If you’re anything like me you love mixing it up in great the outdoors. Whether it be fishing, snowboarding, camping or hunting – I simply love being outdoors, but sadly like most people, I live about 70% of my driving life on pavement either flying down the highway or stuck in gridlock. For this, a set of traditional road tires is perfect, but what about that extra 30%… when you want to bust-out on the trials, through the snow and venture to places most vehicles never go? For that you need something with a little extra bite. Something more aggressive…
Meet the Cooper Discover A/T3, named so for its “All Traction. All Terrain. All the Time” branding. Designed for SUVs and light trucks, the A/T3’s aggressive tread design (outfitted with chevron grooves, lateral groove protectors and a 5-rib all terrain design) is said to significantly improve off-road traction without sacrificing highway performance. A hybrid tire if you will. A tire that fills the gap between road tire and full-blown off-road. A tire that seems perfect for weekend warriors who can’t wait to hit the trails, dunes and rocks.
Want more details? Check out the embedded videos below to get a up-close look at what makes these tires so versatile, capable and down right sexy!
For our testing sessions we outfitted a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5.7L HEMI) with 17″ (235/65/17) Cooper Discover A/T3 Tires over the course of 64 days. During that time we drove over 4,000 miles and spent more than 400 of those on dusty trails, muddy bogs and snow covered back country. In the end results were positive, our Jeep a little worse for the wear and the tires left hungry from more.
Handling:
Both on and off-road the A/T3’s proved to be very stable, even in wet conditions. Transitioning from some rather bald, not so aggressive tires to the A/T3’s was a noticeable upgrade in the handling department for me. Especially in snowy conditions. On the highway and city these tires deliver a smooth ride free from any shaking or turbulence. I wouldn’t say they’re made for high-speed cornering, but I was rather impressed with their overall agility. Especially when you consider their aggressive tread pattern.
Traction:
These tires (much like my favorite golfer) grip it and rip it! Throughout testing both on and off-road myself and the rest of our crew were truly impressed with amount of traction the A/T3’s provided. No matter what we came across (sand, rocks, mud or snow) these tires kept our Jeep firmly in contact with the ground… even if at some moments it was only with three out of four tires.
- On-Road: Traveling city roads and the highway are absolutely no challenge for the A/T3’s. These tires easily handle rain with very little hydroplaning and actually handle snow incredibly well. Making starting and stopping in slippery winter conditions a stress free experience instead of a white-knuckled adventure.
- Off-Road: We expected the aggressive tread of the A/T3’s to hand the road with no problem, but we weren’t sure how they’d grapple with rocks and muddy conditions. So we put them through everything our test Jeep and it’s 8.5″ ground clearance could handle. That means sand, snow, mud and rocks. We threw everything we could think of at these tires and they guided us through it without fear. We never got stuck, but did have a few close calls in off-road snowy conditions, which if you ask me are some of the worst you can encounter, but alas the A/T3’s were able muster up enough traction to keep the jeep rolling.
Road Noise:
I don’t quite know what it is with Jeeps, but they can make even slightly aggressive tires sound like mudders. Needless to say, we did experience some above average road noise produced by these tires. Most noticeably on the highway and that can be attributed to their aggressive treads and styling. Every vehicle is different (sound proofing, etc…) so what sounds a little loud in our test Jeep might sound perfectly normal in your F150. That being said, the road noise we experienced was noticeable, but not annoying overall.
Durability:
Touted with a generous 55,000 mile warranty the Discover A/T3’s were engineered to keep you on the road for a long time. During our testing sessions (lasting just over 2 months and 4,000 miles) we experienced very little wear and tear and no noticeable cracking or defects in the rubber – which is saying a lot after all the off-road work we put these tires through.
Value:
Ranging in price from $135 to $175 ea. (depending on size) we found the A/T3’s to be a very good value. Especially for outdoors men and women who need the dependability and fuel efficiency of road tires and the aggressive versatility of off-road tires. The A/T3’s are in our opinion an ideal combo of both, making them the best of both worlds – with very little compromise.
- Preforms Great Both On/Off-Road
- Handles Surprisingly Well For an Aggressive Tread Pattern
- 55,000 Mile Warranty
- Above Average Road Noise
I do not drive absurdly and hardly go off road. When I do it is minimal. Having a 4×4 Chevy Colorado I purchased a set of Cooper A/T3 in 31×10.5x15r. Not even 15,000 miles and one year later I am ready to replace! These tires wore uneven and extremely fast, they were absurdly loud to the point I had to crank my radio up just to get over the road noise, and they were never able to stay inflated! I did proper maintenance such as correct air pressure, regular rotation, and inspections. (I have the receipts!)
The Cooper A/T3 (Truly,Terrible,Tire) is the worst tire I have ever owned. I was highly disappointed and unimpressed with the longevity and value of the Made in the USA Cooper Tire. As an auto enthusiast, It hurts me I did not find the tire I thought I was getting with Cooper. Granted, I know these tires could have come from a bad batch this was the first set of Coopers I ever owned and maybe my last.
I hope this letter reaches you well,
Sorry to hear that Scott. Can’t say we had the same experience at all. I’ve had the A/T3’s on my Jeep since I wrote this article (2 years ago) and they’ve been great on and off-road. Probably looking into something new at the end of next year, because I’ve put a ton of miles on them. I’d have to guess you got a bad batch of tires. Did you try reaching out to Cooper? I think they’d want to hear your results.
I couldn’t agree more. Never have I ever hated a tire so much. I’ve had them on my 1500 silverado for 2 years now. They wore fast (25000 miles) they made enough noise to make you think all your wheel bearings are shot (gets a lot worse as the wear goes). Dry, rain, mud and snow grip is Allright i guess but nothing fantastic either. Mpg isn’t good either. Worst tire. I’m never buying cooper’s ever again. Michelin all the way from now on.
Sorry to hear that!! I have them on my Dodge and love them!! Cooper has been my tire of choice for over 20 years! I have 10 different friends who run a verity of Coopers on there trucks and everyone loves them!
I drive a Chevy Trailblazer and since putting these tires on, the noise is unbearable! If tires weren’t so expensive ($900 here in Canada for 4 tires) I would definitely replace. On the highway is the worst at 100km/hr the noise is almost deafening and gives me a headache. Mind you, my truck is getting older so maybe not as soundproof as newer vehicles….
I had a set on my 1998 Chevy blazer, I believe I had them on there for nearly 4 yrs, and I’m sure I averaged around 20,000 km per yr,, sorry but I did not experience the road noise ,, I scrapped the vehicle and sold the tires privately with about 35% tread left on them and very even wear
[…] the BFG tires and will be cheaper in price. I found this online review which seems very positive: https://bustedwallet.com/cooper-disco…s-road-review/ Still plays with TRUCKS…Hidden Content GMC Truck fan & long-time Pontiac enthusiast- My […]
I’ve had these on my ’06 Suzuki Grand Vitara for about 5 months now, and these things are champions! Granted, the vehicle I put them on itself is a capable little bugger, but compared to the previous tires (Cooper Discoverer H/T) that were almost bald (just bought the car, came with these tires), these A/T3 are quieter, way better performance wise (even just on road, where the H/T are suppose to shine), and give me an extra 0.5″ of lift! On that note, I did not experience the road noise you mentioned. These things are aggressive, and my car must have some decent sound dampening, but they are actually quieter than the highway terrains originally on this SUV. I can’t wait for winter when I get to test out both having a 4×4, and these A/T tires, all at once in the ice and snow!
Funny reading the different reviews here and on various other sites.I guess for the negative reviewers the 55 thousand mile mile guarantee is a good thing.The price i see.Around 145 dollars is really good compared to what i see of other brands.I seem to go about thirty thousand on whatever brand i buy then it is time for fresh tires.
I was researching tires for my new/used f-250. Consider what your local guy sells and if he will stand behind them. I had extreme bad luck with Firestones.They wouldn’t stand behind them and lost a customer forever.
Had a set on my 07 F150 – never had an issue.
How some people can ‘hate’ a tire is hilarious….so much wasted emotion from a piece of rubber. Good thing it’s not something world shattering!
I bought these tires after reading favorable reviews. Big mistake. The noise is off the charts and constant pressure loss. I have to fill the tires every week. I even bought new wheels, and no difference. The tires performance started lacking after only 1 year of road driving. I don’t recommend at all.