Living in Africa for the past 20 years, I've had the opportunity to use most of the available 4x4 tyres over the years. BFG, Michelin, MRF, Pirelli, etc.
A couple of years ago, I installed Coopers on two of my cars. 35-40,000 km later, here are my findings...
Cooper ST/C, 245/75 - 16 (I'd had fitted a larger diameter, but they were not in stock in Kampala at the time).
Vehicle: Lancruiser HZJ77
Use: Safaris, 30% asphalt, 40% untarred roads/trails, 20% off-road
The vehicle is used for travels to the bush, spending most of its time driving heavily loaded on bad roads (typical loads, 550 to 700kg, often with a trailer attached for long legs), or driving through the bush in totally virgin country, again with heavy loads.
I have done close to 40,000 km on these tyres, and they are without questions the best all-round tyres I ever had. Cost at the time was slightly more than half that of BFGs, and I wouldn't swap them.
Cut/chip resistance: check the pictures below. These have done 20,000+ km on the worst untarred roads you can imagin, eating sharp stones and gravel at sustained speeds for hundreds of kilometers in a row, and driven off-road on all sorts of terrain. They've had a steady diet of full-size African thorns and sharp volcanic rocks, and from the look they will still serve another 10,000 km or so.
I've had half-a-dozen punctures in that time, and since they are mounted tubeless these have been non-events (full repair kit in the car, and the AC compressor has been rigged as a tyre compressor).
In general offroad conditions the grip is excellent, and in mud the grip is good. Good on asphalt and untarred roads too.
Conclusion: if you want a rugged, real All-Terrain tyre, that will last the distance, go for it!
Cooper STT, 235/85 - 16
Vehicle: Land Rover 127" Rapier
Use: Same as above, less mileage
Well... You can't always win. The STT are very good in the mud, and that's about it. They've worn out at an incredible rate, and I doubt if I'll get 15,000 km out of them. The famed "Extra-Hyper-Duper" sidewall has not proven any better than that of the ST/C, and the slight advantage in grip is irrelevant for general-purpose use.
Conclusion: if you like wallowing in mud and wet terrain, try them. If you want a tyre that is actually useful as an AT, look for something else.
A couple of years ago, I installed Coopers on two of my cars. 35-40,000 km later, here are my findings...
Cooper ST/C, 245/75 - 16 (I'd had fitted a larger diameter, but they were not in stock in Kampala at the time).
Vehicle: Lancruiser HZJ77
Use: Safaris, 30% asphalt, 40% untarred roads/trails, 20% off-road
The vehicle is used for travels to the bush, spending most of its time driving heavily loaded on bad roads (typical loads, 550 to 700kg, often with a trailer attached for long legs), or driving through the bush in totally virgin country, again with heavy loads.
I have done close to 40,000 km on these tyres, and they are without questions the best all-round tyres I ever had. Cost at the time was slightly more than half that of BFGs, and I wouldn't swap them.
Cut/chip resistance: check the pictures below. These have done 20,000+ km on the worst untarred roads you can imagin, eating sharp stones and gravel at sustained speeds for hundreds of kilometers in a row, and driven off-road on all sorts of terrain. They've had a steady diet of full-size African thorns and sharp volcanic rocks, and from the look they will still serve another 10,000 km or so.
I've had half-a-dozen punctures in that time, and since they are mounted tubeless these have been non-events (full repair kit in the car, and the AC compressor has been rigged as a tyre compressor).
In general offroad conditions the grip is excellent, and in mud the grip is good. Good on asphalt and untarred roads too.
Conclusion: if you want a rugged, real All-Terrain tyre, that will last the distance, go for it!
Cooper STT, 235/85 - 16
Vehicle: Land Rover 127" Rapier
Use: Same as above, less mileage
Well... You can't always win. The STT are very good in the mud, and that's about it. They've worn out at an incredible rate, and I doubt if I'll get 15,000 km out of them. The famed "Extra-Hyper-Duper" sidewall has not proven any better than that of the ST/C, and the slight advantage in grip is irrelevant for general-purpose use.
Conclusion: if you like wallowing in mud and wet terrain, try them. If you want a tyre that is actually useful as an AT, look for something else.
