I had some MT/Rs, and last winter just wasnt that much fun with them. Plus, they were old and about out of tread, so it was time! I decided to go with an AT over an MT because I'm not doing that much off-road driving and wanted improved traction in rain, light snow, and ice. There is also a Cooper Discoverer ST-C which is the same tread pattern, but with cut/chip resistant compound. Cooper's website said the ST would have better winter traction, though, so I went with that.
I considered General Grabber AT2 and Cooper Discoverer ST. I went with the Coopers in 245/75 r16 because they were a bit more aggressive and I have had excellent luck with Coopers in the past on a variety of vehicles with a variety of tire types. Also, I had read some questionable reviews of the Grabbers regarding wear characteristics.
So, I got these tires installed on Friday. My first impressions are very good. I like the aggressive look of them and they seem like they'll do quite well on the trail, though I have not tested that aspect yet. The treadblocks are pretty big with decent sized voids (larger then Grabbers or BFG ATs) but they have some siping, so they'll do better in slick situations then MTs.
I got a very good chance to try out the snow/ice traction this weekend since we have about a foot of snow here in the Ohio snowbelt. They do very good in the slick stuff. I didnt get into any real deep stuff, but I imagine they would do pretty good.
They make a bit of noise, mostly around 30mph, but they're a lot quieter then the old worn MT/Rs I had. I'm totally fine with the little bit of humming I get out of them.
The ride is pretty stiff since they are E load rated, but thats no big deal to me. In this case, a softer ride would just leave me with a weaker tire.
I guess thats all the feedback I have right now after a few days. Not many people on here run these tires (anyone?), so I'm going to make it a point to report back with my findings on them over time, so stay tuned!
