Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 vs Falken Wildpeak A/T4W tires

Pickup trucks, SUVs, crossovers – they’re everywhere you look on American roads these days. Trucks and SUVs have taken over the jobs that used to be done by sedans and minivans (and a generation ago, big station wagons) as today’s family cars. With every passing model year of light trucks and SUVs, they get a little more comfortable, refined, sophisticated, and dependable; they’re worlds apart from the utilitarian work-oriented trucks of the 1970s and 80s. Many of them are, of course, set up for traction and durability with 4WD, showcasing features like a rugged suspension and extra ground clearance. Drivers know (sometimes finding out the hard way) that all-terrain tires are the only thing to reliably get the job done if they find themselves taking excursions off the pavement from time to time or if they have to deal with challenging, treacherous winter driving conditions.

Just like trucks and SUVs have made a lot of advances in the last quarter-century or so, all-terrain tires have had to evolve right along with them. Where older all-terrain tires could be loud, rough, and clumsy on the pavement, modern, premium all-terrain tires are designed for low noise, precise and predictable handling, a supple ride, and great wear properties. In other words, they can be just as refined and controlled on the highway as what you’d expect from all-season and Grand Touring tires, and just as easily suited for long Interstate trips as they are on a backwoods trail that’s loaded with ruts, potholes, and obstacles.

Today we’re going to look at the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 and the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W. These are both popular premium all-terrain tires that are applauded for quality and performance, and both are packed with next-gen design features and innovations. In the course of this head-to-head comparison, you’ll see us refer now and then to the SimpleScore numbers for each tire. If you’re unfamiliar with SimpleScore, it’s the system that our SimpleTire team developed to give you an at-a-glance view of a tire’s performance and value. We use information from reviews, specs, and other data points to create scores within numerical values 1-10 for the categories of handling, traction, and longevity, as well as an overall average SimpleScore for every tire. For the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W and Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018, the SimpleScore numbers are as follows:

Falken Wildpeak A/T4W

• Traction: 9.8
• Handling: 9.5
• Longevity: 9.2
• Overall average SimpleScore: 9.5

Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018

• Traction: 9.9
• Handling: 9.8
• Longevity: 8.8
• Overall average SimpleScore: 9.5

As you can see above, the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W and Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 are pretty closely matched with each other. The SimpleScore numbers, though, don’t entirely get you into the details of what you can expect with a tire, with all of its strengths and weaknesses. In this comparison, we’re going to do a little compare-and-contrast with the Falken and Yokohama, give you a better idea of what both tires are about, and tell you which tire comes out on top by the end.

Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 tires

Yokohama’s Geolandar line has been making all-terrain tires for a couple of decades now, which means the company has a whole lot of technical expertise under its belt. The Geolandar A/T4 G018 is one of the latest iterations of that tire family, and it makes use of all that expertise and premium manufacturing to be a valuable first-rate performer. Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 is loaded with innovations for strong, consistent performance on or off the pavement, with a perfect blend of toughness and gritty tenacity off the pavement alongside stable, composed manners on the street or interstate. It is designed for reliability and versatility, with Yokohama’s Geo-Shield design package. The comprehensive list of innovations includes tech features such as multiple sidewall plies, a built-in sidewall protector flange, a high-tensile steel belt layer, high-turnup nylon cap pl, and Yokohama’s proprietary Enduro triple-polymer enhanced tread formulation. For confident grip in the most difficult conditions, there are aggressive center blocks and mud and stone ejectors that efficiently rid the tread of mud debris, so there’s always a clear section of the tread to dig in as the wheel turns. Rainy or snowy weather isn’t a problem for this tire as it boasts triple 3D sipes, zigzag grooves, single-pitch shoulder blocks, and Yokohama’s EdgeTec groove design. The Geolandar A/T4 G018 has the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. Yokohama covers it with a best-in-class limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty, ranging from 55,000 miles for LT-Metric sizes to 65,000 miles for Euro-Metric sizes. All in all, we’d say that the Geolandar A/T4 G018 is a reliable and versatile choice for off-road adventures, pavement drives, day-to-day errands, or lengthy freeway trips that receives a tremendous average SimpleScore of 9.5. SimpleTire’s price on the Geolandar A/T4 G018 starts at $165.99 per tire.

Falken Wildpeak A/T4W tires

For some time now here at the SimpleTire team, we’ve been impressed by just about everything in the Falken tire lineup, and the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W shows why. The Wildpeak A/T4W is an upgrade from its predecessor model and is built for durability and long service, with Falken’s DURASPEC technology package that incorporates a 3-ply reinforced sidewall on select sizes. That design also comes with a reinforced casing for enhanced load ratings and towing ability, and Falken’s heat diffuser design protects the tire’s internal structure by helping prevent heat buildup. Incidentally, this tire also gets 9.5, the same SimpleScore as the Geolandar A/T4 G018.

The silica-rich tread compound of the Wildpeak A/T4W is a real help in wet-weather or winter traction as well as ensuring great wear properties, and a ramped-up tread design with a network of 3D sipes helps the Wildpeak A/T4W bring home the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. In mud or loose dirt, the Wildpeak A/T4W is designed with a tremendous initial tread depth and its system of staggered shoulder blocks is designed to work with the relief lettering on the sidewall for great lateral traction, enabling you to claw your way out of ruts easily.

The Wildpeak A/T4W is covered by a limited manufacturer’s treadwear warranty that lies between 60,000 miles for non-LT sizes and 65,000 miles for LT sizes, as well as Falken’s Road Hazard Protection. SimpleTire’s price on the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W starts at $157.00 per tire.

Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 vs Falken Wildpeak A/T4W tires on traction

Let’s talk about traction first, and it’s a real squeaker to say which tire does better since the Yokohama stands at a SimpleScore of 9.9 when compared to 9.8 for the Falken. Both tires have the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for winter performance (something that the rubber industry has pretty stringent standards for). Both tires are designed with a gamut of features like aggressive lugs and tread blocks, wide grooves and void ratio for self-cleaning of mud and stones, 3D sipes, staggered shoulder blocks, and other all-terrain design elements that mean outstanding control, grip, and braking performance on or off the pavement. When things are this close, we defer to customer reviews and give them the final say.

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018

Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 vs Falken Wildpeak A/T4W tires on handling

With a handling SimpleScore of 9.5 for the Falken and 9.8 for the Yokohama, it’s almost as tight a comparison here as in the traction category. Both tires are very capable, predictable, and stable when it comes to steering response, cornering, and maneuverability, but the Yokohama has an edge when it comes to rigidity and stability. Granted, nobody really thinks all-terrain tires on a light truck or SUV are going to be as light and precise, but the GeoShield construction of the Yokohama does make a difference. With any vehicle that starts to round a corner, the momentum and inertia from its weight mean the vehicle will try to continue in a straight line. A tire that has a tread and internal design that’s more mushy and less rigid will distort and deform at the tread and shoulder (a phenomenon known as tread squirm), which means less precise handling ability. The reinforced internal design of the Yokohama gives it an advantage in handling that the Falken doesn’t offer. Our decision:

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018

Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 vs Falken Wildpeak A/T4W tires on longevity

This one is a little puzzling; in most cases for the SimpleScore rating for longevity, it’s the tire’s limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty coverage that tells the whole story. Comparing the Falken to the Yokohama, though, both have identical tread life mileage warranties of 65,000 miles, yet the Falken has an edge with a SimpleScore of 9.2 vs 8.8 for the Yokohama. This is another instance where we’re going to reserve judgment for the customer reviews and let them have the final word. Our decisions (and the customers’):

ADVANTAGE: Falken Wildpeak A/T4W

When to use each

This is where you should probably ask yourself, what do you really need out of a set of tires for a 4WD-equipped light truck or SUV? If you take that truck off the pavement regularly, you need a set of tires that is durable enough to stand up to rough conditions, with reinforced construction and a damage-resistant tread compound that can get the job done without punctures, cuts, chips or tears. You need a tread design that’s dependable enough for consistent traction in a variety of conditions, and if you live in a part of the country where you have to deal with challenging winter conditions, the kind that can leave several inches of snow on the roads, it’s a big help if your tires are certified with the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating (like both the Falken and the Yokohama).

In a perfect world, your tires will also be tuned for low noise on the highway, stable road manners, a refined ride, predictable handling, and solid straight-line tracking on the pavement, for long interstate trips, commutes, or daily routines. Then again, if you like to take on steep boulders, rocks, and obstacles with your aired-down tires or take your truck into deep mud bogs or beach sand, all-terrain tires might not be the best choice; maybe mud-terrain tires would be a better fit for your needs. Still, if you find yourself traveling to job sites, oilfield lease roads, ranch roads, logging trails, or if you’re the kind of driver who just loves an excursion off the pavement for some old-fashioned fun in the mud and dirt, all-terrain tires like the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 and Falken Wildpeak A/T4W are both great candidates.

Which one should you choose?

When the SimpleTire team does these kinds of comparisons, this is always the moment of truth, and when it comes down to two premium tires that are as similar in design and performance as the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018 and Falken Wildpeak A/T4W, it’s a pretty tough call. Both tires have the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating, both tires are covered with manufacturer’s tread life warranties, and both are well-engineered, durable tires that are loaded with advanced features and innovations. Both tires are at home on the pavement with a refined and quiet ride, precise handling, and consistent control. You really can’t go wrong with either the Yokohama or the Falken; they’re both superb values in all-terrain tires for a vehicle like a Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, RAM 1500, or Toyota Tundra. So let’s consider the price for a moment, then. The Yokohama comes in at $165.99 per tire ($663.96 for 4) vs. $157 per tire ($628 for 4) for the Falken.

Here are the reasons to buy the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4 G018:

• Better traction
• Better handling
• The list of features from this brand-new line of Geolandar tires is very impressive

Use the following criteria to buy the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W:

• Greater longevity
• The cheaper tire
• Long-lasting on-road comfort

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.