255 55 19 Coopers. Anyone tried them?
Discussion
I've been very happy with my choice of the General Grabber AT for my 19 inch wheels (255 55 19. The car doesn't get used on off-road days but needs to tow out of fields in all weathers, and get up our hill in the one-week-per-year of snow.
But the truth is, choice was always limited for this size wheel if I wanted something more than a road tyre. I could go for the more mud-oriented Goodyear MTR or the Generals. Price eventually steered me to the Grabbers and I've lived with them quite happily.
But now there's another AT tyre on the market - the Cooper Zeon LTZ.
The forums give it a mixed reception. The Australians claim the sidewalls cracked after a few miles. The Americans love them. Perhaps the Ozzies had a bad batch? The claims are that it's slightly more road oriented than a normal AT tyre which would probably suit me but then I hear it doesn't clear mud very well - something I definitely need.
As with all things in life, a Pistonheads review is to be trusted above all others. Anyone tried the Coopers?
But the truth is, choice was always limited for this size wheel if I wanted something more than a road tyre. I could go for the more mud-oriented Goodyear MTR or the Generals. Price eventually steered me to the Grabbers and I've lived with them quite happily.
But now there's another AT tyre on the market - the Cooper Zeon LTZ.
The forums give it a mixed reception. The Australians claim the sidewalls cracked after a few miles. The Americans love them. Perhaps the Ozzies had a bad batch? The claims are that it's slightly more road oriented than a normal AT tyre which would probably suit me but then I hear it doesn't clear mud very well - something I definitely need.
As with all things in life, a Pistonheads review is to be trusted above all others. Anyone tried the Coopers?
My Cherokee was shod with Cooper road tyres when I bought it. They seemed to have worn fine, no problems.
When it came to choosing my first set of ATs I also looked at Cooper. Some seemed to like them, but volume of internet talk was very much General Grabbers or BFG's. I've gone with the Generals, as the new version is more SUV biased and quieter noise level than the older AT2.(ref Sarge)
I'd say if you've had the GG's and been happy, go with them again !!!!
When it came to choosing my first set of ATs I also looked at Cooper. Some seemed to like them, but volume of internet talk was very much General Grabbers or BFG's. I've gone with the Generals, as the new version is more SUV biased and quieter noise level than the older AT2.(ref Sarge)
I'd say if you've had the GG's and been happy, go with them again !!!!
I've got the same dilemma - not that much choice in 255/55/19 and don't want to buy a super rugged, noisy true off roader for my 80 - 90% on road driving.
Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
cheddar said:
I've got the same dilemma - not that much choice in 255/55/19 and don't want to buy a super rugged, noisy true off roader for my 80 - 90% on road driving.
Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
WHAT??? 60K miles on a set of tyres?Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
I get ~20K out of a set of Grabbers and thought that was good.
The Grabbers aren't especially noisy and seem to work everywhere. I've no reason to change other than curiosity but if they guarantee that sort of wear then they're either dreadful or definitely worth a punt.
Watchman said:
cheddar said:
I've got the same dilemma - not that much choice in 255/55/19 and don't want to buy a super rugged, noisy true off roader for my 80 - 90% on road driving.
Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
WHAT??? 60K miles on a set of tyres?Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
I get ~20K out of a set of Grabbers and thought that was good.
The Grabbers aren't especially noisy and seem to work everywhere. I've no reason to change other than curiosity but if they guarantee that sort of wear then they're either dreadful or definitely worth a punt.
Coopers website claims '50,000kms of metro driving guarantee' half what I was quoted.
Watchman said:
Can we get it in writing?
Not sure watchman.I met these chaps at a trade show but they don't have a designated dealership near me (or even on the same island for that matter).
They suggested I ship the tyres down here to a tyre dealer of my choice and have them fitted at my cost - put me off paying for shipping, fitting and alignment every 10,000 miles.
I prefer Coopers AT tyre over the LTZ but it doesn't come in 255/55/19 so I'm still looking......
cheddar said:
Watchman said:
Can we get it in writing?
Not sure watchman.I met these chaps at a trade show but they don't have a designated dealership near me (or even on the same island for that matter).
They suggested I ship the tyres down here to a tyre dealer of my choice and have them fitted at my cost - put me off paying for shipping, fitting and alignment every 10,000 miles.
I prefer Coopers AT tyre over the LTZ but it doesn't come in 255/55/19 so I'm still looking......
Watchman said:
cheddar said:
Watchman said:
Can we get it in writing?
Not sure watchman.I met these chaps at a trade show but they don't have a designated dealership near me (or even on the same island for that matter).
They suggested I ship the tyres down here to a tyre dealer of my choice and have them fitted at my cost - put me off paying for shipping, fitting and alignment every 10,000 miles.
I prefer Coopers AT tyre over the LTZ but it doesn't come in 255/55/19 so I'm still looking......
Available 255/55/19's over here, with prices - divide by two for GBP:
http://www.hyperdrive.co.nz/product/tyres/122/tyre...
Edited to add this review of Pirelli Scorpion ATR's:
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/pirelli-scorpion...
Edited by cheddar on Tuesday 23 July 00:10
BUMP
OK, I chickened out of buying the Coopers after I saw one in theflesh rubber. There's one good reason why I bought another set of Grabbers and one weak reason.
Good reason - the Grabbers have a very pronounced rim protection lip. You simply can't get the rims close to kerbs. The Cooper's didn't give me that sort of confidence.
Weak reason - looking at them both side by side, the Grabbers are clearly going to "win" in the snow. Given that I've been promising people that a Merc ML isn't the useless car most people think it is, I would be setting myself up for a fall if I didn't equip it with the best boots for when that time comes.
Supporting reason - I kept a couple of part-worn Grabbers from the last time I swapped them for new ones, which gives me some contingency in the event of an unrepairable puncture.
I think the Coopers will make better road tyres and will be good enough on dirt tracks and other dry/loose ground.
OK, I chickened out of buying the Coopers after I saw one in the
Good reason - the Grabbers have a very pronounced rim protection lip. You simply can't get the rims close to kerbs. The Cooper's didn't give me that sort of confidence.
Weak reason - looking at them both side by side, the Grabbers are clearly going to "win" in the snow. Given that I've been promising people that a Merc ML isn't the useless car most people think it is, I would be setting myself up for a fall if I didn't equip it with the best boots for when that time comes.
Supporting reason - I kept a couple of part-worn Grabbers from the last time I swapped them for new ones, which gives me some contingency in the event of an unrepairable puncture.
I think the Coopers will make better road tyres and will be good enough on dirt tracks and other dry/loose ground.
Edited by Watchman on Sunday 15th September 22:57
Sarge 4x4 said:
Having driven on all three tyres I find they all have their pluses and minuses, General is IMHO the best all round but different requirements could suite any of the three.
Cooper was not nice in the wet, but the Goodyear Duratrac was a slightly better tyre off road.
Interesting what you say about the Coopers in the wet. My current (nearly dead) Grabbers were quite frightening when it started to rain again earlier this month. I'm quite looking forward to having the new ones mounted (trying to eek out the last from the current ones).Cooper was not nice in the wet, but the Goodyear Duratrac was a slightly better tyre off road.
The Duratrac is usually quite a bit more expensive than the Grabber but it does look like it would fare better off road.
cheddar said:
I've got the same dilemma - not that much choice in 255/55/19 and don't want to buy a super rugged, noisy true off roader for my 80 - 90% on road driving.
Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
Which Continentals are you running - Merc offer ContiSportContacts and CrossContact UHP's on ML's - one are about a successful as a wCurrently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
e in a gaybar in anything other than dry conditions (and were a major factor in a serious accident I had earlier this year) - the CrossContacts on the other hand handle on road wet conditions perfectly well - but considering Grabbers or the like for winter as haven't heard many compliments for the way the UHP's handle the snow (not surprising they are a summer tyre after all). Simes.
I'm very impressed with them, they are stuck under a Disco3 which is a tad on the heavy side for a 4x4 but i've only been stuck twice with them.
Both times were my fault, the first was trying to get through a clay bomb hole that was always going to end badly...
the 2nd was when i moved over to let 2 cars past on a country back road, i stuck 2 wheels onto the "grass" verge and when i moved off it kept sliding downhill on the slope. Turns out the "grass verge" was a 3ft deep muddy ditch...
They can be a tad skiddy in heavy rain if you provoke it enough. I took the fuses out to disable DSC and a few other systems and got a fairly decent Scandinavian flick out of it.
The tyres still look brand new so they are wearing well, i have 9k under them now.
Both times were my fault, the first was trying to get through a clay bomb hole that was always going to end badly...
the 2nd was when i moved over to let 2 cars past on a country back road, i stuck 2 wheels onto the "grass" verge and when i moved off it kept sliding downhill on the slope. Turns out the "grass verge" was a 3ft deep muddy ditch...
They can be a tad skiddy in heavy rain if you provoke it enough. I took the fuses out to disable DSC and a few other systems and got a fairly decent Scandinavian flick out of it.
The tyres still look brand new so they are wearing well, i have 9k under them now.
Watchman said:
WHAT??? 60K miles on a set of tyres?
I get ~20K out of a set of Grabbers and thought that was good.
The Grabbers aren't especially noisy and seem to work everywhere. I've no reason to change other than curiosity but if they guarantee that sort of wear then they're either dreadful or definitely worth a punt.
I thought that was the norm on all terrain tyres! One of the other scout leaders at my group has a 170,000 mile defender that's only on its 3rd or 4th set, and he's owned it from new!I get ~20K out of a set of Grabbers and thought that was good.
The Grabbers aren't especially noisy and seem to work everywhere. I've no reason to change other than curiosity but if they guarantee that sort of wear then they're either dreadful or definitely worth a punt.
51mes said:
cheddar said:
I've got the same dilemma - not that much choice in 255/55/19 and don't want to buy a super rugged, noisy true off roader for my 80 - 90% on road driving.
Currently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
Which Continentals are you running - Merc offer ContiSportContacts and CrossContact UHP's on ML's - one are about a successful as a wCurrently running Continental's, great on road, rubbish everywhere else.
I spoke to my local Cooper chap and they guarantee their tyres for 60,000 miles as long as there's a wheel alignment every 10,000.
Still not sure what to buy, sorry no help, will watch this thread with interest.
e in a gaybar in anything other than dry conditions (and were a major factor in a serious accident I had earlier this year) - the CrossContacts on the other hand handle on road wet conditions perfectly well - but considering Grabbers or the like for winter as haven't heard many compliments for the way the UHP's handle the snow (not surprising they are a summer tyre after all). Simes.
abbotsmike said:
Watchman said:
WHAT??? 60K miles on a set of tyres?
I get ~20K out of a set of Grabbers and thought that was good.
The Grabbers aren't especially noisy and seem to work everywhere. I've no reason to change other than curiosity but if they guarantee that sort of wear then they're either dreadful or definitely worth a punt.
I thought that was the norm on all terrain tyres! One of the other scout leaders at my group has a 170,000 mile defender that's only on its 3rd or 4th set, and he's owned it from new!I get ~20K out of a set of Grabbers and thought that was good.
The Grabbers aren't especially noisy and seem to work everywhere. I've no reason to change other than curiosity but if they guarantee that sort of wear then they're either dreadful or definitely worth a punt.
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