Falken Tire

Last updated

Falken
Product type Tires
Owner Sumitomo Rubber Industries
(since 2003)
Produced bySumitomo Rubber Industries
CountryJapan
Introduced1983
MarketsWorldwide
Previous ownersOhtsu Rubber & Tire
(1983–2003)
Tagline"On the pulse."
Website www.falkentyre.com/en

Falken is a brand of passenger car, light truck, and medium truck tires owned by the Japanese company Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI). It was launched in its native country of Japan in 1983, and was introduced to the North American market two years later and in Europe in 1988. Falken has now become a stand-alone brand that focuses on UHP (ultra high performance) products while utilizing professional motorsports to further develop and improve products for worldwide distribution.

Contents

Sumitomo Rubber North America, Inc., formerly known as Falken Tire Corporation, has its corporate headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with a West Coast distribution center in Ontario, California. Additional Falken Tire distribution locations include warehouses in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey, and Texas.

In June 2015, Sumitomo and Goodyear announced that they would dissolve their worldwide partnership. As part of the deal, Sumitomo bought Goodyear’s Dunlop Tires North America, which included a manufacturing plant in Tonawanda, near Buffalo, New York. The plant, rebranded as Sumitomo Rubber USA, began to produce Falken-branded tires in January 2016. As of 2025, that Buffalo, New York manufacturing plant has closed. [1]

History

Timeline

Motorsports

Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R and BMW M6 GT3 in one of the 2018 Nurburgring VLN races. Falken-Porsche-BMW.png
Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R and BMW M6 GT3 in one of the 2018 Nürburgring VLN races.

Falken has participated in many motorsport activities, including the Tudor United SportsCar Championship sanctioned by IMSA, the former American Le Mans Series, British Drift Championship, Irish Drift Championship, Drift Allstars European Series with driver James Deane, Formula D, Nürburgring 24 Hours, and International Drift Series. Drivers for the IMSA GT Class were Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers, in which they co-piloted a Porsche 911 RSR. Sponsored drivers for the Formula Drift competition were Daijiro Yoshihara, Justin Pawlak, James Deane, Piotr Wiecek, Matt Field, and Aurimas "Odi" Bakchis. Current drivers in the British Drift Championship competition are Matt Carter, Paul Cheshire and Alan Green. Drivers sponsored in 2010 International Drift Series were Remmo Niezen, Lars Verbraeken and Lennard Wanders. [11]

Falken has sponsored racing series such as ALMS and domestic championships like Super Taikyu, Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie aswell as the Nürburgring 24 Hours and drifting series such as Formula D and D1 Grand Prix. Falken was previously the title sponsor of the British Drift Championship until 2010 when Maxxis became the title sponsor.

Since at least 2009, Falken Tire have also a team of spokesmodels that attend to all of the American Le Mans Series and Formula Drift motorsport events. [12] [13]

Motorsport Results

Products

Wildpeak family

Falken markets several all-terrain variants under the **Wildpeak** line. Each model is positioned to address different priorities between daily on-road use, all-weather balance, and rugged off-road capability.

VariantIntended Use / PositioningKey Features / Trade-offs
**AT Trail**Designed for SUVs and crossovers prioritizing on-road comfortSofter construction, lower noise, improved wet handling; moderate off-road ability
**AT3W**Balanced all-terrain + winter-capable optionCertified with the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol; positioned as Falken’s flagship “any-weather” model emphasizing wet, wear, and winter traction
**AT4W**Rugged heavy-duty model for trucks, towing, and rocky terrainStiffer casing, deeper tread, reinforced sidewalls; optimized for load stability and off-road use, though with a firmer ride

Positioning and performance

According to an independent buyer’s guide, Falken differentiates the Wildpeak lineup by intended driver use: the **AT Trail** for crossover and SUV owners seeking ride comfort, the **AT3W** as the versatile middle ground balancing highway manners with snow traction, and the **AT4W** for heavy-duty users requiring durability for towing and off-road driving. [14]

Falken markets the **Wildpeak AT3W** as its flagship all-terrain tire, highlighting its combination of off-road traction and on-road stability across all seasons. [15] Independent testing from Tire Rack has reported that the AT3W performs strongly in wet braking and snow traction, while producing somewhat more tread noise than highway-oriented all-terrains. [16]

In the **2023 On-Road All-Terrain test**, Tire Rack evaluated the **Wildpeak A/T Trail** (255/65R18) and described it as “a well-executed On-Road All-Terrain that exemplifies the category,” noting its predictable road manners and wet performance, though with modest winter capability. [17]

In a **2024 “Taking Off-Road Tires On-Road” test**, Tire Rack assessed the **Wildpeak A/T4W** and reported it as refined for its class, combining wet and snow traction with controlled on-road stability relative to other off-road-focused tires. [18]

In terms of size availability, TireTerrain notes that the **AT Trail** is most common in original equipment SUV and crossover fitments, the **AT3W** is widely available in popular all-terrain sizes such as 265/70R17 and 265/60R18, and the **AT4W** is offered more extensively in heavy-duty truck fitments (including 35×12.50R17) targeting towing and off-road applications. [14]


References

  1. ↑ "Sumitomo Rubber USA - Tonawanda Plant Closure Update".
  2. ↑ "Ohtsu Tires". Ohtsu-Tires.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  3. ↑ "Team Falken Winning Streak – Formula Drift – Modified Magazine". SuperStreetOnline. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "Team Falken Wins GT Class in Baltimore ALMS – GT Standings – Eurotuner Magazine". SuperStreetOnline. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Falken Porsche win makes it two years in a row at Baltimore". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  6. ↑ Butters, Jordan (2 October 2012). "NEWS: Falken Drift Team Sets World Record". Drifted. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "Motorsport News". press.porsche.com. The Gary Stock Company + Porsche Cars North America. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "History of Falken Tire" . Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "The Qantas Wallabies Partner with Falken". 16 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Falken Wins Wheels Tyre Test". 8 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "PREVIEW>> 2010 INTERNATIONAL DRIFT SERIES – Speedhunters". Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  12. ↑ Falken Tire Models Take Motorsports By Storm , by AC at sub5zero.com, May 22, 2009
  13. ↑ Models at Falken Tire
  14. 1 2 Gurkan, Emrecan (1 October 2025). "Falken Wildpeak AT Trail vs AT3W vs AT4W — 2025 Buyer's Guide". TireTerrain. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  15. ↑ "Wildpeak AT3W". Falken Tire. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  16. ↑ "On-/Off-Road All-Terrain Tire Test Results". Tire Rack. September 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  17. ↑ "On-Road All-Terrain Tire Test Results". Tire Rack. 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  18. ↑ "Taking Off-Road Tires On-Road". Tire Rack. 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
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