Discovery 3 Cooper AT3 265/60/18

[mbecker7]

Hello guys, I've been snooping for a few weeks and have learnt heaps, thanks to all of you for the knowledge. I had a set of Cooper AT3's put on at Tyrepower in Berwick this morning($1,566 fitted,balance and wheel alignment all included).
Allan is very careful and helpful, I highly recommend them!
I had Conty cross-country and Pirelli ice and snow on before and as you would expect they were very quiet.
I could not believe the AT3's are just as quiet and comfortable!!!!!
I love my Discovery 3 Petrol SE, not just cause it's an awesome vehicle that ticks all the 4x4 and safety boxes, it's my company car and my boss I happy to pay for the petrol and maintenance etc.
I have 4 children so safety was my number 1 concern and this machine is the safest by far.
I will try and post some pics soon!
Thanks again to all of you for your knowledge and input!

[WhiteD3]

Welcome mate. I had the V6 SE for over 4 years and found it to be a great car. Interested to see how you go with the new tyres.

[jonesfam]

Welcome.
Did you get the LT or passenger construction A/T3?
I have just ordered a set in LT & find it interesting you think they are as quiet as the Conti's.
Jonesfam

[mbecker7]

Hello jonesfam
I got the passenger tyres as the LT's are 275/65/18.
I also prefer to have the quieter tyre.
I won't be doing any hardcore 4x4 work in my company car.

[TerryO]

I also replaced my Conti's with the AT3's and yes its correct in most situations they are just as quite, but not all. It is very surprising how well they handle on road considering they have quite an agressive thread pattern.

cheers,
Terry

[disco_driver]

[QUOTE=mbecker7;1552779]Hello jonesfam
I got the passenger tyres as the LT's are 275/65/18.
QUOTE]

Anyone know if this size would actually fit with the llams system? My tyre of choice would actually be the cooper ST/Max. Did well in a recent 4wd monthly comprehensive review of AT tyres. But it looks like they only come in 275/70/18 which I'm assuming, even with Lams, would be too big. I think these are equivalent to 33".

So my other option if I were to stick with Cooper, which I like very much, would be the AT/3. Not as offroad as I would like but what else is there out there? I currently have continental cross track or something. Came with the car when i bought it last week. They don't look that bitey for off road work. I don't think they are that quiet either really. My STs on my previous Landcruiser weren't much noisier and they were certainly more aggressive.

[~Rich~]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/93220-aulro-discovery-3-4-rrs-faq.html
[Home - DISCO3.CO.UK Knowledge Base (http://www.disco3.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Home)
Here is a lot of info for the D3.

Tyres suitable for the Discovery 3 - DISCO3.CO.UK Knowledge Base (http://www.disco3.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Tyres_suitable_for_the_Discovery_3)
While not 100% up to date this will help you on tyres that will fit.

[mbecker7]

Hello Guys

I have attached some photos of my AT3's that are 25,000K's old for you guys to help with any decisions.

I have had them checked at Tyre Power Berwick at 10K & 20K's and have not needed a wheel alignment, only rotate at 20K's.

I have been to Robe and Stockton Beaches and they have performed very well.:)

They are great, quiet, very comfortable and grippy.

Cheers Michael.

[Weird Al]

Looks good, but are they good any good on the bitumen in the wet?

Folks have told me to avoid Coopers because they are too hard, do you find this is the case?

[mbecker7]

Hello Al

Yes I have found them to be great in the wet, have you found them to be not so good?

[Weird Al]

No I have not replaced the tyres on my D4 yet.

I am wary of long treadlife tyres as a few years ago I had some Michellin ATR's on a Patrol and they were made from some form of black concrete, as they lasted over 100,000ks and I never got a puncture.

But I dreaded every time it rained as they had almost zero grip and you had to corner VERY slowly. And you could not stop in a hurry.

The local tyre place said Coopers were the same (yes he sells them, but was pushing me towards Mickey Thompsons.)

So I was curious to see what you thought.

[discotwinturbo]

I have gone down a different path.
I have purchased 18inch rims, and Mickey Thompson 265/60 18 in LT's. These will only be used for dirty weekends and touring.
All other times I will stick with the factory tyres and rims.
Pain in the butt to change each time, but have always got great mileage this way, and the superior handling tyres for weekday driving.
Brett...

[mbecker7]

No I have not replaced the tyres on my D4 yet.

I am wary of long treadlife tyres as a few years ago I had some Michellin ATR's on a Patrol and they were made from some form of black concrete, as they lasted over 100,000ks and I never got a puncture.

But I dreaded every time it rained as they had almost zero grip and you had to corner VERY slowly. And you could not stop in a hurry.

The local tyre place said Coopers were the same (yes he sells them, but was pushing me towards Mickey Thompsons.)

So I was curious to see what you thought.


Hello Al
I have no problems with these tyres in the wet! I carry my wife and 4 children in my D3 and if I wasn't happy then I would get different tyres.
This is my company car so my I would get news tyres if I thought it is necessary.
Another thing is these size tyres are not light truck construction, they most likely perform better because these tyres and passenger car construction.
Good luck!
Cheers Michael

[TerryO]

My guess is there is more margin in the Micky Thompsons then the Coopers if the tyre shop is pushing you that way.

Our D3 drives incredibly well in both dry and wet conditions with the AT3's and if you didn't know you had A/T's on you would think they are H/T's and I drive it like they are good handling H/T's, they are that confidence inspiring.

I bet the Micky Thompsons aren't as quite or handle on road as well.

cheers,
Terry

[discotwinturbo]

My guess is there is more margin in the Micky Thompsons then the Coopers if the tyre shop is pushing you that way.

Our D3 drives incredibly well in both dry and wet conditions with the AT3's and if you didn't know you had A/T's on you would think they are H/T's and I drive it like they are good handling H/T's, they are that confidence inspiring.

I bet the Micky Thompsons aren't as quite or handle on road as well.

cheers,
Terry

My sister runs a tyre store.....got the Mickeys at her buy in price. Coopers were only slightly cheaper. Price was not a factor.
I only use them for touring and offroading.....not for general day to day. I can handle the noisier tread for the low k's that they will do each year.
I have been a cooper fan for more than 12 years (have never let me down in the bush, but not the greatest on road but that was due to ST tread), but needed the stronger side walls which I could not get in this size with cooper. Anyway they are made by the same owners in the same factory.
I prefer the proper HT tyres for everyday use...the AT's will not perform as good on road as the HT's but they are coming close.
I am fortunate that I can get all my tyres very cheap.
Brett....

[kero]

Discotwin. What sort of Mickey Thompson tires are they,I can't find the 265/60/18 on their website.

[101RRS]

Discotwin. What sort of Mickey Thompson tires are they,I can't find the 265/60/18 on their website.

There is a STZ listing in that size on their website,

[gghaggis]

There is a STZ listing in that size on their website,

Yes, but they are not LT construction (not that I think that's necessarily important) - so I'm wondering which tyre Brett means (or maybe he meant to type "AT" instead of "LT"?).

Cheers,

Gordon

[discotwinturbo]

Definitely LT's. I will let you know tomorrow which ones they are, but they are a new LT to the market (maybe just the size in LT is new)
Just can't remember the model at the moment.
Brett

[discotwinturbo]

They are stz....and they are now in LT in 265/60 18.

Brett

[101RRS]

They are stz....and they are now in LT in 265/60 18.

Brett

Are you sure - I just rang the MT importers and they said that the STZ in 265/60 18 is not LT.

Garry

[Graeme]

The web-site lists all STZ as passenger construction but the 120 load rating of the 285/60-18 (XL) allows them to carry a good load.

[discotwinturbo]

Are you sure - I just rang the MT importers and they said that the STZ in 265/60 18 is not LT.

Garry

I will check with her again. The brochure that she showed me (their internal brochure) showed LT written next to them.

Brett....

[101RRS]

I will check with her again. The brochure that she showed me (their internal brochure) showed LT written next to them.

Brett....

Yes please as they are a tyre that I would be interested in - hence my call to MT as soon as I saw your earlier post.

Cheers

Garry

[gghaggis]

I will check with her again. The brochure that she showed me (their internal brochure) showed LT written next to them.

Brett....

It should be stamped on the tyre - it should say either LT265/60R18 or 265/60R18LT. Don't believe a brochure .........

Cheers,

Gordon

[discotwinturbo]

I got it wrong!
These apparently have the weight carrying capacity that I need and tyre wall strength of 3 times that of the normal HT tyres.
Something about 3000 denier, whatever that is. Apparently they are as close as you can get to an LT....according to the MT WA importer.
Will keep researching before I commit to these.
Brett

[gghaggis]

As I 've mentioned a few times, the lines between P and LT are becoming quite blurred. As an example, my LT275/65R18 Maxxis have exactly the same sidewall and tread layering as my P285/60R18 Cooper LTZ's, and the Cooper's greater load rating (122 vs 119) further muddies the difference.

Cheers,

Gordon

[MadJax]

I have also just had a set of AT3's fitted. Photos here DISCO4.COM - View topic - Cooper AT3's Fitted (http://disco4.com/forum/topic77013.html)

[Doug145]

Hi folks,
Just wondering about the tyre requirements for my D3. My understanding is that if I fit road tyres I need a speed rating of H or better. However, if I fit M+S tyres I can have a lesser speed rating so long as I drive at a speed less than the rating of the M+S tyre. Can you tell me where AT tyres fit into this as I can't find any rated as H for speed? Are they stamped with M+S?
Thanks.
Doug

[gghaggis]

Hi folks,
Just wondering about the tyre requirements for my D3. My understanding is that if I fit road tyres I need a speed rating of H or better. However, if I fit M+S tyres I can have a lesser speed rating so long as I drive at a speed less than the rating of the M+S tyre. Can you tell me where AT tyres fit into this as I can't find any rated as H for speed? Are they stamped with M+S?
Thanks.
Doug

As long as the tyre is rated at N (140kph) or greater, you're fine. Different rules for 4WD vs passenger 2WD.

Cheers,

Gordon

[mbecker7]

Hi folks,
Just wondering about the tyre requirements for my D3. My understanding is that if I fit road tyres I need a speed rating of H or better. However, if I fit M+S tyres I can have a lesser speed rating so long as I drive at a speed less than the rating of the M+S tyre. Can you tell me where AT tyres fit into this as I can't find any rated as H for speed? Are they stamped with M+S?
Thanks.
Doug

Hello
Mine have M+S on them as shown in the picture.
Berwick Tyrepower were very careful to make sure these tyres were Ok for my D3 because these tyres are 10mm wider than standard.

Regards Michael

[brad72]

I just came from my local cooper dealer and said he could not fit the 265/60r18 AT3's because of the 110 load rating as my tyre placard states a load rating of 112.

so i'm going to put some 255/60R18 112 Grabber At's on her instead and at $275 a corner not a bad price.

[gghaggis]

I just came from my local cooper dealer and said he could not fit the 265/60r18 AT3's because of the 110 load rating as my tyre placard states a load rating of 112.

so i'm going to put some 255/60R18 112 Grabber At's on her instead and at $275 a corner not a bad price.

Your tyre dealer is wrong. You can fit down to 109 (the minimum rating). Note that there is no 265/60R18 on the placard.

See post 5, this thread:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/144090-tyre-plaque-faq-hand-book-please-explain.html

Cheers,

Gordon

[garethbrown2670@gmail.com]

I put 265/60/R18 AT3s on 4 months ago and have written off 3 of them in the past 3 months. All doing off-road, but nothing too extreme.

When we put them on, the tyre dealer noted the LR requirement for 112 rated tyres, and the AT3s are 110.

After the 3rd failure in 2 months I approached the Coopers rep and he's basically said that the radial construction 110s simply aren;t strong enough. Apparently they have some LT construction (120 rated) tyres coming out in 3-12 months.

[morpheus]

Really interesting that you bring this up. I picked up my car last week from the garage and the mechanic there warned me about my AT3's, saying they had developed little cracks in the grooves.

Now I don't truly know how old, or how many kilometres these have done as they were on the vehicle when I bought it earlier this year (for what it's worth I reckon they were pretty much new). I have done 15k and I rotated them only 5k ago. I have done next to no off roading - due to the ongoing saga I have had with differentials (don't get me started...) and it has only driven on a few dirt roads. So this has come about from highway driving...

The mechanic reckons that AT3's are no good and he said that he has seen this before on D3s. He recommended MTs and BFGs, but I guess opinions on tyres are like bums - everyone's got one.

[morpheus]

Forgot to put up this. It isn't the best quality...

[DiegotheCat]

Hello

I have a quick question, a bit off topic but on the right path, does anyone know if the 18" D3 wheels fit D4? In particular 2012 HSE D4.

Im pretty sure they dont but I have to ask.

Thanks

[shorty]

Hello



I have a quick question, a bit off topic but on the right path, does anyone know if the 18" D3 wheels fit D4? In particular 2012 HSE D4.



Im pretty sure they dont but I have to ask.



Thanks


They won't fit over the brakes.

[winaje]

I put 265/60/R18 AT3s on 4 months ago and have written off 3 of them in the past 3 months. All doing off-road, but nothing too extreme.

When we put them on, the tyre dealer noted the LR requirement for 112 rated tyres, and the AT3s are 110.

After the 3rd failure in 2 months I approached the Coopers rep and he's basically said that the radial construction 110s simply aren;t strong enough. Apparently they have some LT construction (120 rated) tyres coming out in 3-12 months.

So from what you are saying in the quote above, a Cooper authorised representative is telling you that the AT3 in 110s is not able to be used in an aired down situation in areas where sidewall strength is required.

Therefore the tyre is being sold inappropriately, as there is no disclaimer stating that that model cannot be aired down and used for the purpose a reasonable person would expect.

I'd very actively seek reimbursement for the cost of the 3 tyres that have failed due to inappropriate supply for your purpose. If you get a chance to call Exclusive Tyres who are the Australian Distributor of Cooper, and speak to John Pfeffer, tell him Will Church sends his regards. You'll probably hear the shudder down the phone line lol. For context Cooper ST delamination. (http://www.d2au.com/index.php'topic=353.10)

[morpheus]

Bloody hell, Will! I just read your account on the delamination... Glad to hear that no one got hurt.

[DiegotheCat]

cheers

[stuarth44]

just got a quote 440 ea 265/60 r18 rated 119t sp rating S 10ply

for the d4 picking up 5 rims tomorrow 300 with 255 60 hankoks 50 percent left @30 inch dia O/A hope they'll fit

[loanrangie]

just got a quote 440 ea 265/60 r18 rated 119t sp rating S 10ply

for the d4 picking up 5 rims tomorrow 300 with 255 60 hankoks 50 percent left @30 inch dia O/A hope they'll fit

Thats nuts, paid $290 for my Wildpeaks in 265/65/18.

[stuarth44]

Thats nuts, paid $290 for my Wildpeaks in 265/65/18.
you are always giving good advice, lemme find em, need shop around price so far 360, now 330, had up to 440 quotes, some greed out there

[SeanC]

Looks good, but are they good any good on the bitumen in the wet?

Folks have told me to avoid Coopers because they are too hard, do you find this is the case?
The way a tyre handles in the wet can be significantly impacted by tyre pressure both under and over. I run 32 psi all round on my Cooper AT3LT when not towing and have had no issues in the wet.