Cooper Discovery AT3's - AT Tire discussion

FL335i · February 6, 2016

I'm looking to replace my OEM SRA's next year. Yes, I'm doing my HW ahead of time. SRA's have not been a bad tire, but I want/need something more aggressive for off-road work and I'm also going to do a 275/65R18. 1 size up. This tire size is the exact OD has the OEM 22" optional wheel/tire pkg. So I will be talking to the dealer about re-programming if it's available. I do a lot of HWY driving, so I want something quiet and good in the wet... I live in FL. Options? So far I've been eyeing the Goodyear Wranglers with Kevlar. In a LT275/65/18. 15/32" of tread and has the snow flake rating. I looked at the BFK KO 2's but in the size I want it's a E rated tire and it's heavy. I'm not putting a E load tire on my 1/2 ton Truck. the wranglers are light weight and C rated. Next tire I'm looking at are the Cooper AT3's. However their website does not give a lot of spec info on the tires... IE-weight, load rating etc. So I plan on calling. I've seen a lot of good feedback on this tire. One of my superintendents has it on his F150 and he likes them. Don't even know how they compare prices wise vs the Kevlar wranglers. But I'm assuming cheaper. Does anyone have experience with the AT3's? What about any other AT?

Nitto's... only an E rated tire. so no go.

je1279 · February 6, 2016

You may want to check out the Hankook Dynapro ATM also as I've read a lot of positive feedback about them.

chuckl1218 · February 6, 2016

Here's a thread you might be interested in...

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/182129-swapping-out-my-coopers/page-1?hl=fondupot

fondupot · February 6, 2016

Here's a thread you might be interested in...

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/182129-swapping-out-my-coopers/page-1?hl=fondupot

+1. The Coopers did not do well in the snow and rain, and they are a lot louder than the BFG KO2's i have now.

xelli · February 6, 2016

Cooper's A/T3 light truck tire received Overland Journal’s “Editor’s Choice and Value Award” in its September 2014 issue.

http://expeditionportal.com/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/

Editor’s Choice and Value Award

The Cooper Discoverer A/T3 was the overwhelming winner. As the lowest-priced offering, it is also a genuine value. The cost saving is no doubt a result of the company being one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers. The A/T3 was the second fastest through the slalom and wet corner, third fastest through the skid pad, and had the third shortest braking distance. On the highway the Cooper was direct, quiet, and smooth—a tester favorite for long-distance cruising. One would think that all of this pavement performance would result in a lackluster dirt showing, but the Discoverer was an animal on the dirt oval and provided huge driver confidence. This directly translates to improved safety for an overland traveler. The Cooper was also one of the three tires that climbed the rock face successfully.

Cooper’s Discoverer A/T3 is a thoroughly modern tire. Positioned as a dedicated all-terrain, it stems from technologies such as advanced CAD design and FEA engineering. We have put over 10,000 miles on various sets of A/T3s, including a crossing of Australia with a 200 Series Land Cruiser, a traverse of Western Canada in a 110 Defender, and considerable abuse during military training in our LJ78 Land Cruiser. Our testing has resulted in no punctures or failures.

On Road

On pavement the A/T3 behaves more like a performance tire. It had consistently short braking distances and recorded the second fastest speed in the slalom course. Grip improved even more on wet asphalt, where the Cooper clocked the fastest speed—so high that Joe suggested we stop the test for safety reasons. On ice and snow we have found traction is nearly as effective as a winter tire. The A/T3 demonstrated superior ride quality, NVH, and skid pad handling; it cannot be overstated how well these tires perform overall on the pavement. While proprietary engineering data from Cooper was not available, we concluded that the excellent pavement performance was a result of high adhesion (softer durometer), lug integrity and stability (shouldered lug design), and aggressive siping.

On Trail

The Cooper was the high-speed champ on the dirt. On the dirt oval we were able to manage controlled, four-wheel drifts at speeds in excess of 75 mph; this was 15 percent higher than the second best performer. The tire responded well to small inputs of the steering wheel, was direct, and inspired confidence. The prodigious grip allowed for effective countersteer and braking on the loose gravel surface. It has a tapered lug shoulder, which resulted in negligible stone retention; a welcome attribute when compared to older lug profiles. We also found lug integrity to be high, and experienced limited chipping or chunking during the test period. The Cooper performed admirably on the rock wall and rut section, but the rubber composition did demonstrate some compromises. Though adhesion was average, the tire ultimately completed the rock face climb through a combination of mechanical keying and excellent deformation. Carcass flexibility and conformity is better than average

Rawyzf · February 6, 2016

If you have the Cooper ATP available, they are a tad more aggressive than the AT3.

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bwc3030 · February 7, 2016

I recently put on the at3. Had them for about 3 weeks. So far I like them. Pretty quite in the road.

FL335i · February 7, 2016

bwc3030- Where are they made? Are the tires stamped?

TJay74 · February 7, 2016

Just a FYI as of now the dealers don't have a way to program any alternate tire sizes into the ECM. All of the OEM sizes are with in 1/2" of each other in tire height so GM uses the same calibration in the ECM for tire size.

FL335i · February 7, 2016

^ good info. So this saves me $$. The 275/65R18's are the same OD EXACTLY has the OEM 22" wheel pkg. So I'm good. The more I keep looking the more I keep coming back to the Goodyear Wranglers with Kevlar. Light weight, C load rating, AT rating, snow flake rating, made in Amurica. I did some reading and Cooper and GY are the only "true american" tire companies left. However Cooper is now in bed with Chinese companies and an Indian company. So at the end of the day the GY's hit all my points the best. I did look into some Yoko Geolander AT's. Those are pretty decent looking, hit all the right specs and are made in Japan. But for the price.... might as well buy some GY's and be done with it. The only complaints on the GY from what I read were they were never the most aggressive in the group. That's fine. They're more aggressive than the SRA's for sure. And I've made it 37.5k on my SRA's and haven't gotten stuck. So I'm good.... GY's it is when they run a good sale next year. (or if I have damage and need to buy tires in a hurry). I'm tracking to hit 70K on my SRA's at the rate I am going. I did a depth measure the other week around 37k exactly and did the math. 70k on OEM's isn't bad. I might change them out a bit earlier b/c that math did not take into account the 2/32" for wear indicators. So 65k is my target goal for the factory SRA's. Not bad for a "bad factory tire". the LT Wranglers have 15/32", so I should be able to get even more out of them.

CptMcSaug · February 7, 2016

For weights go to treaddepot.com

Imcrazy · February 7, 2016

I have Cooper ATP's on my truck, they're discount tire exclusive. I've been happy, they're a touch louder on the hwy than my SR-A's were but, not bad. I've seen some negative reviews of the AT3's, I've not seen any bad press on the ATP. I was kinda leaning more towards general grabber at2's but, they had an extra $70 off on the Coopers. Also I too have 275/65/18's.

Big Whiskey · February 7, 2016

My suggestion would be to run a 6-ply, load range C, LT tire. In the 275/65/18 size you mentioned, you have three good options. The Goodyear Wrangler Adventure with Kevlar, Cooper Discoverer AT3, and Toyo Open Country AT2 are all available in that size & rating. I don't have any experience with the Goodyears, so I can't say much about them. I put nearly 50k miles on a set of Cooper AT3's and loved them. They were quiet and smooth, and (unlike others' experience), I found them to be amazing in the snow & rain. Their winter performance was better than any set of BFG's I've had in the past. And, they still had decent tread left when I sold them at close to 50k. My only complaint was that they didn't look aggressive enough, but that's just personal preference. I'm running the Toyo AT2's now, and like them a lot. They're also smooth and quiet, and handle very well in the rain. We haven't had much snow this winter, so I can't really comment on their performance there. I like the looks of the Toyos better than the Coopers. I think you'd be just fine with any of those three choices.