New Coopers ST Maxx and ATR3 Comments?

Submitted: Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 20:27
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Can anyone pass on any comments on the new model Coopers tyres. Im just over 90k on my old Coopers ST's and due for some new rubber but the new ST Maxx seem to have chunkier tread which could mean a lot more road noise. Improvements on the side walls look great but only time will tell. Interested to hear what you all think.
Cheers,
Chris
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Reply By: eighty matey - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 20:44

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 20:44
Hi Chris,

I haven't used them but I'm tyre shopping at the moment.

The ST Maxx has a three ply sidewall and there is more silicon in the compound.
One of the guys selling me these said they are real noisy on the road.

The prices I have been getting, around Gosford NSW, range from $255.00 to $273.00, fitted.

That's all I can help you with,

Steve
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Follow Up By: 4Harves - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 21:28

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 21:28
Steve,

That sounds like great prices as over here in WA, they are $380 fitted and i have had the same price from 3 dealers. No one wants to give a better price.

I thought they would be noisier but as to how much??
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Follow Up By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 22:28

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 22:28
Hey guys are you talking about the same sized tyres???????
When you teamed up with your life partner did you run him/her around a forum???
You are all sensible adults I assume...... you have so many variants to consider vehicle, weight, style of driving, conditions as in road & climate.
Comparing tyre prices between east & west coast not knowing tyre sizes is a little bit silly putting it mildly.
Make the decision sure ask a few questions along the way, but ultimately its your decision get on with it & live with it..... if your happy with your purchase you will buy another set or you'l get another partner.


Insanity doesnt run in my family.... it gallops!

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Follow Up By: eighty matey - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 22:53

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 22:53
Hi Tony.

It's 2012. I wouldn't be surprised if people run their prospective life partners around the forum before they commit to them, now....

For the record, the tyres I'm looking at are 265/75R16, for an 80 series Landcruiser.

I'm not really sure of the Coopers because I've had mixed reviews on them.

Buying tyres is annoying because it's a big commitment and a real PITA if you get it wrong. It's being able to get other people's opinions instead of just hearing the guy that's trying to sell them to you.

Best of luck,

Steve
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Follow Up By: mikehzz - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:04

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:04
You can usually buy the Coopers in 6, 8 and 10 ply for the same model tyre. There is a big difference in price and performance between the ply ratings. I learnt that at the Queanbeyan 4wd show last week.
Now to the more important question.....should I have spent the last 100 years with my better half? I'm not sure if we are compatible. :-)
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Follow Up By: Ross M - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:13

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:13
Regarding the price of tyres, it is a very good idea to compare prices Australia wide.
Tony H said about tyre sizes being a factor, yes that is true but the same tyre is available from two sources in Oz.
The higher priced," we will give you warranty, which you probably won't be able to access", Cooper dealers from Cooper Australia sell their 245/75/16 ST MAxx for around $330 in Victoria and other parts of Australia.
Other entities import the exact same tyre and sell it for around $70 less per tyre. They make a good profit and still sell these tyres much cheaper. Probably still no warranty readily available.
The same tyre is sold in USA for the equivalent of $170 Aussie dollars.
The Australian importers whoever they may be but them in USA for much less than $170,eg. bulk buying, this pays for most of the import duty $15Au and most of the shipping costs for a container or two or three.
So in Oz we pay lots more than others in the world to make a few richer and richer.
Yes we are ripped off and to compare prices is essential unless you have plenty of $$$$'s and it doesn't worry you if you are paying TOP DOLLAR +

Exclusive Tyre/TIRE in Yank speak, Importers, import many BIG NAME tyre brands from USA so are creaming the $ from ozzies on lots of similar items .
Goodyear and Goodrich same story.
If you want to take the risk you can import larger tyres eg. 5 x 275/70or65/17 or 18 into Australia and pay the freight and import duty and still save over $500.

Forum people have already done this. It is all very unfair as Aussie importers cream in all areas of trade.
Definitely shop around.
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Follow Up By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:19

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:19
It's 2012. I wouldn't be surprised if people run their prospective life partners around the forum before they commit to them, now....

Response) Well I'm surprised I didnt see your partner name....???

For the record, the tyres I'm looking at are 265/75R16, for an 80 series Landcruiser.

Response) So now we know the tyre size! ...What about vehicle, driving style, conditions, caravan, or trailer????

I'm not really sure of the Coopers because I've had mixed reviews on them.

Response) No argument there!!!!

Buying tyres is annoying because it's a big commitment and a real PITA if you get it wrong. It's being able to get other people's opinions instead of just hearing the guy that's trying to sell them to you.

Response) Read the forums, listen to the salesmen there ALL the same with due respect.. to the few genuine ones out there, make a decision on your valued judgement LIKE you DID with your LIFE partner & live with it... if it doesn't work change it, next time but in the mean time live with your decision
Insanity doesnt run in my family.... it gallops!

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Follow Up By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:35

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:35
Ross M
Exclusive Tyre(s) I asume you are talking about in QLD (Brisbane area I think are a legitimate importer & RESELLER of Cooper tyres) her in Oz along with 1 or 2 others.
They import & sell & STAND by the product they sell as opposed to those who bring product in through the back door..... low & behold if you have any troubles/warranty claims with your purchase & your on the opposite side of the country or in a different STD code area.

I have NO association with ANY tyre wholesaler or retailer (arent they lucky!)
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Follow Up By: 4Harves - Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:38

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 at 23:38
Well after all that, I'm after some 265/75R16 for a GU Patrol. Some decent offroad, some beach and the rest on the hard stuff. Towing camper trailer most of the time.




As for life partners, its a lot cheaper to change a set of tyre's if i get them wrong and my Patrol wont take half of everything. LMFAO :-)
Do you get good $$$ for used life partners here or do i have to go elsewhere to sell them. Could i get a set of 4 Coopers for 1??? Ifs it sounds too good to be true it normally is.
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Follow Up By: Ross M - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 16:48

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 16:48
In Victoria a 265/75/16 ST Maxx will cost you at least$350.
Therefore it seems they would be from a parallel import dealer as discussed above.
I would dispute what Tony H says about Cooper standing by their warranty.
Yes, we know they import and sell tyres tyre but the standing by the claims they make is a highly disputed area.
Many tyre dealers won't have Coopers because of the claim issue not coming to fruition.
If you have a claim and you have ever driven off bitumen and there are some scratches/marks/small cuts or chipping then no warranty is available.
Because most people don't only drive around Coles Carpark then the extra money you pay to get the warranty is totally wasted. Toorak drivers abviously get warranty.
All brands of tyre have some develop bulges and chip but there are a lot of Coopers thrown away because of delamination and bulging with no tyre abuse.
I have seen some ST with 50c sized pieces torn out of the tread by a little 4 cyl diesel. So bad you could see the tyre casing and place the 50c piece onto the casing of the tyre. Never seen this so bad ever before.

Can't see the relevance of life partners in this, Do they have good grippy tread, deep grooves and are black and round with their name stamped on the face??
If you just want to buy this brand of tyre, then buy the cheaper but same tyre, from a tyre seller cos all of us use them away from black smooth bitumen and we don't rely on the warranty because you can't.
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Follow Up By: Ross M - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 16:58

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 16:58
JUST NOTICED ON THIS FORUM.
A bloke has just bought 4 BFG KM2 33x12.5x15 from them yesterday! For these tyres they charged US$476.01 freight to an address in Sydney.

He paid for the tyres and the $476.01 freight and saved $300 on what he could buy them for here.
Yes it pays to shop around. Even OS
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Reply By: Member - Lachy T - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 07:35

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 07:35
I'd be curious to see how this turns out (jokes aside). I've have Goodrich AT's on my rodeo (245/70/16) for the last 50000km and they have served me beautifully, however noticed the other day that they are starting to wear a little low, still got some k's left but need to plan ahead. (Before anyone comments yes alignments balances rotations etc have been done routinely) I've been looking at either AT3's, ST's or getting another set of Goodrich's. Has anyone had experience with the AT3's as they seem kinda new on the metaphorical tyre 'block'. Driving consists of a couple of big trips a year, quite a few weekend jaunts into the mountains near home and a fair degree of night driving on dirt & wet roads, some people may consider the last point a little strange, but good traction on tarmac is still important. (yes, now I want to have my cake and eat it too)

Thanks Lachy
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Follow Up By: 4Harves - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 10:29

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 10:29
Lachy,

One thing i have been told by all the places i went for Cooper prices is that the new AT3's are designed to be better in the wet. Im starting to think i may go down the line of AT3's.
I had the ATR's on my Nissan ST-R years back and was very happy with them. I changed to the ST's on the Patrol because i knew it was going to be put into some harder places.
Thanks for the comments
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Reply By: Geoff H (Q - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 08:07

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 08:07
Good question Harves,

However there isn't much feedback on these new tyres at the moment and it looks like you're in the market for new tyres pretty soon.

I looked at these when I bought new tyres, but because of the noise question I ended up going for some Bridgestone 694's, mainly because I had a good run out of the last set. Maybe Coopers next time.

Regards
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Reply By: Bazooka - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 11:01

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 11:01
Vic Widman (a respected writer on many 'off-road' topics - he's a business member on Exploroz: Great Divide Tours) was on the forum months ago saying he was testing some new Coopers. Might be worth contacting him. He did say Cooper was sponsoring him.
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Follow Up By: Great Divide Tours - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 22:52

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 22:52
Hi, I have covered 20,000 k's on my ST Maxx tyres on my 100 series Landcruiser, with one trip from Sydney to Mt Ive to Katherine via all the back roads including Ruby Gap and Davenport ranges and then into West and East Arnhem Land and back via outback Qld and then a coastal run at 1770 and over the mtns at Mt Warning (great trip!) and the tyres look hardly worn at all (yes I'm sponsored by Coopers but can show you the photos if you wish) Yes, they are getting noisier but I either turn up the radio or talk to my passenger (novel idea). Also have done 10,000k with another set on my new FJ Cruiser, beach runs and my regular driver training weekends, this set still looks brand new!
When choosing your tyres be careful that you are being quoted on Light Truck construction and not Passenger construction, size does make a difference so always compare exact sizes and be aware of cheap imports purporting to be factory tyres when they are not, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Vic
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Reply By: Member. Rob M (QLD) - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 11:36

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 11:36
Hi Chris,

I have had ST Max on my cruiser since July last year and have done just over 20000 klm in that time. They seem to be wearing very well and hang on better that the ATs they replaced. They do seem to be starting to scallop a bit, so I may have to get the wheel alignment checked.
They were exceptionally quiet for the first 5000 kls but are now sounding more like a muddie. Overall I am happy with the purchase. I think from memory I paid $428
each fro 265 / 70 R17 from the local tyre shop. ARB wanted $450 each.
Rob M

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Follow Up By: 4Harves - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 13:53

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 13:53
Thanks for the reply Rob,
This is the info i am looking for. Someone that has them fitted. Is the noise overpowering or bearable? I dont mind some noise but my neighbour has BFG Muddies i think and i can hear him coming from 2 streets away. I dont want that.
Cheers,
Chris
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Follow Up By: Member - Jane C (QLD) - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 16:22

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 16:22
Hi - that price sounds about right - dearer if away from the coast, though. We have St maxx on our cruiser and went down the strezleki, through the flinders and back up the darling last year and no problems. They are noisier than the ATR's, but not so loud they interfere with talking or listening to the radio. I think we are getting close to 20000km now with them, and very happy.
Cheers,
Jane
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Reply By: Member - Dalb (SA) - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 14:13

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 14:13
My son has an 80 series and just got 80k+ out of his ST's with still some tread left, but they were getting a bit hard.
He bought the ST Maxx's and he is very surprised how quiet they are, but he has only done a few thousand on them yet.

hope this helps,
Cheers, Dalb
Cheers, Dalb

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Follow Up By: 4Harves - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 14:33

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 14:33
Cheers Dalb,

All this info is helping.
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Reply By: Member. Rob M (QLD) - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 14:39

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 14:39
Hi Chris,

The noise is quite acceptable and not that intrusive. Compared to my previos Cooper ATRs they are noisy, but about the same as Goodyear MTRs I had on a previos Patrol. It is not like running Baja Claws where you would swear a helicopter was hovering three feet above your car. For the extra grip and hopefully lifetime I am happy to put up with a little noise.
Rob M

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Reply By: stephen R5 - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 15:31

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 15:31
I have previously had the ST's in 285/16's and had no intentions of replacing with another Cooper - because of the noise factor and hardness as they get older, however I did replace and went with the new ST Maxx. What a mistake... they are just as noisy now and the biggest problem is keeping the tyres balanced - after 5000k on sealed roads I have had the wheels/tyres rebalanced 3 times. I should have gone over to Mickey Thompson or GY Wrangler.
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Reply By: mangey33 - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 18:18

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 18:18
Hi 4Harves
I Ran CoopersSTT 265/70/17s last set of tyres and Goodyear Silent armours before that. I clock up about 65000 k's a year for work and I now have the new ST maxx and have done around 30000 k's on them and I can tell you the Maxx are a lot quieter than both of the other two and it looks like I will get 800000k's plus out of them just judged on the wear so far
Cheers
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Follow Up By: 4Harves - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 18:40

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 18:40
Mangey,
Having a quick look in the shop, I thought the new ST Maxx look more like the old STT's. Are you doing tarmac or bush klm's or a bit of both with the new St Maxx?
Thanks for the comments.

Chris
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Follow Up By: mangey33 - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 23:05

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 23:05
Chris
I am doing a bit of both probably 70% tarmac 30% gravel and dirt roads
Cheers
Mangey
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Reply By: Will 76 Series - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 20:41

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 20:41
I have just purchased my first Cooper tyres and during my tyre brand research, they must be the most controversal tyre on the market as people seem to hate or love them.
I have the AT3's at as the ST - Maax were definately more a muddy tread.
After only 8,000km I can confirm they are without a doubt quieter than my trusty 3rd set of Bridgestones.
Travelled all around Tassie including muddy tracks and sandy beaches.
They have been excellent on the hard top, good on the dirt and sand but a bit loose in muddy conditions (but they are AT's).
Overall I am happy with the purchase. One thing to note is that by the Cooper Warranty you are supposed to take them back to a Cooper dealer every 10,000km for a rotation and alignment to get the warranty (80,000km on my tyres).

Regards Will
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Follow Up By: 4Harves - Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 22:20

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 at 22:20
Will,
Speak to your dealer as mine was quite happy to accept Nissan's rotation at 10,000 km. I had an allignment done through the Cooper dealer at 30,000 and 60,000 km. Im just over 90,000 km on my St's at present with only a few thousand left in them. With the warranty, and my experience, i dont think i would change brands just maybe type, between AT3 and ST Maxx.
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