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- Oct 25, 2021
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Huh, the new AT4/GO18 is way more Wildpeak/Toyo Open Country than the GO15. Interesting they changed the design so radically.
4runner needs new tires, Cooper tires any good?
- Thread starter MAX45a
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MAX45a
Go with the Michelin LTX/M/S2 from discount tire and don't look back.
I'm currently on my 6th set on my current 2011 Ford Expedition with 397k miles
Michelin usually runs a sale in March/April
You can save a few bucks if you wait 'till then
btw I'm running size275/55/20
Best of Luck to you
Go with the Michelin LTX/M/S2 from discount tire and don't look back.
I'm currently on my 6th set on my current 2011 Ford Expedition with 397k miles
Michelin usually runs a sale in March/April
You can save a few bucks if you wait 'till then
btw I'm running size275/55/20
Best of Luck to you
Related question:
There's a general hierarchy to these tires.
We here on BITOG have 'attuned nerves' so we get to split hairs when we assess and buy tires.
That's a good thing.
My Q is, does the usual quality impressions remain the same throughout all sizes?
In other words, are 15" thru 17" tires' hierarchy the same as that of 18" thru 22" tires?
There's a general hierarchy to these tires.
We here on BITOG have 'attuned nerves' so we get to split hairs when we assess and buy tires.
That's a good thing.
My Q is, does the usual quality impressions remain the same throughout all sizes?
In other words, are 15" thru 17" tires' hierarchy the same as that of 18" thru 22" tires?
My experience with Cooper tires was good but it was too long ago to be valid now .
The short answer is yes, the quality level is the same regardless of size.
The long answer is that the design engineer will specify the same materials and adjust those specs for the demands of the size. Things like the amount of cord in the plies will be different from size to size, but the net effect is that the strength is close to being the same regardless of size.
But different plants have different machinery and different raw materials to work from. That means there will be small differences that might translate to different levels of quality - HOWEVER - every manufacturer tries very hard to minimize those differences. The classic case where that didn't happen is Firestone's Decatur plant which was involved with the Ford/Firestone controversy. I talk about that here: Barry's Tire Tech: The Firestone / Ford Controversy
But be careful. Sometimes the names used are ever so slightly different and the characteristics of can also be different. Put another way: There is likely a difference between a Goodstone FireEagle ST and a Goodstone FireEagle DT. Don't get confused. The name differences are important.
Had Cooper AT (Walmart) and the Evolution HT2 tires. Both used on my old Avalanche. Had the HT2 on it when drove it from CA to Maryland and back, they smooth, quiet, and plenty of traction. Had the ATs on and they also performed well, to include offroad. The Road + trail design look good. You won’t be disappointed
I think Cooper makes good truck tires, and are probably 15 years behind in manufacturing tech. I had a set of RTX All Terrains and they ran like a well-sorted utility truck tire. They were softer rubber and for a while were one of my preferred wet weather 2WD truck tire. They lost some of that around 20k miles and started to cup, regardless of my rotations and healthy PSI.
The Michelin LTX is a sweetheart on a 4R, and they are respectable in snow. They are a little soft riding and the 4R is tall and wallowy, which isn’t the greatest of combinations… soft tire on a tall vehicle. I’d give a good hard look at the Yokohama G015. The set I had wore well, was quiet on the road, handled towing loads without any drama, is a little stiffer in the sidewall, all while being a tire that required fewer weights to balance than any other brand I’ve known, including Michelin.
The Continental AT, the TerrainContact is also a very good highway/all-terrain. I’m on my second set. They don’t balance quite as precisely as the yoko G015, but they have the best wet stoppin/starting traction I’ve had in a truck tire. They are softer, more similar to the Michelin LTX, and I find need a little more pressure in them to firm up.
That Cooper AT3 was the darling AT tire when it was introduced… maybe 20 years ago? Tire Rack’s scores on it were impressive - but that was nearly 2 decades ago and other mfr’s have caught up. It’s still a respectable tire, but for highway 4R I’d probably lean towards something else.
The G015 is snowflake rated, while the continental and Michelin are not. For a pavement-oriented 4R, I’d probably lean towards the Yoko.
The Michelin LTX is a sweetheart on a 4R, and they are respectable in snow. They are a little soft riding and the 4R is tall and wallowy, which isn’t the greatest of combinations… soft tire on a tall vehicle. I’d give a good hard look at the Yokohama G015. The set I had wore well, was quiet on the road, handled towing loads without any drama, is a little stiffer in the sidewall, all while being a tire that required fewer weights to balance than any other brand I’ve known, including Michelin.
The Continental AT, the TerrainContact is also a very good highway/all-terrain. I’m on my second set. They don’t balance quite as precisely as the yoko G015, but they have the best wet stoppin/starting traction I’ve had in a truck tire. They are softer, more similar to the Michelin LTX, and I find need a little more pressure in them to firm up.
That Cooper AT3 was the darling AT tire when it was introduced… maybe 20 years ago? Tire Rack’s scores on it were impressive - but that was nearly 2 decades ago and other mfr’s have caught up. It’s still a respectable tire, but for highway 4R I’d probably lean towards something else.
The G015 is snowflake rated, while the continental and Michelin are not. For a pavement-oriented 4R, I’d probably lean towards the Yoko.
I quite like Cooper tires. I had good luck with Goodyear in the past but their prices skyrocketed a few years back and the Wrangler Trailrunners on my Trailblazer were subpar at most.
Running Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek on my 2017 Ram 3500. They were 100 bucks less per tire than replacing the Duratracs. Similar tread and off pavement performance but quieter on highway. Will see how lo g they last but overall very happy.
Just replaced the Trailrunners on my Trailblazer. Garbage tire in the end. Shy of 50,000km and almost worn out. Replaced with Discoverer Road and Trail. Much improved performance off highway and snow and ice. While maybe a couple thousand km on them, very happy.
Running Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek on my 2017 Ram 3500. They were 100 bucks less per tire than replacing the Duratracs. Similar tread and off pavement performance but quieter on highway. Will see how lo g they last but overall very happy.
Just replaced the Trailrunners on my Trailblazer. Garbage tire in the end. Shy of 50,000km and almost worn out. Replaced with Discoverer Road and Trail. Much improved performance off highway and snow and ice. While maybe a couple thousand km on them, very happy.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
Quick luber here turned one of his bays into tire service and sells allot of the Mastercraft LT's ...
Interesting that this topic popped up. The factory tires on my Tacoma are absolute garbage and I got stuck in 4WD today going to work. I've run a couple sets of Cooper AT3 4S and they performed well. One did have a balance issue, but snow traction was great. I went ahead and ordered a set of the Discoverer Road+Trail today. I think they're a bargain for a set of 265/70/17 OTD for $750.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
The Goodstone FireEagle ST might be a trailer tire
Get the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 version. Perfect tire for what you need. You will be surprised by them. They are actually quite good at light off road work (like pasture, logging roads, low maintenance roads, etc) as well as in the snow. I've ran Coopers 3 different times with 3 different models because I really wanted to like them, but alas I was never been impressed enough to go out of my way to recommend them to anyone. If you search the NTSA database for tire recalls, Cooper has one of the highest reporting rates. I'm running Falken Rubitreks on my Tundra right now. Have 25k on them and I really like them. Sort of a less expensive version of Wildpeaks. We just had 15 inches of snow here this week and they were fantastic in that. I like them enough that I'm going to put them on the 4Runner we have when it comes time if they still make them by then.
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On a second set of Mastercraft on the 95 in my sig to replace a set that sidewall cracked. Got a replacement with a little prorated wty. That set is starting to crack at 3 years so will go back to BFG. Also getting yelled at for parking the truck in the sun put me off from Town Fair Tire.
I've been looking at the Falken at4w to seems like a lot of toyota guys run them. In the past i have always run Defenders i have bought 3 sets of them but that was on a CR-V.
I just like the look of a AT tire more.........yeah i know it's silly but lets face it we buy cars based on there looks more often than i can admit.
Michelin Defender LTX either the M/S at Costco or the new M/S2 would be my choice.
There is a reason all other light truck tires are compared to them. Excellent on-road all season performance, and they will excel in dry off road conditions as well. You can expect 50,000 miles of excellent performance.
Cant agree that is literally one of their worst tires. I'd take defenders over their AT's even mild offroad.
Coopers are very popular here.. the gems in their lineup are above average.
Why do you think LTX AT2 is one of their worst tires?
I am not saying that Copper is bad, they are not, just not necessarily a tire to strive toward for any performance needs.
I have had great success with the LTX AT2. My one complaint is that the sides or tread are not very deep, and wear in fater than the middle. Maybe this is a design thing. I have them on my 3500 DRW and they do great.....that said.....I will likely not be getting them again, and going to a more aggressive tire.
I had three sets of coopers. The HT3, on another 3500 DRW, and they lasted no longer or less than the LTX MS. Got them twice, as they were a good deal. The other set was the Maxx ST :
excellent looking tire, great reviews, terrible ride, terrible wet traction, terrible side rolling.....on a 2500 Suburban.
Very limited sizes released so far definitely not a mild AT anymore .. more "regular AT"
agree. its basically a mild mud tire and old as dirt.
Put Coopers on the wifes Lexus last year during a PepBoys black friday sale. Very happy with them. Very happy with the Yokohamas we put on our Flex a few years ago from Discount Tire. Problem with buying at Pep Boys is their service is SLOOOOW. Took 90 minutes for a rotation, and I had an appointment. DT has me in and out in 30 minutes...and its free!
