Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

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Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby hartster on Mon, 14 Aug 2017 3:39 +0000

For anyone interested in Coopers I thought I'd let you know how mine have gone long term. I bought a set of Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx in Darwin at 38,420 km. The vehicle has now done 96,820 so that's 58,400km so far. The tires have been rotated properly and still have 7 mm of tread all round. Pressures used varied according to conditions. High pressures when towing on sealed surfaces 55psi cold rear, 40psi cold front, both increasing by 6-7psi when hot. Very low as required in sand and mud, down to 12psi no problems. Medium pressures in the desert on corrugated rocky roads. We towed the camper the whole way and had to rotate tires very carefully to make sure we didn't flog out of the rears well ahead of the fronts.

About 2/3rds of the milage incurred on these tires was outback unsealed roads with the usual tyre defeating conditions, particularly desert rocks, Highcountry mud mixed with rocks, Simpson sand and of course 1 Trillion corrugations. Here in New Zealand the vehicle has been learning to cope with 2 feet deep mud and it is fair to say that now the tires are getting on a bit, they are starting to struggle and can't bite and clear the mud properly. I have had to resort to using chains in mud (and a lot of winching) to get through the bog holes and up the inclines. And of course the diff locks make a massive difference.

Today I bought four new Discoverer STT Pro tyres, same size, LT225/75R16. The STT Maxx tires will remain on the vehicle for regular use until they are done for. The new tires are sitting in the back of the shed on standard SR rims and will be used for bush hunting trips which here in New Zealand are a much muddier affair than anything we encountered in Australia. Hence the switch to a MT profile from the AT.

And the best of all? Not a single puncture. So I've been converted by the hype. The Coopers have been 100% reliable and dealt with everything the Outback could throw at them, on a 3.1t Hilux towing a 1.5t camper. Worth every cent.
2013 Hilux KUN26R DC, 2010 Kluger GSU45R, 2006 Prado GRJ120R, 1993 Hilux VZN130R
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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby tmc93 on Tue, 15 Aug 2017 8:54 +0000

I've got a set on my 2004 dual cab Hilux too, different size mind you but I've got 40,000km on them and I reckon they've got over half the tread still left on them. Did the Birdsville track, all through flinders, Vic high country etc, Fraser Island on these puppies and zero problems whatsoever. My only gripe would be they are getting slightly noisier as they wear but thats to be expected with an aggressive all terrain I guess. I think I'll go to a skinnier tyre next time (31.5x10.5r15 currently).
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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby hartster on Wed, 16 Aug 2017 11:26 +0000

tmc93 wrote:I think I'll go to a skinnier tyre next time (31.5x10.5r15 currently).


Sorry I should have put the Coopers stuff in the tyre review section.

tmc93 - put skinnier tyres on your Hilux.

I've lost count the number of times I've said this to blokes. This insistance on putting big wide tyres on 4WDs is daft and just bling. It detracts from the performance of your vehicle, looks daft, and costs you a lot more money.

Don't put big tall wide wheels on your Hilux. Stay within the capability of the factory rims. They are like that for a reason.
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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby hiluxxury on Wed, 16 Aug 2017 11:49 +0000

Thanks for that. I'm due for tyres and the STT maxx or pro are definitely on my list.

What other tyres have you used in the past?
I might be wrong.

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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby hartster on Wed, 16 Aug 2017 12:22 +0000

On this Hilux, I sold the factory 205s the day it left the dealer, and fitted Maxxis 771 ATs. They performed fine in terms of traction, low pressure grip, etc, but got really badly chipped and cut by the sharp rock tracks of the Gregory National Park. The wear rate was not particularly impressive - the rears in particular were getting flogged. I reckon they would have made about 45,000km but I changed them out at 38,400km because I knew I had hard times ahead in NT and northern QLD. To be fair, the Maxxis did a bloody good stint of the central deserts - really really hard kms, so can't compain.

In the past I've used lots of different tyres because there were lots of company vehicles so it was a case of whatever they came with. The standout CRAPPEST tyres were Bridgestone Dueller ATs on the Prados. Utter rubbish. Very high wear rate. Went through 3 sets of those in about 80,000km. The only tyre on a company vehicle that I recall getting a good run out of and actually driving through close to the end of their life was a set of Toyo Open Country ATs 225 75 R16 on a new Hilux KUN here in NZ. They were good and I think I got about 70,000km out of them but as always I binned them before they were close to worn out because at a certain stage they just don't clear the mud well enough anymore.

Incidentally, this week I also replaced the Bridgestones on the wife's Kluger, they were also crap - got 32,000km, totally worn out despite rotation every 5,000km and a weekly pressure check.

The standout BEST tyres I've ever used on one of my own vehicles were the old school General Super All Grip (SAG) on 7.00x16 rims on my old Hilux. I used these for 12 years and they were brilliant. But that's not relavent now as you can't get them anymore which is a real shame. They were standard on lots of different Land Rovers and Land Cruisers in various parts of the world. Nothing has ever come close since.

And you know what? They are as skinny as a Paris catwalk model. The only way to go.
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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby hiluxxury on Wed, 16 Aug 2017 1:31 +0000

I totally agree with you regarding the Duellers - absolute rubbish.

I'm a fat tyre fan myself though - 33in tyres on 16in rims. The larger footprint and lower pressure floatation you get from the volume are important in the softer sands and snow - take Arctic Trucks for example. But I do acknowledge the disadvantages of the setup.
I might be wrong.

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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby wayn05 on Fri, 18 Aug 2017 5:03 +0000

Good to hear about the STTs lasting. For what its worth, i bought my hilux new back in 2012 and straight away took it to get a set of BFGs KM2. Like you, I've changed the pressures etc to suit what im carrying, but with the barwork, drawers, and gear in the back i'm running around close to the 2.6 ton mark daily. Getting a new set of tyres today after 5 years and 85,000km and they're not yet at the wear indicator but not far off. Never an issue, never had a puncture (touch wood), not bad for a mud tyre. Needless to say going with the KM2s again and hopefully get another 85 thou out of them.
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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby broke on Tue, 14 Nov 2017 7:16 +0000

G'day Gents

I have been running Cooper STTs on my Hilux since I got it back in Feb '07. As a side note, I was one of the first 100 members of this site and just had a look tonight to see if it was still running- geez there's some numbers now!!

Anyway, I digress- I am just about to buy my third set of STTs- I run a 31/10.5/15 as I find it still enables me to do pretty much everything I want to do offroad, but it doesn't effect me too harshly (as opposed to larger tyres) with respect to fuel burn, noise, torque, brake wear & clutch wear.

They are a great tyre- my last two sets have given me over 80K kms each and to be honest, I'm quite lazy when it comes to rotating. They are a very hard compound which I believe is why some don't like them as they can chip easy if driving on course sharp gravel roads at over 40psi. Simple solution, let them down a bit! ;) I did the Plenty Hwy twice at about 26-27 psi without a chip.

Another reason why some don't like them is that due to the hard compound, they can be a bit skatey in the wet on the tar. The simple solution to this is to basically be smart and drive to the conditions- Ie. brake a little earlier when you get to the roundabout than what you normally would- a concept that is difficult for some to grasp. ;)

Anyway- just thought I'd throw my 2c in as I go through checking out the forum- can't believe how many members are on this now. Unbelievable.
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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby Myralga on Tue, 14 Nov 2017 7:46 +0000

My 2 cents
I am torn on coopers
So I have an odd story. Personally I cannot get any real life out of coopers which is why I no longer use them. 25-35k max from a set. BUT I know that a lot of this comes down to me the driver and the conditions they are used in.
For example I get as stated 25-35k out of their muddies but I spend the majority of my km in sealed roads. Yet my father and his similar set up Hilux got 100k out of the same tread pattern and size. But 90% of his driving is on dirt.
This leads me to state that you just need to purchase according to your conditions.
I run muddies because I live in black soil country and when it’s wet we barely get around. But my work has me on sealed roads most of the time ideally I would run two tires but that’s not practical for me.
In the end cooper are a great brand with proper tire selection. And I can’t fault there warranty as I have got a bad batch and they were replaced just select the appropriate tire for your most common conditions and get muddy.


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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby leghorn on Sun, 18 Mar 2018 8:47 +0000

done 70,000 on my set of coopers so far so good cooper st max, 245 75 r 16... on a SR model.
I reckon i can still cover at least another 25 thousand+ heaps of tread depth still, no punctures..
few chunks of rubber missing though, road noisy you'll here me coming from 50 meters away LOL :lol:
im a hilux add some diesel anytime now. . . .
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Re: Cooper Discoverer STT Maxx long term performance

Postby ktm300 on Mon, 19 Mar 2018 3:58 +0000

Nitto tyres are worth a look . Great tread and super strong side wall 10ply from memory
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