Cooper AT vs Cooper ST vs BFGoodrich AT??

Submitted: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:00
ThreadID: 12993 Views:2480 Replies:14 FollowUps:5
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I've got a Prado120 & am just about to put new tyres on (265/70/17). Was resigned to the Cooper ATs even though I thought the tread wasn't aggressive enough. I got several recommendations that the new BFG ATs don't last long enough .. even though they are what i have on another 4WD & am happy with the tread pattern/noise.
Am now told by Coopers that their 265/70/17 ST will be on the shelf by end of May!

I would prefer the ST pattern but don't want too much road noise. Hence, does anyone have STs & can tell me how noisy they really are please? (if they are too noisy the wife will go off the deep end!!)
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Reply By: steve - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:14

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:14
Drew,
We have BFG's on our 120 and couldn't be happier with them. Definitely not too noisy. The last set I had on an 80 series had done 70000km when I sold it and would have gone to 100k I'm sure.

Steve.
AnswerID: 59162

Reply By: srowlandson - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:15

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:15
I thought the ST's i had on my GU patrol were very quiet and quite a good tyre.

A LOT quieter than a worn BFG Mud and Goodyear MTR

Then again, i also had Swampers at the same time, so anything was quiet :(

Steve
AnswerID: 59163

Reply By: Member - Michael- Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:15

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:15
Drew
I'm running Cooper's A/T's on my Patrol and they have done everything I have asked of them. I was going to get Cooper S/T but the retailer advised against it unless I was going to spend at least 90% of driving time off road, he told me that they can get very noisy on the 'blacktop' it depends a lot on the actual bitumen surface, as the S/T's wear about half way down the ride can on bitumen become quite 'lumpy'. I'm happy with my A/T's.
Mike
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AnswerID: 59164

Reply By: Member - StevenL - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:41

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:41
Drew,

I have had my 120 for a week now and had the Cooper A/T's put on on day 1. Road noise with these is not a problem. Only marginal increase on the original tyres in my opinion.

Have just returned from the Finders over the long weekend where I did about 300kms on very stony dirt roads. The tyres seems to be virtually unmarked even though the roads are full of corrugations and sharp stones up to 3 inches. Several other forumites have recently reported punctures on the same roads. I was very happy with these tyres performance even though it was a comparatively short trip on new tyres.

One thing I did notice over the car tyres that I took through the same trip was the throwing of stones. There was virtually none of the plinking in the wheel arches that I had when going through that area in the car with normal Pirelli P400 car tyres. I was most impressed.

I know I am giving them a big wrap after the first trip out but they seemed pretty good to me. I travelled at about 70-80km/h all day and it was only on the worst corrugations that it felt like the vehicle was getting a bit jittery.

I was thinking about waiting for the S/Ts but I don't do enough serious off-road to justify them. The A/Ts seem the best balance for me.

Obviously the ultimate test will be to see how they are faring at about 50,000kms. Look forward to my post in about 2 years time!

AnswerID: 59170

Follow Up By: DrewT - Thursday, May 27, 2004 at 14:16

Thursday, May 27, 2004 at 14:16
thanks ... think i will go for the ATs based on how much offroad i will do.

by the way .... we both have essentially the same car with what looks like a Toyota Alloy bar. what do you think about the recent hoo haa re reduced wading capability of Prados with Toyota Alloy bar, due to the mods needed to fit that bar?? (see http://www.lcool.org/technical/120_series/120_series_technical.html)
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Reply By: joshinthecity - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:55

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 21:55
I've got 4,000klm - old ST's on the GU, and have to say that as much as I love them, they are quite noisy.
That's the answer to your question, but remember, there are more factors to consider.....

Good luck with it.

Josh.

AnswerID: 59175

Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 22:06

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 22:06
Dude had ST's on the weekend on a breadbox, and he didnt get over the first slimey erison hump up Kings, the yellow clay stuff... wasnt impressed at all.
AnswerID: 59179

Follow Up By: Mrs Diamond - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 18:54

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 18:54
truckster truckster truckster.
how can you blame any tyre for not going up the yellow clay stuff.
when its on a breadbox.
hasnt got anything to do with the 4by.
hahahaha
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Follow Up By: Leroy - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 22:45

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 22:45
it's the bread box is it not?

Leroy
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Follow Up By: Truckster (Vic) - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 23:25

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 23:25
sorry Jim.. back to Pink Floyd and your home entertainment system :P

tires were solid with clay, they wouldnt clean from what I was told, I made it up the hill piece of urine.
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Reply By: ACH - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 22:34

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 22:34
DrewT, comes down to what you're gong to do with your ride. If it's less than 20% off the black stuff, then go for the Cooper AT. You will be surprised at how well they perform offroad....but don't expect miracles if you want to get into really difficult stuff.

I have them on my ute (40,000kms now) and they've got me where I want to go....sand, rocks, mud etc. but nothing totally extreme.

Like I said, your tyre choice should be based on what you are going to do. Don't compromise one way or the other!!
AnswerID: 59188

Reply By: Peter from Rockingham 4wd Club Inc. - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 23:14

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 23:14
Drew,

I have 265/75/16 Cooper ST on my Prado and coudnt be happier with them. The road noice is no where near as bad as i expected.
Ach is right, only buy them if you are going to be off the black top a lot.
They are very impressive off road. You will notice the difference straight away.

Best of luck in deciding.

Pete
AnswerID: 59195

Reply By: Member - Ray - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 23:46

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at 23:46
Coper STs on Patrol GU 60000k so far and still looking good.Not really noisy and fantastic on the rough stuff and on the beach.
AnswerID: 59199

Reply By: Members - Brett & J- Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 09:55

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 09:55
Drew,

dont worry about the milage factor, or the 60/40, 70/30 or 90/10 on-road/off-road ratio (it is a bit narrow minded, I know)

If you are going to take your new Prado off-road, and want the most traction off-road from your abovementioned tyres, I would suggest the Coopers ST (or even a set of muddies).

I know that our 4WD clocks up a few km on the blacktop, but I want a tyre a bit more aggressive than an AT. Next time we are going to get a set of BGF Muddies, despite only half of our 4WD usage being off-road.

BTW, we have had our Cooper STs for 25,000km and would recommend them to anyone. Great tyre, that havent let us down.
AnswerID: 59221

Reply By: Outnabout David (SA) - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 10:22

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 10:22
Drew,
Don't worry about the wear on the BFG's. I have never had them until this 4wd. After 20,000k they still have the dimples on them so they should last for a long time to come. I went this way because at the time they were the only light truck tyre available.
AnswerID: 59223

Follow Up By: Mark (Geelong) - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 11:16

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 11:16
I have BFG A/T fitted to GU 265/75 16 and have clocked up 75000klm
Provide good grip on and off road low noise and wii easily do 100k
I previously got 110000 klm on Jackaroo towing camper 60000klm so I am a fan of them
Only had 2 punctures both in driveway at home

Good luck

Mark
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Reply By: Willykj - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 18:13

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 18:13
Hi,
I have Cooper ST's on my Jackaroo & am extremely pleased with them.
They are a little noisier - particularly at low speed on black top but at normal speeds they are not very noisy. My wife cant notice the difference. Previously we had Cooper AT's & on a trip to Kimberley & Pilbara etc we had 4 puntures & destroyed one tyre - I complained to Cooper & they did a deal to change to ST's for this years trip to Cape York.

Go with ST's - great.
Willy
AnswerID: 59295

Reply By: Patrol22 (Queanbeyan - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 19:04

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 19:04
Yep I've got 265/70R16 BFG ATs on the patrol. They currently have 70000kms on them - done the Cape once and the Victorian High Country a dozen or so time and reckon I've still got 30000km left in them. Will be buying another set (4) of the same for the spare rims for the forthcoming adventure to the Tip. Noise? What's noise? The patrol is so quiet I have to stop every now and then just to make sure the engine is still running!!
AnswerID: 59302

Reply By: Joe - Thursday, May 20, 2004 at 19:29

Thursday, May 20, 2004 at 19:29
Hi DRew,
I set up a second set of steel rims with Cooper STT. They are extremely noisy on the black top, but in mud and clay brilliant.
THe effort of changing over from time to time is worth it.
Final setup 265/75/16
If you are interested in this setup let me know as their are a few further details to be considered.,eg offset rims,calipers.
REgards
Joe
AnswerID: 59457

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