Anyone with experience running Cooper ST MAXX Tires in winter?

[jasonoflivingston]

Finding information about this tire isn't too hard. Finding info that is relevant to my specific questions seems to be. I have seen tons of info on how these tires do on the road, off the road, snow wheeling, winter driving compared to mud tires etc, but very little about road performance in the winter compared to reputable AT tires and none about how they do in the really low temps where the rubber tends to get hard and slippy.

I would love to hear people's winter road driving experiences with this tire and especially from anyone who can compare to other AT tires or sees temps below -15 degrees Celsius.

For reference, I currently run General Grabber AT2's and they have been solid winter performers, even in the cold temps here in Ottawa.

 

[Jungoes]

I don't have the coopers, but contemplating getting the general grabbers AT2, at 140 each plus a rebate they are tempting, how is the ride on the grabbers? is it a P or LT tire?
I currently have Dunlop Radial Rovers RVXT ( which are LT) which work great in winter but the ride is a but hard, so i'm thinking of a softer tire,
appreciate your feedback on the grabbers. thanks

 

[shadyluke]

I used to run the regular Cooper ST tires on my old ranger. They did alright in the snow. The MAXX will probably be better as the tread blocks are smaller. IMO you can't go wrong with Cooper tires. I run the AT3 on my superduty and had the STT on my ranger then my YJ and now my mom's TJ. They wear really well and ride nice.

 

[jasonoflivingston]

I don't have the coopers, but contemplating getting the general grabbers AT2, at 140 each plus a rebate they are tempting, how is the ride on the grabbers? is it a P or LT tire?
I currently have Dunlop Radial Rovers RVXT ( which are LT) which work great in winter but the ride is a but hard, so i'm thinking of a softer tire,
appreciate your feedback on the grabbers. thanks

I run LT235/85 R16's in a load range E so I may not be the best example of how they ride. Mine are a bit stiff and probably a bit heavy, but it is to be expected given the load range. As for performance, they currently have 90,000 or so kms on them (40k on my old truck and 50k or so on the T4R) and between 5/32's and 8/32's worth of tread left. The tires have shown some signs of cupping, but I think that is more due to inflation issues on my part when I had them on my truck as well as not rotating as often as I should.

I have loaded them up, rashed them on curbs, run over small, pointy stumps, driven on shale, and never had a gash or a flat out of them. I feel that they do well in the sand, the gravel, the wet roads (I have found it really hard to get them to hydroplane) and are great in the cold temps and the snow (getting a bit worse in the pasty stuff now as they start to wear out, although the siping is still there). The only place I have not felt as confident with them is in clay-like mud.

The only reason I am considering changing tire choice is because my deer hunting season is spent in an area full of cedar swamps with clay-like mud and I want to move up to a 255/85 tire (Grabbers don't come in that size).

If I can't find a 255/85 option that will be at least pretty good in the cold winters here, I will stick with a 235/85 option (likely Grabbers again as the weak sidewalls on the Duratracs are no good for cedar swamps with cutoff stumps and the like jabbing at the tires).

 

[98CDN4RUNNER]

Co- worker has the coopers on his truck, there a nice looking tire, he says there not good on icy roads but good in snow. His one compliant is there loud, I agree you can hear him humming down the road from a good distance. I hate loud tires personally.

I run BFG All Terrains on one of my 4runners in a 31x10.5x15, it's used on all sorts of terrain from rocks to mud to swampy areas during hunting season and to get me into some back lake fishing holes, never had an issue and with the winter we just had in Ottawa they did great in the snow and I live outside the city in a rural area that doesn't get plowed often, good tough tire.

Other 4runner has 265 Duratracs in an E load range, great tire also haven't had any issues at all, again it's used in similar terrain and I've never had a worry about a sidewalk puncture. If I could do it over I think I would of went with a 235/75/16 instead of 265's. I will say the sidewalls are a bit softer then the BFG's but not by much.

I rotate my tires every second oil change, both sets are wearing great. A cousin of mine has the General Grabber's on his Taco and he said there not bad so far, hard to beat the price of them that's for sure.

If your getting that kind of mileage out of the grabbers and for the price they can't be beat.


Cheers,

 

[jasonoflivingston]

I also live outside of town. I am out east towards Limoge and this winter was a real whopper, but the Grabbers did well. I had a feeling the ice performance wouldn't be quite as good on the ST Maxx as my current tires. I guess what it will come down to will be whether the desired size increase and armortek 3 sidewalls are worth the loss of some winter performance and increased road noise. There are some good choices in 235/85 so its a tough choice!