[ApriliaGuy]

I got 'em on Friday. These things should be banned by PETA 'cause they are sooo meaty!

These things should be banned by PETA 'cause they are sooo meaty!

They are a major improvement of the stock Wranglers. (Duh. )

I've only don't about 700 miles on 'em....but this is my review so far.

PSI: I ran the stock tires at 40 all around....these are at 40F/36R at the moment. 35 all around was pretty good. More that 40 psi might be too much, but I may try it just for grins.

Appearance: much better, they fill the wheel wells nicely. Much wider than the stockers.

Wet Traction: soooooooo much better it is scarey. Heavy rains and standing water was easy. No spin pulling away from intersections.

Normal Driving: the E feels more "planted." Not nearly as harsh over large cracks in the road, smoother over expansion joints. The larger size dosen't seem noticable in acceleration slugishness or decreased braking performance. I haven't had a chance to really toss it into the corners yet, but I will. In semi-spirited driving they are much better "handling" than the stockers.

Noise: a bit better. Some very slight vibration "buzzyness" at higher speeds, but I think that may have been the road surface.

MPG: the same (so far) I've been through two tanks +. I did more interstate/highway than usual. About 23mpg both times. I'd sometimes get in the 24s in all highway. My "normal" use (back roads and faster county/state roads) is good for 21-22mpg.

Speedo/Odometer: very close to "correct." I use a Garmin Quest GPS and find the spedo very close, especially at speeds below 70mph. At an indicated 55 my gps read 55. . 60 mph (speedo) was 60 on the gps. 65 on the GPS was 64-65 on the speedo. 70 (gps) was 69 on the speedo. 80 GPS was 78 speedo. These were tested on flat open highway w/ the cruise controll set....over the course of a few miles like this I'm sure the numbers I got are pretty accurate.

Speaking of size....they fill the wheel well nicely. The Cooper ATRs are wider than some of the competition (per the spec charts) even in the same size. Some others are a bit taller than the Coopers. This was great because I got the width I wanted w/o a lot of extra height. To anyone contemplatin a switch up from the 215 to the 225....go for it. I haven't found any negatives, but there are plenty of positives.

I'd recomend this tire to someone who wanted a All-Terrain type tire w/ good street/highway performance. They seem less aggressive than oldschool "AT" tires, but are a noticable step in that direction from "All Season" tires.

If I was gonna do all highway/commuting type use w/ my E, I would have gone with the Yokahama Geolander HTS. That seemd like a great tire for a similar price, but wasn't aggressive enough for me. The Yokahama ATS wasn't available in 225-70, and I didn't wanna go as big as 235.

I've used the same tire ( LT235-85-R16) on a Dually pick-em-up truck with great results. I picked 'em for the truck 'cause they were cheap and the tire guy said they would wear more evenly on the pig.....and he was right.

 

[ApriliaGuy]

30 thousand mile update.

Ok. time for a 30,000 mile update.

They still have plenty of tread left. I've been running 40psi all around. I did the first rotation around 6k, the others about every 8-10k. I do a modified X pattern. LF crosses to RR. RF crosses to LR. LR forward to LF. RR forward to RF. (One time I just did rear to front to rear 'cause I was in a hurry)

I've been doing mostly highway w/ 'em for the last 15,000 miles or so. The first 15k were lots of back roads. The "highway" driving is commuting, in traffic, w/ lots of speed changes, so it isn't too bad for tire wear but doesn't help fuel economy.

They are great in the rain and snow. A "real" snow tire might be better, but I like running the same tire all year round. Besides, if I had summer tires and winter tires, my summer tire would prolly not give me the off road traction I'd need anyway.

At least as quiet as the stock tires (but not much quiter). My gas mileage might have dropped about 1mpg due to the tires, but I noticed the drop a while after I got the tires, and it seems related to weather or divng habbits....'cause it comes and goes. ( I get lots of 22 point something tank fulls, a few 21s and 23s. Sometimes I get 24s....i had 3 24s in a row w/ these tires) (BTW...I ran the stock tires at 40+ psi too)

I stand by my belief that 225/70/16 is "the right size" for an E. (as compared w/ the 215 stock). The spedometer is closer w/ the 225, it doesn't hurt economy, braking or acceleration, and it fills the wheel well better. 225 seems a little easier to find in "typical" tires too.

I'll check back in around 25k or so....they'll prolly be shot. :-(

Will

 

[givememytoys]

Nice update Will
I agree they look perfect on your e.

 

[MyEfromDaddy]

Nice job Will. The pics of the worn tires are the H/T's? I don't know where you guys are driving, but I put on the H/T's @ 8k and I just turned 51k litteraly today, and I don't think that they show even that much wear. But I do drive in Tennessee and we have nice and smooth highways. If you don't mind me asking, but how much did you get those tires for Will? And you are right, they are beefy and look so much better than 215's. Great job!!

 

[ApriliaGuy]

..... The pics of the worn tires are the H/T's? .... But I do drive in Tennessee and we have nice and smooth highways. If you don't mind me asking, but how much did you get those tires for Will?

these are not H/Ts...they are ATRs. A little more aggressive than the H/Ts.

Yeah, I did pleny of miles on "tar & chip" roads that are very abrasive to tires. I've been to TN, you've got some super smooth/nice roads there. Except that Daniel Boone Highway...or was that in Kentucky ? Really bumby concrete and a toll road too!

I paid about $95/each mounted & balanced. This was about $10 more expensive each than the H/Ts or the Geolander HT/S (they were on sale) The Pirelli Scorpion ATR (my "second choice") where about $15-$20 more each. This was a while ago, and prices tend to change quirte a bit.

thanks for compliments!

Will

 

[MyEfromDaddy]

Awesome Will!!! Thanks a bunch and that does clear up things. Yeah I went with the H/T's because they were a little more beafier, but from what you are saying the ATR's are much better. I just might have to follow the leader here with my second set of tires that I will probably have to put on in about a year or so because I still have a lot of tread left on mine. And yes Will, we do live on some pretty sweet and smooth roads, we like to say that they care more for their roads than our education!!!! HAHA Which they DO!! I don't know if Daniel Boone Hwy is in TN or not, I think that might be in KY. But thanks again. Looking forward to more of your posts.

 

[ApriliaGuy]

OK, I’m at 75,000 miles (48,000 miles on the tires) and my poor old ATRs have been replaced. I got my $s worth out of them. They had at least 5,000miles left in them probably closer to 10k miles, and would have used them a bit longer if it were spring or summer. Winter commuting is rough enough on my E, I didn’t want to make it any worse. The camera is on the fritz so no pics.

They were getting kinda loud lately. They wore nice and evenly. I rotated them in mostly an X pattern, with a few simple front to back rotations thrown in.

I would buy them again. They handled nice, lasted plenty long, and were pretty good in the snow. I’d recommend them to anyone that wants a good quality A/T type tire with very good highway manners. Even on the way to the shop for replacement they stuck well in tight turns and gave a nice ride.

I hope my new General Grabber HT-Ss are as good.

Will

 

[mkh]

I rotated them in mostly an X pattern, with a few simple front to back rotations thrown in.

Before doing an X pattern rotation, make sure your tires do not have "directional" tread. If the tread is directional only rotate them front to back, same side. Look for an arrow on the sidewall that indictes a rotational direction, and/or asymmetric tread patterns (different from one side of the tire to the other).

 

[ApriliaGuy]

make sure your tires do not have "directional" tread.

Yup.

They weren't directional.


Will

 

[GaryS]

Before doing an X pattern rotation, make sure your tires do not have "directional" tread. If the tread is directional only rotate them front to back, same side. Look for an arrow on the sidewall that indictes a rotational direction, and/or asymmetric tread patterns (different from one side of the tire to the other).

A year or so ago Grassroots Motorsports Magazine featured a test done by the Tire Rack to see what the difference was when directional tires were rotated so that they were running backwards. They found that in dry conditions there was no difference in traction, handling or noise and only a slight difference in traction in the wet.

Asymmetrical tread pattern tires can be rotated to any corner of the car. Asymmetrical means that one sidewall should always face "out" when the tire is mounted.

 

[paulj]

At 28,000 my ATRs are getting a bit thin along the center rib (1-2 mm at the wear bars). I've been running them 2-4 psi above sticker. That leads me to suspect I've been running them too hard, but if I lower pressure to sticker, I hear and feel the coarse shoulder tread rubbing on the pavement. And you report adequate wear at 40 psi.

The Mastercraft HT equivalents on my RAV4 are wearing better. I don't know if that is because of the tire, or the lighter weight (and lower power?) of the RAV4.

 

[ApriliaGuy]

At 28,000 my ATRs are getting a bit thin along the center rib (1-2 mm at the wear bars). I've been running them 2-4 psi above sticker. That leads me to suspect I've been running them too hard, but if I lower pressure to sticker, I hear and feel the coarse shoulder tread rubbing on the pavement. And you report adequate wear at 40 psi.

I ran mine at 40-42psi. They did wear a bit more in the center. It may be noticeable in the first 30k mile update pic. I wish my camera was working yesterday when I replaced them. I didn't worry about it....I used them for 48k miles. I liked the way it drove w/ the higher pressures. I could feel/hear the coarse shoulder tread in tight parking lot turns even w/ the higher pressures. I didn't mention the extra center wear, but I should have I guess. I was think along the lines of funny wear patterns, feathering, cupping, or excessive inside or outside wear. The extra wear in the center is my own fault.

I belive my gauge to be accurate. I use the same one all the time. I've compared it with a few others and found it to be very consistant. Maybe it is a bit "low" compared with yours. Maybe my 40 is your 38?!

 

[DLIVRY7]

those look nice, thanks for the review. my winter tires will get me one more winter, and my summer tires will need replaced next summer. i am leaning towards those.

 

[goskins]

thanks for all the great info guys!
I'll let you know if I have any trouble with my Coopers.
Joe