Cooper st tyres rubbish 111

[Davros Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Davros]

I have said it before on the forum, many times over the years...... I must be one of the lucky ones (or know what tyre pressures to run)...... as I am on my 4th set of Coopers over three different 4WD's (an 80 and a 100 previously) and currently run ST's on the Prado, which have done just over 80,000 and probably still have another 20 or 30k left in them...... go figure

You are not the only one. I have had many 4wd vehicles over the years. 2x75 series tray tops and 1 troopie, 1 x GQ patrol, a Pajero, and the Prado, and all have either had BFG AT's or Cooper ST's. They are comparable tyres imo, and although I presently have the BFG's, I would get the Coopers again.

Correct tyre pressures are critical to long tyre life guys.

[Guest Close Guest]

Yes, it's all about tyre pressures AND speed.

[Justo77 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Justo77]

I agree with what the others have said about pressures.

Even though I did get some chipping on mt ST's, I did still get nearly 80,000 km from them and I sold the car with them still on there so there was still some life left in them.

[tassie tiger Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close tassie tiger]

if i do go off road i always put them down to about 25 psi on the dirt .

Looking for answers to why they failed this may have had something to do with it IF (if if if if if) you were to travel at speed on the dirt when they are down as low tyre pressures can cause overheating. Not to the catostrophic stage but enough to heat up on the edges so they may fail.

I am aware that lots drop their pressures when on dirt roads however maybe all tyres are not the same.

cheers and hope you get an ok outcome.

[stevensr34 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close stevensr34]

... i don't want to be getting 80 000 ks out of a set of off road tyres .it stands to reason that if they last longer they are made off a harder compound , this suprisingly usually means less grip on any surface and more prone to chipping or cracking ...

EXACTLY - I've said this too:

Unless you are driving in mud, more tread does NOT mean more grip. Instead, you get more grip from a softer compound, less aggressive tread, which wears out faster than a hard compound would.

So Cooper tyres main advertising being based on longer-lasting tyres just means that they have a rock-hard compound. This means less grip on bitumen, and less flex generally. This could well lead to cracking.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

sorry guys chipping has f#*kall to do with tire pressures .

[draycon Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close draycon]

So Cooper tyres main advertising being based on longer-lasting tyres just means that they have a rock-hard compound. This means less grip on bitumen, and less flex generally. This could well lead to cracking.

not nessasarily, the attribute your looking for in the compound to resist chipping is the toughness, hardness is a measure of resistance to penertation and toughness is a resistance to tearing/fracturing. while as a general rule as hardness goes up toughness goes down, and vice versa, it is possible to make a hard AND tough compound.

i have yet to see chipping on my STTs and i have done some pretty extreme tracks recently. as long as the tire is looked after then ALL tyres should last for a good time. with technology where it is, i dont think the compounds of diffrent brands would be to far away from each other.

[Shan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Shan]

The main factor when It comes to tyre wear is HEAT. Different tyres have different optimum (That is Maximum grip and least wear) temp ranges and the difference between Soft/Hard compound is not always the physical hardness of the tyre. (As Draycon mentioned)

So in other words you can get the same KMs from a soft tyre if you keep the tyre in the optimum temp levels, which is much less than the optimum temps on the hard tyres.

Therefore if you drive on MTs (Which are softer compound 99% of the time) for long distances, break your travel and allow them to cool down, that makes it last longer significantly.

I always thought optimum tyre temps should be marked on the tyres along with speed ratings and etc.

I worked as a IT technician for a V8 power house for couple of years and learnt a lot about tyre performance... sitting behind the tyre wizards

So I might be able to clear few things about tyres for you fellows... well not tyre sizes

[revhead Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close revhead]

Guys,

Over the last 8 months I've done +15k on a set of the ST Maxx heavy duty all terrain tyre (has a new silicon compound) and am very pleased. I got them in May 2011 not long after they first came into the country. I still haven't quite got used to the look of the 'tread' on the side walls but its grown on me and they loves ruts. Havn't spotted that many on other cars yet. I took them on because stock in Mikey T's MTZ4-Ribs was unavailable at the time, and am now glad it turned out this way.

I was very surprised how quiet they are on the bitumen and they handel well when avoiding the odd blue-tongue. Tread pattern and compound has been great in the high country on gravel roads, steep rocky tracks, wet clay, snow and muddy ruts. Recently spent a week beach driving on the NSW north coast and had no drama.

For sand driving I only let them down to 28psi, which got me through the soft stuff and also let me get back on the bitumen to the nearest servo to pump them back up.

For Hwy driving on long hauls when carying a load, I run them at 40-42psi to reduce rolling resistance,

But for every day driving 38 psi is much more comfortable.

No chipping to report yet, but I'm not one to put my foot down or spin wheels when offroad, and I haven't really done "high spead driving" across outback gravel roads or mine sites! Only problem is that because of the larger diameter of the 265/70R17, they rub slightly on full lock. At least I can now justify a liftkit to myself.

I am rotating 5 tyres so will expect 90-100K out of them over 4 years. Got them back then for $394 per tyre (fitted) from Guest 4wd in Victoria, so that works out at $100 per tyre per year for a premium product.

Not sure how performance of the tyre will change when the tread pattern gets lower in another few years, so will re-vist discussion with my 2 cents then.

Safe driving,

Rev.

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

sorry guys chipping has f#*kall to do with tire pressures .

Edit: ....Deleted, changed my mind...........

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

Lol

I am presently running the old type Cooper St. They are chipping badly despite my anal attention to tyre pressures. From the few I have spoken too, the new Cooper St Maxx's are a much improved tyre (tire).

Past experience was very good with Cooper ATS's and not aware of problems with Copper STT's

I haven't written my St's off yet but they are at 20k and it is unlikely they will reach 80k given their present state. I will be watching the new ST Maxx's before deciding on them or 4 ribs or STT's.

mlc, the unbiased and open minded contributer
Oh, for those that don't know me, I really am anal on pressures but have never settled down my driving pattern since getting a Chip-It chip so probably cause the problems with my current tyres.

[AJ Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AJ]

I've racked up 40k kms on my ST's and they are starting to chip badly on the lugs also. They came home from a Simpson crossing in August 2010 in a bad way compared to how they started the trip. I dropped the pressures and was doing sensible speeds, but not even that helped them. Having said that, I've probably still got another 20k - 30k in them. I won't be getting them again because I'll probably be looking at some MT's next time around (probably BFG KM2's).

Cheers,
AJ

[Richoson Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Richoson]

Interesting the comparison of MT's and Coopers as being from the "same factory" as I understand whilst the same owners they actually are from different factories and run independant of each other. This is a common business practice in many industries and is used to maximise market share.

As for length of life I have MT 4 ribs on my 150 and they are 50% worn at 35'000ks but bearing in mind that those k's are 80% off road and gravel road touring. So it all comes down to how you use the vehicle and how you look after the tyre, I have had BFG AT's for years and have had similar good service from them but they weren't as good in the wet on bitumen and clearing in the mud.

See ya on the tracks, Richo.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

yes whether or not coopers and MT's are made in the same factory or owned buy the same company doesn't mean they are made with the same construction or compounds . they would be made under license to strick guidlines . there would be no point owning the two companies and producing exactly the same tyre under two different names .

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

I have no experience with ST's specifically but I've had Cooper ATR's and presently run Mickeys and since people are talking about chipping (and not so much about grip) my experience might be insightful.

The Mickey Thomson MTZ's have chipped very badly. They have chipped far worse in <10,000KM than my Cooper ATR's did in nearly 30,000KM. The Coopers still look like new except for some uneven wear on 1 of the front tires due to a dodgy wheel alignment.

But I have absolutely flogged the MTZ's, probably worse than most Prado owners would have. The rear tyres have far more cuts and chipped lugs than the front tyres due to the rear locker. Most of the lugs on the rear tyres have a developed a curved surface on the leading edges. The Coopers may have had a slightly easier life but they have still been left spinning on loose rocks on many occasions with no noticeable chipping.

On the road I don't drive the Prado like a wanna be Porsche 944 owner, but I haven't changed my driving style since getting the MTZ fitted and I feel they hold the road just as well as the Coopers did BUT they are like chalk and cheese in off road ability. The coopers where about as affective as racing slicks when driven on loose rock.