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Falken WildPeak A/T3W vs Sumitomo Encounter AT — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

WildPeak A/T3W leads, 71–70 Narrow edge

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Tire AFalken

WildPeak A/T3W

All Season

Tests – · 1 test Owners 74 · 441 reviews

“I run a set of Falken Wildpeak A/T3W 265-75 R16's on my 80. Currently have 40k miles on them and expect about 10k more or so before they will need replacing. I rotate every 7500 miles and they have been flawless. No road noise or vibration and they work very well in pretty much every off road situation I have put them in. I am moving to bigger tires when I replace them and as long as I can find a size in my desired range I will be putting them on again.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 72

    Dry

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWildPeak A/T3WEncounter AT
    Reviews found online7575
  2. 75

    Wet

    Level
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWildPeak A/T3WEncounter AT
    Reviews found online7777
  3. 71

    Snow

    WildPeak A/T3W +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWildPeak A/T3WEncounter AT
    Reviews found online7368
  4. 71

    Comfort

    WildPeak A/T3W +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWildPeak A/T3WEncounter AT
    Reviews found online7369
  5. 68

    Noise

    Level
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWildPeak A/T3WEncounter AT
    Reviews found online7069
  6. 65

    Treadwear

    Encounter AT +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWildPeak A/T3WEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)60–
    Reviews found online7466
  7. 71

    Handling

    Level
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWildPeak A/T3WEncounter AT
    Reviews found online7171
Scores at a glance
CategoryFalken WildPeak A/T3WSumitomo Encounter AT
Relative Score 71 70
Dry 72 72
Wet 75 75
Snow 71 69
Comfort 71 69
Noise 68 68
Treadwear 65 66
Handling 71 71

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

WildPeak A/T3W

Encounter AT

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A WildPeak A/T3W

Pros

  • Exceptional traction in snow, ice, and wet weather conditions
  • Surprisingly low road noise and smooth ride quality for an all-terrain tire
  • Strong durability and long tread life with high mileage capabilities

Cons

  • Balancing difficulties and persistent high-speed vibration reported by a subset of users
  • Occasional reports of accelerated tread wear or cupping, particularly on heavier or commercial vehicles
  • Some users noted reduced traction in deep mud or specific wet/greasy gravel conditions
All owner themes in the WildPeak A/T3W review

Tire B Encounter AT

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Falken WildPeak A/T3W

Positive

Community members hold a strongly positive opinion of the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, frequently praising its exceptional snow, ice, and wet weather traction along with low road noise and comfortable ride quality. Users also appreciate its rugged durability, off-road capability, and long tread life, with many expressing intent to purchase another set despite concerns about discontinuation and stock availability.

r/nissanfrontier ·58 upvotes ·2023-08-28

“Falken Wildpeak A/T3W 265/70 R17 2023 SV Midnight…replaced those stock Michelins with these Falkens….I think added maybe 0.5-1” so maybe no need to lift! I can already feel the difference in the drive 👌🏽 Read more”
subaruoutback.org ·1 upvote ·2023-08-25

“FWIW - 29 months and 30K miles on my 235/65R-17 Falken WildPeak A/T3W , keep pressure at 33lbs F/R highway/town - offroad/beaches run at 15lbs apiece, rotate regularly, live in northeast, sand/snow/highways/fire roads/city driving - tires have another 12 mos life.. I've been impressed enough to buy another set when the time comes.”
r/CX50 ·90 upvotes ·2026-04-30

“New wheels for the 50 New wheels on the cx50. Wasn’t 100% sure about the bronze on red but I like it. 17x8 sport terrain cv-1 wheels and 235/65R17 Wildpeak A/T3W tires.”
Top themes
#snow and winter traction#low road noise#wet weather handling#tread life and durability#fitment and sizing questions#off-road performance

Based on 24 community posts

Tire B

Sumitomo Encounter AT

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Falken WildPeak A/T3W B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
CategoryAll Season—
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available515
Rim diameters17″ – 18″16″ – 20″
Tread depth12/32″13/32″
UTQG660 B B660 A B
Treadwear warranty55,000 mi60,000 mi
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure51 psi51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Falken WildPeak A/T3W

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Too close to call: Falken WildPeak A/T3W and Sumitomo Encounter AT are within 2 points overall.

Tire A · Falken WildPeak A/T3W
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Tire B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
Check price on Amazon

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

71

Narrow edge

WildPeak A/T3W

Amazon