Cooper STT Mud Tire Review

Updated Feb 7, 2014

COOPER  DISCOVERER STT Review

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Tire Review: COOPER STT

A High-traction mud tire designed for those jobsites where traction and tough sidewalls take precedence 

 

by Bruce W. Smith

There are literally dozens of mud tires on the market from smaller regional brands to internationally known name brands.

Among the latter is Cooper Tire, one of the top 12 tire manufacturers in the world.

Cooper’s Discoverer STT is their premium off-road light truck traction tire – a tire that has been a proven performer from the deserts of Dakar to the muddy logging roads of Maine.

If you are a fleet manager or contractor looking for a premium-grade mud tire to run on your pickups during the mud season in your area, the Cooper STT would be a good choice.

The Cooper SST looks good under a pickup and deliver when it comes to off-pavement traction.The Cooper SST looks good under a pickup and delivers when it comes to off-pavement traction.

The lugs are both open and deep, allowing them to dig down for traction while the large voids help them clean under acceleration.

I saw this time and again when the LT285R17 Cooper STTs under my 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4Ă—4 rolled through the red clay of construction sites and other off-pavement conditions on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The tire’s carcass is made from Armor-Tek3, which combines the typical 2-ply sidewall construction with a third ply at an eight-degree angle over the others.

This design creates a sturdy shield to greatly reduce the chances of sidewall punctures and tears that are common pitfalls of tires used around jobsites.

But the three-ply construction doesn’t add undo harshness to the highway ride of my Sierra 1500.

In fact it slightly improved my truck’s handling on and off-pavement over the stock 2-ply all-terrains they replaced.

And being an LT-rated tire, switching from summer treads to Cooper’s STT tires doesn’t change the truck’s tow ratings or load carrying capacities.

The only downside, as you’d expect from a high-void traction tire, is there’s considerable “whine” on-road. As my contractor friend says, “They talk to you.”

But if traction is your goal, and you are in the market for a premium quality mud tire,  the Cooper Discoverer STT is going to deliver.

With proper tire inflation and tire rotations, your truck should get 40-45,000 miles of tread life—and the traction needed in the demanding conditions of winter jobsites.