Falken Versus Toyo Questions

I have narrowed my new tires down to the Falken ATW4 or the Toyo Open Country III in size 285/70/R18 on the stock TRD OR wheels. I had an older version on the Toyo on a Jeep before and they were great and everyone seems to love the Falkens.

The Falkens measure to 34 while the Toyos are 33.7. I have 2” Eibach coilovers so neither size should be much of an issue other than maybe front mudflaps.

A couple of questions. Falkens are load C which is fine for the towing I do with my RV trailer. They would be an upgrade to the SL stock tires. The Toyos are E load rated which seems like more than I need and a stiffer ride. Any advantages to the higher load tire to know about?

The Falkens are heavier than the Toyos. However, I am not sure it will make much of a difference. Anyone think the 11 lbs will be noticeable?

 

E load will ride significantly firmer-overkill for a half ton truck IMO. Yet, I run E load because they were the only choice in the size I want to run.

C load is perfect for a Tundra, towing and off road use for a half ton truck and based on that alone, I would choose the Falken in c load.

Wildpeaks are nice tires, Ive run them before in E load. Let them go due to weight and hard ride. If I did more off roading I would have kept them, they did really well overall and are very beefy but ride and weight got to me after a year or two. Still running E, but a different tire design that is not as heavy and stiff.

Unsprung and rotational weight makes a big difference that you can feel in performance and also during fillups $. 33 in falkens I ran were actually about 5lbs heavier than the 35s I now run- I saw an improvement in performance and about 1MPG better when I switched to the taller, but lighter tires.

 

A closer read of Falken's specs for the ATW4s shows that size (285/70r18) in load C as using some new rubber compound that is supposed to be stronger. I would imagine that is what is contributing to their excessive weight (load C) vs the Toyo Load E.

I went with Nitto Recons in a 285/70r18 due to the Toyos being out of stock and the Nittos being the same manufacturer essentially. Same weight as the Toyos also, which as @frichco228 stated makes a considerable performance difference (butt dyno, mpgs).

 

I recently put on the Toyo's and so far am very happy with them. I had the AT2's on a previous vehicle and got great wear out of them so I expect the same from the 3's.

The Toyo's physically measured a skosh smaller than they say on paper.

Yes, I'd say 11 lbs./corner will be noticeable, if not a huge seat of the pants difference then at least a little MPG difference. 44 lbs. of unsprung weight is not nothing, but it's not super huge.

Fun fact: Apparently the OSW (one side white letters) are made in Japan and are lighter than the Black sidewall which are made here, even in the same compound.

I was going to go C range 'cuz of weight, but I got the E range since the OSW E's were within a pound of the BSW C's.

We do a lot of boondocking in the desert... I like getting the trailer back into some spots away from the masses, and usually go exploring so the 10 ply's are nice peace of mind knowing that the occasional rock or stick or cactus probably isn't gonna' puncture a sidewall.

On our Thanksgiving camping trip I was able to play in the dirt some and was very impressed with the Toyo's.

Even without airing down (50+ PSI in the rears from towing) flotation and traction were both really good. Found some pretty deep and soft patches in a couple of washes and powered right through without digging.

Clawed up some stuff where I expected at least a little bit of wheelspin but really didn't even break loose.

That being said, I have heard only good things about the Falken's so you probably can't go wrong wither way. The Falken's have a little meatier, cooler looking sidewall I think, if that matters.

 

I’m in the same boat. Been looking at the Falkens in 285/70/18 and a C load rating but can’t get past the weight….68lbs a tire is pretty substantial especially if you’re going from stock weight tires.

 

Yes the weight is a killer. I have been doing some more looking and might actually drop down one size to 275/70R18. More options for different tires to consider and not such a huge weight penalty.

 

I have had Toyos, bfg, and Falkens they all perform and last about the same but the weight of the Toyos is the reason I went back to them.

 

That’s the size I was running. I had Cooper rugged trek tires in E because at the time they didn’t have any SL or C at that size. Plus for some reason they were almost a 34 at 275/70/18. They were good for a while and the truck felt like a tank but the ride became so stiff once they wore down a bit. Really made the ride harsh. I’ve heard the toyos in E are a nicer ride. Nitto Terra Grappler G3 have a nice aggressive look and those are available in SL 275/70/18. I’ve been eyeballing those but I also have a 3” lift so I think they may not fill out the wheel well like I would like.

 

Yes, looking at the Terra Grappler and the General Grabber ATX in the 275/70/18 in SL. After really thinking about how I use my truck I don’t need E rated and even C rated is not necessary. For my daily commuter I would rather not pay the weight penalty.

 

Had 295-70-18 Toyo AT3 in E load.
Now I have the Falken AT4W 35x11.5-18 in C load. Bought these solely because they are C load and looking for better ride.
The C Falkens ride just as shitty as the E Toyos. Both tires weigh 62-63 pounds. Disappointed but options are limited in the 35ish sizes.

 

Yeah I don’t understand how the Falken C load weigh almost the same as the E. Doesn’t quite make sense.

 

Yeah if you’re not doing any towing/hauling or off-roading consistently then an E rated tire is not needed. It’s just a shame there’s not as many options for 18” wheels in a C tire or even SL as there are in 17” wheels when all you’re looking for is a bigger tire.

 

Going from the Michelin's to the E range Toyos I was expecting the ride to become a little more "truckish" but I was pleasantly surprised, really haven't noticed any difference.

Granted, they're brand new so there's a lot of rubber/tread depth to cushion stuff, but so far not bad! We'll see how they do as they wear.

 

I believe the Falkens had 3/32” more tread than the Toyos I replaced, and slightly taller. So the same weight didn’t bother me, the same shitty ride and dropping $1600 to retire my Toyos early does.

 

I had Toyo open country AT3's on the Tundra and they were E rated and noticeable weight difference with the 34" tire size I had. Mileage dropped quite a bit. They were a bit noisy on the highway and not great in the snow but that is with an empty truck resulting in a loose rear end.

I have the new Falken AT4W's on the HD and they are supposed to be grippy but others have said that they are not great in snow. I haven't tried them in the snow yet. I got E rated tires as I do mostly towing so I want the added stiffness in the tires. I think they are required on the HD trucks as well.

 

Yeah that’s my fear going from my E rated coopers, retiring them early, to something that does not make much of a difference in ride.

 

I did try putting my stock tires back on after the lift…looks like spare tires all the way around. Terrible….

 

I did just find the Goodyear Territory MT in 275/70r18, C load rating. Only about 5 lbs heavier than the General Grabber and the Terra Grappler in SL.

 

So I said F it and went in the total opposite direction of what I was planning. Ended up picking up a set of barely used Falken atw3 285/75/18 E load tires. They actually ride much better than my 275/70/18 cooper rugged trek tires and I’m real happy with them so far. Plus they fill out the wheel well so much more.

 

So I ended up moving away from the Toyos and the Falkens. Goodyear Territory MT in 275/70r18 went on this morning. Load C so little weight penalty over stock.