Cooper ATW Rolling Resistance?

Anyone here running Cooper ATW? I put on a set about 3 weeks ago. 265/70/16, which is the exact same size as the BFG Rugged Trails that I took off. However, I am experiencing a very noticeable drop in power. The ATWs I bought are P rated, as were the Rugged Fails. Tirerack.com lists the weight of the Rugged Trails I had at 38 lbs, and the ATW at 39 lbs.

Long story short, I didn't go bigger, and I went 1 pound heavier, yet I feel like I'm hauling 500 lbs. of cinder blocks in the bed at all times. I really don't like this. Driving down a straight flat road with nothing in the bed, at certain speeds the transmission is either lugging the engine or hunting between 2 gears. This never happened with those horrible Rugged Fails. Am I the only one experiencing this? The only thing I can think of is the softer compound is much harder for the truck to push forward. And/or maybe Rugged Fails are hard as rocks? Consumer Reports, for what it's worth, rates the rolling resistance of the ATW as "Good" and somewhere I read that it's supposedly 15% less resistance than the AT3?

@neverstuck @NoSilverBullet tagging you because searching ATW on the site tells me that you two may have the same tires.

 

Looking at getting these tires, tagged for interest!

 

I use these for winters and have Michelin MS2's for summers which probably have the best (lowest) rolling resistance available. Switching between the 2 I didn't notice any difference in power. I really like my A/Tw's because I don't get much of a winter here. If I rolled around on Blizzaks all winter on pavement which is bare 98% of the time, I'd feel like I was just wasting ice tread. I know the A/Tw's can hold up year round. Also I like the open A/T pattern which you don't usually get with dedicated winters. I want something thats good off road and on ice. Other "snowflake rated" A/T tires like the duratracs don't have near as much ice siping so they are good in snow and such but suck on ice and hard pack.

Sounds like you may benefit from more air in the tires? Low tire pressure can make them feel heavy and sluggish. I have E rated, not P, so I don't know what you should run. Truck says 29. If thats what you're at already maybe try 35.

 

I guess I could also add that if you don't want to go with 32" tires, a better option might have been the 245/75 rather than the 265/70 because they are the same height but the 245's are narrower. That would yield less rolling resistance and would perform better in winter. Less tendency to float on slush and snow causing you to lose traction. Narrower tire will cut through that stuff better. I am running 235/85r16 because I wanted the narrower 32"

 

I didn't see that size offered on the Cooper tire site? ... I thought they only made these in E and C load range... The AT/w is what I want when my ST MAXX wear out...

 

Thanks for responding. I thought of that and actually decided to see what would happen if I filled them to 40. The truck rode way too rough although I maybe reclaimed the power loss. So then I dropped down to 35 and that's where I am now. Power loss is still noticeable. Ride is bearable.

Yes, I absolutely should have gone to the 245. I guess I just didn't want to change the size from the Rugged Trails that I had, and they were 265, so I stuck with it. The truck was downright peppy with those crappy tires. Now it feels sluggish. Hindsight...

You have to go to the "SUV" part of the site instead of "Light Truck". Or TreadDepot lists them: https://www.treaddepot.com/#!productDetail/tireStandardFitment/90000022159