Ali Mansour
Brand Manager, 4WD & Sport Utility
Photographers:
Kevin McNultyThe Manufacturer
We enjoy testing new tires. And more often than not we find ourselves putting the most aggressive and knobby mud-terrain varieties at the top of our test list. For our most recent tire review we put aside our mud-terrain bias and grabbed a hold of Falken’s WildPeak All Terrain. Falken is among the few tire companies that are virtually reinventing the traditional all-terrain. This means fitting A/Ts with larger, deeper, and more aggressive tread patterns to improve not only the tire’s looks but also its off-road prowess.
Without question, rising fuel costs, shrinking budgets, and the old “do less with more” attitude is saturating our economy. Traditionally, we’ve always been mud-terrain guys at heart, but we’ve found the new generation of all-terrains to have an excellent place in the off-road world. Especially when you factor in the smooth ride, silent hum, increased performance, and, in Falken’s case, 50,000-mile limited tread life warranty.
The WildPeaks are equipped with a modest tread stagger that keeps them extremely quiet on the road. Coupled with plenty of siping and a deep tread, the transition from street to dirt is an easy one. Though we wouldn’t mind seeing a little more sidewall meat, the WildPeak’s wide footprint does a great job gripping the dirt.
We’ll be the first to admit that upon first glance the 37x12.50R17 WildPeak isn’t the most aggressive-looking tire (minus 2 cool points). As it turns out, what the Falkens lack in hardcore looks they more than make up for in performance (plus 4 cool points). From the steep and rocky Colorado mountains to the mammoth sand dunes at Idaho Falls, we’ve put the WildPeaks to the test over a huge mix of terra firma. While wet clay and thick mud aren’t the WildPeak’s strong suit (nor any other all-terrain’s, for that matter), we found it to be an extremely versatile trail tire, which fits the A/T title perfectly.
Holding our 37s in place at air pressures as low as 5 psi is a set of 17-inch Slab beadlocks from ATX Wheels. The lightweight aluminum beadlocks have taken a beating under our Jeep but continue to hold strong and not leak. The tire and wheel package also didn’t take much weight to balance.
Overall, if your wheeler servers as your daily driver and isn’t nicknamed Muddy Mistress, then the Falken WildPeak A/T is worth a look.
In the rocks is where the WildPeak is most at home. We found 8 psi to be the best overall trail pressure for our JK, as it allowed the sidewalls to flex just enough to grip and remain stable. The Falken’s Load Range D sidewall is also extremely durable. While we have dug a few small chunks out of the side, we haven’t experience any tire failures to date.
Specifications
Make, Model & Type Falken WildPeak A/T Radial
Size Tested 37x12.5R17
Load Range D
Maximum Load (lb) 3,525 @ 50 psi
Sidewall Construction 3-ply polyester
Tread Construction 8-ply casing (SYM)
Approved Rim Width (in) 8.5-11.0
Tread Depth (in) 18⁄32
Tread Width (in) 9.3
Section Width (in) 13.0
Overall Diameter (in) 36.6
Weight (lb) 81
Sizes Available (in) 28-37
