We recently got brand new tyres fitted to our towing vehicle and have been inundated with messages asking us WHY we chose Cooper Tires. Now, this is a question I would have loved to have answered, but my contribution to the tyre research and decision was limited. For a change, I was left doing a lot of listening to Wayne as he dug deep over months and months to get the right tyres for our family.

“Babe, we need new tyres on the Ranger…thoughts?”
“Get the best quality ones…” Yup – I was very helpful! For me, there is no skimping or short cuts when it comes to the safety of our car and tyres are the only thing separating the car from the road, so even more important to get quality! So I handed this article over to him…

Hi Guys,
I have been driving cars & motorbikes for over 25 years I have experienced all different types of tyres. From factory standard tyres, to low profile, to 4wd tyres and many more. It’s that ½ an inch between you and the road , so you want to know you have quality rubber under you. We have had our towing rig for 3 years and in that time, we have only had the one set of tyres on it. They were getting a little low in tread, so we needed to look at new ones. It was time to hit the internet!

I honestly didn’t realise how many different types of tyres there were to choose from. We dabble going off road and knew we needed a tyre that would be the best for highway travel and 4wd adventures and beach treks. Our Wildtrak needed an all rounder – so many treads, all are different because they all do a different job. It was time to ‘phone a friend’. I started asked around, asking friends, family and also our amazing caravanning & camping community. It was clear that many 4wdriving enthusiasts are passionate about their tyres and I was very glad when the majority of people I spoke with recommended the brand I was leaning towards – Cooper Tires.

Why? Cooper Tires is one of the largest domestic tyre manufacturers there in the world and they are one of only two U.S. owned tyre manufacturers that have been tested and proven by drivers on countless kilometres in Australia since 1991. They live and breathe tyres, amazing innovation and renowned for using the most up to date technology, their website is a hive of so much information. If that wasn’t enough, they also have a call centre where you can call and talk to a real serviceman who knows his stuff.

Another bonus was that we have a Cooper Tires dealership in our little country town. Numurkah Tyrepower were next and we hit them up with all the final details and MORE information was shared. At this point, I was so impressed with the service from all parties.

After all the research and the numerous chats with Cooper tires, we ended up choosing Cooper ST/Maxx LT265/65/R18. These tyres are a Heavy Duty all – terrain tyre. They are based around 50% for road and sand, and 50% for dirt and mud. These tyres were developed after three years of harsh testing in Australia’s outback. Why? To give you the toughest all-terrain performance tyre you can buy. The awesome customer service operator also told us that they have ‘Armor-Tek3’, Cooper’s unique carcass construction that gives you over 2.5 times more tear resistance when driving off-road, more piece of mind when you are driving out there in the bush.

Fitted by Numurkah Tyrepower – our Cooper Tires were fitted just in time for our 4 week Tour of Tassie! During our trip, at no point did we feel unsafe on either sealed roads or unsealed roads. Actually, quite the opposite. Driving down some of dirt, loose roads, our tyres did it easily. The car never skidded, and never lost traction. I thought at least I would lose traction going down or up some of the steep roads.

The last set of tyres we had on the Ranger seemed to fill with loose stones, there was always a stone or 3 stuck in the tread. Our Coopers have a special feature that helps push out stones that get stuck in your tread. WOW. No more clicking when you have the window down.

The tyres we chose were not the cheapest, but I am a believer that “you get what you pay for”. However they were more affordable than the Factory tyres. Had I have purchased another set of factory tyres v’s the current set of Cooper tyres we purchased, I would have spent an extra $200. So all in all I actually saved money from the factory fitted tyres to putting Coopers on. Bingo. So I put on 5 Cooper Tyres, Saved around $200, and I’m guaranteed to get more mileage out of my tyres.

Cooper Tires claim that you will reach a minimum of 80,000km with the ST/ MAXX. We do a lot of highway kilometres and we barely reached 70,000 on the factory tyres that were fitted.
Cooper Tyres gives you over 30% more tread depth in the tyre, and shoulder groves of over 45% deeper than most of your factory fitted tyres. This means that you will get more km’s out of your set of tyres, better grip on the road, which over all means that you should get less punctures.

To make sure you get the best out of your tyres, use them to the road conditions that you are driving to. If you are towing something heavy, put a few more pounds of air in the tyre to help. If your driving on sand drop your pressure to around 15-20psi. I wouldn’t recommend anything less than 15 as you do have the chance of winding the tyre off the rim if you go to hard. Mud you can do the same, and if you are spending a lot of time on unsealed roads then I would recommend you not put any more than 40 psi in them. You need to let the tyre flex around those rocks and stones you drive over. You even get a booklet with tips and tricks with all this info from Cooper Tires. It’s called the 4WD Driver’s Guide.

I could go on and on (Adele would love that! NOT) and tell you a heap of technical jargon that won’t make any sense. All I can say is that I did my homework, I value the SAFETY of my vehicle as I have very precious cargo. I am honest and I only choose the best product that I can afford at the time to protect my biggest asset. My car. (oops, did I just type that…. no my family. lol)

So for your next tyre. Why not give Cooper Tyres ago? With a mileage warranty of 80,000km. What are you waiting for.

Have you checked out our SHOP recently? Lots of cool Travel Accessories…including these Car Travel Trays!

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