Coopers S/T vs BFG A/T ???

[Stacky]

Well i had high expectations for the set of Coopers on my 80 series. All the advertising seen in books and on TV really give the Coopers tyres a good plug.

So far, i am very dissapointed. Even though considering my comparisons between the BFG's and Coopers aren't exactly an equal test, i mean that i had a wider BFG on a Troopy and now i have standard skinny Coopers on an 80 series, i still expected more from the Coopers even though there would be a instant stability difference between the 2.

At first i thought the Coopers tyres were just inflated to much cause i had found them on 44 pounds of pressure just after i had purchased the vehicle. I now have them on 34 pounds and they are still not satisfactory. I have only bitumen drove them and they just hold on the dry surface and bloody scary in the wet. I am in a steady old deisel and don't break land speed records but these wheels still skate, oh and i forgot to mention these tyres are still virtually new. I just hope this all changes when i get back off the bitumen road and these tyres perform like their suppose too.

In the adds they give the Coopers a good plug about getting good mileage. I am wondering if the rubber is to hard for the bitumen.

I know nothing about tyres and this is only my personal opinion, maybe someone could clear this issue up.

I wanted to test sticking to a skinnier tyre this time around (keep inside standard wheel arch) as i find they cut deeper into mud surfaces to find traction and i rarely if ever take a vehicle on the beach these days, so i don't have a need for a wide tyre unless i'm looking for more stability.

Oh' the BFG's i had were taking me all over the Cape for 2 years with many trips up and down the PDR and i had never had a flat. Well....at least until their very last trip up to Bamaga in december 08 and i got 2 flats in 1 run (staked) but the tyres were getting pretty low on the tread by then.

What tyres do you have and whats your opinion?

[xina]

Stacky,
I know nothing at all about tyres, but no-body had wide tyres when we were up there in the 80's, and we didn't have too many problems. We used to go on the beach at times as well.
Cheers,
xina.

[campdog]

Hi Stacky.
I purchased new tyres for a Cape Trip in 2006.I wanted to buy Coopers but the tyre man talked me out of them because they had a very hard compound rubber and were known for chipping,and losing pieces of rubber.As I never got them I cannot really confirm this.
I ended up wither Mickey Thompson Bajas and havent had a problem,2 years on and still look new.
My favorite LT tyre on skinny rims was the BF Goodrich as well.I knoe Coopers are a good tyre so might be worth while contacting the distributer and letting them know as the might be able to steer you in the right direction.It does sound like a tyre pressure thing or the tyres are more suited to dirt conditions.
John

[Stacky]

Hi Stacky.
I purchased new tyres for a Cape Trip in 2007.I wanted to buy Coopers but the tyre man talked me out of them because they had a very hatd cpompound rubber and were known for chipping,and losing pieces of rubber.As I never got them I cannot really confirm this.
I ended up wither Mickey Thompson Bajas and havent had a problem,2 years on and still look new.
My favorite LT tyre on skinny rims was the BF Goodrich as well.I knoe Coopers are a good tyre so might be worth while contacting the distributer and letting them know as the might be able to steer you in the right direction.It does sond like a tyre pressure thing ot the yres are more suited to dirt conditions.
John

Hi Campdog,

I am taking them into a Coopers tyre dealer tommorrow to have them checked out and see what their reasoning is and i will also contact the distributor to compair their opinions.

Cheers
Stacky

I have being weighing up the differences between wide and skinny tyres

Wide positives;
Great on soft sand
Great vehicle stability
Great looks on the vehicle
Less slide on greasy surfaces

Wide Negatives;
More expensive
Wear on CV's and bearings (offset rim)
Departure clearance effected on spare
Float in sloppy mud
More weight

Skinny Positives;
Cheaper
Departure clearance not effected
Cut deep in sloppy mud
Less vehicle wear in driveline
Lighter

Skinny Negatives;
Less road handling stability
Looks like a stocker
More slip on greasy surfaces
Labour hard in soft sand

if i'm not happy with Cooper tyres explanation and recommendation, i will end up probably going a wheel thats slightly wider for stability keeping them inside stock wheel arch and on a stock rim (if possible). A happy medium, a little better stability then i have now, still cheaper, looks a little better, still doesn't effect departure angle for spare tyre underneath, in between for mud and sand traction and still less wear on driveline components than a wide tyre.

I may have 5 new Coopers for sale shortly (Great for a trailer is my recommendation).

[ant]

Stacky,
I will be to the point.
I have run Coopers in the past while living in Cape York and I no longer have them on my cruiser.

In my honest opinion, do yourself a real favour and talk to Ross Sollit at Cairns Tyre Specialists: 07 4051 1115. He does not mince words and will give you an honest opinion on what sort of tyre you should run that will be specifically suited to your conditions.
Both time and money well spent.

[getin]

coopers have a great advertising campaign and thats about it stick with what you know mate ,the bfg's are still a great tyre and the micky t's are even better cheers;)

[geoffjy]

I had been using Maxxis up until April last year when i changed over to BFG All Terains's. I love them. They have not let me down and i have even noticed better traction on dirt roads.

[plucker]

Stacky, with skinny tyres, you can air down which makes them much more sand friendly.
Wider tyres might give slightly better traction in the sand but you have a bigger footprint which leads to more punctures.
Just have a look around at the people changin tyres up that way and I bet most would have either worn out tyres so they deserve it, or wider tyres.
As for brands, my BFG's when new, ate the Cape, 2 years later they chipped like you wouldn't believe. Air pressure was kept the same and checked daily unless airing up/down.

[getin]

I had been using Maxxis up until April last year when i changed over to BFG All Terains's. I love them. They have not let me down and i have even noticed better traction on dirt roads.
g'day geoff, how many k's did you get out of the maxxis? i've been running them myself 305/70 bighorns on a 100 series and they were excelent doing the simmo, never had a drama and we hit some big gibber at speed,but i reckon that they're wearing a little bit too quick for me so may be something different next time and probably back to bfg's cheers

[geoffjy]

g'day geoff, how many k's did you get out of the maxxis? i've been running them myself 305/70 bighorns on a 100 series and they were excelent doing the simmo, never had a drama and we hit some big gibber at speed,but i reckon that they're wearing a little bit too quick for me so may be something different next time and probably back to bfg's cheers

I have th same problem with the Maxxis as well. The tread doesnt seem to be lasting long on them, about year for me. With the BFG's, they seem to be keeping their tread longer.

About 70% of all my driving is on dirt roads too so that will wear them down quicker. As for k's, i'm not sure as I havnt measured distances with them.

[getin]

cheers mate, a mate of mine uses dick cepek rubber,he drives very quick all the time and is living outback WA and swears by them

[geoffjy]

I will be sticking to the BFG's. They are more expensive than the Maxxis, costing me $220 (Cairns price) a tyre fitted. I think the Maxxis were around the $190 mark fitted from memory.

[yetti]

gday all.

for what its worth, all my driving is dirt, other than going to seisia to get my shopping/fuel etc (10km). the road out my way, Punsand Bay area, is possibly one of the worst roads in australia (what you reckon Ant??) Anyway on a cruiser ute I run my tyres at 23lb, laden or not. Most tyre problems I've seen with tourist vehicles is running pressures way to high, upto 48lb believe it or not.

I've had BFGs, goodyears and now Simex 31" Centerpedes mud terrains. Fitted and balanced, $170. I have done 6 return trips to Cairns on them, plus my weekly travel to town. In 4 yrs, i have no idea of kms, i hve only had 2 flats. both in the last 2 weeks, and the tyres were down to 40/50%. They are a shit hot tread. Excellent in the mud, crossing sandy creeks, (I have 5 to negotiate now, since Friday) and i would recommend them to anyone in my situation. One thing i will say, is thsat they do wear hard on bitumen, but on the dirt they are awesome.

if iwas in a town situation, i would definitely check out the simex all terrain.

a point of interest. when i ordered them, the tyre bloke asked me if i wanted white writing on the walls. i said i didn't care. when i asked him why, he told me it was an extra $90 per tyre for the lettering. of course i thought he was pulling my leg, but i went with standard 'black'. it turned out, he wasn't joking, and he asked all his customers their prefference. the alarming thing is, when given the option, the majority of customers paid the extra coin!!!!???

unbeleivable, but i heard they invented spray on mud for the "toorak tractors", and they made a quid. go figure!?

cheers
bat

[Stacky]

Hi Yetti,
I think your right about pressure...i ran my bfg's on my troopy at 28psi and 90% or more of driving was on gravel, sand and clay unless i went to cairns for supplies. I would up my pressures to 32psi (after they cooled) at Lakeland downs for the bitumen stretch.
I have been checkin out those Simex centrepedes, i think they got the looks, good shoulder lugs to bite into walls on ruts. They are gonna probably be the option i go for or BFG's again. Living in Bamaga has a lot more bitumen though compared to Lockhart and i wouldn't want to chew up tread quickly which may have me lean towards BFG's.

Bagging your tyres is always gonna help any tyre in sand, the more you bag em out the easier it is on the vehicle. I use to drop my tyres to 12psi on my old hilux at Fraser Island in the summer and watch people burn their clutches out with hard tyres in very soft sand.
You must always remember not to corner to hard though, otherwise the tyre will roll off the rim and bite in which can cause you to roll it if you are at speed. I watched a young fellow being a hoon at Teewah beach years ago and this had happened and his mate flew out the window when he rolled it, it was a major drama involving the rescue helicopter to get the poor fella to safety....driver walked away ofcourse.

As for staking tyres sidewalls, i think that comes down to driver and tyre sidewall quality not the width of the tyre.

[plucker]

Lower pressure for dirt and stuff is a must.
With the sand about 12 was good on the LT BFG's
40 on the black stuff and 28 on the dirt worked well for me. Also gave a bit more cushioning on the corrugations.

[geoffjy]

gday all.

a point of interest. when i ordered them, the tyre bloke asked me if i wanted white writing on the walls. i said i didn't care. when i asked him why, he told me it was an extra $90 per tyre for the lettering. of course i thought he was pulling my leg, but i went with standard 'black'. it turned out, he wasn't joking, and he asked all his customers their prefference. the alarming thing is, when given the option, the majority of customers paid the extra coin!!!!???

unbeleivable, but i heard they invented spray on mud for the "toorak tractors", and they made a quid. go figure!?

cheers
bat

They offered me the same thing Bat, whether i wanted the white writing on the inside or outside. The BFG's have white writing one one side and just raised lettering on the other. Its just a matter of turning the tyre around with this brand. Didnt cost me a thing.

In regards to tyre pressure, i am currently running on 25psi for dirt and bituman. If its sand and the i'm having trouble i take them down to about 10psi. When i am coming back from Cairns with a load i am operating between 30 and 35psi.

[ant]

For those who are particular about things, here is some info that I was told a few years ago:
Tyre pressure is relative to a few factors. Not just the surface conditions but also the weight/load of your vehicle.
Check your tyre pressures when cold, then drive for a minimum of 10 kilometres and check the pressures again. They should be no more than 10% higher than the first (cold) reading. If they are higher than 10%, then you need to raise your pressures. Pressures in front and rear tyres may also need to be varied according to conditions as well.

Again, this is more so for those that want to be really particular about tyre wear and performance.

[Nedly]

Here's my 2 cents worth, because it's probably not worth much more.

I think comparing Cooper S/T against BFG A/T's may be incorrect.
Haven't the S/T's got a much more aggressive tread pattern than the A/T's?

I run the Cooper S/T's on my Patrol and they are not right for the vehicle, they just don't seem to perform like they should.
I also have Cooper S/T's on my Pathfinder and find they are much more suited to this vehicle.
Both sets of tyres have had lugs torn off, but I feel that's more to do with the type of off roading done. Having said that, Coopers have recognised that their tyres were losing lugs quickly and are producing S/T's with a softer rubber compound, I think they're called S/TC's or something.

Given that the S/T's have an aggressive tread i think it's reasonable to expect their on road holding ability would suffer, especially in the wet.

I won't be getting the S/T's again for the Patrol, will probably go for the Baja's. As for the Pathfinder, I'll probably go with the Cooper A/T's as we aren't doing the off roading we used to now that we have the Patrol.

[highlift80]

I run BFG M/T on my 80 series have for pretty much the last 15 or so years have just recently ran out some MAXXIS BigHorns found that the rubber was a bit too soft for my use out here in Upper Western NSW also try'd out Cooper STT wasn't a big fan of them either found the lugs chipped off to much rubber on the dirt roads around here so I have gone back to the BFG M/T they are a good tuff tyre and they wear well.

[Googy]

My first time on the forum in about a year. Good to see it's still going from strength to strength.
I had BF muddies on my Hilux when I bought it. great tyre but the noise drove me mad so I bought a set of BF at's and four years later they are still on there. but to be fair the poor old hilux has only done about 30,000k's in four years. My work truck is a 2006 Rodeo and surprisingly, it’s a good little truck and some weeks I do over 2000k's on manly bitumen but some dirt. It's had BF at's on it since I started with this company in April 2008 and they don't even look worn and stick like shit to a blanket in the wet.
I hope to be back as a regular on the forum now that I've rediscovered it

[highlift80]

haha my exhaust drowns out the tyre noise.

[campdog]

For those who are particular about things, here is some info that I was told a few years ago:
Tyre pressure is relative to a few factors. Not just the surface conditions but also the weight/load of your vehicle.
Check your tyre pressures when cold, then drive for a minimum of 10 kilometres and check the pressures again. They should be no more than 10% higher than the first (cold) reading. If they are higher than 10%, then you need to raise your pressures. Pressures in front and rear tyres may also need to be varied according to conditions as well.

Again, this is more so for those that want to be really particular about tyre wear and performance.
Ant,your spot on with this,although not only for someone particular about tyre wear,Its a good way to have the correct pressure for the driving conditions.Nothing worse than too much or too little pressure as heat build up is a sure way to destroy tyres
John

[Roger]

I've run BFG muddies for years and have always loved them - I live with the road noise. In all our wanderings around OZ over the last few years we've only ever had one punture and this was years ago when I left my tyres at high pressure on the Tanami Track after a campfire / red wine conversation about the virtues of high vs low tyre pressure. Big mistake. Stuffed tyre within two hours. Expensive way to win an arguement. I've got to learn to watch those red wine conversations.

Anyway last year we returned to the Cape via western NSW & Qld, hung around north of the Jardine for the dry season and then wandered back to Tassie (brrrr).

We left Tassie with a new set of tyres. By the time we got back I'd trashed 3 tyres - 2 originals plus one purchased along the way. All sidewall damage. Only difference about this trip to previous trips was some of the tyres were made in Japan not the USA. Every Japanese tyre was trashed. None of the USA tyres were or have ever been trashed.

I figure this means something. Next time if I can't find Made in USA BFG Muddies I'll be looking to change to ???????

Just a recent observation.

Hi to all up north.

Cheers

Rog

[eldo]

i work in the tyre industry and i am getting alot of pressure to run the new BFG KM2 mudd terrains, this is the tyre i will using on my first cape trip this july. i currently have coopers STT, i have had one side wall pucture in 31000 km, i got it in the first 100km. the coopers have been great until i guess the last 7000km as they are now fairly worn and dont grip well on any surface unless the road is dry. they get used every day on the bitumen so i guess thats why they only lasted 30000km or so. would i buy them again? maybe if i cant get the new BFG in time for the trip.

[Stacky]

Just to keep you updated on the decision that i went for........

'Maxxis Bighorn' ended up being the tyre of choice.

I had to replace the rims aswell from splitties to 16x8 Steelies.

After speaking to many tyre places and getting many quotes on 6 tyres and rims, i made this decision because the BFG Muddy was a little dearer and the Bighorn is suppose to be of same quality and wear.

I saved myself a few bucks and now i'll have to wait and see just how good they are..........so far, these tyres are noisy on the smooth Asphalt Bitumen. They are a cross between an aggressive mud tyre and an all terrain tyre.

Unfortunately i think i'll have to get small flexy flares because they hang outside the wheel arch a little which is what i was trying to avoid, but they look good!

My drive back to Cairns from Sunny Coast will mostly be bitumen (or boat by the looks of it) but they feel good so far and i will give an update once i hit the dirt later on.

Cheers
Stacky

[Nedly]

Just to keep you updated on the decision that i went for........

'Maxxis Bighorn' ended up being the tyre of choice.

I had to replace the rims aswell from splitties to 16x8 Steelies.

After speaking to many tyre places and getting many quotes on 6 tyres and rims, i made this decision because the BFG Muddy was a little dearer and the Bighorn is suppose to be of same quality and wear.

I saved myself a few bucks and now i'll have to wait and see just how good they are..........so far, these tyres are noisy on the smooth Asphalt Bitumen. They are a cross between an aggressive mud tyre and an all terrain tyre.

Unfortunately i think i'll have to get small flexy flares because they hang outside the wheel arch a little which is what i was trying to avoid, but they look good!

My drive back to Cairns from Sunny Coast will mostly be bitumen (or boat by the looks of it) but they feel good so far and i will give an update once i hit the dirt later on.

Cheers
Stacky

Hey Stacky,
How did/are the tyres going?
Were they the right choice?