High mileage Falken Wildpeak A/T3W in snow

[Sting-Gray Neutral Pres.]

A decently long drive in snow this morning confirmed what I was worried might occur: the stock 285/70R17 Wildpeaks no longer have the same traction they did for the first two winters. Here is the current state of my tires:
Miles driven on tires: 33,723
Tread depth: 9/32" in the middle 11/32" tread depth on shoulders - so 50% to 60% initial (2 tread steps showing instead of 3)
PSI: 34
Weight: 5400 lbs (diesel)

Conditions: 4" packed snow to thin ice on visible pavement strips.
Traction: I'd describe the traction as now equivalent to or slightly worse than the stock tire on a Sport trim, the non-snowflake-rated Bridgestone Dueler A/TS. An apt general comparison is they are about equivalent to a decent "All-Season" tire. Passable if snow is an incidental encounter, or barely adequate for folks who want/need to take winter traction seriously. While at least 50% of the population is probably okay with this (I passed a couple of those in the ditch this morning), I'm not so I just ordered a set of dedicated winters.

I do want to be clear on one thing though: the first two winters I was on this it was the best alternative in the snow to a dedicated snow tire I had ever driven, beating out Nokian All-Weather tires I'd had in the past. It was almost as good when new as the worst of the dedicated winter tires. But at this mileage its snow and ice traction is fading. I'll still drive them for a few more years from spring to fall, as they're still fine at this mileage for everything but snow. Thought I'd post this to help others plan ahead, as I couldn't find any higher mileage reviews like this out on the net.

Sponsored

 

[texanjeeper]

So....you're saying that as the tread goes down, it's ability to handle snow decreases. Good to know.

 

[MPMB]

I'm about 46,000 and the fronts are a little hammered. We're supposed to get 1-5" tonight thru tomorrow, so tomorrow I might test it a bit.

Snow type also matters, as WA snow is usually pretty wet and slick.

 

[Discount Tire]

@Sting-Gray Neutral Pres. thank you for taking the time to post. As safety should always be your first consideration when driving in winter conditions, this solidifies the need for dedicated snow tires in a snow region.

 

[jac04]

Sounds like it's time to pick up a set of new take-offs to use as snow tires and run the existing set during the summer.

 

[Bjeepz]

I've got about 35000 miles on my 315/70r17 Wildpeak AT3W's with a lot of those miles being off pavement, I started to notice the reduced traction in wet conditions soon as temps started going down early fall. I just dropped the PSI down to 31/30 and traction is improved but not like new. I hope to get this one last winter season from them but if a great deal on tires comes up I'll be looking to replace them.

 

[DanW]

Sounds normal for most AT tires, as I have experienced them. Mine are 9/32 to 10/32, so I should be experiencing exactly the same thing as you, on the few occasions we get snow.

 

[obrianmcc]

You can buy siping tools on Amazon and sipe them yourself which in my experience makes a big difference and can extend tire Winter service life, but your tread depth is on the bubble. I would probably opt to just replace .... the AT3's are good tires, but 40k tires at best.

 

[OffAxis2021]

In my humble opinion… 285s are a tad too wide for these vehicles and in adverse (wet) conditions. I ditched my 2022’s OEM A/Ts after only 88 miles, simply because I am a narrow A/T tire guy. 255/85R17 “Pizza Cutters” are the only option and have been the absolute best choice for me overall ever. I do not want or need “floatation” of any kind.
Safety first. Function over fashion.
S.E. Michigan.

 

[Sting-Gray Neutral Pres.]

So....you're saying that as the tread goes down, it's ability to handle snow decreases. Good to know.

While I know this seems like a "no shit sherlock" observation I'm making, these tires don't LOOK worn down at all, and ~10/32nds tread depth is what a lot other tires start at.

I have a set of stock sport rims and tires I'd been planning to convert to a dedicated winter setup as soon as I got my Mojave take-offs, but like others I found that the Wildpeaks were just so good in the snow when new that I delayed that until now. Dedicated winters will allow me to get many more miles of total use out of the Wildpeaks during the warmer months.

 

[DanW]

You can buy siping tools on Amazon and sipe them yourself which in my experience makes a big difference and can extend tire Winter service life, but your tread depth is on the bubble. I would probably opt to just replace .... the AT3's are good tires, but 40k tires at best.

9/32 isn't bad and has lots of life left, even according to Discount Tire (I rotated/balanced there today.) Mine will go well beyond 40k, and most tires should on a solid axle vehicle, if rotated frequently enough.

The siping tool is a good idea. But at 9/32, mine still show plenty of siping left.

 

[DanW]

In my humble opinion… 285s are a tad too wide for these vehicles and in adverse (wet) conditions. I ditched my 2022’s OEM A/Ts after only 88 miles, simply because I am a narrow A/T tire guy. 255/85R17 “Pizza Cutters” are the only option and have been the absolute best choice for me overall ever. I do not want or need “floatation” of any kind.
Safety first. Function over fashion.
S.E. Michigan.

What tire is that? I once had KM2's in that size, but they were just too noisy for my taste. But the traction was outstanding, on and off the road.

 

[OffAxis2021]

What tire is that? I once had KM2's in that size, but they were just too noisy for my taste. But the traction was outstanding, on and off the road.

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T.

They’re my dedicated winter tires, so they don’t have a lot of miles on them yet. This will be their second season and I typically do time change to tire change. I don’t think I rotated them before pulling them off for the warmer weather. Definitely less than 10K on them. Maybe even less than 6K. I don’t really notice the noise, but I’m a truck driver. Nothing is comparable to my work truck. Oh… and my Jeep radio is never on.
It is very likely I will be getting another set for the next warm weather season for a different set of wheels (have). I love these tires. A lot too… so far.

 

[Bjeepz]

Hand siping is great if you don't plan to keep the tires much longer and want to get one last winter out of them. Here is a pic of my old JK on Toyo MT's that I hand siped after a snowy 1300 mile road trip. The siping made a world of difference in packed snowy road performance. The issue I had was that the centre tread blocks that I siped started to dry rot not a few months later when the snow melted.

 

[m-l_johnny]

I believe the tire compound hardens some over time, which can also be a factor.

Sponsored