Cooper Tires

[morseguy]

What are your thoughts?

[Curt Reed]

All I can say about Cooper tires is back when I was married, my in-laws bought me two new summer tires for my 1964 Chevy Impala. They were Cooper tires and the top of the line for Cooper at that time. Before I could use them, I traded off the car and the new car would not use a tire that size, so I was stuck with a pair of brand new tires.

I went to the Cooper Tire dealership and inquired if I could sell them or trade them for a size that fit my present car and they looked at me with Radio Shack stares. I was not looking to get full retail price out of them, but maybe a two tire for one trade on a usuable size.

I explained the situation I was in to them, but it did not matter. So I figured that if the dealership did not think of the products they sell any better than that, then they were not worth owning. I eventually ended up giving the tires away for free just to get rid of them, as they were taking up too much space.

Nothing really against the quality of the tires, but it was the attitude of the dealership that turned me sour on Cooper Tires.
Curt
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Curt, N7AH
(Connoisseur of the cold 807) CW forever!

[beetle]

I like Cooper tires. I have a set on my Ford Ranger. They have 20,000 miles on them, handle well and are quiet. Still lots of tread left. Also, a big plus..they are American made.

John

[gadget73]

Depends on the model. The Cobras don't handle well and don't seem to wear all that great either.
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Saving vintage electronics, one dumpster at a time.

[Tom Bavis]

A few year ago I noticed that the Cooper "Lifeliner" tires had the same tread pattern and the exact same tread wear number as the Yokohama tires I had previously bought - may have been made by Yokohama. These were made in the USA, as with other Yokohama tires I have bought since. I read recently though that most Cooper tires were imported from China.

[Rodney]

All I can tell you is the Cooper tire plant up the road from me in Albany Ga. closed down abt. 1 year ago and where they went I have no idea.
This same plant at one time was Firestone tire and rubber where I helped with the overhaul in the early 1980`s.
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Rodney

[bgadow]

You can get the DOT number off any tire and look it up online; the site (use google if nobody here posts it) will tell you the exact plant that made them. I wouldn't buy them unless they were made in, well, a "first world" country. In the 90s Paul Harvey shilled for them-at the time they were one of only 2 American-owned tire companies (along with Goodyear) but I don't know what the story is now. I've never owned any.

[wwcarey]

I'am a Cooper dealer and can answer any questions you may have. dave
_________________
When told that Steve Jobs bought a CRAY to help design the next Apple, Seymour Cray said, "Funny, I am using an Apple to simulate the CRAY-3."

[Rodney]

Theres no-one working or building tires at Cooper Tire in Albany Ga. but at the entrance theres a security guard around the clock which I think would be needed untill all the machines and whats usable are loaded up on the semi-trucks.
I would be interested in knowing where the semi-trucks are going after leaving the plant.
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Rodney

[Don Cavey]

I am not very fond of Cooper tires. On the way from Baltimore to Jacksonville, FL in my Corvair, the left rear blew out. First blow out I have ever experienced. The tire looked great but must have been old I guess even though it had good tread. Yes, I do know that tires age without wearing out. Time does matter. But I replaced them with Michelin tires. Never knew how smooth the car really ran with those older tires on it!
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Don

[blue_lateral]

I have had very good luck with them. They're getting hard to find around here.

John

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[Gusnaz]

Do Mini-Coopers have Cooper tires
_________________
Old age is 'when you still have
something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce it.'

[Mark D]

Cooper tires are ok. Certainly not among the worst tires, like KumHo.
But as with all things, when buying tires most people shop by price alone.
That's not necessarily a good idea, but that's how they do it.
Really, one should buy a tire based on their specific needs and performance desires. Cooper might or might not make a tire that fits those needs. If they don't, shop for something else. If they do, buy Cooper, if it's also the best price. Nothing wrong with their quality.
Mark D.
_________________
The fuse kept blowing. I put two fuses in parallel so that if one blows the other still works. Now it never blows the fuse!

[John L]

I've had 9 Cooper radials suffer tread seperation on my '98 Olds Intrigue. Whilst getting some more failed Coopers replaced in 2002 I read a trade publication article that stated ALL Cooper radials made for use on pax cars between 1984 and at least 1999 were DEFECTIVE. Changed to Bridgestones and haven't had any tire-related issues since. You couldn't give me a Cooper tire. Or a Metzeler..had two of them on my bike that had the same fate. dealer says the Metzelers are now made in China.

Life is good..
Ride safe.
John L

[Mark D]

John, that's interesting. Not regarding the Coopers - I didn't know that but have driven on Cooper tires for light trucks with no serious problems - But about the Firestones, which I consider to be one of the worst tires money can buy. I base this on both personal experience and the multiple huge recalls they've had to put out on their tires over the years. Plus the ones they weren't forced to recall, but had bad reps, such as the 750.
Personal experience includes every Firestone tire I've ever driven on. Last example was when we bought my wife's car. In 2002 we bought a 1998 Cadillac STS. It had Firestone tires, the originals (Goodyear Eagle GA radial's) having been replaced at some time. Since the Firestones were practically new, and against my better judgement, decided to use them up before replacing them. Well, that didn't take long. We hadn't had the car three months before one wheel started to shake pretty hard. I checked and found a large bulge in the sidewall.
Since I already expected trouble from those Firestones, I simply replaced all four with Goodyear Comfort Treads, part of their Assurance line of tires. They've been working out extremely well.
We're on the second set of those now, having put close to 100 k miles on the car since the Firestones were on it.
Mark D.
_________________
The fuse kept blowing. I put two fuses in parallel so that if one blows the other still works. Now it never blows the fuse!

[radiorich]

Hello morseguy,
When I was younger my dad Had a 1972 ford 3/4 ton truck that he always ran Cooper tires on it.
They were good tires .
Rich
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[Mike Toon]

[John L]

Mike Toon..
Got Dunlops now on my Gold Wing, but (going to the dark side) changing next time to a run flat car tire on the back..not much sense in paying exhorbitant prices for another bike tire on a sidecar rig that no longer leans. I don't like Dunlops..too slippery by far..but hadda buy what the dealer had..as long as it wasn't a Metzeler.

Mark D..
My mistake..typed "Firestone" and later went out to check the car..they are Bridgestones. 212,000 miles on the Olds Intrigue..best car I've ever owned.

Life is good..
Ride safe.
John L

[Curt Reed]

Does anybody remember Atlas tires? When I was a kid, dad swore by them and he had a set of, I think, 7.10 X 15 on his 1948 Dodge.

Biggest tire dissapointment I ever had was with a set of Goodyear Ultima radials on my 1978 Datsun. After about three months of buying a new set, I was headed to the Field Day sight on top of Mt. Baldy in Northwest Washington state and picked up a rock and it went right thru the sidewall, instantly ruining the tire. And at the time, they were supposed to be the best passenger car tire available. Unfortunately they did not have a roadside hazard guarantee, so I was out $135 for a new tire and those were 1978 dollars!

For the past 20 or so years, I have been running Toyo 800 radial tires on all my vehicles I get them at Les Schwab Tire Center, which is popular in the western part of the country. Fully guaranteed against road hazards and all that stuff. Only problems I have had with them is the occasional running over a sheet metal screw. It is never a nail, always a sheet metal screw and I wonder where on earth did they come from.

Dad had absolutely no use for B.F. Goodrich tires when he was still driving. He bought two of them to fit our 1961 Rambler station wagon and the car vibrated and shook when driven. To this day, I have never seen so many wheel weights on a tire like one of them had.

Dad took the car back to the tire store and demanded they rebalance the tires, and while they were on the spin balance machine, dad noticed how out of round the tire was. As the tire rotated on the machine there was at least a half inch variance in its outer diameter! Dad said "hold it right there. You can perfectly balance an egg, but that does not make it roll freely". So they gave him a new tire and about 15,000 miles later they were ready for the burning pile, as he bias ply cords were sticking out thru them.

Anybody remember the cheap re-caps us kids used to run on our cars? That is a story for another time.
Curt
_________________
Curt, N7AH
(Connoisseur of the cold 807) CW forever!

[Mike Toon]

Atlas tires were sold at Standard gas stations.

Everyone used recaps back then.

Anyone remember Cauldwell racing recaps, or Casler slicks?





Sorry for the size....all I could find.