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Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S Review

Discussion in 'Wheels & Tires' started by bshammer0, Jul 9, 2018.

  1. Jul 9, 2018 at 9:50 AM
    #1
    bshammer0

    bshammer0 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    As many are now aware, Cooper has recently refreshed and improved on their AT3 tire with the advent of three new AT3 branded tires. The "4S" is an all weather, all terrain tire intended for light duty pickups and SUVs while the LT and XLT versions offer a tougher tire meant to withstand the assault of heavier loads and resist shredding. I can't speak to the performance of the LT and XLT tires but early reports seem positive and if you're looking for a C-E rated tire those should also be on your list

    https://youtu.be/V2JoVisyIOQ

    Update 10/31: The Cooper AT3 4S was named best new product in the wheel / tire category at SEMA 2018

    How I landed on the Cooper 4S: I was overall relatively happy with the stock Wranglers my '17 OR shipped with. They didn't have great wet traction, slipped a lot in gravel/dirt, but overall they handled relatively well. Never got stuck with them. Worked on 2 different deals to buy some stock take-offs at one point, but logistics fell through for the seller on one deal and a local deal fell through b/c of my work schedule preventing meet-up. This ended up being a good thing - as my tires exceeded 25k they started to wear, body roll was getting annoying, and I couldn't get tight cornering. This set me off on a search to find a tire that would maintain handling and road manners with a more aggressive tread pattern better suited to wet/dirt/rock/snow conditions. I looked into the Falkens and while many report great experiences with them, some of the balance and premature wear issues had me less-than-sold on them despite the tough-looking sidewalls. Enter the 4S... I tend to be a fast follower in terms of gear and mods. I look to early adopters for feedback before I take the plunge so it was uncharacteristic of me to jump in so quickly to a new tire but with the solid reviews over years of the original AT3 line + a more aggressive sidewall I figured it would at least hold up as well as the prior line and at only 42 lbs / tire I decided to take the leap of faith. glad I did!

    From Cooper's May 29th press release:
    "Featuring Adaptive-Traction Technology, the Discoverer AT3 4S is designed to grip the driving surface, whether rocky or smooth, in hot or cold weather conditions. The tire is constructed using an innovative silica-based tread compound and Cooper’s Sure-Grip five-rib, all-terrain pattern to provide off-road driving capability and excellent wet and dry traction. Its zigzag sipes improve vehicle stability while reducing stone retention, and uniquely shaped deep center grooves reduce hydroplaning. Severe weather rated, the Discoverer AT3 4S has patented saw tooth technology designed to trap snow in the tread to provide superior stopping distance on snowy surfaces."

    My rig: I run stock OR 16" wheels on stock OR suspension with about 350lbs of bolt-ons (racks, rolling tonneau, steps, etc.,) and on the weekends I'm regularly close to max payload including passengers / gear. Currently I'm not towing anything, but we do plan to pick up a travel trailer in the next year (<2,000lbs). While this may change in the future, I've read way too many posts from frustrated owners who are chasing the laser pointer after lifting, bigger tires etc., - I know when you do it right, it works very very well but you have to be committed and for now I just want to leave stock geometry where it is. I love how the truck handles as-is and I have enough clearance to (be careful and take my time) get to the places I need to.

    IMG_3362.jpg

    My driving style: I'm essentially the target market for the 4S tire. I live and work in a metro area, commute a few days a week in congested city traffic. For this style of driving I need something nimble that handles tight and smooth and won't slow me down. On the weekends I head to the mountains which means easily 3-400miles of interstate between my house and the weekend adventures. Once there, I tend to forget I'm in a truck and end up driving on the curvy Appalachian paved roads at speed and want to have FUN driving on those paved roads, snapping through switchbacks with confidence - without body roll or any loss of traction whether wet or dry. Then I drive on a lot of unmaintained fire/forest roads throughout the Appalachians and that's generally the extent of my "off pavement" driving. I do need something that will hook up well in the dirt, mild stream crossings, and let me get some speed on gravel without feeling unstable.

    So, I saddled up and ordered a new set of 265/70/16 (stock size) 4S tires (SL) to replace my Wranglers. I called up my local Discount Tire and they got them ordered for me - shipped directly from Cooper in Ohio and they were ready to be mounted exactly 1 week after ordering. Discount Tire continues to be one of the best companies anywhere to work with - I won't ever go anywhere else for my tire needs. Period. With an appointment, on a very busy Monday before 7/4, I was in and out with perfectly balanced, mounted tires in <40 mins.

    IMG_3271.jpg

    And here they were all mounted up fresh from the shop:

    IMG_3273.jpg
    IMG_3277.jpg

    Then, I took off on a week-long vacation with my family to the mountains to properly break them in.

    Here's what they were put through in their maiden voyage:

    Interstate driving - 500-600 miles. Including the stretch of I-40 between Knoxville and Asheville passing semis in the curvy mountain area driving at speed and properly heating them up.
    Blue Ridge Parkway. Drive about 100 miles of the parkway, most of it in very wet / flash flood kind of conditions. This means lots of tight curves, and taking them at speeds I wouldn't have normally - especially with a drenched road...
    Fire roads. Multiple trips on dirt and / or gravel forest roads in the Pisgah, Cherokee, and Smokies.
    City driving. A bit of driving in and around Asheville as well as back home in Nashville

    How they stacked up across the categories that mattered most to me:

    Comfort: Buttery smooth on the highway. Literally smoother than the stock Wranglers in every way - and the stockers were already relatively smooth. Especially when run at a cold PSI of ~30-32.
    Noise: None that I can hear. Very quiet by all measures with zero highway drone.
    Handling: These tires do what Cooper claims. They gripped at speed in dry or wet pavement - probably the best wet pavement tires I've ever owned. Body roll was greatly diminished with these tires which brings the fun back to driving in the mountains. This made my driving in the mountains such a blast I never felt the hint of hydroplaning even in standing water!
    Acceleration: Due to better grip, I found it very hard to slip the tires even when wet from a stop. I could make them slip if I really tried w/o ATRAC on but day-to-day I will rarely ever slip these on pavement. Very confidence-inspiring.
    Dirt: Hooks up nicely, was really hard for me to get the backend to fishtail even when I was trying to in 2wd. I intentionally backed down a steep hill in the dirt with the front end level and punched it - I didn't slip at all, it climbed right up with confidence.
    Gravel: Again, very stable throughout. The only potential downside I could see was stone retention as it did take a few miles of pavement driving before I stopped hearing pings from rocks thrown at my Tyger steps. The stone ejectors do WORK though... just may want to be sure to get some slower speed driving on pavement in before taking off on the interstate :)

    With the 3-peak mountain snowflake rating, I look forward to putting them to the test in snow and icy conditions this winter!

    If these tires hold up for even 30k (I'm hard on tires, though these are warrantied to 65k) I'll replace them with the exact same tire. If you're in the market for new tires no matter your needs, I'd give the new AT3 4S, LT, and XLT a serious look. Terrific alternatives to the KO2s, Grabbers, Falkens, etc.,

    Here they are in the wild after breaking in!

    IMG_3361.jpg
    IMG_3359.jpg
    IMG_3318.jpg
    7C50BF85-546A-4E37-A318-EA430C0227AC.jpg
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2019
  2. Jul 9, 2018 at 9:57 AM
    #2
    rnish

    rnish Well-Known Member

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    What did you pay?
     
  3. Jul 9, 2018 at 10:00 AM
    #3
    bshammer0

    bshammer0 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    $680 mounted (after $70 rebate from Cooper) including the lifetime rotation/balancing (did not buy certs on them)
     
    Teebrock, lowtidejoe and Danno1985 like this.
  4. Jul 9, 2018 at 8:26 PM
    #4
    Matmo215

    Matmo215 Well-Known Member

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    Great write up! I plan on doing the same once I get my XLT's mounted
     
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  5. Jul 9, 2018 at 8:28 PM
    #5
    sailtowery

    sailtowery Well-Known Member

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    Solid review. Thank you! Me thinks this is my tire this fall.
     
    bshammer0[OP] likes this.
  6. Jul 9, 2018 at 10:01 PM
    #6
    Lord Helmet

    Lord Helmet Prepare To Attack

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    It's actually LT not XL. The 3 setup: 4S, LT, and XLT
     
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  7. Jul 10, 2018 at 4:53 AM
    #7
    bshammer0

    bshammer0 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thank you! Edited
     
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  8. Jul 11, 2018 at 3:20 PM
    #8
    motopilot

    motopilot Well-Known Member

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    Thank you so much for this review. Think these will be my new tires for my double cab prerunner.
     
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  9. Jul 11, 2018 at 3:24 PM
    #9
    1buzzbait

    1buzzbait easiest to ignore

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  10. Jul 11, 2018 at 3:31 PM
    #10
    1buzzbait

    1buzzbait easiest to ignore

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    how did you know i just got my commission check!... :annoyed:...now i gotta spend it... :smack:
     
  11. Jul 11, 2018 at 3:35 PM
    #11
    bshammer0

    bshammer0 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Ha! At least they are a very inexpensive tire... likely a function of the sheer global size and scale of Cooper which keeps costs down. Given the solid reports and long mileage folks were getting on the old AT3s I'd anticipate similar results from these. Price was actually a vague concern in picking tires but was a nice plus. You won't regret it

    And let's be honest, tires are a basic need like gas, water, electricity so given the price these are a no brainer for a basic necessity :)
     
  12. Jul 11, 2018 at 4:08 PM
    #12
    1buzzbait

    1buzzbait easiest to ignore

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    preachin to the choir my friend!!
     
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  13. Jul 14, 2018 at 5:57 AM
    #13
    DJE

    DJE Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for a detailed review of your experience so far.
    I have 40,000 km om the original Wranglers (30,000 km by original owner) and plan to swap them out before winter 2018/19. I'm looking for something with a little more aggressive look, all-weather rated for use in Canadian winters. Thanks to this review, the AT3 4S is at the top of my list with the new Pirelli Scorpion A/T Plus still in the running pending some more feedback from owners.
     
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  14. Jul 14, 2018 at 5:59 AM
    #14
    EatSleepTacos

    EatSleepTacos Well-Known Member

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  15. Jul 14, 2018 at 12:27 PM
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    Large BajaBlast

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    I might need those sooner then later. Im having trouble finding someone to do my alignment
     
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  16. Jul 18, 2018 at 3:25 PM
    #16
    seadub1

    seadub1 Well-Known Member

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    This review was awesome! Thank you! I have the original AT3 and love it but was unsure if i should try the AT3 4S. I literally read your review at the counter in discount tire and swayed to get the 4S.
     
    bshammer0[OP] likes this.
  17. Jul 18, 2018 at 4:24 PM
    #17
    bshammer0

    bshammer0 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Congrats! Let’s see some pics mounted up!
     
  18. Jul 18, 2018 at 7:10 PM
    #18
    motopilot

    motopilot Well-Known Member

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    Just ordered mine from Discount Tire Direct. Shipping to the store and will have them mounted next week. I was within $10 of your price as well. Will post pics next week.
     
    bshammer0[OP] likes this.
  19. Jul 19, 2018 at 6:10 PM
    #19
    waxwingedgambler

    waxwingedgambler Well-Known Member

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    Approaching 60k on my Dunflops...barely legal tread right now. This post swayed me away from Wildpeak at3ws. I'm gonna go to DTD tomorrow to order a set of 265/75/16 for my stock Prerunner dcsb.
     
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  20. Jul 19, 2018 at 7:05 PM
    #20
    Lthompson

    Lthompson Well-Known Member

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    don't know if I want these or the LTs. The Lts have 16/32nd tread. But don't know that I really need a C rated tire
     

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