FLIGHT OF THE FALKEN

WE SUBJECT THE NEW FALKEN AT4 TYRES TO A 10,000KM TORTURE TEST TO CAPE YORK AND BACK

- MARK ALLEN

To the Cape and back. Yes, Cape York - the very tip of Australia.

That’s almost 10,000km return from home, across every terrain imaginable: bitumen, sand, mud, rock and slop, and in very high temperatures. Tree roots and jagged rocks attacking the sidewalls and trying to pierce the tread, and the 4.2-tonne GVM maxed out, giving the Falkens hell and mashing them into Mother Earth.

From walking pace to 110km/h; from bone-dry dust to slippery wet bitumen.

This is one tyre test that’ll either make or break the new-to-Australia Falken AT4 rubber.

AT3 TO AT4 - WHY?

I'd had the well-renowned Falken AT3s on our 4x4-converted HiAce for well over a year, clocking up around 15,000km across varied terrain without mishap or fault, and I'd been extremely happy with them - much like many other owners who swear by their Falkens.

So, to switch to an unknown tyre just weeks out from a major trip was a big risk. So many what-ifs, so many thoughts about what might fail. But hey, you only get one life - and pushing products to their limits, all in the name of testing, sure beats wondering about the adventures I might have missed.

So, off with the ‘Threes’ and on with the ‘Fours’, in the same dimensions (265/70R17), to test a tyre that wasn’t even due for its official release for another five months.

THE DIFFERENCES

Aside from the ‘three’ being swapped for a ‘four’ on the sidewall of the new tyres, many wouldn’t immediately notice the outward visual differences between the two. Of course, there’s no guessing the changes made beneath the surface - and those upgrades represent a significant step up from the outgoing design, making the new Falken AT4 a world-class tyre, one that'll be hard to beat in any arena.