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Last updated 11/20/2024 - Originally published 11/20/2024
Written by SimpleTire
So, what’s the story with highway-terrain tires (for light trucks)? As the name suggests, highway-terrain tires are for vehicles that put in most of their time on paved roads and will do just fine with an all-season tread pattern for year-round performance. You can think of highway-terrain tires as having a lot in common with their automotive all-season or grand touring tire counterparts: drivers count on them for year-round grip, long wear, a quiet and comfortable ride, along with handling that’s precise and predictable. It’s more than these tires being sized for light trucks, though; the big difference is their beefed-up construction that can easily handle an enhanced load rating. Highway-terrain light truck tires are suitable for trucks that might haul heavy loads or tow trailers. In other words, you can think of it as being the tougher, more durable version of an automotive all-season or Grand Touring tire. Today we’re going to take a look at two very good premium highway-terrain tires: the Wildpeak H/T02 from Falken and the One H/T from Nokian.
Are you familiar with SimpleTire’s SimpleScore system? It is the rating method that our team developed to give you a quick at-a-glance idea of any tire’s performance and value. We look at a tire’s reviews, specs, and other data points to evaluate and then roll out 1-10 numerical scores. For the Falken Wildpeak H/T02 and Nokian One H/T, the SimpleScore ratings shake out like this:
Nokian One H/T:
- Traction: 8.5
- Handling: 8.5
- Longevity: 8.9
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.6
Falken Wildpeak H/T02
- Traction: 8.3
- Handling: 8.4
- Longevity: 8.8
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.4
As you can see, the Nokian and the Falken compare pretty well with each other in SimpleScore rankings, although both have their distinct strengths and weaknesses. As handy as SimpleScore is, though, it’s still the 30,000-foot perspective that doesn’t give you the whole picture and the real details you need to make an informed decision. Let’s go in for a closer look at this product line comparison:
Falken Wildpeak H/T02 tires
Technically, the Falken Wildpeak H/T02 might be classed as an all-season tire or a highway-terrain tire, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. This is a durable, tough tire for light trucks and SUVs, complete with Heavy Duty LT designation that signifies extra load capacity and a durable construction. The Wildpeak H/T 02 is nothing if not tough and durable; it’s designed with a resilient upper sidewall, damage-resistant tread compound, “support bridge” tread blocks that enhance its rigidity and stability, and a 75,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (50,000 miles for LT-metric sizes). Put the whole package together, and it comes out to a SimpleScore of 8.8 for longevity. The Wildpeak H/T02 is also designed for year-round performance, with a silica-rich tread formulation and a tread pattern designed around four circumferential and lateral grooves with 3D Canyon Sipes for a SimpleScore of 8.3 for traction. Steering response, braking performance, road manners, and cornering are all solid and accurate, and we give the Wildpeak H/T 02 a SimpleScore of 8.4 for handling. Overall SimpleScore for the Falken Wildpeak H/T 02 is 8.4. SimpleTire’s price on the Falken Wildpeak H/T02 starts around $119 per tire.
Nokian One H/T tires
Nokian is a Finnish tire manufacturer ( the same parent company as Nokia phones) that’s best known for their winter tires that are designed to handle the rigors of a Scandinavian winter. The One H/T is designed with Aramid fibers in the sidewall for enhanced durability, with a long-wearing tread compound and stone ejectors built into the base of the tread grooves to easily shed rocks, dirt, and debris to protect the casing. The Nokian One H/T is covered by a 55,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (70,000 miles for P-Metric sizes), which is enough for a SimpleScore of 8.9 in the longevity category. That very strong SimpleScore of 8.5 for traction is thanks to a set of circumferential grooves that work as a system with lateral grooves and sipes to divert water away from the tire’s contact patch and resist hydroplaning, with Nokian’s Silent Groove technology helping to keep road noise down. The 3D sipes multiply the tread’s surface area and traction with hundreds of tiny biting edges that chew through snow and slush. The Aramid-reinforced sidewall and shoulder, along with robust internal construction and a long-wearing tread compound help the Nokian One H/T behave as a highly durable tire. SimpleTire’s price on the Nokian One H/T starts at $134.34 per tire.
Falken Wildpeak H/T02 vs Nokian One H/T tires on traction
When it comes to traction, it’s a pretty close split in SimpleScores, with 8.5 for the Nokian One H/T and 8.3 for the Falken Wildpeak H/T02. We should note here that neither tire is really designed for any serious off-road use, and neither tire has the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. The Nokian, though, is designed with an advanced tread compound for improved wet-weather grip, and its grooves and interlocking sipes give it a confident, consistent grip on wet or dry roads or in light winter conditions. On the other hand, the Falken’s tread compound is geared towards preventing damage on difficult roads. It’s a close one, but our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Nokian One H/T
Falken Wildpeak H/T02 vs Nokian One H/T tires on handling
When it comes to handling, many of the design features of any tire’s tread and tread compound can also tie in pretty directly to its cornering ability, steering response, braking, and road manners. That’s the case here, with the Nokian One H/T registering a SimpleScore of 8.5 for handling vs 8.4 for the Falken Wildpeak H/T02. As any vehicle starts to make a curve or enter a corner, its weight and momentum try to keep it moving forward rather than turning. That inertia puts a lot of load on the tire’s tread, shoulder, and sidewall and can lead to deformation of the contact patch and “tread squirm,” sometimes with the inboard side of the tire leaving the pavement completely. In the case of the Nokian One H/T, its Aramid-reinforced sidewalls and tough internal design (with reinforced shoulder blocks) give it the rigidity necessary to resist tread squirm for sharp cornering and quick, light steering response. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Nokian One H/T
Falken Wildpeak H/T02 vs Nokian One H/T tires on longevity
When it comes down to longevity and SimpleScore numbers, the SimpleScore values are usually tied directly to the limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage for the tire. That’s how it plays out here, with a SimpleScore of 8.8 for the Falken and 8.9 for the Nokian. While the Falken comes with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage (50,000 miles for LT-metric sizes), the Nokian receives a warranty coverage of 55,000 miles (70,000 miles for P-Metric sizes). There are stone ejectors at the bottom of grooves on the Nokian tire to remove stones, rocks, and other debris, preventing damage. Additionally, there are Aramid fibers in the sidewall to enhance durability. Based on the above, our decision is in favor of:
ADVANTAGE: Nokian One H/T
When to use each
To be really honest, both the Nokian and the Falken are very good choices for a light truck or SUV. They’re both premium tires that you can count on for premium performance, with everything you’d expect from a Grand Touring passenger tire: sharp and precise handling, a quiet and refined ride, long and even tread life, and year-round traction in about every kind of condition other than heavy snow and ice. They’re also both tires that are robust enough for trailer-towing duties and carrying heavy loads, meaning that they’re tough enough for service with commercial vehicles. Where we’d avoid using the Nokian or the Hankook, though, is in heavier snow or off-road use in deep mud or loose dirt, since that’s not really what tires like these are designed for.
The Falken tire displays more use of technology as compared to the Nokian, examples being Advanced 4D Nano Design and 3D Canyon Sipe Technology. It also appears to be the more rugged tire of the two.
Which one should you choose?
When we take everything into account, the technical information on both tires, the SimpleScore rankings, customer reviews, and manufacturer’s specs, both the Falken Wildpeak H/T02 and Nokian One H/T offer great value and performance. Both tires are loaded with excellent design features, both tires have premium materials, manufacturing, and workmanship, and both have very generous limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage (although the Falken does come out a bit ahead on that count). They’re so closely matched in performance and quality that it’s honestly a little hard for us to recommend one over the other in good conscience, so let’s look at the prices: the Nokian starts at $134.34 per tire ($537.36 for 4) vs $114 per tire ($456 for 4) for the Falken. In light of that, we’d just break it down this way: if you can afford a few dollars more per tire, go for the Nokian One H/T. If you want to save a bit of money on the whole set, opt for the Falken Wildpeak H/T02. We’re confident you’ll be making the right call either way.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.