Coopers Tires = BAD ???

[Brissy4me Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brissy4me]

Hi Everyone,

First post for me, have been a bit of a lurker for some time .

I currently own a 97 manual GXL and used to have COOPER STT's on it, great tires, couldnt recommend them highly enough but very noisy on road which is why I switched to the BFG AT's I currently have. I have ordered a D4D GXL due to be delivered in early May and am going to trade in the Grandcraps it will come with for a better tire. I was so impressed with the STT's I am seriously considering the ST's. I have heard a lot of people say they have HEARD bad reports about the coopers but I have yet to hear a FIRST hand report from someone who doesnt like them. Does anybody know any FACTS about the so called bad Tyre reports?

All replies welcome

[McBAIN Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close McBAIN]

i've got cooper ATR's, done bout 25000 on them, haven't had any problems at all, plenty of traction on and off road. i looked at beefier ones but realistically i do 95% on 5% off so it wasn't worth it..

[steve120 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close steve120]

Welcome to the forum Brissy

Like McBain and a few others on here, I also have ATR's - which are a direct size replacement for the Dunlops at 265 x 65 x 17. Have had them for about 20k and very happy with them. Though noticed some minor chipping after a recent trip to Abercrombie NP. Very sharp and rocky roads there, so not unexpected. They are not available in LT construction either - just normal passenger.

Like you - I got Coopers based on past experience. Had ATR's for ages on my 4 Runner, b4 the Prado and no trouble at all.

My understanding is that anything else from the Cooper range are not available in the equivalent Prado 120 size and you have to go to 265 x 70 x 17. That comes with the inherit speedo inaccuracy, state law issues and I seem to recall people saying that they might rub a bit on full lock. (Can't be sure of my memory - perhaps I read it over on LCOOL ? - have a search)

If I was planning the big outback trip, or perhaps somewhere wet, I might investigate further. But not on the horizon for now and it hasn't rained anywhere in NSW enough to make mud! So will wear out the ATR's for now.

Anything is better than the Grandtreks, so I figure you can't really go wrong.

Cheers...Steve

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Re: Coopers Tires = BAD ???

Does anybody know any FACTS about the so called bad Tyre reports?

All replies welcome

Yes, there has been reports of Coopers ATR deliminating. All depends
where you going to use them. If it is around the town etc you should be
fine. If you are planning on going outback and rocky roads - Coopers SUX
big time - STs/STTs/ATRs

Last year on Madigan Line trip we had 10 cars:

1 with MTZ's - 1 puncture
7 with MTR's - 1 puncture
1 with STTs - 4 punctures and 2 blown tyres by the end of the trip
2 with procomps - no puctures

[Guest Close Guest]

Tyre pressures are also the big factor in punctures on outback roads. Dont drop them and you'll risk damaging most tyre brands. ops:

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

So which tyre withstood the punishment?

Well, the MTR ans Procomps done OK.

MTRs- 7 cars = 28 tyres - 1 punctiure
STTs - 1 car = 4 tyres - 4 punctures + 2 blown tyres....
Procomps 2 cars = 8 tyres - no pucntures
MTZ - 1 car = 4 tyres - 1 puncture through the thread block :shock:

No tyre is bulltetproof and you have to watch you tyre pressures but
for extreme outback conditions either Goddyear MTR/Silent Armors
or Procomps AT/Mud terrains is the way to go... (after that it's 12 ply SuperDiggers :mrgreen: )

[Guest Close Guest]

What you havent told us Brissy4me is what type of driving you do?

Is it 80% city (bitumen) 20 % dirt/gravel etc? This makes a big difference to what you need.

[jeff s Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close jeff s]

I have the cooper discoverer ST.
265/70/17 i think.
LT 10ply.
Just finished a big trip with alot of dirt and alot of weight towing a full camper trailer.
38psi all round and apart from some tyre chipping around some tread blocks on the strzelecki tracks rocks had no problems.
They had just over 13,000 on them before we started and now have about 26,000.

I wonder why so many problems with

Last year on Madigan Line trip we had 10 cars:

1 with MTZ's - 1 puncture
7 with MTR's - 1 puncture
1 with STTs - 4 punctures and 2 blown tyres by the end of the trip
2 with procomps - no puctures

did they see 4WD monthly tyre test relating puncture resistance to tyre pressures. And also their last fraser DVD with the cooper guys. Maybe too low in pressure for too long?
Must be something because that seems very odd...

Jeff.

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

I wonder why so many problems with.

Jeff,

Some of the tracks you are talking about could be done with Grandtrecks
and with the right tyre pressures and a "bit" of luck you can
do it without any punctures...

The places where are we normally going to there are no roads...
Just a trackless country and you use GPS to find your way around...

[xvprado Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close xvprado]

Re: Coopers Tires = BAD ???

Yes, there has been reports of Coopers ATR deliminating. All depends
where you going to use them. If it is around the town etc you should be
fine. If you are planning on going outback and rocky roads - Coopers SUX
big time - STs/STTs/ATRs

Big statement Stan
There have been "reports"...but you have no first hand knowledge ?
Certainly there was a documented case on Overlander a couple of years ago, but this is not indicative of the product overall, each mfr has days they wished they didnt get out of bed !!!

I have had a Cooper ATR disintegrate on me, and it was replaced in full by Cooper. In my case it was a 45 degree day I was towing a 1tonne trailer on high speed dirt when the tyre popped and promptly tore itself to peices...was it because it was a Cooper, or was it the conditions...you be the judge

I have done extensive outback travel on ATRs and am happy with their performance

Your Hay River trip cant be used as statistical "proof", merely your experiences under variable conditions, none of us know any more about tyre condition, pressures etc and to bag the whole product range on that is ludicrous.

My experiences with Coopers has been pretty positive, but like a cars mfr badge, Im not devoted to them. In my view they make a good product and are specific about their construction and quality, more than can be said for most tyre mobs.

Retailers will often tell stories based on what is most profitable for them at the time, Im not sure they are a reliable source of information either. For most of us advice from people using the product tends to be the most objective....not a mate of a mate or whatever

Cheers

Glen

[Brissy4me Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brissy4me]

Excellent reply glen, you have much the same view as me. Its what I was trying to get across with my original post. I realise also that every Brand has its bad days and no doubt there are people out there sworn to never have another Coopers tyre (or some other brand). I myself wont have another set of Bridgestone tyres on my vehicle, not because of bad tyres but because of bad experience with the company when I had faulty tyres.

I dont do as much driving offroad as I would like (of course), probably 80/20 onroad is about right but I am sold on tyres being one of the most important factors for offroad driving and am willing to trade some more onroad performance for off road traction for when I do go offroad.


Greg

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Re: Coopers Tires = BAD ???

Big statement Stan
There have been "reports"...but you have no first hand knowledge ?

Glen,

There are 3 reports of Cooper ATR's deliminating on lcool 120 series
forum and there are at least another 2 reports on exploroz forum... (all happened within the last year)

I have had a Cooper ATR disintegrate on me, and it was replaced in full by Cooper. In my case it was a 45 degree day I was towing a 1tonne trailer on high speed dirt when the tyre popped and promptly tore itself to peices...was it because it was a Cooper, or was it the conditions...you be the judge

You have been lucky compared to the guy with Coopers on our Trip -
once he got home the Cooper rep told him "bad luck"...

The car with Coopers that was with us on the trip had the similar problem
- tyre blowout at 80km an hour on a very hot day.

None of others cars had the same problem and on the same day
I run the MTRs at 24 PSI hot, travelling at speeds up to 100km an hour
without any problems (the tyre temp according to tyre sensors was
around 60deg Celsius)

Your Hay River trip cant be used as statistical "proof", merely your experiences under variable conditions, none of us know any more about tyre condition, pressures etc and to bag the whole product range on that is ludicrous.

That trip was just one of the experiences where I've seen how STTs performs vs all other tyres on the trip (the same tyre preassures, the same terrain, the same vechible weight).... And I've been out and about
with lots of cars on 4wd trips over the time. A lot of guys in our 4wd club
used to run Cooper ST and most of them complain on how badly they get
cheaped and whole blocks tored out during trips to High Country (and I seen it myself).

ATR mostly been OK, "except" deliminating tyres when run at low preassure and hot weather...

This is all from experience - all of the 3 cooper tyres listed have problems... As I said before - they would be OK around town but
personally I would not take any them in the serious outback trip...

Retailers will often tell stories based on what is most profitable for them at the time, Im not sure they are a reliable source of information either. For most of us advice from people using the product tends to be the most objective....not a mate of a mate or whatever

I completely agree with you on that point Glen. I don't listen to retailers
on what tyres to buy, I also look at the independent sources of info
like users opinions and my own experience.



Anyway it doesn't matter what we both say here as at the end of the day
you will still have your opinion and I'll have mine :wink:

Take care
Stan

[hodgy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close hodgy]

Got a qutoe from a local tyre dealer for Cooper ATRs 265/65/17 (trading the craptreks), at $194 each (that's with a $100 trade on the Dunlops). I'm picking the car up and driving the two clicks from the Toyota dealer. Am I getting ripped or is this an average price? Any help appreciated.

[Guest Close Guest]

$100 trade in is not very good. I got $200 each tyre and others here are getting in the high $1oo's as well.

My changeover to D694's was $30-$50 a wheel basically.

From what I have heard from 2 reputable dealers the craptreks cost them (cost) $195 each.
If this is right your dealer is making a $475 Profit without any markup and also seems he is possibly getting close to covering his costs on the Coopers as well.
Myself I would be looking elsewhere for pricing as well.

If your happy with the changeover price though, go for it.

I have personally seen 2 delaminations on ATR's on the road. (1 was driver error as running approx 18 PSi on bitumen! oops)
That one was a lady I stopped to help on a country road as she didnt have the strength to undo the wheel nuts ! It did about 3-4 k of damage to the car as well. Removed rear door skin & plastic trim, rear guard plastic, mud flap, cut tears into steel wheel arch, damaged inside trim & carpet :shock:

[Guest Close Guest]

:?: Stan, out of interest (its prob somewhere already but cant see it) What MTR's are you running?

I am probably going to do a second set of rims as well and was tossing between Wrangler MTRs , Mickeys and STT's.

I know Slads before his demise was on the Wranglers and was pretty happy with them, I knwo people with STT's and say they are good, but chip badly. And Mickeys seem to be reputable as well.