First Impressions: Cooper Discoverer H/T

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Size: P265/70-16
Speed Rating: S
Load Index: 112

Temperature Grade: B
Traction Grade: A
Treadwear: 520

Cold Pressures: 30 PSI Front/33 PSI Rear

I got a set of four for the Mitsu in July, after running nothing but Pirelli Scorpion STR's in the past. Specification wise, the Pirellis had an "H" speed rating and an "A" temperature grade in comparison. My reason for the change - Pirelli was out of stock for this size and I needed new tires. Had I had the luxury of time, the Pirelli's are priced at $180 each.

As a rule of thumb, I never keep my tires any longer than 3 years. I rotate them every 3,000 miles (cross one interval and back to front the next), but taking into account the environment these vehicles operate in, I think it's fair.

Mitsubishi recommends an "H" speed rating for this application, and I may have gone against it by going for an "S", but realistically speaking, this vehicle has a 170 km/h (106 MPH) electronic speed limiter and it's mostly driven by my old man, who barely hits 75 MPH. That, and living in a country where anything goes, there are no laws governing tire speed ratings, so I bit the bullet. I will say I was more concerned about the load rating and wasn't going to settle for anything lower than 112.

Before making my decision, I looked at alternatives. Michelin had their Latitude Tour HP and European Latitude Cross, both of which were 112H and are the only other two tires meeting the spec, but I felt ~$310 per tire was over the top. Yokohama only had their Geolandar H/T G039 available, but it was S rated and the local distributor wanted $290 per tire. With all due respect to the brand, I thought it was a rip off when the Pirelli's are only $180 a pop. Bridgestone had two different Dueler series tires, both of which were "T" rated and had a load rating of 111. The same went for BFGoodrich with their Rugged Trail T/A, with a price tag of ~$295 each! General had their Grabber HTS, but that too was "S" rated and they were out of stock in this size anyway. After bad experiences in the past with the local distributor, Goodyear, Toyo, Hankook, Continental and Nitto were off my list - all of which have the same distributor.

Cooper is new to the market here, but I heard a lot of good things about them, so I thought they were worth considering. I was hoping to get Discoverer A/T3's, but unfortunately they were not available in this size. So I went with the Discoverer H/T's, which are also made in the US. At $128 a tire, what's the worst that could happen? With roughly 6,250 miles on them, here's what I think so far.

Ride
This is where these tires really shine - night and day difference compared to the Pirelli's. The ride is smooth, quiet and comfortable, whereas it was a bit on the harsher side with the Pirelli's. This is especially noticeable on rougher roads. Noise is minimal and they run super quiet.

Traction
Wet and dry traction are excellent, and the brakes feel grabbier - especially in the wet. One of the biggest issues with traction here is fine sand on the gravel, which can cause loss of traction during cornering or take off. It didn't happen that much with the before, but used to be quite common when it rained. Haven't experienced it with the Coopers yet and we had some heavy rain recently.

Handling
The is where the Pirelli's shined. I guess the Coopers are a softer compound, so it feels spongier in corners. Doesn't mean to say the tires lose grip, but the ride did feel stiffer with the Pirellis when cornering. Steering also feels slightly numb compared to the Pirelli's.

Overall, my old man is happier with these because ride comfort and traction are his priorities. Handling wise, I will say I drive a bit on the aggressive side and these are not exactly performance tires, so I guess what I consider drawbacks are to be expected. The tires have been rotated twice and are wearing evenly so far - will see how they do in the long term.
 
Thanks for that; I have them on the back of my B2300 and my friend has the exact size tire you have on her Tundra.

I'd agree with your assessment on ride and noise; they are top notch IMHO. I'll be curious about treadlife; that is the one area of disappointment for her. I think she gets about 30K on them.
 
Considering that the Cooper was less than half the price of some of the mentioned competition, there's a lot of tire there for the money.

The H/T is a model that has been made for years, possibly as long as a decade, here in the states. So, it must be a reliable seller for Cooper.

Is the Discoverer CTS not available there? It is available in your size (here in the states).
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Thanks for that; I have them on the back of my B2300 and my friend has the exact size tire you have on her Tundra.

I'd agree with your assessment on ride and noise; they are top notch IMHO. I'll be curious about treadlife; that is the one area of disappointment for her. I think she gets about 30K on them.



I have a bit of an OCD when it comes to maintaining my tires with religious 3,000 mile rotations (cross one interval and back to front the other), and I check/adjust cold tire pressures round about every fill up, so my experiences with thread life could possibly be quite a bit different than everyone else. But for the most part, the treadwear rating is 520, so I do expect to get some decent mileage out of them.


Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Considering that the Cooper was less than half the price of some of the mentioned competition, there's a lot of tire there for the money.

The H/T is a model that has been made for years, possibly as long as a decade, here in the states. So, it must be a reliable seller for Cooper.

Is the Discoverer CTS not available there? It is available in your size (here in the states).


The Discover CTS was available, only a slightly taller profile - 265/75-16. I didn't want to go too far off and alter speedometer accuracy, so I opted for the H/T.

That being said, I am a Pirelli guy when it comes to tires. But apart from the very decent reviews I read, I was sold on the fact that Cooper is an American company and the tires I bought were made in the United States. Price was, Cooper was on par with unknown Chinese brands like Sailun, Ling Long and what have you, but being new to this market, I guess they're using price as a selling point.

I got a new set of 17x8 wheels going on my Grand Marquis, and I'm looking to get a set of 245/50-17 tires for them. I'll definitely be looking into Cooper once again.
 
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