeeze water out.
Overall Dry Performance
Analyzing the dry performance of all-terrain tires involves factors like directional traction, steering precision, and cornering efficiency. Let’s see how the tire performed in each of these aspects.
Directional Grip
When you’re talking about how well a tire grips on dry, straight roads (you know, that dry or directional grip thing), it’s all about how quickly it can stop and how fast it can get going.
The key? It’s how the tire’s weight is spread out, especially when more of it is in the middle. This really changes how much rubber actually hits the road.
Now, looking at Wildpeak AT3ws, these bad boys are pretty awesome because of their snug lug layout right at the center. They’ve got this neat setup with S and F shaped blocks, which means you get these multi-directional notches, full-depth (think straight-line) sipes, and some extra ridges to back it all up.
This combo gives you some top-notch traction when you’re cruising on highways.
But then, there’s the Wildpeak RT. These guys are built tough with sturdy lugs on this reinforced base. But, they’ve got these wider grooves, which kinda cuts down on how much rubber is actually touching the road when you’re speeding up or slamming the brakes.
So overall, the Falken RT comes out, with longer braking distances on averaged tests, compared to AT3w.
Lateral Traction
When it comes to lateral traction, think of it as how your tire handles the curves. It’s all about the contact patch of the shoulders. That’s the part of the tire that really grips the road when you’re making those turns. You want as much rubber on the road as possible to keep things steady.
Here’s the thing: the Wildpeak RT doesn’t quite nail it in this area. Its shoulder design doesn’t maintain a consistent contact patch when you’re taking those sharp turns. That means a bit less grip when you need it most.
But the Falken AT3w? It’s a different story. The design of these tires ensures that the shoulders have a good, solid contact patch with the road. This means better grip and stability when you’re curving around those bends.
So overall, the lateral grip, as measured by lateral g forces, comes out better on the AT3W.
Steering Sensitivity
Now, let’s talk about steering sensitivity. This is mainly about how the shoulder lugs on the tire hold up. You want them to be stable and responsive to make steering more direct.
Again, the Wildpeak RT falls a bit short here. Its shoulder lugs aren’t as supportive, which means they don’t respond as well to your steering. This leads to a less responsive drive, especially in those quick maneuvers.
Basically its lugs bend, which means they waste time in recovering form deformity, and that time is actually the delay between steering feedback.
Meanwhile, the AT3w shines, particularly with its shoulder lug design. They’re built for stability, making your steering sharper and more precise.
That’s why the tire also offer speed ratings up to H, which is pretty great for all-terrain tire category.
Learn all about speed ratings here: https://tiredriver.com/speed-rating-on-tires/ (It’s a quick read.)
Winter Performance
Both the Falken Wildpeak AT3w and RT have got some cool winter tire features, like a soft rubber compound, plenty of sipes (those little slits we talked about above), and deep notches. All these features are great for gripping snow.
But here’s where things get interesting. Only the Wildpeak AT3w has the 3 peak mountain snowflake rating. That’s a big deal because it means this tire is legally recognized for use in areas with seriously heavy snow. It’s like having a badge of honor for winter tires.
So what makes this tire good here? Well, it’s all about those full depth interlocking sipes and closed-up notches. They work together like a snow-eating machine, giving the tire extra biting power to chew through snow.
On the other side, although Wildpeak RT lacks on packed up snow, and ice, it still has its own strengths, especially when it comes to deeper terrains. Its wider grooves are great for handling more rugged, snowy landscapes.
And here’s the key: in lighter snow conditions, what you really want is snow-to-snow contact. That’s how you get the best grip. And the AT3w nails this with its design, while the RT is more of a deep terrain champ.
Noise Comfort
Ever wondered why some tires are noisier than others? It’s all about airflow, which comes in the tire, especially through the gaps between shoulder blocks. And when air hits the tread walls, it makes noise. So, the balder a tire is, the louder it gets.
Take the WildPeak RT, for instance. It’s a bit on the noisy side, because it’s got extra room for air to zip through, making more noise.
On the other side, the Wildpeak AT3w is not just more packed up, it also features better pitch sequencing. Which means, the air particles, that do manage to come in, hitting around, make varying tones, which try to cancel out each other.
Internal Construction
Off-road tires must possess exceptional toughness to handle rugged terrains confidently. This is precisely why both featured tires here, incorporate cut-resistant rubber and deep tread voids.
However, since the overall durability of a tire is largely influenced by its internal construction, especially the sidewalls, the Falken Wildpeak RT outshines in this aspect.
The tire features robust construction of 3-ply polyester, 2 steel belts, and an additional 2-ply nylon reinforcement. Moreover, some LT sizes take things further with what Falken calls DuraSpec Technology.
This technology fortifies the casing with a high turn-up structure, which involves extending the tire’s body plies up and around the sidewalls, significantly enhancing sidewall strength and durability.
The Falken Wildpeak AT3w on the other side, although comes with 2 ply sidewalls, (with 2 ply nylon and steel belts in between), it also features 2 extra polyamide plies on sidewalls, enhancing durability.
Therefore, although it may not match the robustness of the Wildpeak RT, the AT3w still offers appreciable durability, overall.
Off-Road Traction
Heading off-road? It’s a whole different ball game. You’ve got everything from sticky mud that needs special tires, to gravel and dirt roads that are a breeze to handle.
So, let’s break it down terrain by terrain.
On Muddy Trails
Now, effective mud handling requires tires with wide grooves and self-cleaning features. This design allows for quick mud evacuation, enhancing traction and stability.
In this regard, the Falken Wildpeak RT is a real champ here. Its tread isn’t too crowded, especially in the middle, which means it’s great at getting rid of mud. (These lugs form kind of like “X-shaped” grooves, taking mud/dirt out in all directions.)
Plus, it’s got deep treads that help chuck out that thick goo, and the edges of the tread are shaped to break up the mud, making it easier to get rid of.
In contrast, the Falken AT3w, although featuring decent interconnected tread voids, falls short in efficiently channeling mud out, as simply put, its voids aren’t as wide or effective for quick mud evacuation.
And, it’s missing something important: mud scoops on the sidewall lugs. Without these, Wildpeak AT3w doesn’t toss out as much dirt and mud, which can really help when you’re trying to plow through deeper mud or if you’re stuck.
On Rocks
On rocks, Falken Wildpeak RT has all the key ingredients to make it, pretty good, actually.
Its construction is super tough, so you don’t worry about sidewalls getting punctured. Plus, it’s got these thicker (sidewall) lugs for extra protection and better grip, especially when you’re running on lower tire pressure.
And of course, you get more biting edges in the middle, with the lugs forming a ton of off-sets, and bigger groove mouth to chew rocky surface.
On the other side, the Falken Wildpeak AT3w might not be the rock star that the RT is, but it’s still pretty solid. It’s got its own sidewall protection with dual polyamide layers.
And the U-shaped lugs are great for traction at lower pressures too. Plus its biters are also pretty good enough, for its all-terrain tire category, and they do a decent job gripping from all angles.
Though I really miss stone ejectors on this tire. Having those would’ve really upped its game on gravel and dirt roads.
On Sandy Dunes
Sand is a whole different story. You need a tire, that’s lighter and has smoother edges so you don’t end up digging your own grave (literally.)
So its not a surprise that Wildpeak lacks here as well. It’s not lighter by any means, and it has pretty sharp edged shoulders (where each lug is serrated on itself.) Needless to say, they dig more, especially in deeper sand.
But the Falken Wildpeak RT has got a softer composition, smoother edges, and a larger footprint. I mean its sidewalls, especially expand out more, with lowered air pressure, preventing the tire from digging, enhancing sand traction.
All these features help it focus on moving forward, rather than sinking into the sand.
Fuel Consumption
When it comes to fuel efficiency, the rolling resistance of a tire is crucial. This resistance is influenced by several factors, including the tire’s weight, tread depth, and the material of the tread.
Now comparing the two tires, although both are quite hefty and have significant tread depth, the Wildpeak AT3w edges out with slightly lower figures.
Moreover, it features reinforced foundations beneath all its tread lugs. This reinforcement makes the lugs less prone to bending, ensuring they stay in place and reduce unnecessary movement.
As a result, the Wildpeak AT3w has less tendency to stick or bend excessively to the road surface, minimizing energy wastage in the form of heat and thereby enhancing fuel economy.
In contrast, the Falken Wildpeak RT, with its softer tread, marginally higher weight, and deeper tread, along with unsupported lugs and larger gaps, tends to waste energy through flexing rather than moving efficiently.
Wrapping Up
So overall, each tire offers a unique set of advantages, making them both strong contenders in their respective categories.
For on-road performance, the Wildpeak AT3w’s snug lug layout and full-depth sipes provide superior traction and steering precision, outperforming the RT’s wider grooves and less supportive shoulder lugs.
Moreover, the tire also takes the lead, when it comes to winter traction, which one might be able to guess, as its the only one out the two, with 3PMSF rating.
Moreover, the Wildpeak AT3w also takes the lead in fuel, comfort, and tread longevity, thanks to its reinforced foundations and lesser tendency to bend.
Though off-road, Wildpeak RT makes up for all the on-road-lacking. It provides superb mud/dirt clearance, and delivers superb performance on sandy and rocky terrains as well.
