Avoid Cooper Tires Especially Discoverer at3

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

EdGs

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2020
Posts
2,478
Reaction score
3,556
Location
FL
Ram Year
2015
Engine
Hemi 5.7L
Those are a great deal. They are not severe service rated either but with how much you save getting them I am cool with that. I was going to get those for my Ram but never in stock on the 18s it seems like. I have them on my 79 F250 and had them on 09 Silverado 2500.
I think they no longer carry them, which really blows. I would've loved to get another set.

I definately want an LT tire and preferrably E rated also. After all, it's a truck, it should have truck tires, IMO.
 

smiley

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Posts
6,622
Reaction score
2,955
Location
Minot, ND
Ram Year
2014 Ram 2500 Crew
Engine
6.7L Cummins
They have been out of stock a long time but still have listed. I needed up getting Maxxis Bravo they were so cheap. Under $400 for load range E for my Ram 2500. Insane.
 

Nick@GotExhaust

Senior Member
Preferred Vendor
Joined
Aug 1, 2017
Posts
6,803
Reaction score
5,444
Location
SC
Ram Year
2017
Engine
6.4
Been happy with Cooper Rugged Treks. Havent had them for long but I did tow 2x 750 miles with a loaded 6x12 enclosed trailer and then another 750 mile trip with a car trailer and a 3400lb car and they did great. I have no complaints with them so far.
 

Hemi_Powa

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2022
Posts
7
Reaction score
9
Location
Los Angeles
Ram Year
2022
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Picked up a set for my moms car. Tires had great specs and were well recommended, but despite bing new with no leaks, they just constantly loose a ton of air all of the time. After asking around a few other shops, seems like this brand has a lot of issues these days. Might have to give them back and go another direction.
 

HEMIMANN

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Dec 7, 2020
Posts
6,807
Reaction score
17,098
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Ram Year
2017 2500 Laramie Crew Cab
Engine
6.4L HEMI
Picked up a set for my moms car. Tires had great specs and were well recommended, but despite bing new with no leaks, they just constantly loose a ton of air all of the time. After asking around a few other shops, seems like this brand has a lot of issues these days. Might have to give them back and go another direction.

Were the rims properly prepared? Aluminum rims require wire brushing to remove surface oxide and pitting, and of course bead sealant prior to install. Quality preparation is essential to seal aluminum rims.
 

smiley

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Posts
6,622
Reaction score
2,955
Location
Minot, ND
Ram Year
2014 Ram 2500 Crew
Engine
6.7L Cummins
Picked up a set for my moms car. Tires had great specs and were well recommended, but despite bing new with no leaks, they just constantly loose a ton of air all of the time. After asking around a few other shops, seems like this brand has a lot of issues these days. Might have to give them back and go another direction.
Probably has alloy wheels. They tend to get bead leaks with corrosion. Have to take off tires and grind off the corrosion. Many places are lazy and don’t clean them up and just put some bead sealer in. That works for awhile. On our 08 Yukon XL I just replaced the wheels I got tired of bead leaks and I figured they had given years of service already.

Could also be the pressure sensors if they have not been replaced.
 

Hemi_Powa

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2022
Posts
7
Reaction score
9
Location
Los Angeles
Ram Year
2022
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Were the rims properly prepared? Aluminum rims require wire brushing to remove surface oxide and pitting, and of course bead sealant prior to install. Quality preparation is essential to seal aluminum rims.
It's a relatively new car under 25,000 miles. California car, very clean and installed at discount, who usually does a good job. Word from the techs was they are seeing a lot of defects on coppers, but the good ones are great. Luck of the draw I guess. My friends who go up to the mountains and play in the snow hate Nitto Ridge grapplers and love the cooper At3s.
 

Robert Barnes

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2020
Posts
15
Reaction score
1
Location
Florida
Ram Year
2018
Engine
6.7 Turbo Diesel
I have a 2018 Ram 2500 Turbo Diesel HD with 94K miles with Cooper Discover AT3 tires.
I need to purchase my third set. I average 30 to 35K miles per set.
That doesn't include the original tires that cam with the truck.
I have my tires rotated regularly, even had an alignment.
I don't tow anything.
Looking for a better tire that will give me more miles than stated above.
Any recommendations?
 

HEMIMANN

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Dec 7, 2020
Posts
6,807
Reaction score
17,098
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Ram Year
2017 2500 Laramie Crew Cab
Engine
6.4L HEMI

DILLIGAF

Senior Member
Military
Joined
May 28, 2016
Posts
4,218
Reaction score
7,551
Location
Canada
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7
Zero issues so far with my Coopers this summer off-roading. Put over 15K on them as well travelling and pulling my Jayco 10RK

1jI1tRYoTHtBHGGB7_6XMWk=w1696-h955-s-no?authuser=0.jpg
-xOsilHqDHtjiSmKIxkcO2A=w1696-h955-s-no?authuser=0.jpg
 

nlambert182

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2022
Posts
798
Reaction score
1,085
Location
Huntsville, AL
Ram Year
2018
Engine
6.7 Cummins
I run the Cooper AT3s on all of my Rams. I got about 45k miles out of the set on my 2016 3500. They weren't worn out when I sold the truck. They still had roughly 30% tread. All highway use with minimal offroad use and quite a lot of those miles were towing a 16.5k fifth wheel. Never really had any issues with any of them.

I'm running Michelin Defenders on my wife's Armada and Michelin Primacy on my son's Acura TL. No issues with those either. You might try the Firestone Transforce tires as well. That's what I had on the dually when they were replaced. They had about 65k miles on them. Wore evenly and were still quiet.
 

HEMIMANN

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Dec 7, 2020
Posts
6,807
Reaction score
17,098
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Ram Year
2017 2500 Laramie Crew Cab
Engine
6.4L HEMI
Transforce, formerly called Steeltex, is a terrible tire. It has little wet traction. That's why it's OEM on AT option trucks - it's cheap.
Don't believe my experience with it (twice)? Go to Tire Rack website and look how poorly thousands of other owners rate it.

Same applies for OEM HT tire - Goodyear Wrangler ST. Terrible, cheap tire.
 

Jeepwalker

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2017
Posts
3,138
Reaction score
3,331
Location
WI
Ram Year
2012 Reg Cab, 4x4
Engine
5.7 Hemi
I know an older gentlemen who owned a Buick in the 50's and had terrible luck with it. Never bought another one. Obviously all Buick's are crappy.
 

HEMIMANN

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Dec 7, 2020
Posts
6,807
Reaction score
17,098
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Ram Year
2017 2500 Laramie Crew Cab
Engine
6.4L HEMI
I know an older gentlemen who owned a Buick in the 50's and had terrible luck with it. Never bought another one. Obviously all Buick's are crappy.

Ah, if you read the reviews, the current reviews indicate they are crappy. I wouldn't have posted about a 1950's experience. I got rid of the 2nd set of OEM stock Firestone Transforce AT's 3 years ago.

What a relief.
 

Spree

Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2022
Posts
68
Reaction score
66
Location
Indiana
Ram Year
2017
Engine
Hemi 5.7
One year later I'm at 27,000 miles on my Cooper Rugged Trek's. No issues
 

Jeepwalker

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2017
Posts
3,138
Reaction score
3,331
Location
WI
Ram Year
2012 Reg Cab, 4x4
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Basically 90% of tire installers I've seen...maybe 95%, find about any way possible to 'try' to speed up the process and skip critical install and especially balance steps that can lead to premature tire wear/problems. So to blame the tire mfgr w/o actually knowing the quality of the balance job is a tough call.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a guy partially inflate a tire and attempt to 'releive stress' on the bead ...to settle it as best it can be? Answer: Never

When was the last tire tech you saw inspect the tire/wheel on the balancer for out-of-roundness or side-to-side movement as it was being balanced? Answer: Never. That's one of the first and most critical balance steps. Many balancers will attempt to balance about any tire. Add weights and it's "Balanced". But that didn't correct any out-of-roundness, or identify a potentially bent wheel.

When was the last time the shop's balancer unit re-set and properly re-calibrated? I've asked tire shops and the answer is, "What??!" Probably not since it was installed. The exception might be certain chains which the balance tech might come in on a scheduled basis to re-calibrate. It's a good question to ask.

How many techs forget to remove the old weights or don't want to scrape them off? Answer: More than you think

How many tire techs hammer on the wrong ill-fitting weights? Answer: sometimes. Ill-fitting weights can fall off prematurely.

Bad shocks can also cause tires to go out of round. Worn suspension parts and wrong inflation can cause other tire problems.

There's lots of reasons that can cause premature tire wear and bounce, not due to bad tire workmanship. We have no idea what the deal was on the OP's (or anyone else's) tires who claim xyz tire only lasted abc-miles. At least if tires are Road Force Balanced on a Hunter machine, it helps eliminate the guesswork out of the balance job. If in fact they were doing it right and not bypassing the R/F process.

That's why I advocate standing RIGHT THERE and eagle-eye-ing the balance guy. Preferably do it in the summer when the overhead doors are usually open. It's your money and a fairly large investment. Some tire techs are great, and DO a fantastic job. But it takes more time to do it right and that's not something they always have (per the shop's schedule). Don't be afraid to bark out "Ideas" if you need to, to insure critical steps aren't skipped.
 
Last edited:

nlambert182

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2022
Posts
798
Reaction score
1,085
Location
Huntsville, AL
Ram Year
2018
Engine
6.7 Cummins
Basically 90% of tire installers I've seen...maybe 95%, find about any way possible to 'try' to speed up the process and skip critical install and especially balance steps that can lead to premature tire wear/problems. So to blame the tire mfgr w/o actually knowing the quality of the balance job is a tough call.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a guy partially inflate a tire and attempt to 'releive stress' on the bead ...to settle it as best it can be? Answer: Never

When was the last tire tech you saw inspect the tire/wheel on the balancer for out-of-roundness or side-to-side movement as it was being balanced? Answer: Never. That's one of the first and most critical balance steps. Many balancers will attempt to balance about any tire. Add weights and it's "Balanced". But that didn't correct any out-of-roundness, or identify a potentially bent wheel.

When was the last time the shop's balancer unit re-set and properly re-calibrated? I've asked tire shops and the answer is, "What??!" Probably not since it was installed. The exception might be certain chains which the balance tech might come in on a scheduled basis to re-calibrate. It's a good question to ask.

How many techs forget to remove the old weights or don't want to scrape them off? Answer: More than you think

How many tire techs hammer on the wrong ill-fitting weights? Answer: sometimes. Ill-fitting weights can fall off prematurely.

Bad shocks can also cause tires to go out of round. Worn suspension parts and wrong inflation can cause other tire problems.

There's lots of reasons that can cause premature tire wear and bounce, not due to bad tire workmanship. We have no idea what the deal was on the OP's (or anyone else's) tires who claim xyz tire only lasted abc-miles. At least if tires are Road Force Balanced on a Hunter machine, it helps eliminate the guesswork out of the balance job. If in fact they were doing it right and not bypassing the R/F process.

That's why I advocate standing RIGHT THERE and eagle-eye-ing the balance guy. Preferably do it in the summer when the overhead doors are usually open. It's your money and a fairly large investment. Some tire techs are great, and DO a fantastic job. But it takes more time to do it right and that's not something they always have (per the shop's schedule). Don't be afraid to bark out "Ideas" if you need to, to insure critical steps aren't skipped.
This is why I use Discount Tire exclusively.... I can sit at the window right in front of the truck and watch them road force balance my tires. I've seen Hunter personnel in there re-calibrating them as well.

I switched to DT when my old tire company told me that the reason the tires bounced on my 2500 were because they were mud tires and mud tires couldn't be balanced. DT balanced them the first time I took it in.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
194,925
Posts
2,864,167
Members
155,293
Latest member
RedFlameRam
Top