I've been using the cooper rtx ATs on my tundra for several months now, and I am very pleased. The truck mostly gets driven empty, or fully loaded towing. It sees dirt, gravel, wet soil in campgrounds, while dragging a 4000 lb TT behind it.
These tires balanced out better than the previous Dueler LE2's did. Less weight required. They have a pronounced whine to them compared to the LE 2's as to be expected, but the whine is less noticed at highway speeds. The lugs are full depth and the rubber feels soft, yet there has not been any discernible wear even after interstate towing.
Handling is fine for a truck tire. It's predictable and feels sure-footed and controlled. there's no drifting or wallowing. Rain handling is also predictable. They handle rain very differently than the LE2s. LE2s hang on longer before they slip. When they slip, however, they break free. The RTX's begin to slip sooner but they continue to claw for traction, almost like controlled wheel spin. I think the RTX's work a little better with the LSD 2wd rear end.
Wet gravel, wet hard-pack traction is obviously better than the LE2s and again seems fair and predictable. Dry handling is great in braking, and tracks nicely without following road grooves. I don't corner hard in them but notice they start to talk back as the corner forces become anything more than tame. They are not nearly as "sporting" of a tire than the LE2's. They do communicate less road noise and vibration to the driver.
After some towing, the noise level did increase some, which I've experienced before if there's a lot of hill climbing.
So as a comparo I realize they are apples to oranges. But overall I'm pleased with them and find them more suitable for the vehicle, the way it's driven. I have not noticed a significant change in mpg, perhaps 0.5 mpg, which is a minimal penalty going to an A/T. I'm running 265/70-17.
This is my first experience with cooper tires, and I am very pleased. My last two sets of firestone tires have struggled to be shake-free above 50 mph, and to some extent I accept this with larger tires. However, the coopers show that highway driving can be better. The MDX gets new shoes this weekend. We'll try coopers on it as well.
-M
These tires balanced out better than the previous Dueler LE2's did. Less weight required. They have a pronounced whine to them compared to the LE 2's as to be expected, but the whine is less noticed at highway speeds. The lugs are full depth and the rubber feels soft, yet there has not been any discernible wear even after interstate towing.
Handling is fine for a truck tire. It's predictable and feels sure-footed and controlled. there's no drifting or wallowing. Rain handling is also predictable. They handle rain very differently than the LE2s. LE2s hang on longer before they slip. When they slip, however, they break free. The RTX's begin to slip sooner but they continue to claw for traction, almost like controlled wheel spin. I think the RTX's work a little better with the LSD 2wd rear end.
Wet gravel, wet hard-pack traction is obviously better than the LE2s and again seems fair and predictable. Dry handling is great in braking, and tracks nicely without following road grooves. I don't corner hard in them but notice they start to talk back as the corner forces become anything more than tame. They are not nearly as "sporting" of a tire than the LE2's. They do communicate less road noise and vibration to the driver.
After some towing, the noise level did increase some, which I've experienced before if there's a lot of hill climbing.
So as a comparo I realize they are apples to oranges. But overall I'm pleased with them and find them more suitable for the vehicle, the way it's driven. I have not noticed a significant change in mpg, perhaps 0.5 mpg, which is a minimal penalty going to an A/T. I'm running 265/70-17.
This is my first experience with cooper tires, and I am very pleased. My last two sets of firestone tires have struggled to be shake-free above 50 mph, and to some extent I accept this with larger tires. However, the coopers show that highway driving can be better. The MDX gets new shoes this weekend. We'll try coopers on it as well.
-M
