Best Tacoma Snow Tire: Wildpeak A/T4W vs Wrangler DuraTrac RT

Two tires tied at the top of the snow axis

Five models in this fifty-tire dataset reach a 9 on the snow axis - the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3, the Toyo Open Country A/T III, the Yokohama Geolandar A/T4, and the two here - so this is a five-way tie at the top, not a duel. The Falken Wildpeak A/T4W is an all-terrain, second of eighteen in its category and third of fifty overall. The Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT is a rugged-terrain hybrid, second of eleven in its group and thirteenth overall. They sit in different tiers, they share nine Tacoma sizes, and if you are shopping specifically for a Tacoma tire that works through a winter, these two are the shortlist - which is precisely why the tie on snow is so awkward.

• How we score tires

Why the winter axis does not separate them

Both models carry the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake severe-snow rating, so both satisfy a legal severe-snow requirement on a mountain route or in a jurisdiction that mandates winter tires. Both are heavily siped, both use compounds that stay pliable in cold, and both appear in the cited sources as the tire a Tacoma owner reaches for when the forecast turns. Snow is also one of three tied axes here - trail ties at 8 and durability ties at 8 as well - so the two tires are level on winter grip, dirt bite, and casing toughness all at once.

That leaves a narrower winter question than most buyers expect: not which tire grips better in snow, but which handles the rest of a winter better. Winter driving is mostly wet, cold pavement and slush, punctuated by occasional real snow. The Falken's wet score of 8 against the Goodyear's 7 speaks to the first, and the Goodyear's mud score of 7 against the Falken's 5 speaks to the second, because deep slush behaves far more like mud than like packed snow.

Where the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W wins

Five axes, and two of them by two points. Road comfort is 8 against 6, which is a full tier's worth of difference and the clearest everyday distinction between an all-terrain and a hybrid. Value is 8 against 6, and the Falken is also a budget tier lower - medium against high - so it should be the cheaper tire at purchase as well as the better-rated one per dollar.

• Road comfort 8 vs 6: quieter and more settled on the winter highway, where most winter miles actually happen.
• Wet grip 8 vs 7: cold rain and melting slush are the dominant winter surface in most of the country.
• Tread life 8 vs 7 and efficiency 5 vs 4: the Falken is cheaper to run and replaced less often.
• Value 8 vs 6 from a lower budget tier: the least expensive route to a snow score of 9 in this dataset.

The blended result is 8.1 against 7.3. What makes that gap notable is that it is bought without giving up any winter capability at all - the Falken matches the Goodyear on snow, on trail, and on durability, and takes five of the remaining seven axes. For a Tacoma that has to be a normal vehicle for nine months and a winter vehicle for three, that is close to a decisive argument.

Where the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT wins

Two axes, both by two points, and one of them is genuinely a winter argument. Mud is 7 against 5, and in a winter context that means slush clearing and the ability to keep biting through the churned, half-melted mess that a plowed road turns into at 34 degrees. If your winter includes unplowed forest roads, deep wet snow, or a job site that turns to mud between freezes, the Goodyear's more open tread is doing real work that the snow score alone does not capture.

Looks is 9 against 7, the second two-point win, and the DuraTrac RT is the more visually serious of the two. The dataset also tags it for work-truck use, which pairs with the mud figure: this is the tire for a Tacoma that has a job in winter rather than a commute. Note what it does not win - it ties on trail and on durability, so the case for it is mud clearing and appearance, not general toughness.

Tacoma sizes for a winter set

Nine sizes overlap: 265/75R16, 285/75R16, 265/70R17, 275/70R17, 285/70R17, 255/80R17, 265/70R18, 275/70R18, and 285/70R18. Note that 255/80R17 is on both lists, which matters more in winter than at any other time of year - a narrow tire concentrates the truck's weight over a smaller contact patch and cuts through snow to the surface underneath instead of floating on it.

• 255/80R17
• 265/70R17
• 285/70R17
• 265/75R16
• 275/70R17
• 265/70R18

The Falken adds 285/75R17 and 295/70R18; the Goodyear adds 315/70R17. All three are wide, lifted-truck fitments and all three run against the narrow-is-better principle for deep snow. If you are buying specifically for winter, the sensible move is to stay at or below your factory width rather than reaching for the widest size either tire offers.

The verdict for a Tacoma winter

Because the snow axis ties, this is not really a winter comparison - it is a comparison between two tires that are equally good in snow and quite different at everything else. The Falken Wildpeak A/T4W is the better default for the overwhelming majority of Tacomas: it matches the Goodyear on snow, trail, and durability while being quieter, grippier in the wet, longer-wearing, more efficient, and cheaper. You would choose the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT for reasons that live outside the snow column.

• Buy the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W if your winter is plowed roads, cold rain, and the occasional storm - snow 9 with road comfort 8 and value 8 is the best combination on this site.
• Buy the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac RT if your winter includes slush, unplowed roads, or mud between freezes, where its mud 7 against 5 is doing work the snow score does not show.
• Consider a narrow size in either tire: 255/80R17 is on both lists and is the better winter geometry than a 285.
• Consider neither if ice is your real hazard - both are severe-snow-rated all-seasons, and a dedicated winter set on a second pair of wheels outperforms both on ice.