Information on Mastercraft tires needed

[Corollaman]

I've heard that Mastercraft tires are a division of Cooper tires, has anyone tried this brand of tires? From the research I've done the price/quality seems to be good for a cheaper all season tire but I was looking for real world opinions.

 

[901Memphis]

Yep I use mastercraft avenger gt on my Buick. They have raised white letters and price is usually pretty cheap. I never really get good mileage out of my tires so I don't know if they last these mileage warranty but they seem average. Grip is good in wet and snow, the avenger gt has a good tread pattern and has been around for decades.

 

[topbliss]

Yes Mastercraft is indeed owned by Cooper. I had a set on a car about 15 years ago and liked em

http://mastercrafttires.com/customer-care/Contact-Us.aspx

 

[Jimzz]

I have a set on the front of my truck. They are ok tires. Nothing special but better than many cheap no-name tires out there.


What size and price are you seeing?

 

[Corollaman]

Originally Posted By: Jimzz
I have a set on the front of my truck. They are ok tires. Nothing special but better than many cheap no-name tires out there.


What size and price are you seeing?


I'm looking at P205-55-16. They are Mastercraft Strategy 60,000 all season.

 

[tmus2122]

On my second set on my accord, got 86k out of the first set over two year time frame. Great in all weather.

 

[Chris142]

Very popular tire around here. I see them often

 

[Jimzz]

Originally Posted By: Corollaman
Originally Posted By: Jimzz
I have a set on the front of my truck. They are ok tires. Nothing special but better than many cheap no-name tires out there.


What size and price are you seeing?


I'm looking at P205-55-16. They are Mastercraft Strategy 60,000 all season.



Looks like it uses the same compound as the CS3 maybe. 540AB tread/traction rating.
Seems like a ok basic tire if you get no snow and don't drive to hard. That and should be priced more cheaply I would hope. $80 or less.

 

[buck91]

When I was deciding between the Cooper AT3 and the Mastercraft AXT tires I spoke with Cooper tech line. These particular tires are extremely similar with slightly different tread patterns, identical belting/carcasses and the rubber compound is similar. The Cooper is rated for 5,000 miles more and what they told me is the Cooper has slightly harder rubber where the MC tire has a higher silica and softer compound which results is less tread life but a slight improvement in wet and winter traction.

I cannot comment on other tires in their lines.

 

[Ken2]

The Mastercraft web site copyright Cooper Tire & Rubber
http://mastercrafttires.com/

I telephoned a Cooper tire engineer about Cooper's three brands, Cooper, Dean, & Mastercraft. He said that they were, "built in the same factory." I asked if the quality was equal. He said that they were, "built in the same factory." I guess he wasn't allowed to answer my question.

 

[Corollaman]

Originally Posted By: Ken2
The Mastercraft web site copyright Cooper Tire & Rubber
http://mastercrafttires.com/

I telephoned a Cooper tire engineer about Cooper's three brands, Cooper, Dean, & Mastercraft. He said that they were, "built in the same factory." I asked if the quality was equal. He said that they were, "built in the same factory." I guess he wasn't allowed to answer my question.


That's the same answer I got. There are actually a lot of different tires under the Mastercraft brand, I imagine they are decent quality.

 

[JDW]

The ones on my Ranger are doing great .

 

[BowNisPar]

I have Mastercraft AXT 265/75R16 on my Suburban. I've said it before on here, but I love them. I've owned many different tire brands and styles and think the Mastercrafts are an excellent blend of performance and price. They have excellent performance in all conditions I've used them in, which include 4 seasons driving, towing, and light offroading (grassy fields, very shallow mud).

They have been wearing great. I highly recommend people check out Mastercraft tires to determine if they have an application for their vehicle.

 

[HWEaton]

The Strategy has been discontinued and replaced by the new SRT.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: Corollaman
Originally Posted By: Ken2
I telephoned a Cooper tire engineer about Cooper's three brands, Cooper, Dean, & Mastercraft. He said that they were, "built in the same factory." I asked if the quality was equal. He said that they were, "built in the same factory." I guess he wasn't allowed to answer my question.


That's the same answer I got. There are actually a lot of different tires under the Mastercraft brand, I imagine they are decent quality.


To me, a lot of it appears to be marketing driven.

You can be a Cooper dealer, or you can sell Mastercraft. So what's the difference?

Cooper has their largest customers selling Cooper tires. They are full line dealers. They are likely getting their tires through Cooper... along with customer support, marketing materials, and perks to selling Cooper tires directly from Cooper.

Underneath that, a smaller shop... an independent tire dealer, or a larger auto/truck mechanic with several bays and tire equipment... can sell Mastercraft tires. This shop could still be next door to a Cooper dealer... but there's no "overlap" between the two brands, and no direct competition. The independent is likely sourcing his Mastercraft tires from a distributor, and all of his contact is coming through the distributor.

The Mastercraft tire can also be at a slightly lower price as well, as there is less marketing at the national level as well. For example, Mastercraft doesn't sponsor any racing events.

Cooper could also use a slightly different rubber formulation in the Mastercraft tire, to lower the price of a tire by a couple bucks as well.

This way, Cooper has two customers instead of one, and everyone is happy.

Michelin does it in the same way with Sam's and Costco. They sell virtually the same tire to both their dealers and to Sam's and Costco (think of the LTX and the X Radial LT).

HOWEVER, the tire sold to Sam's and Costco has a slightly different tread pattern, and a different name molded into the sidewall. And now there isn't any *direct* competition between Sam's and the Michelin dealer less than a mile away.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I have Glacier Grip II's on my Dakota and have no complaints...great in snow, good on wet roads, OK on dry. A bit loud, as expected for a snow tire.

My mother had Avenger GT's on her Sable and liked them.

Also note that some tire shops DO sell both Cooper and Mastercraft.

 

[LFO]

Just wanted to add my thoughts since I was asking the same question a few days ago. Found a great deal on a set of 4 Mastercraft MC440s for $225 mounted. The guy told me they drove like more expensive tires, that they were made by Cooper, etc, and that was what he used on his car. I went to a different shop who I trust, and asked them, and they told me the same thing. Today, getting more work done to the vehicle by a third mechanic/tire seller and asked the same thing, and got a similar answer. So 3 different knowledgeable tire sellers NOT trying to sell me tires (except the first guy) all said "great tire, cooper, etc." They seem to ride just fine, no complaints, but I'm not a tire connoisseur either. They're on a 2000 Camry just FYI. I'll update if I have a bad experience with them.

 

[HangFire]

My tire guy swears by the Mastercraft Glacier Grip II for Winter tires, and I respect his advice.

 

[javacontour]

Have these on the Grand Marquis (yes, acquired grandma's GM) and they are competent tires.

I've put about 1000 miles on them in the past month and no drama. Some slushy snow and rain conditions.

Seem to be a decent tire for the price.

Originally Posted By: Corollaman
Originally Posted By: Jimzz
I have a set on the front of my truck. They are ok tires. Nothing special but better than many cheap no-name tires out there.


What size and price are you seeing?


I'm looking at P205-55-16. They are Mastercraft Strategy 60,000 all season.

 

[Picky1]

For a mid-tier tire they are fairly long lasting. We have had the MC LSR's on our Odyssey for almost 60k and they are down to 5/32 and will be coming off soon when we put our snow tires on. When we first got these tires they totally transformed the van, much quieter and smoother than the Toyo's that we had previously as well as the OEM Michelin's.

Also, my father has run the MC A/S IV on his Ford Escape and has gotten a ton of miles on these tires...he greatly exceed the 40k treadwear warranty and opted to get another set!