Are the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S Sufficient for Off Road?

I am at a crossroads. I either want to go with something like the Wrangler Duratracs (I have read about the sidewalls and I am not that concerned because I do not intend on rock climbing), or the AT3 4S from Cooper. I need the truck to perform well in snowy California mountains (Lake Tahoe area), which definitely includes deep snow, slush, and morning ice. I also need to get to/from the mountains on the highway.

I have been leaning towards the Coopers, but there are two things holding me back. One is performance, the other is appearance... So, two key questions:

1) How well do the Coopers perform on gravel/dirt roads, and medium-level actual 4x4 trails? In particular, if anyone has experience with them on California trails that would be great -- mix of loose rock, some VERY mild rock crawling (probably not even with a locker, etc., just basic), and majority dirt roads / washboard / etc.

2) Do they look more like an AT tire or a highway tire? Some angles they look mildly aggressive and would definitely make me happy... Other angles they look like street tires. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance. I don't want to debate the Duratracs, by the way... Guessing this will slip into a Duratrac sidewall argument, but hoping not!

Cheers - KP

 

how much off highway snow driving are you actually going to do? Much better tires to be had for plowed road / ice driving... IE Michelin Defender LTX M/S.... also going to be MUCH better wear life and wet pavement traction compared to just about anything else.... and lots quieter.

 

I have no experience with them but from what your intended purposes are, the Coopers seem like they would do decently and fit the bill. Maybe give falken wildpeaks a look as well, everyone here seems to swear by them. I do have Goodyear ultra terrains on my suburban and they work pretty damn good in the snow and on pavement and wet roads. Might be another option to look at.

 

Thanks, understood. It's important to me to be able to hit the trails and to do on highway / road snow driving. So while the majority of my driving will be on the roadways and not in the snow, I am looking for a tire that is more than capable offroad and in the snow. I am willing to put up with some road noise, a small hit on MPGs, to have a better tire for trails and snow.

 

I have the older AT/3's on my F-150. I've gotten good service out of them, The new version is very close, just a more aggressive sidewall. I'm at 55,000 miles now and might be able to squeeze 60,000 out of them, but will buy new tires next month before we get any snow here. They are not a hard core aggressive off road tire, but they've never let me down. I had a set for a similar number of miles on my Tacoma with similar results. They ride good, are quiet, and have performed well in snow. Neither truck saw a decline in MPG's. I drove the Ford to CO last November for an elk hunt and probably drove 200 miles on snow covered forest service roads.

I'd advise an "E" rated tire, not that it is needed for load capacity, but it is a tougher tire less prone to getting flats when driving on rough forest service type roads. I've ruined a few "P" series tires that couldn't be repaired. It is cheaper to buy 4 "E" rated tires than 4 "P" series tires and then have to start replacing them one at a time due to damage.

I'm at the point where my truck will be used mostly as a truck, and less as a DD and I want to go to something a little more aggressive next time. I haven't decided exactly which tire yet. I'm considering BFG's next time. Cost would be over $1100 installed. I'm also considering these.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=Scorpion+All+Terrain+Plus

I have a relative who works for Pirelli and can get me a set at a very good price. They are a more aggressive tire in person than the photo makes it appear. More aggressive than the Falkens, closer to the BFG's. I just need to see how much the price difference will be before I decide.

This photo was taken a year ago with over 40,000 miles on the tires.



I had no issues driving in these conditions.

 

Those ultra terrains do look like they might be a good sort of compromise between the AT3 4S and something like the Duratracs...

I've read a lot of posts talking about the benefits of C load vs E load, etc., and agree that E load might be best suited for rough offroad trails. That said, I think that C load would suffice for the type of offroad driving I'll be doing... And I also hear that E loads can be heavy/firm, which makes me a bit hesitant... I do appreciate the input! And all of the AT/3 experience on TW definitely has me strongly considering the AT3 4S, or even the LTs. Cheers!

 

I am on my 2nd set of Michelin LTX A/T2s and they are a good all around tire and I run 265-70R16 in P metric. After mid 50k miles they start to get slippery so almost time for set #3 so put like 115k on the 2 sets. Look at Tire Rack ratings for a long-term driving rating on all tires. I have driven them FL to AK and all points in between and never a problem or a flat on or off road. I very rarely air down. I tow a boat and had a trailer too. They do throw some gravel. I have a 3" lift and full skids so they get used. Not for the 6"' lift 35" tires with low gear type trash them E rated rough riding tires. Going thru Utah then into Tahoe in a blinding snow storm they never let me down. I carry a set of chains for really bad snow/ice and clay type mud areas but so far never needed them. There will be a time I'm sure when even the e-locker won't be enough. Just another opinion for you.

 

^^ I have a set of these on my Tahoe. Great tire. Affordable, aggressive sidewall and tread, snowflake rated for severe winter use, but quiet on the pavement. I have run Duratracs and Cooper AT3s, but the pirellis are my favorite.

 

I had Duratracs on my previous Taco, a 2005 double cab OR. They have their pluses and minuses like any other tire. Mine were 265/75/16, load range C.

They wore like iron. I had about 40k on them when the truck was totaled and the tires still had about 50% of the tread left. I didn’t do anything insane but no problems at all with durability. In my experience the Duratracs are an excellent off road and mountain tire. It was almost like having snow chains on snowy dirt roads up in the mountains. I didn’t need to use 4wd as much as some of the less aggressive tires would require.

They are not the best on-road tire, especially with age/miles on them. They aren’t very loud when new but mine got louder and louder and louder over time. At the 40k point they were pretty annoying on the highway and quite audible even at 30-40 mph on city streets. I had some trouble with sliding on slushy or icy roads.

I had planned on replacing them with a different tire, maybe the Falken Wildpeak AT3/W or one of the Cooper AT3 variants. For the right purposes though, Duratracs are pretty legit.

 

I have the coopers and they've been good
Look a the General Grabbers ATX

 

I had the AT3 on my 100 series land cruiser a while back. They did very well in the snow and slush. I ended up going with the AT3 XLTs on my Taco. I love them.

 

My dad bought a set of Cooper tires and had sidewall issues with them. Cooper replaced all 4 for free including labor to do it. According to Cooper, it was a new design tire that had rubber compound inconsistencies during its initial production. It sounds like they stand behind their products.

 

Cooper ATW’s; fine on beach and rocks

 

Lots of people get around the Lake Tahoe area with 2wd.

Your x brand AT tires aren't going to make a difference. Lots of 4x4s (and Audi AWDs!) in the ditch while a Honda Civic drives on by.

I’ve run Michelin’s all over the Sierras in summer and winter. For winter driving you want as much siping as possible.

What is a medium-level 4x4 trail?

Most, if not all of the OHV trails are listed as such. Everything else is FS system roads (at worst an -a-d branch). Do you mean some of the more nasty FS system roads? If so, most are closed in the winter, and in the summer even highway tire 4x4’s get up them with ease.

 

I'll add that the AT3s are really loud. I've had them for a couple of years but only put around 10k miles on so far. No snow or offroading so I can't speak to those issues. The road noise, even around town at 40-50 mph, is very noticeable and annoying.

 

Cooper AT3s are loud? I haven’t heard too many complaints about noise with those.

 

Most mild AT’s will be pretty quiet (not HT quiet...) until they wear in a little. As with most things it happens on a gradient so most people don’t notice the change until a new set of tires goes on.

 

Just some food for thought, if buying new tires wait for some of the black friday deals to come out. I got a crazy deal on K02's last year by waiting and then having tire shops match online prices.

 

I had the Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. They were awful. Hydroplaned in anything. Got them replaced under warranty. Second pair was just as bad.

Then I got the AT3 4s. Amazing! They're fantastic daily drivers. They look great and are nice on the trail and mud. No snow here in Coastal GA.

The Duratracs look awesome. But being a grown up is better. Ha.

 

Did a rally on the cooper at3 4s. They did pretty well imo.