Mickey Thompson or Cooper A/T tire decisions

[TFin04]

Hey guys, looking for some input on A/T tires from Mickey Thompson or Cooper. I am only shopping these brands because I have a coupon that is too good not to use. There are a lot of A/T options from these two and the more I try to research the more confused I get.

My vehicle is a 2011 Xterra Pro-4x. My uses are:

- 80% daily driver on Midwest roads. Wet/snow traction is most important.
- 10% sand dune cruiser
- 10% dirt/sand/logging trails with a bit of mud thrown in here and there

This is not a dedicated off road rig, nor is rock crawling in my future. Given my unique buying situation with the coupon, price and tread wear aren't all that important to me for this set. I'd prefer longer tread life than shorter, but not at the sacrifice of performance. Low(ish) road noise is important to me.

Given the above, is there a certain model from MT/Cooper that stands out as a winner?

Thanks for your time.

 

[kojackJKU]

I would look at the cooper AT/W.

 

[Stryder106]

Does it have to be an AT? The Mickey Thompson MTZ gets rave reviews and the new Cooper Discoverer STT Pro looks like it is their best tire ever. I'm on my way right now to buy a set of the new General Grabber X3.

 

[Robert Bills]

I run Cooper Discoverer ST/Maxx tires on my Xterra. They have served me well around town, on long distance road trips on the Interstate in both good and bad weather, and worked quite well for me at Moab and in my local offroad terrain in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. I highly recommend them.

I expect to get 35,000-38.000 miles from my ST/Maxx tires, which includes many miles offroad both on sandstone and on the sharp volcanic rock common in my local area. I consider that good mileage for a tire regularly used offroad. I would probably get almost 40,000 miles from them if I stayed on pavement exclusively. The noise level is not objectionable, but is louder than AT tires with a less aggressive tread. The key is to rotate them on a regular basis. Frankly, at 80 mph on the Interstate I don't hear them at all. These tires have a strong 3-ply sidewall which I find to be an advantage for my particular needs, although probably unnecessary for an Xterra used primarily on pavement.

If your use is primarily on the street you should consider the Cooper Discoverer AT3, a high quality AT tire with less aggressive treat that is reputed to last up to 50,000 miles. See the review here: http://expeditionportal.com/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/ The Cooper AT3 would have been my choice had I not needed the sidewall strength and more aggressive tread of the ST/Maxx. The Cooper AT3 LT265/75R16 with "C" load rating is a perfect match for the weight of an Xterra Pro-4X.

As good a tire as the Cooper STT Pro may be, it is probably not the best choice for a daily driver that seldom leaves pavement. The aggressive mud terrain tread will certainly look good, and performance will be excellent offroad, but you probably won't like the noise, shorter tread life and performance in rain and snow compared to the ST/Maxx or AT3.


My recollection is that some or all Mickey Thompson tires are currently manufactured by Cooper as "private label" tires, although the specifications will not be identical to the equivalent Cooper tire these have a good reputation. I have nothing negative to say about them.

 

[94toy22re]

I had Cooper AT3 on my 4runner snow/ice traction is terrible, recently installed the BFG K02 haven't driven in snow yet but they are a lot quieter on the highway!

 

[SilicaRich]

I think your big "ice breaker" (ha pun) is going to be the Cooper AT3 snow and ice performance. I would look at Cooper's ST MAXXs or BFG KO2s. You might even consider Goodyear's Duratracs, although I hear they tend to get noisy as they wear.

 

[JakeH]

I find my Frontier pro4x is very sensitive to tire weight. Since it's a daily driver & you already have a fantastic 4x4 system below you, you probably don't need all that extra rubber reducing your gas mileage numbers. I'd start by getting the tire weight on each of your options & narrow your options down to the 2 lightest unless you're willing to give up 1 or 2 mpg

 

[Robert Bills]

To OP: You might find this comprehensive review of the Cooper Discoverer AT3 of interest - http://roadtraveler.net/cooper-discoverer-at3/

A note about tire weight: If you never intend to use your Xterra offroad and your primary concern is fuel mileage, then by all means look for the lightest tire available in the desired size which will most likely be a "P" rated tire. However, if you will use your truck offroad and/or if you will ever intend to tow anything you will be happier with a "LT" tire. Although the weight of a "LT" tire will be greater than a "P" tire, the LT tire will give you better performance offroad, be less prone to trail damage, and will have a greater weight carrying capacity allowing you to increase tire pressure while towing to account for the tongue weight of the trailer. The weight difference between a P rated tire and LT rated tire of the same size will not have a significant effect on fuel mileage, and any such reduction in fuel mileage by going to a "LT" tire is a worthwhile trade off. [I only lost 1 mpg when I went from P-rated OEM AT tires to the heavier same size LT-rated ST/Maxx.] Where people see the largest decrease in fuel mileage is going from an OEM AT tire to an LT tire in a larger size; it shouldn't be much of an issue if you intend to retain the same tire size.

One final note: If ride comfort is a concern, pay attention to load ratings. A "C" load rated LT tire is perfectly matched to the weight of an Xterra and will provide a comfortable ride. However many "LT" AT tires are only available with an "E" load rating which will result in a stiff tire and slightly less ride comfort. The ST/Maxx is only available with an E load rating, but I needed its more aggressive tread and 3-ply sidewalls more than I needed a plush ride so it was an acceptable trade off for me. Your stated needs are different, hence my recommendation for the AT3 which is available in LT265/75R16-C.

Happy tire shopping.

 

[TFin04]

Thanks guys. The AT3 and ST MAXX both seem like good options. On road is my primary use, but I really like having extra grip when I do bomb around the woods. I'll narrow it down between those two and order some up.

 

[aardvarcus]

Based on your criteria "Wet/snow traction is most important" I would take a look at Cooper's AT-W. It is similar to the AT-3, except with a bunch of sipes and special groves for snow traction. I run them on my 2005 Toyota Tacoma and don't have any complaints about the onroad or offroad traction.

 

[outback97]

Another vote for the Cooper A/TW.

I don't have them but their A/T3 brother has been great for me, and the A/TW is like the AT3 plus better snow and ice performance.

 

[XJLI]

The AT3 sucks. They were amazing tires for the first 10k but now I cannot wait for them to wear out. Downside (upside?) is, the load range E ones I bought wear like iron. 30k on them now and I wholly expect another lackluster 30k out of them. There's a two curves on my drive home from work where my truck, a stock, full-time four wheel drive vehicle, plows hard out of the corner below the speed limit when the road is wet.