Torn between tires... Cooper AT3 or ATP? vs BFG?
- Thread starter Jernik
- Start date
cleveland48
New member
I just installed p rated at3' s today in 285/70/17. Ride great and quite. U compared them to p rated terra grappler at the shop, I thought coppers looked more aggressive. I went straight to the hunting club where they were fixing roads with a dozer. Drained mudholes on to so first pushed to the side. Played in that for awhile and they worked wonderful
fattire
New member
I'm very interested in the KO2's. I have a coworker just waiting for them to drop so he can get a set.
I finally got into a little mud in my ATP's today. They gummed up and got slick pretty quickly. That being said, once I got out, they did clear very fast. Some sort of MT or a more aggressive AT (Duratrac it perhaps MTR) would have done much better on the obstacle where in got stuck.
I finally got into a little mud in my ATP's today. They gummed up and got slick pretty quickly. That being said, once I got out, they did clear very fast. Some sort of MT or a more aggressive AT (Duratrac it perhaps MTR) would have done much better on the obstacle where in got stuck.
UPDATE: Got the Discoverer ATP's on Saturday, and really like them so far. Not sure if it's just placebo affect, but it seem to be more stable under braking and less "lean" in the turns. Acceleration seems unchanged. Don't know about mpg, because the other tires only had 100 miles on them. It looks a lot better too, IMO, although I'm sure to catch hell for bucking the trend and going "Old School" with the lettering!
Pics. Not sure why the one is sideways...
Look good. Did you go with the P (SL) rated or E rated? Any updates on performance? I was all set to go with the AT3, but the Discount Tire dude may have convinced me to go with the ATP. He keeps emphasizing that is has better siping (sp?) for the rain.
Thanks!
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Dexter Morgan
New member
Although the BFG's are the gold standard, I have had 2 sets of Cooper AT3's and they have been great tires. Quiet and good grip in both rain and snow.
Dexter Morgan
New member
They are/were the P rated. I felt LT was overkill for my application which was very mild off road and 99% on road.
Allow me to pic whore the AT3's on my '86 P/U (current)-
And on my '05 4runner LTD with SCS Stealth 6 wheels (don't have it anymore...damn sunroof and headroom) -
Hope this helps!!
Jernik
New member
I went with the "P" rated, don't plan to abuse them enough to need E's. So far, really happy with them. They are relatively quiet on the road, and traction has been good thus far. Haven't been in any big rains yet though, but they have been good in light-med rain. No snow or ice experience down here, so I can't comment on that.
I don't think mpg has been impacted much - we made two 1400 mile round trips since Thanksgiving through Christmas, and we got a little over 20 mpg on average running mostly 65-75 mph on highways with no more than small hills. Granted, our 4R is still a little "green", as the second trip finally put us over 5,000 miles on the odometer.
One thing I will say, on gravel roads small stones (pea to marble size) like to get caught in the treads, and it's hard to get them "thrown" out. Once back on pavement it seems they "click" forever. That's the only minor complaint I have with them.
On edit, we had AT3's on the 2004 Grand Cherokee we replaced with our 4R. We were very happy with that tire too. I don't think the differences between the two would be noticeable without a direct side by side comparison. Even then, I'm not sure the average person could tell the difference on road. Offroad, I can't say - my offroad is generally dirt roads and the occasional field to get to a fishing hole. Nothing hard core at all. In the end though, I don't think you'll go wrong or be unhappy either way. We just went with ATP this time because it was in stock when I was ready to buy.
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I have the Cooper AT3's and until this past weekend I was impressed. They are good in snow at slow speeds, but a little ice and they were a complete mess. I was pulling a snowmobile trailer and I have never been so worried about going off the road.
Every patch of ice I was struggling to get any little bit of traction. I have approx 30,000 kms on them. They are coming off this week...
Every patch of ice I was struggling to get any little bit of traction. I have approx 30,000 kms on them. They are coming off this week...
Shawk00
New member
Switching to snow tires? I have no complaints with the AT3's. I've never had a tire that's been overly fantastic when dealing with straight ice... but I've also never owned a dedicated snow tire which is probably what you are looking for. If it's icy... I guess I need to sloooow down.
My wife's Pilot has really nice set of Michelin All Season's that are better than mine on ice and my son had a quick white knuckle moment when he was driving me today. Ice makes every tire look bad. :/Dexter Morgan
New member
No tire short of dedicated winters or studded is going to do anything close to good on ice. All bets are off.
Why not keep the OEM tires and purchase the cooper tires when new tires are actually required? Despite the 300 tread wear and temp/trac B rating they are ideal for your described use. In a few years (Weeks if you keep reading this forum) you may have different "wants" anyway...
laufer
Member
URL for side-by-side comparison among ATP, AT3, Zeon
Unlike the official site, this dev site includes the ATP and other models made for specific retailers:
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company - Sport Utility
As far as I can tell, the Zeon is "sportier" and the ATP more aggressive than the AT3.
Unlike the official site, this dev site includes the ATP and other models made for specific retailers:
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company - Sport Utility
As far as I can tell, the Zeon is "sportier" and the ATP more aggressive than the AT3.
Seattle206
Senior Member
ATP's all the way. Great all around performance in heavy rain, snow, and off-road. I've had mine on for 7k miles and love how grippy they are compared to the OEM tires. My buddy has the KO2's on his Taco and he has trouble gripping onto wet pavement during sharp turns. I don't have that problem.
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veloindy
New member
Could it be because there isn't any weight in the back of a Tacoma? I have KO2's and they have been nothing short of outstanding! Especially in wet slushy snow.
Pkniland
Member
This
For what it's worth, I've been running KO2s (265/70r17C) for the past three months. The only negative I have experienced is that they hydroplane, a lot. May have something to do with the lack of front to back "channels" (if that makes sense) to route the water out but whatever the case, that's been my experience. Looking forward to some snow wheeling now...
Good luck with your search.
Good luck with your search.
Mud Taco
New member
I know this thread is old but is likely to still be viewed a lot.
I have to say that I did A LOT of research myself before my big and oh so important purchase and I could not be happier with my choice.
I will first say that I spent hours and ended up with a list of about 9, then narrowed it down to about 4. I then waited and over a couple weeks I tried to find people in person who had the tires on my list, looking everywhere I went. I was lucky enough to find a couple of them and talk to the owners and listened as they drove off, which helped me cross them off my list.Then I was down to 2 and when I remembered that the Coopers were made in the US, I pulled the trigger.
I got a set Cooper Discoverer AT3. They are much quieter than most, handle surprisingly well, have deeper tread than almost all their competition, made in the US, look cool but not overly aggressive and do great off-road. Oh and to top it all off they do alright in the mud. In the reviews I read by pro testers they said these were the only AT tires they tested that did an ok job in the mud. I can attest to the truth of this, except for the time I went through sloppy mud and then right into deep sand. The only time I was ever stuck.
They do still sell these and I can not recommend them more. I will say that I would rather have a set of 33s on 17s but since I still have my old 15x10 mags and had to get the 31.5" models, my tire shop had to order them. But it was worth the wait as they were even cheaper there than I could find them online and I got a lifetime, full replacement warranty for all 4 tires for something like $82! Beat that.
So, if you need a new set of A/Ts, get the Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires and waste no more time researching. And if if you have an America's Tire by you, get them there. You will be so happy you did.
I have to say that I did A LOT of research myself before my big and oh so important purchase and I could not be happier with my choice.
I will first say that I spent hours and ended up with a list of about 9, then narrowed it down to about 4. I then waited and over a couple weeks I tried to find people in person who had the tires on my list, looking everywhere I went. I was lucky enough to find a couple of them and talk to the owners and listened as they drove off, which helped me cross them off my list.Then I was down to 2 and when I remembered that the Coopers were made in the US, I pulled the trigger.
I got a set Cooper Discoverer AT3. They are much quieter than most, handle surprisingly well, have deeper tread than almost all their competition, made in the US, look cool but not overly aggressive and do great off-road. Oh and to top it all off they do alright in the mud. In the reviews I read by pro testers they said these were the only AT tires they tested that did an ok job in the mud. I can attest to the truth of this, except for the time I went through sloppy mud and then right into deep sand. The only time I was ever stuck.
They do still sell these and I can not recommend them more. I will say that I would rather have a set of 33s on 17s but since I still have my old 15x10 mags and had to get the 31.5" models, my tire shop had to order them. But it was worth the wait as they were even cheaper there than I could find them online and I got a lifetime, full replacement warranty for all 4 tires for something like $82! Beat that.
So, if you need a new set of A/Ts, get the Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires and waste no more time researching. And if if you have an America's Tire by you, get them there. You will be so happy you did.
SteadfastZach
New member
I drive about 99.9% street and .01% off. I want an aggressive looking tire but keep lower mpg. I'm averaging about 19.9 right now and drive 35 miles one way to work 6 days a week. I've had the KO's before and had a tough time in wet conditions. Now with the 4Runner my wife drives it occasionally and I'm in FL were it rains almost everyday.
So my options I'm considering are....
In 275/70R17 size: Cooper Discoverer AT3, BFG KO2, or ST MAxx's
or keep it stock sizing to retain MPG since I most likely wont be doing any crazy lifts with the exception of a Daystar spacer lift.
So my options I'm considering are....
In 275/70R17 size: Cooper Discoverer AT3, BFG KO2, or ST MAxx's
or keep it stock sizing to retain MPG since I most likely wont be doing any crazy lifts with the exception of a Daystar spacer lift.
