Falken Wildpeak LT or Standard Load

Looking to get Falkens AT3s on my Runner. My off road to highway split is 25% off road, 75% highway/pavement. Should I go with the 10ply LT or the 4ply standard? Is it worth the xtra $300.00 for the LT 10ply? Canada by the way.

 

If you don't do any hard core rock crawling I'd say the P rated tires should be fine for you. The cost and weight probably won't be necessary. P rated are easier to balance as well.

 

I didn't consider the weight and potential balancing issues. Good to know. Thanks.

 

I went with the factory size and SL (P rated) Falken Wildpeaks. My thought is - I can use the OEM sized spare. Also the weight of the tire is close to stock = better MPG.

Have had no issues on and off road and I go off road a lot - rocks, mud, and water crossings here in the Ozarks of Missouri.

Am at 25k miles on them. Next tire change will be to go up in size and may be looking at another brand / heavier ply.

 

I have a 10 ply Cooper on my Tacoma, they are not too bad as far as ride, But, I'm sure they offer better protection against rocks(for the bruising). That being said, they are heavier, probably cost more...etc. 6 of one, half a dozen of another! BTW; Tacomas with 10 ply tires like the rocky back roads in Canada on fishing trips!
I forgot to mention I'm putting a Cooper AT3LT on my 2020 4runner.

 

Just for perspective let’s look at some facts and opinions so you can try to make your own informed decision.


-Fact-
My best friend and I both run basically the same tires - I have 255/80/17 he has 255/75/18, same overall width and diameter but he has 18s and I have 17s, we both use E rated LT tires.

The load index of a tire is the maximum amount of load (weight) a tire can safety support. There is no direct 1 to 1 correlation between sidewall puncture resistance and side wall strength for load carrying capacity.

2011 4Runner (factory spec’d for P tires)
Curb Weight: 4,675 lbs
Gross Weight: 6,300 lbs
Max Payload: 1,625 lbs
Max Towing: 5,000 lbs

2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 Hd (factory spec’d for E rated LT tires)
Curb Weight: 7,729 lbs
Gross Weight: 10,522 lbs
Max Payload: 2,793 lbs
Max Towing: 13,000 lbs hitch (17,100 lbs gooseneck)

His curb weight (vehicle just sitting there) is more than 1,400 heavier the 4Runners gross weight (vehicle, crammed full of crap loaded up and weighed down to its maximum capacity).

Those 2 vehicles should not be running on the same tires. With a significantly heavier and stiffer tire, you’re giving up ride quality, acceleration, braking performance, suspension performance, fuel economy, and on road handling to be able to support an amount of weight your vehicle will NEVER see, all to (maybe) gain a little bit of puncture resistance? That’s ridiculous when you look at the big picture. It’s a poor choice all around.

-Opinion-
It’s hard to to make up a scenario that will truly justify running E rated LT tires on a 4Runner. I run E rated because the tires I wanted in the size I wanted, are only available in a E rating. So that meant run different sized tires, or go with the E. The reason I try to justify it to myself is that it *should* be more puncture resistant, I can swap out and/or repair a flat, but I reeeealy don’t want to. Dealing with a flat sucks and if I can avoid that at expense of a small change in comfort, that’s a trade off I’m willing to make, because I’m lazy. Another big factor for me was the suspension, I spent a lot of money for a very high quality suspension that is custom tuned and valved to my specific vehicle setup. E rated tires WILL have a harsher ride, however I don’t run an off the shelf or cheap suspension generically valved as a one size fits all. I’m ok with relying on my suspension to provide the comfort, I’d be less inclined to do so with a set of Bilsteins or something. As for the rest of the negatives - I’m not really concerned with fuel economy, just fuel range, and that can be addressed with cans. Acceleration, braking, handling, etc... I drive like an old man, I’m slow and gentle with vehicle inputs and I drive defensively on road plus I don’t have a need to daily drive it anymore, it has very little effect on me.

That’s my $.02

 

I respectfully disagree. I've been on thousands of miles of trails with over a dozen different friends and their rigs. C-loads regularly get cut or punctured tires. I can't think of a single time someone had an E-load flat.

If we look at the Toyo ATIIIs that I just bought, upgrading to E-load adds 7 lbs per tire -- a 17% increase in weight. That will certainly stress the drive train more than an SL load tire, but it's an acceptable increase for me based on how much I use my rig in the backcountry. In my experience, the increased puncture resistance is worth it.

 

You’re not wrong, the point I was trying to make is that the load rating IS a defined value based on how many pounds of weight it can safely support. There is no defined value for puncture resistance. What I was saying there is not a 1:1 correlation between heavier load rating and puncture resistance. It stands to reason that a thicker tire carcass will be less prone to puncture, however you can’t factually state an E rated tire is X% more resistant to punctures than a standard load passenger tire. There is no fact based consistent repeatable test to measure puncture resistance. The cord construction method plays a huge roll determining puncture resistance as well. The cord material and the pattern used will effect if its more likely to tear, break, or puncture etc. that stuff is typically designed around the type of tire more than the load rating of the tire.

 

If you’re driving northern high speed gravel roads, like those in the Yukon, NWT, Labrador, etc, it is recommended E load tires. This range also gives you a stiffer sidewall for airing down. I run a E K02 and it’s not stiff, rough, or noisy. It’s a heavy tire, but on the Dempster Highway in the Yukon, it is recommended that you carry two spares.
Ok, that’s not everyone’s situation. If you’re driving on smooth 6 lane roads, and the occasional soft forest trail going into the cottage in the Muskokas, you can get by with the P OEM tires or C tires. I used C Duratracs on 2015 Tacoma, and they were fine. But I wasn’t going anywhere that demanded a heavier duty tire.