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Re: Post COVID--notice how many 4x4 tires are no longer available?

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2024 7:38 am
by Stuka
Gambler wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2024 3:52 pm Tell ya hwat...I got 4 Courser MTS for Sundog (79 Cherokee WT, 4" lift, pt QT with rear locker) this summer. 33x12.50r15 off Amazon for 893 to my door. I paid an old school shop to mount and balance them on my 10" wide steel D windows I've been running forever...they balanced easily. These tires are GREAT. They ride sweet, nice flat contact patch, no vibes, wearing evenly so far. I was concerned about cold weather hardness, but zero issue, and the grip is amazing. I don't even shift into 4wd for powder, they gnaw right through it and eject without any packing. A set of Coopers or BFGS wouldve been around 1200-1300, and there's no way I could see justifying that. Granted, I dont drive it as a daily, but the Coursers at least seem like a great deal to me.
The irony is that Cooper owns Mastercraft. The main difference between a Cooper and a Mastercraft Courser mud or all terrain tire is the sidewall. The cooper variant will have a 3 ply sidewall. But if not going on rough trails, the 2 ply sidewall is fine. And the tread on those is similar to the old Cooper STT (Before the STT Pro). Which I ran on a few Jeeps and really liked.

Re: Post COVID--notice how many 4x4 tires are no longer available?

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2024 7:52 am
by Yeller
I ran the Courser MTS on my bronco for a season and really liked them, other than the sidewalls were a little thin, I did cut one, but it was deserved, muddy rutted hill climb with roots and rocks in it mixed with heavy throttle. Have considered them for the J Truck, probably going back to the Mickey Thompsons that I'm currently running unless I make the jump to 17" wheels.

FYI: Cooper, Mastercraft, Mickey Thompson, and Kelly are all owned by Goodyear. I'm sure there are others as well, but the Cooper acquisition is only a few years old. I believe Goodyear has done a great job of doing some consolidating but holding the existing tire lines to their roots that made them great to begin with. That consolidating is why you no longer see Dick Cepek tires, mostly they were copies of the Mickey Thompson offering and the name was dropped from the line up.

Re: Post COVID--notice how many 4x4 tires are no longer available?

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2024 6:37 pm
by Stuka
One thing I am happy about is Good Year hasn't gone through and cheaped out on Cooper and MT tires.

Good Years offroad tires are junk mostly. The duratrac has a 2 ply sidewall, that tire that comes on the bronco and TRX has a 2 ply sidewall. That new tire they just came out with has a 2 ply sidewall.

But the MT's I just put on my JK (Baja Boss AT) are incredible tires. Best offroad tires I have ever owned.

Re: Post COVID--notice how many 4x4 tires are no longer available?

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 10:27 pm
by Gambler
Yeah I saw that courser was made by cooper! I've never personally liked Coopers out here, but so far loving these old school tread Courser MTs for sure. I don't do any real wheeling anymore, but wanted the muds for the clay I play in locally. Theyve been amazing on the crusty powder we've been getting in SW CO this winter too..no more spinning on 20 year old bald Wild Countrys :D The sidewalls do seem a little thing, but not too bad. The 12.50s sit nicely on the wide 15" steel rims. I wouldnt run them on a narrow set.