Cooper Mud Tires

Cooper Discoverer A/T3 And S/T Maxx Tire Review

The CTVTC was built in 1999 at a cost of over $13 million and it encompasses 1,000 acres. It is home to a number of testing areas, including many that apply to us off-highway fans. The Off Road Course includes just about every type of obstacle one could encounter off-highway, including a rock garden, rock hillclimb, mud, silt, and gravel. We tested the new A/T3 in the mud as well as on the 14-acre Wet Vehicle Dynamics Assessment Pad (commonly known as a skidpad). We were able to test the S/T MAXX on almost the entire Off Road Course in addition to a wet concrete hillclimb.

The all-terrain A/T3 and the mud and snow-rated S/T MAXX are the newest products to be rolled out by Cooper in the Discoverer line, which has a lengthy history of over 30 years. During the design phase of the tires, Cooper set out to identify what the average buyer for each type tire wants and then they integrated these features into the tires. Here’s what they came up with.

Overview: The A/T3 features a five-rib design, and the tread elements are coupled together to provide stability and confident on-road handling. The center rib is divided, and Cooper says that this improves off-highway traction without sacrificing on-road performance. The tire includes a couple of features designed to provide reliable soft-surface traction. One is the aggressive shoulder and the other is the wide “Chevron”-style circumferential grooves. Those grooves also help the tire clean itself when off-highway. The tire’s thin-gauge, zig-zag-shaped siping helps to accomplish a few things, including the reduction of stone retention, and it improves the stability of the tread blocks. And speaking of stone retention, the tire was designed with lateral groove protectors that have serrated steps to reduce the chance of stone retention and stone drilling. Another noteworthy feature of the tire is that the tread compound is a silica-based formula, which is a key to the tires wet weather performance.

Behind the wheel: The silica-based tread formula demonstrated its benefits on the Wet Vehicle Dynamics Assessment Pad, which contained a 2/3-mile, cone-lined course designed by Cooper. The course contained gradual and sharp turns, simulated lane changes, and areas to test acceleration and deceleration. We drove three identical Chevy Silverado pickup trucks, two fitted with competitors’ tires and the other with the Discoverer A/T3. When driven back-to-back, it was clear that the A/T3 had the upper hand in the wet stuff. The silica-based tread formula gave the tires a traction advantage we could feel, and the siping and design of the tread blocks were confidence-inspiring as we pushed the truck hard through the wet course. The improvement was illustrated by the fact that we averaged faster lap times using the A/T3 than the other two sets of tires. We also had the opportunity to immerse the A/T3 in Cooper’s Mud Traction Area, which is a continuously-watered, 500x150-foot mud hole. We didn’t expect much out of the A/T3 here—after all, it’s an all-terrain tire, not a mud-terrain. Imagine our surprise when the A/T3 showed itself to be amazingly capable in the goo. We drove an A/T3-equipped Jeep Wrangler TJ on the course at length and were impressed by the tire’s ability to clean itself and get a fresh bite with each rotation.

River Mud: Gear Review: Cooper Discoverer AT3 Tires

This blog has been online for nearly four years.  Over that time, I have gotten hundreds of requests for "reviews," ranging from vegan beef jerky to deep sea super-heavy fishing tackle.  I answer each one, usually with a "thanks, not interested."  Not because I'm ideologically opposed to getting free or discounted gear and reviewing it,  but because I'm not going to waste my time or yours reviewing a product that I wouldn't normally use in my scope of outdoor activities (which is pretty broad, mind you). I told the ad agency point-blank that I am not an off-roader, but that any active sportsman needs good tires, and with that in mind I would test the tires out on the types of off-road conditions most commonly experienced by anglers, hunters, surfers, paddlers, etc.  The kind of conditions that a 4WD 1989 S-10 with good tires can easily amble through, but an F-250 King Ranch with stock tires cannot (oh, I've seen it).  Specifically, tall wet  fields (grass, corn, etc), abandoned timber roads, wet sand, wet gravel, and high speed turns and braking on sand and gravel.  And of course, let's be honest - highway ride Highway ride.   This is important because I spend a lot of time on the road inbetween work sites, my office, my home, and outdoor rec sites like the farm.  My 2010 Tacoma has the TRD Sport package which means 17" wheels and LS rear diff (vs. the TRD Offroad - 16" and rear locker).   17" means a standard 31-32" tire.  Not a small amount of rubber.  And with offroad lugs, you can expect some noise.  Up to about 65mph on the highway, the AT3s are silent.  Around 72mph the noise gets noticeable, and at 80mph it is loud.  This is definitely in line with other offroad tires, and actually is a good reminder (to me) to slow down and take my time.  Timber/farm/beach access roads.   "Access" is the key - and let's be honest, folks - this is the main use of your offroad tires.  Sometimes the roadbed is great material, sometimes it's not, and sometimes there's a giant gully with rushing water, running right down the middle of it.  You need a good tire here .  We tested breaking and acceleration on several different substrates (packed gravel, loose gravel, wet sand, abandoned clay roadbed).   We worked really hard to find a problem with these tires.  We couldn't - they performed wonderfully.