Cooper AT3's

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

By the sounds of it the AT3s and the D697s are very similar in handling, breaking and durability. I had in my mind that the coopers would be a little noisier, but maybe not...

I think the way they perform off road, bag out, and the amount of mileage you can get out of them will be more the decider. Any comments on these points?

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

I think my D697's performed great off road. To be honest compared to the bf's off road they seemed to grab a little better and bagging out was probably the same. I was running 16 on the sand and seemed to look about the same as the bf's. I always run 16/18 on the sand. Personally the biggest difference I noticed is wet roads. I could easily get the bf's to lose traction off the mark when giving it a boot full (on purpose just to experiment) but the D697's only for a split second. Obviously this isn't a true test but all I can really say, just in general driving on wet roads driving to the conditions I find the D697's a lot better and certainly feel the vehicle handles and feels more sure footed on the road (if that's the correct wording). Only reason I have never bought coopers is the bad rap I seem to read a lot about BUT in saying that plenty of people who have had them with no issues. Bf's also had a bad rap a few years ago when they decided to change their manufacturing country but now have gone back to the states for manufacturing....I don't think the D697's will last as long as my bf's did, they seem to be a bit softer which may explain why they grip better but if its only 20/30thou difference between them Id prefer the extra grip and safety which really when you are on the road with your family and other families in there vehicles you cant put a price on that in my opinion.....Cheers Steve

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Sorry meant to add I cant tell you about how many klms I will get/have got etc out of them as I have only had them for just over 10k now. I am rotating every 5k to make them last as long as possible which should be pretty good. Time will tell I suppose......Cheers Steve

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

I totally agree with you Steve. Sometimes there is too much emphasis on how strong or how long the tyre will last. But whats the point if it can't hold on when going round a corner. My aim is to find the best ALL-ROUNDER for on and off road driving. The other thing we don't consider much is how the same tyre will performing after it has 30-40 thousand on it?

So far I am gathering that the AT3 may be a little harder compound then the 697 which is why it might get extra kms out of it. Any further comments from AT3 owners and how their try is travelling?

[BruDi Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close BruDi]

This is a bit late I know but we have AT3's on our Prado 150; have had them on for 3 years and have done about 50,000 km on them and they still have plenty of tread left. Our Prado is used for 4 Wdriving, places like the Anne Beadell and other off road tracks and for towing both a caravan and a camper so the tyres do hard work. We have found these to be excellent tyres and will no doubt get them again. We do get them checked every 10,000 km and the cost is minimal, about $24.

Bruce and Di

[JC Hammer Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JC Hammer]

AT3's are the go... 65k. so far, but 80k. may be a stretch. trips include the Gibb River Road, Tanami & Fraser island, with not one flat. will possibly go for something a little more aggressive next time' for towing the camper through bogs & sand.

[YotaAddict Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close YotaAddict]

I run a Cooper Tyres Dealership in SE QLD and have never done a mileage warranty claim on a LT AT3. Have seen dramas with passenger ones and there was/is a company parallel importing them and selling them with misguided advice on tyre pressures and load applications. So if you buy the correct LT AT3 to suit your needs you will have 80'000kms of trouble free motoring.

[Chriso100 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Chriso100]

Hey there all. Here's my first post on this forum. I started in the tyre industry when I was 16..... Now I'm 38, and have been out of the trade for a couple of years. These topics really interest me, so here's my 2 bobs worth. I have seen the Cooper product outlast and out perform most brands throughout my time in the tyre industry. I still point they guys at work towards Coopers, because i have enormous faith in them. I have then on my Landcruiser, they are just right for what I need. As far as rotations and wheel alignments go, you should be doing this anyway. If you buy them from a reputable store, they should rotate them for you for the life of the tyre...for free. In the Tyrepower stores that I worked in, we always had the customer come back every 5000 ks to have them checked and rotated. If an alignment was needed, they customer would have to pay. Price wise, they are up there with the main players, but they are very GOOD value for money. Now I'm no way affiliated anymore with Tyrepower or Coopers, just happy to have been involved in the past.
Cheers Chriso

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

Tell that to the Tyrepower wa%ke$s that sold me Cooper AT3s, one of which suffered severe carcass separation at 2500km (less than 1000 on the dirt) only to tell me that there was no warranty because I took them outside the metro area. The remaining 4 tyres suffered the same fate at less than 20k. Lucky for me and my car I ditched them in favour of some BFGs before they could cause me real damage.

[matt150 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close matt150]

23,000 km on mine. Dirt, sand, tar.... They look brand new. Running 38 psi on tar, 40 psi in the back when towing.

Might go up a size and try Mickey Thompson All Terrain next time for something different.