two torn Discoverer AT3 sidewalls in a year

[XJLI]

Last year, with ~3000 miles on my load range E discoverer AT3s I tore a sidewall in some muddy/rocky ruts. I chalked it up to running my air pressure too low and I pinched it between the wheel and a rock. Two days ago, I slashed one on a trail on nothing that I would label hardcore. I'm running 31s on a stock LR Disco. Anyone else have problems with these tires? They're great in everything else but I'm not sure if I want to keep running them or not. I have ~15k miles on them now and they still look brand new. The reason I ask is because these are apparently the "best overloading tire available" but they don't seem to be up to the task.

 

[texascrane]

I've got over 15k on mine with no issues. I've driven them over all kinds of crap and they've held up really well but I'm also on 275/70r18 so I don't know if my experiences translate to other sizes.

 

[snowaddict91]

Got ~4k on the set on my powerstroke so far with no issues. But my buddy with a set on his 1st gen tundra (not sure what load range) sliced a sidewall on the way out of hunt camp in the fall. He ran p-rated michelins for two years on the truck before that with no issues.

 

[Allof75]

I have C rated AT3s and have had no issues over hard rock and sharp ledges etc. See if you can talk to Cooper about your issues, I'd think that's out of the ordinary for sure.

 

[Slicky72]

Running them in 235/75/15 on my Astro for a full year with zero issues and they are about as small as they come in LT form. You are actually less likely to get puncture or tear when aired down. These tires were designed to be an all rounder and not a true off-road dedicated tire . You may be better stepping up to the maxx .

 

[XJLI]

I have C rated AT3s and have had no issues over hard rock and sharp ledges etc. See if you can talk to Cooper about your issues, I'd think that's out of the ordinary for sure.

I sent them an email last night. If anything, a coupon for some money off of a new tire would be appreciated.

Running them in 235/75/15 on my Astro for a full year with zero issues and they are about as small as they come in LT form. You are actually less likely to get puncture or tear when aired down. These tires were designed to be an all rounder and not a true off-road dedicated tire . You may be better stepping up to the maxx .

I've taken the truck "offroad" something like four times in the year I've had the tires. Besides the beach, it really doesn't see as much off pavement time. It's my DD.

 

[BigSwede]

Hard to say if that is just bad luck or a trend. Any tire can be punctured in the right (wrong) circumstances.

 

[Hilldweller]

I never really considered that tire since it doesn't have the Armor-Tek sidewall or large enough voids for our hellish Georgia mud.

See what Cooper says. They're really good tires but not made for wheeling IMHO.

 

[1stDeuce]

I cut down 3 LR E 245/75R16 MT/R's in ONE hour on trails I've run many times before. S#!t happens. All three were on a wet day, when the tires were good and wet. One tire went to a chunk of angle that was hidden in the weeds and cemented into the ground, and two of them got slit by the same trailside stump that I'd squeezed by before. I think being wet made it just enough easier to push sharp stuff through the sidewall that they failed. If it had been dry, I might have still cut one down on the angle iron, but I doubt I'd have done the other two on a chunk of wood.

I doubt there's anything wrong with your tires, just bad luck and circumstances. If you're running ~15psi, I would think that about right. Wheel width not excessive? Speed not excessive? If OK, there, the best you can do is to try not to smash the sidewalls into stuff if you can help it, and if you see something sharp, stay away, especially if it and the tire are wet... But that goes for any tire...

 

[Scott Brady]

There is no magic tire, but the driver and conditions can seriously affect the outcome. Wet conditions with rocks and ruts can slice any traditional radial.

I have never had a flat on a trip- ever. Many different tires too and three circumnavigations, seven continents, blah, blah. I never run tires below 50% tread wear and I scan the roads/trails like a hawk looking for anything sharp. I have had drivers behind me get several flats on the same trail with the same vehicle and the same tires. Being careful is key, and being lucky is often the only variance.

Out of curiousity, what tire was flated in each situation? i.e., was it a front tire or rear, passenger or driver side.

 

[cdnabn49]

40k on my AT3's 265's running great.


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[XJLI]

Out of curiousity, what tire was flated in each situation? i.e., was it a front tire or rear, passenger or driver side.

Driver front, both times.

 

[XJLI]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with our product. We are sorry to hear that you are considering switching brands after this experience, but hope you will consider our products again in the future when you have tire needs. Given the information you have provided, you may want to consider either the Discoverer S/Tmaxx or Discoverer STT as both of these tires have a 3-ply sidewall.

I replied. We'll see what happens next.

 

[izaicinajums]

We did 6 month, 30 000 km/19 000 miles test ride trough US and Mexico. 2 tires got completely destroyed - not repairable. Additionally 1 tires has slow leak in on sidewall, which appears to be general issue with Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires - weak sidewalls.

One of the tires that got destroyed wasn't even on trail, rather it caught something on the highway and hole was to big to be repairable...

I loved the tire performance on road/trail/snow, but reliability is issue for me. Will be replacing tires with different brand when we go back south in fall. Probably going for BFG All-Terain T/A KO2.

 

[1stDeuce]

Do let us know how the BFG's work for you! From what I can see, just about EVERY tire out there has "weak sidewalls" according to one forum post or another...

I still believe that a lot of it is unfortunately just dumb luck. I know mine was, since the tires I cut down had some of the beefiest sidewalls of the time. (1st gen MT/R's)

I can tell you that my wife is HARD on sidewalls (Curbs, rocks, ruts etc, she isn't one to pick a clean line, she just goes...) and her AT3's are still doing fine with about 30k miles on them. If the sidewalls were that soft, she'd have lost a tire or two already.