cooper tyre problems

[malsgoing130]

Hi All,
This is not related to my Fender but rather my Playdough (Prado). I put Cooper ATR's on about 35000km ago and was having a look at them the other day and noticed alot of fine cracking around the tread blocks as well as between the tread and the side wall. I have just made the call to their help line and a very nice bloke told me its ok? not a safety issue just caused by the finishing coat on the tyres doing something or other???????? I had a similar problem with some Dunflops many years ago and they replaced them streight away. He did say that I should go past a Cooper dealer to let them have a look and if there is a problem do a prorata pay in for milage exchange.

Has any one else encountered problems with these tyres before?

All input always appreciated.
Regards
Mal

[Hymie]

I've seen 2 separate vehicles with crook Cooper S/T's in the last month.
On the weekend just gone I was checking a Tag a long customers Coopers and he told me an anecdote he had heard of a Cooper splitting longitudinally, right round the middle of the tread, so he was aware of a problem and keeping an eye on them.

[strangy]

Hi,
cracks in tyres, regardless of brand, are a safety issue. Any crack will will get bigger over time (how long is subjective) and can lead to catastrophic failure. The cracks you describe are often associated with age. Regardless of the cause of the crack, what you see is only part of the picture going on in the tyre carcass.

As for issues with Coopers..... plenty of threads here rubbishing and praising them, depending on the particular tyre design.

My two cents through personal experience with this brand on a family vehicle has ensured that I will never purchase any type of tyre currently made by Cooper.

But thats another issue.
Get them checked ASAP.

[Milton477]

Same story, nice guy, no problems - just the finish cracking...Well why aren't the other 3 the same?

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/%3Ctable%20style=%22width:auto;%22%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd %3E%3Ca%20href=%22http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qvlgww4fAOlCji06ump-YQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSxk5v3wreKqAE&feat=embedwebsite%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://lh4.ggpht.com/_67wCda9YO5Q/SxNAyYGfHJI/AAAAAAAAB4c/w-xcPbLCAoY/s144/Rory%20Phone1006.jpg%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd%20style=%22font-family:arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:11px;%20text-align:right%22%3EFrom%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://picasaweb.google.com/rory.bostock/AULRO?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSxk5v3wreKqAE&feat=embedwebsite%22%3EAULRO%3C/a%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3C/table%3E

[Tusker]

Different batch?

See if you can find the date stamp on them. Its a week/year format.

Regards
Max P

[strangy]

Same story, nice guy, no problems - just the finish cracking...Well why aren't the other 3 the same?

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/%3Ctable%20style=%22width:auto;%22%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd %3E%3Ca%20href=%22http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qvlgww4fAOlCji06ump-YQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSxk5v3wreKqAE&feat=embedwebsite%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://lh4.ggpht.com/_67wCda9YO5Q/SxNAyYGfHJI/AAAAAAAAB4c/w-xcPbLCAoY/s144/Rory%20Phone1006.jpg%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd%20style=%22font-family:arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:11px;%20text-align:right%22%3EFrom%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://picasaweb.google.com/rory.bostock/AULRO?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSxk5v3wreKqAE&feat=embedwebsite%22%3EAULRO%3C/a%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3C/table%3E

I am not a tyre expert, but in a previous life I was Toolmaker (making molds for plastic and rubber components)

IMO This picture indicates one of 2 things.
1/ The tyre has been run under pressure/ overloaded and sustained associated damage.
or
2/ The tyre compound, mold, temperatures were all wrong during manufacturing process and flaws have been "manufactured" into the tyre at the factory.

[Milton477]

I did send this & other photos to Coopers. Apart from maybe 500km on the beach & a bit of dirt road, this tyre has been on the tarmac. On the beach, I always run pressures at 18psi - set by stauns & the little dirt road has been mostly at 35psi. The tread is still good although there does seem to be a bit of scrubbing on the edge. The strange thing is that the cracks are only on 1 face of the tyre.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_67wCda9YO5Q/SxNICTJeUtI/AAAAAAAAB44/T8ldx2VRL_4/s800/Rory%20Phone1009.jpg

[big guy]

Although I am quite fond of the Coopers, I do believe I read an article that the outside edge is prone to cracking as above due to UV rays hitting the tread and destabilising or something to that effect.
I read it in some waiting room and thought interesting.
The sidewall damage I have seen on tyres with incorrect tyre pressures before.

The old coopers saga once again.
I hope mine hold out as they are brand new.

[PhilipA]

Just on the subject of Cooper ST chipping, I was reading a Cooper brochure while waiting for a repair at my local tyre place.

In the brochure they claim that the chipping on ST is caused by the front wheels throwing up stones which hit the back wheels and knock off bits of tread.
My BFG AT KOs were badly chipped after my SA trip and it was the rears that were chipped. I put it down to the rears having most of the drive and load , but maybe they are right and chipping is caused by rocks from the front wheels. SO maybe a mud flap in front of the rears would cut it down.

Regards Philip A

[sjd70]

My Cooper ATR's did exactly the same thing. I took them to the dealer and had them replaced on the pro-rata deal.

I wasn't going to use Coopers again, I was planning on switching to BFG's but I had one tyre punctured beyond repair at the time so the deal of $165x4 (for the Coopers) was too good to pass up compared to 4 new BFG's.

That said, the replacement Coopers are splitting/cracking around the rim again.:mad:

When these wear out I will not be using Coopers again!

[seano87]

I have pretty severe chipping on my ATRs as well. Local tyre shop said its not an issue at the moment due to no actual splitting, and not eligible for the mileage warranty as 1) not living in a capital city, and 2) I refuse to pay them $80 every 10,000km to do a balance when they admit they don't have the right equipment to 4x4's properly.

I've learnt my lesson :D

[malsgoing130]

wow, I am glad Im not alone. In my poor discription of what is happing, its not chipping thats the problem but actual little cracks around each tread block and where the side wall meets the tread belt.
So the prorata is $80 per 10000km? I cant bloody find my invoice now either:mad::mad::mad:
I will be interested to hear wht the tyre bloke says at the local Tyrepower.
Mal

[Hymie]

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_67wCda9YO5Q/SxNAyYGfHJI/AAAAAAAAB4c/w-xcPbLCAoY/s800/Rory%20Phone1006.jpg
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/%3Ctable%20style=%22width:auto;%22%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd %3E%3Ca%20href=%22http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qvlgww4fAOlCji06ump-YQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSxk5v3wreKqAE&feat=embedwebsite%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://lh4.ggpht.com/_67wCda9YO5Q/SxNAyYGfHJI/AAAAAAAAB4c/w-xcPbLCAoY/s144/Rory%20Phone1006.jpg%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd%20style=%22font-family:arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:11px;%20text-align:right%22%3EFrom%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://picasaweb.google.com/rory.bostock/AULRO?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSxk5v3wreKqAE&feat=embedwebsite%22%3EAULRO%3C/a%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3C/table%3E


That's exactly what I've seen on 2 other cars.

[dullbird]

I wouldn't touch coopers with a barge poll.....

I have heard to many reports of them doing this and I'm not talking recently there were similar posts over a year ago if I recall correctly

[darkstar]

:Dtyre cracks are not always a new problem but are an old rubber problem:eek: exposure to oxigen sunlight ect all to degrade your tyres i have seen this with many makes of tyres maybe the one you have is from an older batch i hope this link will help you understand and give you a bit of leverage with the dealer Aged Tyres (http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/passenger/care/age.aspx)

[seano87]

wow, I am glad Im not alone. In my poor discription of what is happing, its not chipping thats the problem but actual little cracks around each tread block and where the side wall meets the tread belt.
So the prorata is $80 per 10000km? I cant bloody find my invoice now either:mad::mad::mad:
I will be interested to hear wht the tyre bloke says at the local Tyrepower.
Mal

The prorata is however many km short of the guarantee, say its a 100,000km guarantee and the tyre costs $200, if the tyre only makes it to 80k, you get 20% of the price back, as it failed to make the mileage by 20% (so $40 in my example). If the tyre is faulty, as it may well be, I'd expect they should be replacing the tyre no charge, or a refund.

The thing with the guarantee is that you have to live in a city area and they won't necessarily agree to offer you the guarantee if you drive it offroad.... and it has to be balanced every 10,000km by the tyre dealer at $x, in my case they said $78.

In my case, the tyres have a 80k km guarantee, which would be potentially 8x balances for a total of $626. Even if this cost is spread across all 4 tyres, you can start to see why the guarantee isn't worth the paper its written on...

Seano

[seano87]

If anyone is interested, the FAQ's for the guarantee are Cooper Tires - Warranty FAQ (http://www.coopertires.com.au/index.php?page=warranty-faq)

[V8Ian]

The prorata is however many km short of the guarantee, say its a 100,000km guarantee and the tyre costs $200, if the tyre only makes it to 80k, you get 20% of the price back, as it failed to make the mileage by 20% (so $40 in my example). If the tyre is faulty, as it may well be, I'd expect they should be replacing the tyre no charge, or a refund.

The thing with the guarantee is that you have to live in a city area and they won't necessarily agree to offer you the guarantee if you drive it offroad.... and it has to be balanced every 10,000km by the tyre dealer at $x, in my case they said $78.

In my case, the tyres have a 80k km guarantee, which would be potentially 8x balances for a total of $626. Even if this cost is spread across all 4 tyres, you can start to see why the guarantee isn't worth the paper its written on...

Seano
The guarantee won't cover the cost of fitting and balancing either. The conditions and kilometres are a joke, barely more than a driveway warranty, demonstrating the (lack of) confidence Cooper has in their product.

[Roulston]

My son worked at Goodyear in his Gap year and stays friendly. They are doing me a deal, but have never heard of any cooper's failing or otherwise being returned.

They did say there is some grey importing that could result in really old stock hitting the market.

Has anyone heard of problems with STT's or STC's? It seems like most of the problems stated seem to be with ST's.

Tony

[SuperchargedSport]

ive had a set of cooper ST, and STT and a road set cant remeber the digits.

Both st and stt took chunks out of the nobs, whore badly and very noisy. road set was just noisey compared too the continentals i was replacing and the cooper dealer sold me the wrong profile which put my speedo out.

I now only buy BFG's for offroad and Pirelli's for on road on my rangy.

The BFG's are fantastic. All the cooper ad's in the magazines are crap, "oh i can pull out a truck with my coopers...." lol

[ramblingboy42]

I think Coopers are fantastic, I love their extra stout. In fact I think I love every beer they make. I'm having Xmas with them.
Den

[Tombie]

I think Coopers are fantastic, I love their extra stout. In fact I think I love every beer they make. I'm having Xmas with them.
Den

That's the Only coopers worth spending money on.

And if you like Pale Ale try FatYak

[ezyrama]

I have had a set of ST Coopers on SWMBO car for 60000k's now and they have been all over QLD and the only problem I have had is a 2 month old tyre (after I staked one on a star picket:mad:) it started to separate the side casing the raised lettering is on. I was out at Goondiwindi and had no idea what coopers phone number was, so I just called 1300 cooper and low and behold it went through to them. I told them what the problem was and they told me to drive it straight to their agent in Gundy who told me that he had seen a couple do this now and not to worry as it's just an extra layer of rubber, so it's not really a safety problem. Anyhow the guy at Gundy didn't have an ST in stock so he organised one out of Tyrepower in Mitchell (which is where I was going through) and when I got there that guy could not do enough to help, changed the tyre, offered me coffee, let me look around his workshop and watch him do the work, got me to fill in a couple of details on a form when he was finished, apologised repeatedly for any inconvenience and wished me a pleasant journey, all free of charge. Then I got a phone call from Coopers two weeks later when we got back into phone range to make sure all was good. Can't complain about service like that. A new ST was released last month I have been told, haven't seen it yet but I would not have any problems with using them again.

[Tank]

I have had a set of ST Coopers on SWMBO car for 60000k's now and they have been all over QLD and the only problem I have had is a 2 month old tyre (after I staked one on a star picket:mad:) it started to separate the side casing the raised lettering is on. I was out at Goondiwindi and had no idea what coopers phone number was, so I just called 1300 cooper and low and behold it went through to them. I told them what the problem was and they told me to drive it straight to their agent in Gundy who told me that he had seen a couple do this now and not to worry as it's just an extra layer of rubber, so it's not really a safety problem. Anyhow the guy at Gundy didn't have an ST in stock so he organised one out of Tyrepower in Mitchell (which is where I was going through) and when I got there that guy could not do enough to help, changed the tyre, offered me coffee, let me look around his workshop and watch him do the work, got me to fill in a couple of details on a form when he was finished, apologised repeatedly for any inconvenience and wished me a pleasant journey, all free of charge. Then I got a phone call from Coopers two weeks later when we got back into phone range to make sure all was good. Can't complain about service like that. A new ST was released last month I have been told, haven't seen it yet but I would not have any problems with using them again.
So Coopers have changed their tyre warranty conditions, used to be that if you drove out of the metropolitan area your warranty was null and void.
Maybe they (Coopers) have woken up to the fact that off-road tyres are actually driven off road, maybe flak from Forums like this one, all over Australia have been airing coopers problems, Regards Frank.

[SuperchargedSport]

I think Coopers are fantastic, I love their extra stout. In fact I think I love every beer they make. I'm having Xmas with them.
Den

hahaha:)

[SuperchargedSport]

I have had a set of ST Coopers on SWMBO car for 60000k's now and they have been all over QLD and the only problem I have had is a 2 month old tyre (after I staked one on a star picket:mad:) it started to separate the side casing the raised lettering is on. I was out at Goondiwindi and had no idea what coopers phone number was, so I just called 1300 cooper and low and behold it went through to them. I told them what the problem was and they told me to drive it straight to their agent in Gundy who told me that he had seen a couple do this now and not to worry as it's just an extra layer of rubber, so it's not really a safety problem. Anyhow the guy at Gundy didn't have an ST in stock so he organised one out of Tyrepower in Mitchell (which is where I was going through) and when I got there that guy could not do enough to help, changed the tyre, offered me coffee, let me look around his workshop and watch him do the work, got me to fill in a couple of details on a form when he was finished, apologised repeatedly for any inconvenience and wished me a pleasant journey, all free of charge. Then I got a phone call from Coopers two weeks later when we got back into phone range to make sure all was good. Can't complain about service like that. A new ST was released last month I have been told, haven't seen it yet but I would not have any problems with using them again.

I thought they brought out a new st, just with the corner of every second lobe cut off, too help stop them do what they did too me... hmmm or is it an all new tyre design?

[ezyrama]

Don't know John, I am going to replace mine in February so I'll have to find out what the new ones are like.

[Tombie]

Those who defend these tyres are often purchasers justifying their decision. (Similar to those who fit HiClones and feel the improvement :cool: )

Those who have tried them and then other brands will often realise just how much better other tyres out there are..

Now I'm not saying all the other brands are better.. But there are far better tyres than these out there.

:soapbox:

If any tyre I ran had a crack like those pictured above it would be in the bin so fast you'd be stunned.

My life, that of my family and those around me at the time depends on one of the most important pieces of a vehicle - the tyres.

To skimp on these (and brakes but thats a whole other thread) to save a few dollars is insane :(.

Best tyres and best brakes... First priority...

Any damage to the carcass - dispose of & replace them.

And dont ever drive near me on worn out rubber (below legal) - I will report the vehicle rego to police.... I'm not having my family at risk because of unsafe vehicles..

If people cant afford tyres, then they shouldnt operate the vehicle till they can.

<hops off soapbox>

[ezyrama]

I agree completely with you Tombie, and I am not trying to justify anything, All I am saying is that I cannot criticize these tyres or the last set on my previous car as I have never had any trouble with them except for my previous post which was fixed post haste by Coopers at their expense and haven't had any trouble since. I had a set of Yokohama's (bought them just before a trip) and by the time I got to Kurumba in the gulf via Tibboburra, Cameron's Corner, Birdsville, Mt Isa and Bourketown, these tyres were shot to pieces, the tread fell off in chunks, got 7 flat tyres on the trip and I had to replace them with a set of Bridgestone D693's which were the only one's I could get at the time. I wouldn't have another set of Yokohama's if you paid me, but until I have Coopers that I consider are rubbish, I'll continue to use them. There seems to be a BFG v Coopers v Mickey Thompson v Dick Cepek competition with tyres. Everyone has their own preferences I suppose and everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
Regards Ian

[Tank]

I agree completely with you Tombie, and I am not trying to justify anything, All I am saying is that I cannot criticize these tyres or the last set on my previous car as I have never had any trouble with them except for my previous post which was fixed post haste by Coopers at their expense and haven't had any trouble since. I had a set of Yokohama's (bought them just before a trip) and by the time I got to Kurumba in the gulf via Tibboburra, Cameron's Corner, Birdsville, Mt Isa and Bourketown, these tyres were shot to pieces, the tread fell off in chunks, got 7 flat tyres on the trip and I had to replace them with a set of Bridgestone D693's which were the only one's I could get at the time. I wouldn't have another set of Yokohama's if you paid me, but until I have Coopers that I consider are rubbish, I'll continue to use them. There seems to be a BFG v Coopers v Mickey Thompson v Dick Cepek competition with tyres. Everyone has their own preferences I suppose and everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
Regards Ian
Ian there might be a competition between the brands and who owns what, BUT what is a potential buyer of off-road tyres to think when Coopers warranty doesn't apply outside of Metro areas, if I bought a set of Coopers in Sydney and drove to Melbourne the warraty would be void. You may have had a good experience, but in a competition between those that have and those that haven't, the ones that haven't would win hands down, Regards Frank.

[DeanoH]

Ian there might be a competition between the brands and who owns what, BUT what is a potential buyer of off-road tyres to think when Coopers warranty doesn't apply outside of Metro areas, if I bought a set of Coopers in Sydney and drove to Melbourne the warraty would be void. You may have had a good experience, but in a competition between those that have and those that haven't, the ones that haven't would win hands down, Regards Frank.

Maybe the ones that haven't are just more vocal. I've had four sets of Cooper tyres over three different vehicles, AT's, ATR's and ST's. I've travelled over 300,000 Km on them and have found them better than the Dunlops, Geolanders and BFG's that I've also driven on. I've had the usual amount of nails and had tread chip on the harsh SA outback roads and tracks which is all normal. The only failure I've had was on the 'road' from Mt. Dare to Dalhousie Springs and if you know the state of that 'road' you certainly couldn't blame the tyre. In fact for over 200,000 Km my only problems were one puncture and the above rock damaged sidewall.
I agree with Tombie2 in that there is no substitute for good tyres. Perhaps if drivers paid more attention to tyre pressures and driving technique they would have less problems. As for Cooper tyres I reckon they're a great tried and proven product and would not hesitate to buy another set when needed.

Deano:)

[Ean Austral]

My son worked at Goodyear in his Gap year and stays friendly. They are doing me a deal, but have never heard of any cooper's failing or otherwise being returned.

They did say there is some grey importing that could result in really old stock hitting the market.

Has anyone heard of problems with STT's or STC's? It seems like most of the problems stated seem to be with ST's.

Tony

The Landcruiser that did the Canning trip with us in June had 1 STT fail with less than 10,000kms from new, after some threads of legal action they replaced it for new and that was before we had even left for the trip..
I must admit that the 2 cars that had them did do very well, but so did the goodyear MTR.

I had 3 of 5 ST fail on my disco with less than 45000kms on them, but because Darwin is not a capital city according to coopers they said bad luck.

Wont get a sale from me ever again...Cant fault my goodyear Wranglers.

Cheers Ean

[Tombie]

Just an amusing bit of info...

Out of 80 LV's at our site running Coopers the entire fleet is going in on tray backs and having all the Cooper tyres removed and changed, I believe to Goodyears.

In the meantime we are using hire cars to get to the site!!!!!

[justinc]

I won't be using or recommending them again, I got very poor mileage out of them , and even with 65,000km on my BFG mudders they are still quieter and rounder than the ST's I had at 30,000km:mad:


JC

[Ace]

I loved my Mickey Thompsons, same factory as Cooper, better tyre IMO.

Im running Goodyear at the moment and they are brilliant. Never had coopers and never intend on buying them. Im only going off second hand info and maybe it is a case of being anal about tyre pressures etc, but you just hear to many horror stories. Matt

[Tombie]

I loved my Mickey Thompsons, same factory as Cooper, better tyre IMO.

Im running Goodyear at the moment and they are brilliant. Never had coopers and never intend on buying them. Im only going off second hand info and maybe it is a case of being anal about tyre pressures etc, but you just hear to many horror stories. Matt

Matt

Same umbrella company but...
Totally different factories.

Coopers purchased MT when it came up years ago. But they are run individually.

I've chatted to a few MT workers and they are less than impressed with the QA at other factories.

[marting]

I would never touch Coopers again. We had them on the work ute in western victoria and had multiple punctures and chipping on the STs fitted to that.
My defender came with STs when I bought it and I have had severe chipping of the tread blocks on both the front and rear, finally resulting in a large section of the tread on one of them de-laminating on a recent highway run. They are only about 70% worn and I am very careful with the pressures.

[Pilbara130]

I have Cooper STTs on my rig and am happy to say they are holding up very well.
In saying that i did run the STs on my old car and got terrible kms out of them but i have also had a bad run with Bridge stones and BFgoodridge.