Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx

[redthies]

Not with you on this one, Jack.

In simple terms, the so called "load range" that we all love to talk about when discussing HD tires is really more about the max pressure that the tire is capable of than the load that it can carry.

For example, your Load Range E 285/70R17's are rated for 3195lbs at 80psi. The LR D 315/70R17's you poo poo for not being HD enough are also rated for 3195lbs, but will carry that load at 65psi. The reality is that terms of load capacity, they are the same. IMO, feeling better about being able to run 80psi max instead of 65, when the result is the same load capacity is kinda moot...

My thinking is this... I always run the least pressure to do the job. I do this for the same reason that you air down offroad... Better traction, better mobility, and better damage resistance. For on-road, it also results in better tread wear in a lightly loaded truck.

Just something to think about...

Of course, for those running newer trucks with TPMS, you'll have to stick with LR E so you can safely run enough pressure to keep the warning light off. (Don't get me started on pre-set TPMS pressures in 3/4 and 1-ton trucks...)

BTW, I'm loving my 255/80R17 Maxx's, even though I've never had them above 70psi, even towing 11k of Gooseneck...

I just mounted up some new Maxxs in 305/70-18 and discovered too late that they are a 65 psi tire, not 80. I'm not sure if this is going to matter too much as my camper is only 2500 lbs, but I usually ran 70 psi cold in the rear with my 295s. I checked load range and max load per tire before ordering but there was no mention of the only 65 psi thing. I doubt that it will cause me any issues at only 5 psi difference, but they should probably have published that info on the website.

And the whole TPMS thing is no problem on a Dodge Ram 3500. There is a monitor that shows on start up, but no warning lights or bells. That stuff stays only on the little 2500s 😜.

I am a little disappointed though that I only got +/- 50,000 miles loaded to 12,000 lbs out of the 295s before a dagger shaped rock put a hole in one. I managed to get out of the bush with just one plug in it, and had to add a second on the way to the tire shop (TPMS saved the day here as I could watch what the plug was doing!). Any tire that takes the abuse I dish out is a winner! The Toyo's I had on previously didn't last 20,000 before they were done!

 

[eggman918]

I am running the 295-70-17's MAXXS and they are a 3195# tire and with the front axle loaded at ~4,600# and they require 45psi to carry the 2,300# each load FWIW

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

A note about recommended pressures. The pressure you see is minimum for the rated load. Once you are at the recommended pressure you should check tire contact footprint to determine proper pressure. Simple to check tire contact patch by chalk the tread with sidewalk chalk and driving straight over level ground fully loaded. Look at the tread of the tire and you can see where the chalk was rubbed off.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Do the 285/295 17" S/T Maxx "flat spot" when cold?

Question for you guys running the 285 & 295 17 S/T Maxx tires on the 3/4 & 1 ton trucks:

Do you notice if they "flat spot" when cold?

The reason I ask is that I have a set of 315/70R 17 S/T Maxx on both the Rubicon JKU, and also the Scout 800. Both these vehicles come in around 4,500lbs to 4,800lbs.
Both vehicles go "bump, bump, bump" down the street first thing in the morning. It only takes about an 1/8 of a mile to get them "round" again.
Really like these tires both on and off road in everything except ice. So would like to put them on the new-to-me truck ('07 Dodge 2500 4x4).

Hoping the smaller side walls of the 285 or 295 will limit that one small issue of the flat spotting when cold. If not I'll probably still get them, because they sure work great!
Thanks for your input! :beer:

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Question for you guys running the 285 & 295 17 S/T Maxx tires on the 3/4 & 1 ton trucks:

Do you notice if they "flat spot" when cold?

The reason I ask is that I have a set of 315/70R 17 S/T Maxx on both the Rubicon JKU, and also the Scout 800. Both these vehicles come in around 4,500lbs to 4,800lbs.
Both vehicles go "bump, bump, bump" down the street first thing in the morning. It only takes about an 1/8 of a mile to get them "round" again.
Really like these tires both on and off road in everything except ice. So would like to put them on the new-to-me truck ('07 Dodge 2500 4x4).

Hoping the smaller side walls of the 285 or 295 will limit that one small issue of the flat spotting when cold. If not I'll probably still get them, because they sure work great!
Thanks for your input! :beer:

That's funny! Try E rated bias-ply tires when it's -45 out. The flat spots last forever.

 

[Regcabguy]

Yeah,I had some 10 x 15 bias ply's on my '73 Landcruiser.
It was like driving on cross wash for a time.

 

[Comanche Scott]

The "Good Old Days" weren't always so good

That's funny! Try E rated bias-ply tires when it's -45 out. The flat spots last forever.

Ummm, no.
This boy ain't going anywhere near sub zero, or bias ply tires. lol
Those days are gone, but not forgotten...

I just picked up a new-to-me truck with Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice tires. Made me cold just typing that... :elkgrin:
They may work great in the ice, but not so good in the heat.

 

[biggerbearser]

Thanks for this thread all! First post here...and apologies in advance for the novella by a newb I just wanted to exhaust my tire research before dropping a chunk of cash down so your input is valued!

I've been researching tires for the past two months and have put countless hours into narrowing down tire choice for our 5th gen 4Runner. I put together an excel spreadsheet comparing various brands of AT tires by gathering spec data and reading user comments. After staring at this for days and just finishing getting through 84 pages of this thread, it's come down to the Cooper AT3 (LT265/70/17) and ST MAXX (LT255/75/17) both in load range C. However I'm flipping back and forth on what is the "logical" decision here. The last week I've been more and more sold on the ST MAXX.

Hoping to get some input and opinions based on all of your experiences.

Some background/context. I have only done mild off road travels but plan to do more challenging terrain in the future for longer periods. The 4Runner is stock as it sits and I'm still trying to burn off the factory Bridgestones that have been terrifying since day one on wet pavement. The stockers only see pavement, gravel, and dirt roads. Otherwise for winter I'm running Yoko Geolandar I/T GO72 with about one season left on them so not too concerned about winter performance for what I'm looking at now. Other plans for the near future is potentially upgrading to Bilstein 5100's and mild lift (1.75/1&#8221.

Another factor to consider is that we don't drive the 4Runner a lot only putting on average 10,000 kms a year (approx. 6200mi). Other than a few shorter trips throughout the week, it really is used as our weekender, going camping/up to the cottage on dirt and gravel roads, and a few road trips throughout the year. We're quite loaded during these excursions and find the handling of stock suspension awfully soft (hence the desire for 5100s) and the tire performance unpredictable and generally meh (on pavement…they are definitely not well suited to dirt and gravel). There are also numerous trails within an hour or two that I want to start exploring so want something reliable especially when trucking around the family. To be honest though the truck sees more pavement now than dirt but I want to change that.

A few factors and questions remain and so want to throw some out for discussion:

1. Given my aspirations for more travel off road and a good reliable all round performing tire on/off road are my choices suitable? My logical self says the AT3 is the better choice however I've been reading all these reviews about the surprisingly great performance and positive traits of the ST MAXX.

2. Handling-wise on pavement it looks like the AT3 might be the “better” choice at the expense of durability (AT3 2ply) and off road performance. Not to say the AT3 doesn't perform well off road but I feel I'd be a little more anxious about hitting the dirt especially given my limited experience and would have to finesse it through a little more. One major pro of the AT3 is additional siping (reportedly full depth of lugs) for wet conditions but reviews on here suggest ST MAXX is also adequate…hopefully more than my stock tires. Is the siping full depth for the MAXX too?

3. AT3 is 47lbs vs ST MAXX 52lbs (as weighed by another member on here for the size I'm looking at). Either one is considerably heavier than the stock Bridgestones (approx. 38lbs) and I'm concerned about the negative impacts of weight, primarily handling, a reduction in stopping distance, and lastly fuel efficiency. For the latter, consider again we don't put many miles on this so not a huge concern in our situation but still want to factor it in.

Should I be concerned over the weight? Is this a major safety concern? My wife will also be driving this (she is a fantastic driver for the record) so want to ensure we are both comfortable with the change.

4. Cost difference between the two is $30. Cheapest I've found up here is $250 AT3 and $280 for the ST MAXX (not mounted/balanced) and they will Road Force balance for $25 a piece.

5. Does the C load range of ST MAXX still have the 3 ply Armor-Tek3?

Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.

I know it's late but I ran 235/85r16 AT3s on my '10 DCSB TRDOR (mild lift and a shell) and currently run 255/85r16 ST MAXX's on my '15 DCLB SR5 (Icon stage 4, all pro expo rear springs, lockers, 4.56 gears, supercharger, triple battery setup). While they are both excellent tires, and are top picks for their perspective target markets, I need more off road performance than the AT3 provides. The ST's are a great tire and have held up to all kinds of off road, from Hell's Revenge one day in Moab to White Rim Road in Canyonlands the next followed by a day of high speed driving across the Nevada desert, while also being used to daily drive in the city with the third worst traffic and worst roads in the US. Side note for being a relatively aggressive tire they still do decently well in the snow. They grip noticeably better in snow and especially ice than a friends Toyo MT's, for comparison. I would still get a dedicated snow tire if living in a place that sees significant yearly snow fall. I do a five tire rotation and expect to get a fully usable 30k miles and then another 5k miles where I wouldn't want to take them on a long desert drive. I did expect to get more mileage out of the tires based off their wear in the first 10k miles but they have worn more quickly since that point. I push the tires hard, I'm definitely not scared to use the throttle to get through of over something. I'm going to buy another 5 tire set without a second thought as the tire has a great balance of on and off road manners. If I kept it to just dirt roads the AT3 is a better tire to buy as they do have improved on road manners, though the difference is smaller than the difference in off road capabilities and durability.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Ummm, no.
This boy ain't going anywhere near sub zero, or bias ply tires. lol
Those days are gone, but not forgotten...

I just picked up a new-to-me truck with Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice tires. Made me cold just typing that... :elkgrin:
They may work great in the ice, but not so good in the heat.

I feel ya! I'm never going back there.

Speaking of ST-Maxx tires, when did they get so scarce in SoCal? Scarce, and expensive. I ended up yesterday with Falkens instead. (to be honest, I was leaning that way since the big Cooper Tire price increase). I went in with three in mind, the ST-Maxx, the Mastercraft CXT, and the Falken. My tire guy said "forget the other two, I can do 5 falkens for under $1200, out the door". How do you argue with that?

 

[Comanche Scott]

I've been reading some good things on the new Falkens.
Seems like you made a great choice! :beer:

 

[datroutcrew]

Question for you guys running the 285 & 295 17 S/T Maxx tires on the 3/4 & 1 ton trucks:

Do you notice if they "flat spot" when cold?

The reason I ask is that I have a set of 315/70R 17 S/T Maxx on both the Rubicon JKU, and also the Scout 800. Both these vehicles come in around 4,500lbs to 4,800lbs.
Both vehicles go "bump, bump, bump" down the street first thing in the morning. It only takes about an 1/8 of a mile to get them "round" again.
Really like these tires both on and off road in everything except ice. So would like to put them on the new-to-me truck ('07 Dodge 2500 4x4).

Hoping the smaller side walls of the 285 or 295 will limit that one small issue of the flat spotting when cold. If not I'll probably still get them, because they sure work great!
Thanks for your input! :beer:

I put a set of 285/75/16 on our 2003 F250 CCSB. They flat spot overnight and it is NOT cold out. Takes a couple of miles to round them out. I love them, but really wish they held their shape better. It's not like we're running TSLs! I have them at 65psi.

 

[back woods]

Running 285s on an Excursion, balanced with beads. Have about 10k miles on them and no flat spots. Pretty impressed with how quiet they are compared to a Duratrac.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

Glad someone compared road noise compared to Duratrac. I have Duratracs on my daily driver Silverado and they are noisy but not loud. They do have a very grippy biting feel when making a turn at slow speed. Wife loves them especially on the road. She says the road feel on wet roads is reassuring. When the Duratracs wear out I will try a set of Cooper's.

 

[Comanche Scott]

I put a set of 285/75/16 on our 2003 F250 CCSB. They flat spot overnight and it is NOT cold out. Takes a couple of miles to round them out. I love them, but really wish they held their shape better. It's not like we're running TSLs! I have them at 65psi.

Thanks Nathan,
sincerely appreciate the feedback! :beer:

Running 285s on an Excursion, balanced with beads. Have about 10k miles on them and no flat spots. Pretty impressed with how quiet they are compared to a Duratrac.

Thanks for the input. :beer:
I've never considered beads for smaller tires. Might have to re-think that.
Funny how some people have the flat spotting show up, and others don't. I have no idea what that could mean. For me it has always been a minor thing offset by their competence on and off road.

 

[Darwin]

I am at 40k on my STmaxx tires, and they will go to 50k easily before needing to be replaced. This is a full size truck with a heavy slide in camper on 95% of the miles including baja, and central america