It's time to pull the trigger on new sneakers. I'm trying to decide between Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail vs Continental TerrainContact A/Ts. I can't find any official testing on the Wildpeaks, and the buyer reviews are good but they all have low mileage. I drive all over the Adirondacks for home health work. Driving conditions vary considerably throughout my day... flat highway, steep dirt track, windy mountain roads (which are fun in my 300zx)... torrential rain, ice, snow (depending on elevation). I need a well mannered versatile A/T that will take 20k/year. I really like the tread pattern on the Wildpeaks and its thick sidewalls (though they're kinda homely), and they are 3-peak mountain snowflake rated. The TerrainContacts are well known with high test marks compared to similar tires, but I've read several threads that report "chunks" separating from the tread due to thin sidewalls. The TerrainContacts are not 3 peak severe snow service-rated, but there's a $100 manufacturer rebate until Sep which is attractive.

Interested in people's opinions/experiences on Falken Wildpeak A/T Trails or Continental TerrainContact A/Ts, especially regarding On and Off road manners in weather, and treadlife.

 

Cant speak from experience but the AT3's get a good wrap in AUS and will most likely be my tyre of choice when its time to replace my current rubber.

 

Thanks LR, unfortunately Falken doesn't make AT3s for my 19" rims. They look great!

I'm also considering going skinny, perhaps 245/55R19. My rational is skinny tires are lighter and have less drag, so better gas mileage... and they'll find hard bottom in the mud and snow easier. We don't have any sand here in the Adirondacks so fat tires are less crucial, but we do have lots of mud over roots and bedrock on hills.

 

You do what you want, but there is zero need to go skinny. The LR3 is heavy and does spectacular in ice, snow, and slush. I have the 19” wheels and for the last 100K miles I’ve been running with the Cooper Zeon LTZ. Good tire wear and longevity and performs excellent in all conditions here in Colorado. I run with the stock size.

 

Thanks CP, I just took a closer look at the Zeons. They are comparable to the Wildpeak and the Continental (not what I expected). Now I have 3 to choose from! .

Regarding skinny, MPG improved from 20mpg to 25 mpg on my 300zx with skinnier tires. But I've learned 245's 0n the LR3 have a much lower load rating (by 500lbs), so I probably won't go that route.

 

Wider generally means taller sidewall as well which you want on 19's, not much sand close to me and our usual tracks are mud and rock.

 

I found a couple of decent tire calculators. The first one is quick n easy, with a good visualization. The second also lets you play with rim size, including offset.

https://tire-calc.com/

https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?whe...scl=2in&sr=0in

 

Follow up - I went with the Continental TerrainContact A/Ts, in part due to the sale price, but also the reviews and they seem suitably versatile for my driving conditions. They are as quiet as my previous Michelin LTXs and Latitudes, but much better on wet or muddy roads. The Michelins tended to hydroplane or pull to one side through puddles, the TerrainContacts don't do that. They have great highway manners and I'm also able to round mountain curves at higher speed. They handle long dirt track roads comfortably and confidently. MPG went up from 16+ to 17+. So far so good, we'll see when the snow comes.
Update - We had our first winter storm this past week. The roads were awful, wet salt over ice, drifts, mush, horizontal snow, and several accidents. The continentals responded quite well to my corrections and I'm very pleased.