Cooper Discoverer STT PRO - Deep Look

[RubiconGeoff]

OK - to summarize: I'm not going to go add links to 10 different discussion forums where the comments are starting to show up. As I EXPLAINED, the comments about balance and fast wear are very recent. The early comments were all extremely positive as are most of the current ones. But that's most, not all. Perhaps I'm more sensitive to those comments given my current experience with my Pro Comp X-treme Terrain tires with fast wear and balancing issues that were made by Cooper.

I can find dozens of anecdotal comments and forum threads disparaging any tire you want. Big heavy tires are inherently difficult to produce with a good balance, it's a simple matter of physics. And comparing the rate of treadwear on an extremely aggressive tire such as the XTerrain to that of the new A/T Sport is ridiculous. Add in the additional variables of the XTerrain's soft, high-traction rubber compound versus the A/T Sport's hard, mileage-oriented rubber compound, and you have two completely incomparable tires.

As for the manufacturing comment - please re-read: I SPOKE WITH SOMEONE I KNOW who is connected to this - so there is no link to post.

Pro Comp chose Maxxis because they could get the tires produces cheaper. Unfortunately, quality seems to have declined, because many of my friends at 4 Wheel Parts refuse to sell their own house-brand tires anymore (in spite of their higher commission on Pro Comp versus 3rd-party brands) because of the number of problems they have with the new tires. Again, this is still just an anecdotal example, but to criticize Cooper for anecdotes versus Pro Comp/Maxxis for anecdotes is disingenuous.

And FYI, the tire you call "X-Treme Terrain" is actually named "XTerrain." And the tire you call "Discovery" is actually named "Discoverer."

Regarding your choice of tires, I would not recommend a mud-terrain style tire at all. For your SoCal terrain (asphalt, desert, mountains) you would be much better served by an all-terrain or hybrid AT/MT style tire. My first recommendation would be the ST-MAXX but since you clearly have a bias against Cooper Tires, perhaps you'd consider one of the tires from Toyo/Nitto or the BFG All-Terrain KO2.