Falken Wildpeak AT3/W Vs Falken Rubitrek A/T: Both the tires are all terrain and are Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake (3PMSF) rated. These are all weather tire that can perform well on snow as well.
AT3W has wider grooves with scarcely placed tread blocks, this feature helps this tire to move on different terrains, off the road. While the higher contact patch of Rubitrek makes it perform well on road.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
Want to know how Rubitrek outperforms its opponent in terms of hydroplaning resistance and traction on rocky terrain, even with lower void ratio? We got to know some shocking facts while testing these giants, explore the article to know all the details.
Table of Contents
Falken Wildpeak AT3w Overview:
Wildpeak has higher void ratio compared to its competitor because of its open tread pattern.
The grooves surrounding all the tread blocks are wide relatively but their depth is lesser than its counterpart.
Overall, the tread pattern is aggressive with edgy shoulder blocks, there are two types of shoulder lugs present, some with an empty space in the middle while others don’t have any space.
Central tread blocks also come in different shapes, almost all the blocks have sharp edges and some are also hook shaped. Bigger central blocks are Z-shaped.
A lot of sipes are present all over the tread pattern.
Very few stone ejectors are placed in this tire.
Falken Rubitrek Overview:
Rubitrek has relatively closed tread pattern due to less wide grooves but having more tread depth.
All the shoulder lugs of this tire are of similar shape, having sharp edges.
Blocks in central part are placed in three rows, two side rows have small blocks while the central row have longer tread blocks.
The blocks in side rows are of rectangle and trapezium shape.
Sipes are placed all over the tread and it also consist several small stone emitters.
Falken Wildpeak AT3w
Falken Rubitrek vs Wildpeak Detailed Comparison:
| Wildpeak AT3/W | Rubitrek AT | |
| Tire type | All-terrain | All-terrain |
| Usage | Off and on-road, all-weather | Off and on-road, all-weather |
| Mountain snowflake ratings (3PMSF) | Yes | yes |
| Tested size | 235/75R15 | 235/75R15 |
| Tread depth | 13 | 14 |
| Overall width | 9.1’’ | 9.1’’ |
| Maximum inflation pressure | 50 psi | 50 psi |
| Maximum load capacity | 2271 Ibs | 2271 Ibs |
On Road Dry Traction
| Wildpeak | Rubitrek | |
| Dry on-road Grip | Moderate | High |
| Dry on-road handling | Moderate-high | High |
AT performs well on dry roads all due to its narrower grooves that allow a higher contact patch with the road. As more area of tire is touching the road so it has improved grip on dry surface.
Same is the case if we talk about handling as this tire has narrow grooves in shoulders as well, so it provides more contact area while cornering, resulting in improved handling.
AT3W has wider grooves which decrease its contact patch and so its grip is minimized on dry surfaces and its handling is also not as good as the other tire because of the same reason: as it has less contact area from the shoulder sides so while cornering the grip is moderate.
In terms of dry traction Rubitrek is the clear winner.
On Road Wet Traction
| Wildpeak | Rubitrek | |
| Wet on-road Grip | Moderate | High |
| Wet on-road handling | Moderate | High |
| Aquaplaning resistance | High | High |
Rubitrek again wins if we talk about wet traction, although both tires have similar number of sipes but as this tire has more contact patch so it performs well on wet surfaces as well.
The grip of the tire is enhanced and the handling experience is also good.
This tire is also good at resisting hydroplaning due to its more tread depth, although it has narrower grooves but increased tread depth fills the gap as the water channeling is improved by deep grooves.
AT3W isn’t able to beat its counterpart in terms of wet traction this is due to its slightly lower contact patch but as it also has good number of sipes so it also performs well on wet surfaces but is behind the other tire.
The aquaplaning resistance of this tire is similar to the other one due to wide grooves which allow the water to pass away, maintaining the contact with the ground.
Off-Road Traction Comparison
| Wildpeak | Rubitrek | |
| Mud traction | High | Moderate-High |
| Snow traction | High | Moderate-High |
| Ice traction | Moderate | High |
| Rock traction | Moderate-High | High |
Mud Terrain
As AT3W has higher void ratio so it performs well in muddy terrains. As the mud can easily pass through the wide grooves allowing the tire to maintain its forward motion and as it also has wide channels between the shoulder blocks so the tire can easily take turns in the muddy swamps without getting stuck.
Rubitrek AT also performs quite well in mud as it has deeper grooves than its rival but it isn’t able to defeat it because of less wide grooves which aren’t able to grab more mud particles and throw them backwards.
It performs quite well while cornering in mud due to open shoulder design but still if you take this tire in deep mud then be careful cause there are chances that it can get stuck.
Snow Terrain
As we have discussed above that the tire with higher void ratio performs well on mud, same is the case with soft snow. So the results aren’t much different from muddy terrain.
Again, AT3W wins all due to its wider grooves which channel out the soft snow more efficiently without loosing the grip. Handling performance is also good because of open shoulders.
This tire is not able to perform well on ice as it has less contact patch.
Rubitrek AT also performs well on snow due to its deep grooves but it isn’t able to beat its competitor as due to deep grooves snow particles get stuffed and the tire sometimes gets stuck in the snow.
But if we talk about ice then the situation is completely different.
This tire performs really well on ice due to its higher contact patch with frequent sipes plus deep lateral and longitudinal grooves that help a lot to wipe away the water and maintain the grip with the surface.
Rock Terrain
On rocky terrains, two features of a tire come into play, void ratio and stone ejectors.
AT3W has open tread with more void ratio but it has fewer stone ejectors than the other tire so they won’t be able to emit stones more aggressively.
And stones or pebbles can get stuck between the grooves and damage the tire’s tread.
Although this tire can perform well on rocks but it can’t defeat its counterpart.
Rubitrek AT has lower void ratio so it won’t have biting ability as its competitor but it still crawls better than many other tires of its league.
It has a plus point of numerous stone ejectors which are placed with almost all the central and shoulder blocks.
Though they are smaller in size but still are able to emit stones from getting stuck in the grooves, helping the tire to move forward in a smooth motion.
Comfort
In terms of on road comfort both the tires are almost equally good as both have same volume of spaces between their grooves for the air particles to move back and forth and collide with the walls of grooves creating sound.
Both will create less noise but AT3W will make slightly more noise due to its less contact patch.
Talking about of road comfort AT3W is better as it has wide grooves which give the feel of a lesser inflated tire, working as a second suspension for the vehicle and making your journey smoother.
While Rubitrek due to its higher contact area feels more like a stiff tire.
But still there isn’t much different between both tires off road comfort.
Durability And Treadwear
Both the tires are made using silica tread compound.
Both are durable and made to perform in rugged terrains.
Rubitrek has more rolling resistance due to higher contact patch and more treadwear as well.
It has more tread depth than its opponent so its mileage is increased as it takes more miles to level with the grooves.
AT3W has less rolling resistance and less treadwear but its tread wears out relatively quicker due to less tread depth than its rival.
But AT3W is made with tougher material and improved technology that’s why the company provides 55,000 miles tread life warranty on this tire.
| Wildpeak | Rubitrek | |
| Durability | High | Moderate To High |
| Treadwear mileage warranty | 55,000 Miles | No Warranty |
Quick Summary
Both are All-terrain tires.
AT3W…
- Has good hydroplaning resistance.
- Performs well on mud and soft snow.
- Provides better off road comfort.
- Comes with 55,000 miles warranty.
Rubitrek AT…
- Performs better on wet and dry surfaces.
- Performs well on ice.
- Performs well on rocky terrains.
- provides better on road comfort.
