Tyre side lug repair

Barnesy

Number 1) Your tyre dealer has told you a fib. All Cooper ST's tear lugs off on rocks. The only way to reduce this behaviour is to make sure that you remember to AIR DOWN to around 16psi. If you don't, you'll rip lugs every time. Other than that - you buy Cooper ST-C's that have a softer, more compliant compound but don't last as long.

Number 2) Repair lugs? I'm not sure that you'll ever find an effective way of doing this.

Sorry to be so negative about this, but I've been through it too. Coopers have been getting a (probably) undeserved wrap on forums lately. People have to understand that the ST's were designed primarily to deliver huge miles before they needed replacement. If you bought them on this premise, then you have to expect that they are a harder compound and therefore likely to chip more readily.

Barnsey,

Don't let the tyre dealer fool you - 'never seen this before' - it is widely known that Coopers Tyres can't handle Aussie Rocks. I and a friend, on the same trip, destroyed our Cooper ST's through crawling up rock faces, to the extent where we both claimed warranty on the tyres (that is another story in itself), and will never darken the door of Coopers again, and we are not the only ones judging by the amount of complaints just on this forum alone.

As I have said many times before, Coopers make a great tyre, if you want to stay on the bitchumen, and a bit of sand, but don't go anywhere near the rocks. In my humble opinion, they can't handle our Australian conditions, and we have been conned by them with product placement, through places such as ARB, where they get free tyres if they put them on their vehicles and promote them, and clever marketing strategies - their warranty is not worth the air it is spoken in.

Mic

Even with expert trade vulcanising, those lugs would be lucky to stay on the shoulder - significant stress there, even under easy going. Unhappily, the Cooper mileage guarantee has always been a joke.

The best glue for rubber to rubber is a superglue called "Locktite 406". Get it from anywhere that sells Locktite products, and the good shops store it in the fridge.

I've used it for lots of stuff over teh years - we even used to cut R/C car tyres in half and reglue and they never came apart.

I guarantee the glue will be stronger than Cooper tyres :-)))))

Cheers
Phil

I agree with Chrispy ..... tyre dealer speak with very forked tongue.

As far as I'm concerned, anybody that buys Cooper tyres to go into rocky terrain ..... is either deaf, blind, or got rocks in their head!

The cooper replacement deal is OK provided you rotate the tyres every other day and polish them regularly. Try not to drive on anything that may be harmful to the rubber stuff around the outside.

Just cut off every second block and imagine that you have a decent set of tyres like Simex Centipedes

Tread block chipping on the ST has always been a problem, hence why they released the ST-C, but apart from the chipping, the noise they make for an AT tyre, the pulling left problem, especially on patrols, and the poor wet weather bitumen performance as they wear, and the problems they have with punctures in the sidewall, they are black and round, and certainly the best marketed tyre in the country.

stats on trip i have run in last few years
202 cars
32 punctures
2 mtr's
1 pro comp all terrain [sidewall]
17 ST sidewall within 1.5 inches [aprox] of tread
4 St tread stakes
4 other brands of generic tyres
4 Cooper At / ATR.

previous to that BFG held the puncture record with 5 destroyed by puncture on my own vehicle.

And I sell them all.

I agree with all of the above.

The Dealer must be new to Coopers if he has not heard of Lugs ripping off. Like has he been in the business longer than one or two days?

I have 9 matching Coopers - two spares and 2 plus 1 on my Camper
Recently after returning from 18,000 km trip covering Simpson Fraser Island and Cape York we had severe problems with lugs ripping off and exposing the steel.
Only after long arguments and accusations by the dealer about our 4wd techniques and threats did they agree to a partial discount on a replacement.

After talking to others what is disappointing is that warranty with Coopers appears to depend on the support of the individual dealer.

Cooper Tyres 80k warranty is only offered to the bitumen dwellers not to people who go off road .I have STs on my GQ , the first set did 50 K plus just replaced them on the rear to do the Canning when got home they had a strange hairline crack around the circunfrence ,took them to the dealer where I purchased them
he looked at them and said yes we,ll replace them ,after emailing the importer they contacted me and replaced the tyres no charge no questions ,try to get that
product backup from BridgeStone or any other for that matter .
Before switching to Coopers I had Dessert Duellers and each trip into the outback I destroyed 2 tyres ,haven,t had a destroyed tyre since fitting Coopers STs having travelled the Kimberely,s the Simpson the Canning the Victorian high Country and still going good .
cheers

Hi uppy ,
interesting nick name !!! when in the high country I run them at 24fr 26rr and in the stony country eg. Tanami , Gunnbarell , that sort of stuff that is really tough
on tyres ,when I,m fully loaded 32fr 35rr ,ya need a bit of flex in the tyre to stop the rocks stabbing the tyre , the STs are known to rip lugs off but I have never had the pleasure cheers .mechpete. Shepparton.