Falken or Kumho???

[bumpo83]

Trying to decide between tires for my Outback. I drive between 50-60 miles a day on the highway and the usual around town business evening and weekends. Want something that will preform good on the highway but still take me where I need to go on weekend adventures around the Midwest. I’ve had my eye on both the Kumho at51 and Falken Wildpeak at3. Any recommendations of one vs the other? Thanks!!

 

[Luis Merlo]

No experience with either tyre....but an All Terrain would be ideal for your mix...let price decide i guess ?

 

[[DO]Ron]

Have 0 expierence with them myself, Googled a bit and avoiding forums (everybody just votes for what they drive..) I found this page, maybe that helps you out?
https://tirereviewsandmore.com/top-10-all-terrain-tires/

If I have to believe that site I would go Falken just cus they seem better on road, where you will be most of the time.

 

[Anak]

I put the Falken Wildpeaks on my XJ a couple of years ago. Love them. Enough so that I just bought another set for the Suburban.

I can't compare the Kumhos however. Not much help on that front.

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

I'm a big fan of the Wildpeaks but considering how many miles you burn a year on the highway I'd recommend considering the Yoko G015's. Despite their unassuming appearance it's a very capable AT tire and the much lighter weight as well as the modest tread pattern is helpful in the MPG department. I threw everything at mine off road and never had a reason to complain. I'd also say its a better tire than the Falkens when it comes to icy road conditions.

 

[Wolf427]

I have the Kumho AT51's on my JK!
I've run them on pretty much everything; asphalt, concrete, gravel, dirt, grass, rocks, mud, snow, and ice. I would highly recommend them.

They have a pretty soft compound so they do very well on most terrains in my opinion. The only things they perform poorly on are mud, and obviously ice.

The only experience I have with falken is their passenger tires which all performed alright, so I couldn't compare the two.

Do you have any particular questions about the AT51's?

 

[JCWages]

The Kumho rated pretty low with Consumer Reports for their on road testing. The Geolandar AT015 and Wildpeak AT3W rated MUCH higher. The Continental TerrainContact is another you should consider as it is designed for exactly what you are asking for and was the top pick for CR and did really well in TireRack testing. I've ran all 3 and if you deal with snow I'd go Geolandar or Wildpeak. The Wildpeak is quite a bit more agressive than the other two. It's closer to a KO2 and IMO a direct competitor. For style points and off-road prowess as well as toughness the Wildpeak is great. As a mostly highway tire with very little off-road I'd choose one of the other two. They ride softer and smoother and fuel efficiency should be higher.

The Wildpeak is currently my favorite tire. It does well just about everywhere and fantastic in rain and snow.

The Geolandars got me through the entire Signal Peak Trail

I like the Geolandars so much I put them on our CRV AWD

 

[bumpo83]

I have the Kumho AT51's on my JK!
I've run them on pretty much everything; asphalt, concrete, gravel, dirt, grass, rocks, mud, snow, and ice. I would highly recommend them.

They have a pretty soft compound so they do very well on most terrains in my opinion. The only things they perform poorly on are mud, and obviously ice.

The only experience I have with falken is their passenger tires which all performed alright, so I couldn't compare the two.

Do you have any particular questions about the AT51's?

No particular questions, just trying to weigh my options and get good honest reviews from people! What better place to ask than right here!! Thanks for your input!!

 

[bumpo83]

The Kumho rated pretty low with Consumer Reports for their on road testing. The Geolandar AT015 and Wildpeak AT3W rated MUCH higher. The Continental TerrainContact is another you should consider as it is designed for exactly what you are asking for and was the top pick for CR and did really well in TireRack testing. I've ran all 3 and if you deal with snow I'd go Geolandar or Wildpeak. The Wildpeak is quite a bit more agressive than the other two. It's closer to a KO2 and IMO a direct competitor. For style points and off-road prowess as well as toughness the Wildpeak is great. As a mostly highway tire with very little off-road I'd choose one of the other two. They ride softer and smoother and fuel efficiency should be higher.

The Wildpeak is currently my favorite tire. It does well just about everywhere and fantastic in rain and snow.

The Geolandars got me through the entire Signal Peak Trail

I like the Geolandars so much I put them on our CRV AWD

Awesome review of the tires, thank you! The Yoko's seem to make the most sense for my application but man do I like the looks of the Falkens haha!! I am just starting to build my Overlanding rig and am for sure planning to get off the pavement more this year! I always had trucks and Jeeps growing up but bought an Accord awhile back to help save on fuel economy (was driving 100+ mile a day). Last fall I bought my Outback so I haven't had it for long and am now starting to see just what I can do since joining the Overland world! Again, thanks a ton for all of the info, much appreciated! Greta pics by the way!

 

[JCWages]

Awesome review of the tires, thank you! The Yoko's seem to make the most sense for my application but man do I like the looks of the Falkens haha!! I am just starting to build my Overlanding rig and am for sure planning to get off the pavement more this year! I always had trucks and Jeeps growing up but bought an Accord awhile back to help save on fuel economy (was driving 100+ mile a day). Last fall I bought my Outback so I haven't had it for long and am now starting to see just what I can do since joining the Overland world! Again, thanks a ton for all of the info, much appreciated! Greta pics by the way!

The Wildpeaks are pretty sexy but as far as mild terrains go the Geolandar and Kumho both have enough sidewall "armor" to also look good. That is my biggest issue with the Cooper AT3 4S. Although that is a pretty good tire as well.

Here's a solid review of the Geolandar but note he is using the LT version which has more agressive tread but is not as good in wet/light snow because of the different compound.
https://expeditionportal.com/review-yokohama-geolandar-at-g015/

I'm not trying to put down the Kumhos. I've never ran them but they were on my short list when I was looking at something milder than my old Duratracs.

 

[tritonl]

Had the Wildpeaks since November, great tire, the warranty is good as well 55k or 60k.

 

[TerryD]

The tire market is competitive enough right now, that none of those are bad choices. I've had friends run the Yokohama Geolander, Falken AT3W, BFG KO2, and I've personally run the Discoverer AT3 and Grabber AT2. I would happily run ANY of these tires.

The General AT2 was a touch louder than my current Cooper AT3. I chose the AT3 over the Falken because I didn't know anyone who had run them at the time. I'm considering a set of them now for my K2500.

I'll agree that the Geolander looks unassuming but performs very well. I would say that the BFG and General probably perform better in the mud than the others, but only if you can spin them hard enough to clean them out which can be dangerous in a heavily loaded street vehicle. So probably a moot point.

 

[7mmremmag]

On a completely different rig, but I had the Falkens on an F150 and they were awesome until they started to age a little, then they were terrible. They seemed to go from great to terrible in a relatively short period of time as well. Even wet grass on flat ground in 2 wheel drive was like ice.

 

[JCWages]

On a completely different rig, but I had the Falkens on an F150 and they were awesome until they started to age a little, then they were terrible. They seemed to go from great to terrible in a relatively short period of time as well. Even wet grass on flat ground in 2 wheel drive was like ice.

Were these the A/T3W or the older AT model?

 

[7mmremmag]

Were these the A/T3W or the older AT model?

I didn't realize they updated, just researched it. My issue was with the older model.

 

[JCWages]

I trust the Wildpeaks.

 

[Baipin]

I have the Falken Wildpeak AT3W's on my Forester, and I love 'em!

Currently running 225/65r/17. I've found them great as an off-road/snow tire (they are Severe Snow Service Rated, as I'm sure you know) but they do great in shallow mud and of course dirt as well. Ride isn't too loud, the larger sidewall is great. They're relatively inexpensive too, and they feel great on these 17" steelies. Noise isn't much worse than OEM Duellers and MPG hasn't taken much of a hit (1.5 to 2 MPG I'd say). I daily drive this thing to college every day, and it's totally fine for that, but they really shine on the trails!