Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S Review

Got some pics?

 

Sure, everyone likes stock tacos right?


Next set will be 265/75-16’s for sure.

 

Looks good

 

I have these on my F-150. We haven't had many storms yet this winter, but I have had a few days with a few inches of snow and one day where the roads were all slush and ice.

Compared to the dedicated Yokohama snow tires I had on my Tacoma, these corner and accelerate just as well but aren't quite as good for braking. I'd say they're one step above any A/T I've had, but one step below any dedicated studless snow tire I've had (exactly what I was expecting).

 

anybody take these through sand on the beach? Guessing they'd do just fine since the basic tread pattern looks similar to the original AT3s....

 

No balance issues whatsoever with mine - they took some weight to balance as Discount Tire when I had them mounted but I've felt nothing but a smooth ride on mine.

 

Not at all. I'm at about 5000 miles, just rotated them last weekend. No vibration before or after and virtually no wear so far.

 

Its finally Alaska cold, went aurora chasing last night with a buddy, it was -20F when I left my house and bottomed out at -35F when I picked up my truck. The AT3 4S’s were a little lumpy driving home, meaning they froze with a flat spot due to the cold, but smoothed out within a mile and had great traction. My Tacoma started right up without being plugged in after sitting for 4 hours.

 

Got them installed this morning on new Beadlocks! They definitely look less aggressive than my prior Goodyear Duratracs but they don't look like a basic passenger tire.

Rode home and was surprised by the sound.....of silence! Extremely quiet. The handling felt much tighter and controlled.

My Black Rhino setup with low mileage Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs is for sale is anyone is looking.

 

Just got mine this afternoon, loving them so far! Will get more pictures this weekend. 245/75/16 -> 265/75/16 (Stock SR5 Suspension)

 

Looking good! You're gonna love the wet traction in FL! these things stay glued in rain unlike any tires I've had. very confidence inspiring

 

Tons of rain in southern California the past few days. Last night when it was safe I tried to break traction where my ko2s would and these absolutely wouldn't let go. I have confidence in these tires now especially since my wife uses the truck daily to shuffle the kids to school and get groceries. Cooper AT3 4S really good in the rain.

 

Let us know when you test these off road!

 

Found this review where he described some offroad experience with the 4S tires

https://www.worktruckonline.com/310684/cooper-tires-discoverer-at3-4s

 

We've had a couple more storms and some cold weather, so I've had more opportunity to drive with these in the snow.

• Acceleration is never a problem. I don't think I'd see any noticeable gain with a snow tire as far as that goes. I do use 4WD to accelerate most of the time, but my truck has a pretty light back end given it has an aluminum bed.
• Cornering in really bad stuff is probably marginally worse than a snow tire, but definitely better than any other A/T I've had. Generally, it's fine. I had one time when the truck slid pretty close to the bank when going around a corner on a super steep unplowed dirt road. I'd like to think a dedicated snow tire would have fared better in this situation, but given the conditions, I wouldn't be surprised if the result would have been the same.
• Braking is somewhere between fair and good. Again, better than any other A/T I've had, but there have been situations where my ABS goes nuts and I think a dedicated snow tire would have gripped and stopped better. Hard to say for sure since I've never had a snow tire on this specific truck to compare.

Wear is great so far--granted I've mostly had these in cold weather but with about 7000 miles on them, I see no noticeable wear. They're also still silent and I have no vibrations or balance issues.

Overall, given the tread life, quiet ride, and ability to run these all year there has to be some compromise over a true snow tire. I'd say it's mostly noticed in braking. I just keep that in mind (as you should anyway in poor conditions) and have no problems. Given my experience so far, I'll absolutely buy them again if they continue to hold up well. A friend actually bought a set for his F-150 and based on what he says, his experiences seem to mirror mine.

 

awesome feedback, thanks

 

solid review - thanks for keeping us updated! I can't believe how well these tires handled in practically flooded streets in the SE over the weekend. saw many wrecks all over the place with trucks and cars hydroplaning, ending up in ditches, etc., and I could drive just like normal with puddled water and never once broke traction! for my needs, if these last me 30k with good even wear which it looks like they'll have no problems with, I'll replace them with the exact same tire no questions. smooth, quiet, handles tight and predictable, good in the rain, gravel, dirt and apparently pretty decent in the cold stuff! SEMA knew what they were doing when they awarded these tires. Just cracks me up how many folks continue to go KO2s then complain of how they ride and break traction in slippery conditions... at much higher cost!

 

well now here's the part I want to know......those KO2 guys typically only complain of wet traction loss AFTER ~30k miles on the tires.......time will tell how the 4Ss do beyond that mileage.

I do ~30k/yr (including about half on Blizzaks) so I'd be getting a new set after 2 summers. Looking for something with more longevity than that, although these are right up there at the moment.

 

More winter impressions on my 4S’s. The drive home from Denali National Park Friday started at 45F and deteriorated to 20F from melting ice covered roads to freezing rain to sleet to snow.



The 4S’s performed amazingly well and were confidence inspiring in truly awful conditions. There were people skating across the parking lot when I left Healy and you wouldn’t have known it based on how they gripped.

 

Any way you could post a close up of them on those TRD bead lock style wheels?