Yeah LoL the follow up would be " before I knew it ever peace of sheet metal was bashed in. I thought it was fun at the time. Until your home alone and friends are gone you can't open your driver door"
Glad to see someone clearly explain and understand the tall, skinny tires. I am a bog proponent of them. People put big fat 12.50 wide 33 or 35 inch tires on their little Jeep TJ's and wonder why the performance went to shit. They laughed when I put 30x9.50s on my XJ with a 3 inch lift until I beat them on every trail no matter the terrain. Just threw a set of 255/80R17 on my Ram 2500 and they are definitely nicer than the stock 265/70R17 that were worn out. The tall skinny tires cut through mud and snow MUCH better and they hold the roads better. Dont hydroplane as easy either. Great video man, good looking rig too. Subbed.
That is about the cleanest explanation of tires for overlanding that I have heard. Everyone else seems to think you need a quasi rock crawler to overland, when the reality is, my wife and I want something to get us into and out of the back country with out a lot of drama. Well done video, Thank you.
Thanks, it’s easy to get pulled into the big tire bug. The 78 series I’m building as my new overland rig now has a new set of these 235/8516 falken a on it because they work great and help make the overall vehicle economical. I put a set of 255/85 r 16 on it which you will see in one of my current videos but we’re removed for 235s after about a week. Stay tuned and watch our new build come together that is fully focused around overland travel not solely off-road
You took me down memory lane with this comment. I remember in early 2000 we had a blizzard of the ages, and my job tasked me with picking up co workers and taking them home. We had base Jeep Cherokees 4wd with pizza cutters. It went through 2 feet drifts like nothing. This guy makes so much sense.
Thank you and have a good day your channel is great I'll have to watch more of your channel I would also like to see you driving with those tires that you had mentioned in that video many a variety of terrain with it. Great video have a good week
Great review and great explanation. It's refreshing to hear functionality pushed ahead of vanity. In reality functionality will always become the next "cool" thing. If you're the vehicle that makes everything look easy on the trails you run, true off roaders will look to emulate your success. I was looking at the wildpeaks, now I'm going to subscribe.
Been a KO2 guy myself even on my Axial SCX10 Rc rock crawler. Just ordered the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W's and having them mounted tomorrow.. Can't wait to run them out here in Tahoe area on some of that granite rock and snow. Thank for sharing and keep up the videos coming!
I love the sound of wisdom when i hear it...it has a distinct sound compared to that wordly vain glory sound..in my 20's you couldnt tell me anything..if i wanted oversized tires on my mid size trucks i just did it even though it didnt make me happy..now im in my 40's and this man is saying the same things my friends told me years ago..when you know who you are ..you are perfectly at peace running skinnier tires..like he said you may not look the coolest..but take it from an old man its better to have peace in your heart knowing who you are..then to be an insecure man running 35's..👍
Awesome review.So ironic I came across this video this evening. I bought my first 4x4 pickup 2016 f150. I need new tires and was gonna get a 2.5 leveling kit and put 285/75 18 Falken at3w Widowpeak . Went on Amazon had in cart and saw stock size 275/65 18 for $54 less per tire. I wanted to save money and also didn't want to lose a lot of mpg. Only off road wil be in snow and mud in winter because I hunt 2,3x per week. I decided to ask a Farmer I work with and he is the first one to say, heck with big wide tires. The more narrow the better. We have went through mud on the farm in a 2wd truck better than farm hands with big ole jacked up 4x4's and huge knobbys. We put AT tires usually stock on all our trucks. I had never heard this before. But trusted his advice and bought the stocksize Falkens. This video solidified I had made the right choice!
Hello buddy, listening to your video, honestly, I love your video. I got more valuable useable information, straight to the point compared to 99.99% of all other youtube video. Great job Believe it or not you describe and explained it perfectly the problem that we have in Canada during our Winter driving in the snow. I can so relate, when you talked about a narrow tire driving and getting bog down with wider tires. Here in Canada the Falkens Wildpeak 265/70/R17 Is what I run through the winter on my 2019 GMC Sierra 5.3 liter Elavation edition Great tire all year round. However, I only run the set of 4 during our harsh winter with a ton of snow and ice. Thanks man you explained it perfectly, John from Canada
My driveway is basically a testing ground for all terrain tires. 2.5 miles of jagged rock, mud, ruts, and up to 15 percent grades. My suburban’s all wheel drive is a superstar, enabling my all seasons to do enough of the task year round to warrant keeping them on until they finally tapped out. Now, after much research, and capped off by your awesome review, I’m going with the Wildpeaks.
Now this is a real review, best video I’ve watched. Not two mention from someone that knows wth he is talking about. History and experience. And i use to be a BFGoodrich guy, so cant wait to put these on our Jeeps.
Megen Lien you will love the falken I run the same size on my Tacoma. I am testing the yokahoma geolander on the land cruiser right now but still am a falken guy. We will see what happens
Back eons ago I had a 1994 Isuzu trooper, 3.2L V6, 5-speed manual trans, rear limit slip, running BFG 33x9.50x16's on it. Went to our local OHV area, and no joke I just put it in 4LO and stayed in 3rd & 4th gear most of the trail riding. Going up very steep loose gravel & dirt hillsides in 2nd gear I would just "tractor" right on up. No spinning. No drama. Just rode right up to the top like it was nothing. The other 5 vehicles in our group ALL had 33X12.50X15 or larger tires. ALL of them had issues going up the hills! (spinning out even with the 1 1st gen Pathfinder having front & rear lockers, he spun out 3 times before making it up the hill! lol I am a very long time die hard "pizza cutter" guy.
They’re the best all terrain for the money 💴 hands down. Snow ❄️ driving, especially on hard pack is second to none. Track true on the highway 🛣 with minimal noise. TreAd wear is excellent too. Great review my friend!
Stumbled on this review AFTER I swapped out a worn-out set of BFG AT LT 245/75r16s for the same size Falken widepeak AT3ws. I was shocked at how quiet and smooth my ride is now. The BFGs rode like they were made of a solid chunk of rubber. The Falkens are fantastic. Snow is effortless. Off road and at the boat slip remains to be seen, but I think I've picked out a winner for sure.
Thanks for the video. I have a 80 series on 37x14.5r15. Looking to go to a 35 falcon since we dont wheel hard anymore and want something quiet. Nice rig btw 👍🏻
You're a smart guy. I can't figure out why more trucks use tires like these "pizza cutters" over their trendy-looking wide systems. You've got more grip, lighter weight, better range and better look. My 4Runner had the very same size and I loved them (before I sold the vehicle).
I’m running 235/85/16 on my 2015 TRD Tacoma and with never go back to wide tires. Way better performance with the pizza cutters and better mpg and well as better stopping and tracking because of the lessor rolling resistance.
@@ozarkoverlandoutfitters9218 In sandy environments too, skinny still wins? (I have an FJ, thinking about going 255 85 R16) Awesomely informative video btw. I can tell you are very genuine, thank you for sharing your experience and opinion with so many different brands, sizes and applications.
Absolutely right. Friction (which is a form of traction)=Mass/Contact Patch. As long as it's not so narrow that you're sinking into whatever surface you're on and you've also got enough knobby bits grabbing onto the surface, a modest increase over stock is much better than going super wide and/or super tall.
Very informative video. On my new 2023 Tacoma Trd off road truck I might upgrade to Skinner 255/85R16 or the 265/75r16 tires. But the taller 235/85R16 tires sound interesting. I will mostly just be off roaring on forestry trails or trails like hurricane creek located off interstate 40 along the nc/TN border below hot springs. That trail crosses shallow streams in some places.
Been watching and researching videos on narrower tires for my fj cruiser before. I currently run 285 70 17. I was looking at 255 80 17 but your video has me thinking. Thanks great video.
@@ozarkoverlandoutfitters9218 Have a friend that has the 285 Falken tire on his fj cruiser and loved them. He has been on expedition with his fj throught africa but not on the falken.
This is an old video but it's one of the best pieces of advice to share. I'm running 235/80/17''s on my F250. Excellent traction in snow, truck handles perfectly on the highway. Far better performance than the 35/12.5/17's I ran previously
Great review. I’m setting up my 2016 f 150 xlt crew for daily drive and off road camping/ trailering plus winter driving here in Canada. And just installed that same tire last week at 275 /16 r18 116. I thought I was alone in subscribing “ to keeping it as stock as possible “ but I am wrong. Years driving and working In forestry taught me the importance of having easy access to spares, parts and sympathetic mechanics able to fix my vehicles. Thank you.
Exactly what I am doing: downgrading from 35” 315/70/17 Falken MT to 32” 235/80/17 (Yokohama x-AT). I am done with big tyres. This downgrade saves 150lb/75kg with 5 tyres of unsprung weight. The strain on your suspension is not to be underestimated. Availability of tyres in the countries I travel to, is another reason.
I run an '85 Bronco XLT, and I've always preferred the 31x10.5/15LT's, but that is also the stock tyre size on those big Bronco's.... I know, everyone wants to sell me the 235's, but they don't have the sidewall strength of the 31x10.5's.. I do remember on my 71 F250 camper special, the previous owner put 265/16.5 tyres on it, and they could barely handle the trucks weight, let alone any load... So the first thing I did was grab an old set of Ford 16in split rims from behind the shop, cleaned and painted them to match the truck, and mounted a pair of 7.50x16 12ply tractions for the rear, and a pair of 7.50x16 hwy's for the front. Then that truck could handle a load.... I remember crossing the scale on my way to a car show at approx. 14000lbs, and the truck drove like a sedan...………… and never got stuck on the show field or in the snow...
I agree with you on 99% (that's a lot) of everything that you said. In addition that was a really good explanation for newbies. I ran 235/85/16's on my Tacoma and loved them. I now have an F250 and will probably put on some 285/75/18's (narrowish for their height) when I upgrade.
Hobby Prepper thanks for watching I loved the 235s just today I bought a set of falkens in a 285/75/16 to do a apple to apple comparison over the next year and document very much in detail the mike the kind of miles and performance in the same conditions I ran my 235s
That's the exact tire and size I'm getting ready to put on my 2000 ram 1500. I'm coming from 33x12.50s. I put my stock wheels with wore out 245/75s back on and I was like wow my truck really has a lot of power again! I knew skinny tires were the way to go a few years ago when I had a set of 235/75r15 Toyo ATs laying around and I threw those on my truck in the winter. Now where I live there is a forest service road past my house that climbs from 1400 feet to almost 4000 feet in about 4 miles to a high mountain lake. They don't plow that road in the winter, all there is is 2 tracks from other people driving up there, if that. I can't make it up there with my 33x12.50s. even with chains I was hopping and digging so bad I figured I was going to break something. I put on those 235s and I drove right up there in the snow like I was just cruising on a Sunday drive. Made me a believer. Fat tires suck! Here's another thing to think about: ya know how guys put weights (sand bags, etc) in the bed of their pickup trucks? Ya know why they do that? To push the tires down threw rain, snow and slush so they don't hidroplane on the highway. Makes sense, right? Now take your stock f250 that came with 9.5" wide tires and put on 12.5" tires, commonly called "flotation tires" and what do you think happens? By increasing the width 30% you've decreased ground pressure 30%. Welcome to hydroplane city!
Great review.... I felt it was your average Joe review and i appreciate the honesty. I'm gonna buy the Falkens JUST because of this review. 275/60/r20 on a 2017 GMC Sierra with the All Terrain package.
David Hornsby you will love them falken doesn’t not give me anything but a good product that I can trust that I pay full price for. I’ll buy yet another set once these are done
i just put some at3 on my 2021 zr2. 255/80r17 definitely skinny and tall. i get tons of compliments for people on the street about how the truck looks. plus they are awesome for the wheeling i do. i also had a gen 2 touareg v6 base with 265/70r17 at3s. that thing was a serious contender offroad.
I have a stock Toyota Tacoma I run 2 45 75 r 16. When I head the previous tires the hand cooks I know it's not the tire you talking about when the Hancock's for knew it was able to get through Big snow banks. I heard a lot about the tire you had mentioned I'm probly gonna get the same size and a set of those in a few weeks. Great information. I'm amazed at what those stuck to comas can take on dirt roads and other places. I live up in the northeast so we get a lot of snow a lot of slush
David Woodbury thanks for viewing and I have ran these tires in about every different surface you can find and I’m satisfied with them in every respect. I was contemplating going with the falken mt but I will put on another set just like them I’m that satisfied
I ending up mounting these tires on a 2013 Jeep JK thanks to your review and a thread on Expedition Portal and I am also in love with these tires. They are performing amazingly on the trails but the biggest surprise for me was the smooth ride for an E tire and hardly any road noise. I’m running 38 psi for highway and 20 psi on trails. I live in an area where there are a lot of jeeps and all are lifted and running 37’s. I have no idea what they do when they get a flat because there’s no way they could lift those tires off the back.
I have a 1988 Toyota single cab 4x4 and run a Falken tire that is just a little over stock for the dependability of the truck and access to the tires. You made several other good points as well. The tire companies are going to hate you for getting into their high-profit business.
One thing to keep in mind is the P rated Wildpeaks have the better compound for winter driving and the LT rated AT3Ws have a little deeper tread and better wear, so if you do a ton of snow driving vs a lot of gravel and rocks that may dictate your size and rating choices as well.
235/85/16 tire 255/85/16 tire 265/75/16 tire are my favorite for Toyota Tacoma’s. I totally agree with what you say. Skinny tire gives you more contact pressure & a much better quality ride. Great video!
i run that skinny tyre size on my landcruiser ute makes perfect sense totally agree...gets better diesle encomy...in the past had wide 33inch tyres whitch made fuel useage bad and cut the vechiles performance wide tyres way more expensive to purchase ...out back aussie 4wd driver love toyota landcruisers own three of them over here
I recently got a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon...will be keeping it mostly stock more into overlanding vs. rock-crawling), including its OEM 33" Wildpeak A/T3W tires. When they wear-out, will still stay with 33s. -- BR
I run 245/75-16 Wildpeak AT3W's on my 04 Grand Cherokee, they work superb! I thought about the 235's however at 4200 lbs my WJ is no lightweight and I think I get good contact pressure with the 245's. I used to run 33x10.5's on my Suburban which were skinny for that huge thing, with Tru Tracs front and rear it went through snow like a Ski-Doo.
Love pizza cutters. They cut through EVERYTHING!. Mud &sand aired down. Same matched truck with bigger tires and a more experienced driver got hung up where I took the same path and rolled through. Just look at the tires they used in WW2 and the tires that built and maintained forestry and fire roads. Look at expedition vehicles (non artic) back in the day. All pizza cutters. Check out 4xoverland and check out his video. He explains the physics of narrow tires. Hes an expedition filmographer going into Africa 100s if not 1000s of miles from any human being. Says alot... just my experience. And for the record I came up in offloading with 35x12.5 BFGs on my f100, K5 blazers one gas one diesel hard bodies, even had a Chevy Luv too 4cyl though. Now I have an 07 Tacoma TRD 4.0L V6 4 inch Dobinsons lift with SPC upper control arms and a shell I run 255/85 KO3s. My buddies put a goat bell on my truck and nick named it "the goat" not that it's the greatest of all time but itll go pert near anywhere I want to go. Thank you for making this video and passing the word about narrow and tall tires.
I bought a 98 Pathfinder all stock, low miles 152k. I have seen how those Pathfinders could look with wide tires and lift kits. And in the end I decided to keep the original ride height, and stock rims, and went with a set of 235 75 15 Wildpeak AT3 tires.Glad I did, later on the trail I was out performing my buddies lifted jeep, and he was running 30s size tires. My Pathy might not look mean, but she does have the clean OE look, and is very capable and at half the cost of the mean look. I did put on a set of black rims, stock offset though, couldn't stand chrome wheels on a beige color SUV, plus they go well with the Wildpeak tires.
I always run 265/75s on all four corners and carry a 235/85 spare (also use 235/85 on my trailers and trailer spares). Have never once had an issue finding a tire, not even down south of the border. Also fixes the odo inaccuracy on my Tacoma’s and 4Runners perfectly with the +1 size haha.
I came from 265/75.16 hankooks dynapro ATM p rated. I bought my 3rd gen 4runner with these 20 percent left. They felt good while they lasted. After being stuck between hankook dynapro atm and trying a new tire falken wildpeak at3w i like both. The falken has 18 tread depth compare to hankook 13 tread depth. Also the falken weigh 16 lbs per tire more than hankook. But i like this falken. Do you think it's putting stress on my 4runner 97? These tires are also quiet. Good in snow
I actually have set of brand new 4 33x12.5x15 Falken AT3W's in the back of my truck waiting to get mounted and balanced. Half the price of any BFG tires!
Good discussion. I've too wondered about this. In the States it seems like most people run the tallest and widest tire possible. However when you look at a lot of international rigs from Land Cruisers to G-Wagons, Land Rovers, Patrols it seems a lot of the the overlanding vehicles run skinny tires. Camel Trophy, Expedition 7, and from what I've seen all the UN & military vehicles run skinny tires. I guess there are many ways to skin a cat and the best thing about it is that tires are easy to change out. Just have to see what works best for you type of driving.
Most of that comes down to cost, in Siberia and Antarctica they run wide and tall because they need to limit ground pressure to prevent sinking in the mud or deep snow, only reason I run wide is because my f250 with 235/85s would leave 2x 5+ inch deep holes in the grass just from being parked a few days.
285/75/16 is the most versatile tire size. Wide enough for pavement, mud and snow. Tall enough to air down a lot on sand. Narrow enough for tight spaces. Still gets solid gas mileage. Big enough to still look good. Very widely available.
What's funny is you say 235/85r16 is so common (and it is) but I went into Costco out here BFE Oregon and they didn't have a single tire in that size and the woman working the said "wow thats a really rair tire size". I corrected her and told her it was the stock size on every Ford f250 made for about 30 years.
Lot of good points. I really wish the manufacturers would make more skinny/tall tires. I would love a 255 wide, C-load, 35" tire, but that is a unicorn.
In a lot of places they have a ordinance where anything past the wheel well they will give you a ticket for I also love the skinny Tire because the skinny Tire is a 10 ply 2 it will last longer 3 it will get around in the snow so much easier that's my opinion
I forgot to mention skinnier shorter Tire which you call the pizza cutter would probably increase your fuel economy also because less rolling resistance compared to the 315
@@sebastianromero420 I'm running a 2.5" lift no wheel spacers. They would be close to fitting at stock height, some trimming required though I would imagine. As for fuel mileage I think any benefit from the more narrow tire than stock is canceled out by being a little heavier. Not any worse than stock mpg though.
You did a great job on this video. I was happy to find it as I had just ordered the exact tires in that size for my j eep. Tired of jeeps looking like find buggies. What psi are you running? Tires day 80 so I was figuring on 50
I’m now on the market for new all-terrain tires. I have been eyeing the BFG KO2 for a while now but I’m hearing some good reviews with these Falken Wildpeaks. It’s great to hear someone who previously ran the KO2’s like you. Aside from the price difference, why would you recommend these Falken tires over the BFG tires?
