Both the Toyo Open Country AT3 and the Falken Wildpeak AT3w are all terrain tires known for their robust knobby design, offering exceptional versatility.
These top-tier tires are redefining the all-terrain category with their smooth and quiet performance on paved roads, stability on highways, biting edges for rugged terrains, and their certified winter performance, thanks to their 3PMSF rating.
With the Wildpeak, Falken concentrated on optimizing performance in Winter, Wear, and Wet conditions, hence the name “3W”.
The tire excels in winter and wet conditions, however, its tread wear could be improved.
On the other hand, the Toyo Open Country AT3 boasts better tread wear due to its lighter weight, but it could do better in the durability department.
Let’s delve deeper into these tires and see how they stack up against each other.
Table of Contents
Design And Sizes
Let’s talk about Falken Wildpeak AT3w first.
This tire offers 76 sizes, going from 15″ to 22″ (rim diameter), and all of them provide you with 55k miles warranty, and very deep tread voids.
Falken Wildpeak AT3w
Toyo AT3
In fact, Wildpeak AT3w offers deepest tread in the category going up to 19/32″ (this helps it with water/dirt removal and allows it to have a longer tread life).
On the other hand, the Toyo Open Country AT3 offers more total number of sizes, 148 in total, ranging from 15 to 22 inches.
And despite having less tread depth, it also offers better warranty of 65k miles, as it produces less rolling resistance. This is because the tire is lighter in weight, with less number of inner plies in it’s internal construction (though it compromise on durability a little bit).
The heavier construction of Falken Wildpeak AT3w has to do with it’s extra cap plies and sidewall layers, (discussed more in the durability section below).
Other than this, both tires provide very similar speed and load ratings, you can summarize them all in the tabular form below.
| Toyo AT3 | Falken Wildpeak | |
| Size Range: | 15-22″ | 15-22″ |
| Avg. Weight: | 48.1 lbs | 55.4 lbs |
| Avg. Tread Depth: | 15/32″ | 16.4/32″ |
| Total Sizes: | 146 | 75 |
| Speed Ratings: | Q,R,S,T,H | Q,R,S,T,H |
| Load Ratings: | SL, XL, C, D, E, F | SL, XL, C, D, E, F |
Durability
The Toyo Open Country AT3 lacks a lot in the durability, as it’s internal construction is weak. It consists of 2 ply polyester casing, which is surrounded by 2 broad steel belts (which is usually what you see in all A/T tires).
But this tire only has a single cap ply of nylon on top. So this means that the tire has 2 ply sidewalls and weaker overall structure (but then again this helps the tire with weight and makes it able to have a great steering response). You can say it’s more on road oriented but less durable.
The Falken Wildpeak AT3w on the other side although also has 2 ply polyester carcass and 2 steel belts running on top, they are covered with 2 cap plies of polyamide.
Moreover, the tire’s sidewalls also have 2 more layers of polyamide (which run around the bead), so these layers protect the most vulnerable part of the tire, the sidewalls.
So you can say in a way the Wildpeak offers 4 ply sidewalls construction while it’s competitor, just 2.
Tread Appearance
With the newer tire, the Toyo Open Country AT3 uses a better synthetic blend compound (a bit stiffer) and a new 2 way circumferential groove design (from its predecessor Toyo AT2 which had 4).
It offers a very prominent S shaped blocks in the middle which have reinforced foundations underneath, so whilst biting the ground, the ribs stay firm.
The surrounding F shaped blocks also provide great biting, where the notches on them face in all directions, allowing this tire to grip from all sides.
Toyo designed it’s all-terrain rugged tire, without compromising on road traction at all, so all it’s blocks we considered above are more closely packed in comparison.
The Falken Wildpeak AT3w offers a somewhat similar tread blocks placement, where in the middle Z shaped ribs are seen with stepped edges (ramps on their sides).
These blocks get surrounding with C shaped ribs, with chamfered edges and notches facing in all directions (just like Toyo’s tread).
All blocks have supporting ridges which help with stability, both on and off road.
It’s shoulder blocks have similar features, like you can see ramps/stairs on one blocks and similar notches on the other, and towards sidewalls, the tire offers a very aggressive design of saw toothed edges.
These offer more bite in comparison, and are attached with bulkier lugs which aid when tire is pressured down.
The Toyo Open Country AT3 on the other side, offer a minimal design with less interlocking siping in comparison and missing notches.
The tire also does not make thick sidewall lugs and the gaps in between are filled up with ridges, which although provides better on road stability aren’t able to perform so great off road.
Still with staggered shoulders, the tire gets the job done.
Side Note: Toyo AT3 tires are now getting dual sidewall designs like in the Nitto Ridge Grappler.
Winter Performance
When it comes to snow, both tires performed great with their 3 Peak ratings.
Both tires provide ample siping along with lateral grooves and biting edges. (A recipe for amazing snow traction)
But overall, we found the Toyo AT3 to perform better on icy highways. And Falken Wildpeak with deep snow.
In case of Toyo AT3, the lesser contact patch allows it to have shorter braking distances on snow covered road. (as the tire gets to have more grip)
The tire is also better in overall siping, where you see the same wave like pattern every where. These 3D sipes allows the tire to hug the snow better.
(On Wildpeak’s central part the sipes are straight lines).
With Falken Wildpeak we saw a bit of more slippage here.
But in case of deep snow due to Wildpeak’s more tread depth and aggressive shoulder lugs, it is better with deep snow.
Highway performance
When it comes to highway performance, the most significant areas to look for include dry and wet traction, which are further sub categorized in to dry/wet grip and dry/wet handling.
Let’s check out all of these.
Dry traction
Both of these tires are very good here. That’s because they are both provided with new generation tread compound which grips more and this combined with their numerous biting edges and computer optimized tread the tread remains stable while heavy cornering and braking.
But still out of both the Toyo Open Country AT3 has an upper hand, as the tire offers a larger footprint where it’s stiffer tread blocks are closely packed and have reinforced foundations underneath.
See how it’s ribs (shoulder blocks especially) are packed together and have narrower grooves in between.
This allows this tire to have more rubber to road contact, which translates in to grip.
On corners, the shoulders come in to action (as they meet the road with more pressure), and Toyo AT3 with minimal tread features there provide larger exposure with the surface, and this results in faster handling times.
Moreover, with less number of cap plies in it’s internal construction, the tire is also less weighing, that’s why it’s better in giving response to the steering inputs.
The Falken Wildpeak AT3w although also has supporting ridges, the wider block valleys don’t allows its rubber to meet the surface its on, as much, so the dry grip and handling is compromised a little bit.
Wet traction
Falken Wildpeak AT3w is a very well engineering tire. The little grip it limits on dry is actually to improve it’s wet performance. And it has one of the best wet handling times and braking distances in the all terrain category.
The tire’s shoulders which are equipped with interlocking sipes, cover most of the tread’s area and all these sipes are very effective in wiping water away.
Basically when sipes meet the water particles, they create vacuum and are able to suck water in (which is later then sprayed out as the tire rolls over).
Read more on tire’s design: https://comparethetire.com/tread-design/
The more the sipes the better, and with interlocking design, they keep the rubber flexible. And Wildpeak AT3w’s rubber is already very soft.
Hydroplaning:
Hydroplaning resistance is the tire’s ability to evacuate water out. And here it’s no surprise to see that the Falken AT3 offers better efficacy, as this tire has deeper and wider block valleys from where water get channels out.
The Toyo AT3 is although good enough does not offer as much area of tread voids from where water can leave.
Comfort and Noise
Overall ride comfort is actually 2 parts, one is noise and the other is tire’s ability to soak up the bumps. Let’s discuss noise first, which is just air hitting the tread.
Most of the noise enters from the gaps in between smoulders, so where Falken Wildpeak offers wider gaps, more air is able to get in and hit the walls.
The Toyo AT3 on the other side, has closed up shoulders and they have ridges in between.
See the image above, how the gaps are closed up.
This way the air is restricted and very less amount of air is able to get in and out of the tire, so road noise is dampened.
If we talk comfort, it’s the opposite. Here Falken Wildpeak is better.
The tire has a softer compound and a larger tread depth.
So with softer make-up bumps gets absorbed with better efficacy, and with deeper tread voids, there is much more area for the bumps to get diminished off.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency of the tire depends on the it’s structure/design and weight.
So as the Falken Wildpeak AT3w offers deeper tread (which means larger layer of rubber on top), and 3 extra layers of polyamide, it weighs a lot, much more in comparison.
So with more weight more pressure is put on the surface, which translates in to higher rolling resistance and hence more fuel is burned to move this tire.
On the other side, with better on road oriented tire having smaller weight the Toyo AT3 is superior in terms of fuel economy.
Off-Road Performance
When it comes to off road, there are many different types of terrains, and each terrain demand different features form off road tires.
The good thing is, where both these Toyo and Falken tires are great on highways, they don’t compromise too much on rugged terrain (which is usually the case).
Let’s discuss all these terrains and tires’ performance on them.
Traction on Mud
Toyo with it’s two prominent circumferential grooves form a zigzag pattern on the tire with which it’s able to cut through the soft mud efficiently.
They along with the lateral grooves form a web for the mud to channel it out of the tire.
The staggered shoulder act as traction scoops here, picking up mud in front and throwing them backwards.
Similarly the central stepped blocks allow the tire slit through the mud with ease and maintain the friction needed.
Coming to Falken Wildpeak. The tire performs better here overall.
On this tire, you get more tread depth (almost 1.6 mm more on average). So it is able to scoop more volume of mud out of the tire at a given time.
The tread blocks are also little bit smaller here and they also have more prominent and aggressive edges to them.
That’s why this tire is superior in its ability of biting the mud.
The shoulders here are not staggered but that’s not an issue for them as their stepped blocks are more edgy in comparison. They slice and scoop up the mud pretty nicely.
The sidewalls are also more prominent here, and because of this the tire holds pretty well when its aired down deep in mud.
In other words this tire would suit you better if you are stuck in a tough muddy situation.
FYI:Off-road enthusiasts should also check out the extreme versions of Toyo and Falken as well: Toyo Open Country MT vs Falken Wildpeak MT.
Performance on Rocks
On Rocks the Falken Wildpeak again takes the cake with its softer material and better biting capability.
The notches/stepped edges of the shoulders combined with that of central blocks allow this tire to have a better traction overall.
The deeper tread also allow the blocks to move more independently. And this combined with it’s softer material produces a sticky effect with the rocks.
On the other hand, due to Toyo AT3 has a less aggressive shoulder design where the staggered blocks are still not edgy enough.
The tire is missing notches on the shoulders.
The central part of AT3 also contains single step on block unlike the Wildpeak.
The tire side wall is also 2 ply where its 4 ply for Wildpeak so you get lesser protection from sharp rocks too.
Side Note: We got a few no. of complaints regarding the P metric sizes of Toyo AT3 where their sidewalls were damaged.
Which provides better value overall?
Although the tire is 7 lbs lighter (on average), when it comes to the price, the Toyo AT3 is priced higher.
Which makes the deal for Falken Wildpeak even Sweeter.
(We calculated the Average weight of all their sizes and here the Wildpeak has 55 lbs compared to Toyo’s 48.5).
As with lesser price you are still getting better off road traction, rocky traction, more durability and almost similar performance on snow.
But paying a little more does gets you more on road comfort overall.
So what’s the Verdict?
Well if you are planing on staying on road most of your time. Or in other words, you are a casual off roader. Then out of these two, you may like to consider Toyo AT3.
Other wise, with better off road capabilities as well as wet on road traction, Wildpeak is a great catch.
Compare Falken Wildpeak AT3w with other competitors:
- BF Goodrich KO2.
- Nitto Ridge Grappler.
- Hankook Dynapro.
- Cooper Adventurer A/T.
- General Grabber ATx.
- Continental TerrainContact A/T.
- Goodyear DuraTrac.
- Cooper AT3 XLT.
Compare Toyo AT3 with others:
