Replacement tires

[Colonialgirl]

I have to buy a new set of tires for the front of my 1998 Volvo S-70 Sedan; I was looking at "COOPER" brand with a 70K guarantee; Does anybody have any experience with them? I have used Bridgestone, Good Year, and GoodRich along with Michelin in the past on various autos I've owned.
I use : 195 60 R 15 tires.
Any comments would be welcome.

 

[hittman]

My sons swears by that brand and drives a lot.

I had Michelin on a F150 ..... wouldn't buy them again.

 

[WAYNO]

Often, Cooper is the only available American made tire for a given style or size. I've owned them many times and have never had an issue.

 

[Fox Mike]

I used Bridgestone on ever car I owned till I bought my Hyundais. The replacement we have on the Sonata are Kumho. Seem to be good in the wet and snow (which you don't worry about)

 

[wolfsong]

I've gotten 70k miles on two sets of Coopers on two different rigs with zero issues. Can't say the same for Bridgestone or Goodyear. YMMV.

 

[Dan in MI]

Just like anything you need to do your research. Each brand has good, better, best. After 40 years in the automotive biz I only use Michelin or Goodyear. I’ve heard good things about Cooper and Kumho, but I’m to set in my ways to change now

 

[Rook]

My sons swears by that brand and drives a lot.

I had Michelin on a F150 ..... wouldn't buy them again.

I would guess you didn't have the Michelin LTX MS tires on your truck. These tires on my Silverado ride quieter and smoother than any truck or car tire I've ever owned. You can't hear them at all in the cab and they're mud and snow tires.

I bought my first car in 1965 and for the first 20 years of driving I tried every major brand of tire made on my vehicles. For the past 35 years I've bought nothing but Michelin tires. They cost more up front but you save more in the long run because they last and they'll still balance when they're nearly worn out as long as you keep them rotated.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I don't know how far the Pep Boys chain spreads, but they're big in my neighborhood. Cooper builds a lot of their house branded tires. I've had good luck with them (both the tires and the company.) Kumho has sold a lot of tires within my little circle, too. I've gotten a couple of sets of Kuhmos from a chain dealer. Tires have been fine, service from the dealer less than stellar. One of our guys recommends always using Tire Rack and a local independent tire shop we all know to do the mounting and balancing. That's worked for him thru probably 10 sets of tires between his wife's car and his.

I've probably had at least one set of most of the big brands. Brands I'd buy again: Kumho, Michelin, Cooper (built), BFGoodrich All-Terrain TA. Brands off my list: Goodyear, Kelly Springfield, Continental, Pirelli. On the "maybe" list: Bridgestone, Firestone, Yokohama. Tires seem to be a crap shoot every time I need a set.

http://www.tirerack.com

Rick C

 

[RatCat454]

Coopers in your size at Tire Rack (change the zip code to get shipping quotes to your location):

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=37887&width=195/&ratio=60&diameter=15&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

The customer evaluations of various tires posted on Tire Rack does give useful info.

 

[RSIno1]

I've used Discount Tire Direct with good results. Put the new tires on the rear. Easier to control a front tire failure than a rear one.

 

[Ruger Packer]

I've used nothing but COOPER for the last 25 years. Not one single issue. I get them from the same independent tire dealer. I pay him an extra $20 per tire and get life time rotation on that set of tires.

BTW.... Hercules Tires are made by Cooper and are also a good tire. And, like Cooper, Made in USA.

 

[sfhogman]

The wife and I have been using Tire Rack for years with good results. If you're a member you might check with Consumer Reports...

Jeff
BTW, that's a sharp looking truck, Rook.

 

[SamV]

I have had three sets of Coopers on a full size conversion van, and while I never had any problems, they never gave me more than about 35,000 miles. I think the dealer was really putting the wrong type of tire on such a heavy vehicle. That being said, the best results for my vehicles have been with Michelin. I usually check Consumer Reports on many things, but more than once, I have been steered wrong. A case in point, I bought a highly rated tire in CR for my wife's Camry. I couldn't figure out how such a poor performing tire was so highly rated. The next year, the exact same tire was near the bottom of the ratings. Thanks CR.

 

[Taterman]

Coopers in your size at Tire Rack (change the zip code to get shipping quotes to your location):

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=37887&width=195/&ratio=60&diameter=15&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

The customer evaluations of various tires posted on Tire Rack does give useful info.

I like Tire Rack and have used them for years. They will ship right to the tire place too so they are ready for you when you get there.
I've had great luck with Cooper tires too.

 

[Mobuck]

I've had good results with Cooper tires. The only new tires I've purchased in the last 10 years were Coopers. At this time there's a pair waiting in the barn to be installed on my work pickup when needed.

 

[314Chevy]

Been using Coopers for years and love them. Their car tires are American made but their truck tires are made in China.

 

[WAYNO]

Been using Coopers for years and love them. Their car tires are American made but their truck tires are made in China.

And that's unfortunate if they have also turned to offshore sourcing. All of my Cooper tires were American made

In my neck of the woods there is a huge tire chain, Les Schwab. I buy most of my tires there. They have their own in-house brands, both domestic and foreign. When I insist on an American made truck tire, so far it's often been a Cooper tire with their in-store brand name. I hate to think that I might no longer have that option.

Further research indicates they do have overseas manufacturing facilities, but those tires are made for the overseas markets only. Tires sold in America are made in U.S. facilities.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Cooper holds part ownership in Kumho.
They also own a company in China making tires for that market.
They own Avon, who makes moorsickle tires.

 

[Bob Wright]

For many years I've relied on Firestone/Bridgestone tires and bought from Firestone stores. We were travelling a lot at the time, and if I ever ran into trouble could count on there being a Firestone within a reasonable distance. This stood me in good stead several time when I was in New Mexico or Wyoming and had punctures from road hazards. They were always prompt and courteous in fixing my problems, and at no charge or minimal charges.

Bob Wright

 

[Rick Courtright]

In my neck of the woods there is a huge tire chain, Les Schwab. I buy most of my tires there. They have their own in-house brands, both domestic and foreign. When I insist on an American made truck tire, so far it's often been a Cooper tire with their in-store brand name. I hate to think that I might no longer have that option.

Hi,

Les Schwab is fairly new to us in SoCal. I first heard of them from folks I knew in Idaho, who said nothing but good about them. The last time I needed a new set of tires, I started at our Les Schwab store that had only been open a couple of months. It seems the Made in USA sticker may depend on size and popularity : when I told the fellow I wanted US made if possible, he said "Sorry." When I asked about Japanese, "Sorry, again." It seems my preferred size is going the way of the dodo bird, and Korea or China are pretty much my choices. I think that's the tire industry in total these days.

Les Schwab missed the tire sale that time, but I brought the truck back for an alignment with the new tires from another dealer, and they did a very nice job. so they didn't miss out completely!

Rick C

 

[gunzo]

High mileage rated tires are great if a person drives a lot of miles a year. I you don't, you're paying for something you likely won't get to use. You wind up with a tire that's old, hard & unsafe, yet still has 50-60% tread life left.

 

[protoolman]

I have noticed high mileage tires usually have a harder compound and stiffer sidewall to get that mileage. That makes them among the harder riding tires. Usually a cheap low mileage tire will give more traction and a quieter ride. JMHO

 

[Rick Courtright]

I have noticed high mileage tires usually have a harder compound and stiffer sidewall to get that mileage. That makes them among the harder riding tires. Usually a cheap low mileage tire will give more traction and a quieter ride. JMHO

Hi,

Most "performance" grade tires are also soft for that traction advantage, though not inexpensive! I had a set of Pirellis once, on an 1800 lb Fiat Spider which had about as much power as a VW Bug, and they barely made 18,000 miles. Sticky? That doesn't even start to describe them. They loved water, too. And rode great. But that kind of tire life wasn't what a starving college student needed. I replaced them with a set of Yokohamas, more of a touring/commuting tire. The Yokohamas were replaced after rattling my teeth for 85,000 miles, and they still had a fair amount of tread. My teeth, on the other hand...

The fellow who took the Yokohamas off commented that I'd have probably loved them if I'd had another 1000 lbs in the curb weight of the car so they could flex a little! The sidewalls were better suited to light truck use according to him. He replaced them with Michelins, the original "X" tread.They were a nice compromise between the two extremes before them: they rode well, stuck "well enough" (early '70s radial tire development was still a big learning experience for the engineers), and while I only put about 10,000 miles on them before I sold the car, they showed very little wear, so might have gone 40,000 or better. Remember when that was a number to shoot for, instead of more of a minimum expected mileage like today?

Rick C

 

[Colonialgirl]

Didn't get a chance to really do any shopping today; Had an early Appointment at the local VA Hospital for my hand that ran late due to the late arrival of the Doctor; Then had a bunch of house work/cleaning to catch up on from my hospital time.
Probably do some shopping tomorrow.
Thanks for the information.

 

[ronto]

New tires should always be put on the REAR not the front which affords better control if hydroplaning occurs in wet weather.

 

[jimbo1096]

I did a lot of research between the brands when I needed to buy tires for my truck. In the end the coopers were the best ratings with the most positive responses so I bought a set of the Evolution H/T and have been extremely pleased. They work well in wet and dry as well as semi off-road conditions. I’ve had them on there a year and there is very little wear to the tire. And they ride very well with a lot less noise than the Goodyear and Michelin‘s I have used before. I recently had to buy a set for my SUV and got a set of the Cooper CS5 grand touring. There were Michelins on the car before and I hated them. The coopers are much quieter and easier riding tire and corner much better than the Michelin did. Made in the USA and I have no problems recommending them to anyone looking for a good set of tires from a top reputation USA company. In fact several friends have bought Coopers on my recommendation and not a one of them has made a complaint about them.

 

[Colonialgirl]

A big "THANK YOU" for all the advice and comments regarding tires; A special thanks to Cholo for an offer he made too.
I finally settled on Cooper as they seem to have the highest ratings and best comments from users; I placed an order on line and they will be delivered to Discount Tires ( yeah I joined) who will call me when they arrive to set up an installation appointment.

 

[Poco Oso]

Good choice Pam. You won't regret it. :mrgreen:

 

[kmoore]

314CHEV, do you mean comm truck tires or passenger truck tires?
My 3-4 sets of LT Cooper truck tires are made in USA. They even say so besides the DOT code. Discoverer tires in 3 different sizes in 4 sets now.

 

[Bull Barrel]

New tires should always be put on the REAR not the front which affords better control if hydroplaning occurs in wet weather.

That is incorrect.
New tires should go on the front as they control steering. They also break and move the water for the rear.
Lose the steering and you are done.