When the Falken brand was born in 1983, it catered to the performance market. The brand made a name for itself on vehicles like the Mazda RX7, Datsun 200 Series and Toyota MR2.
Falken now competes in nine segments, from niche to broad-line. That includes the light truck and SUV segment under the WildPeak name. Falken Tire recently completed the line by launching the WildPeak A/T3W and its first aftermarket M/T tire.
The A/T3W is not a next generation tire, according to Drew Howlett, light truck and SUV tire product manager for Falken Tire, a division of Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc.
“We have discontinued our previous A/T01 completely. The A/T3W is a completely new design.”
Comparing the two, the A/T3W has superior wear, wet traction and winter performance, he says. In addition, the new tire’s aesthetics are a lot more aggressive.
“Our tire is really a true all-terrain tire. It’s still made for off-road capability and on-road as well. Some people might call it an R/T (for rugged-terrain) because we went a little more aggressive on the sidewall, but we know that’s what the consumer wants.”
The WildPeak A/T3W is available in 54 LT and P-metric sizes. All of them are backed by a 55,000-mile limited tread wear warranty.
Falken Tire designed its M/T with help from extreme off-road enthusiasts “just to get their feedback because we really didn’t want to have another M/T tire,” says Howlett. “Some of the enthusiasts really wanted a hard core off-road tire.
“Getting their feedback helped us find that sweet spot between a dedicated, sticky, rock crawling tire and a tire for someone who’s going to use their M/T on a lifted, full-size truck that may be driving on the road quite often.”
The WildPeak M/T is available in 25 Q-rated LT sizes ranging from 30x9.50R15LT to LT305/55R20.
There are no immediate plans to add to the WildPeak H/T (OE on the 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk), A/T3W and M/T lineup, says Howlett. “We feel those three products are going to meet the needs of a majority of customers.” ■
