Yokohama or Cooper?

[Scout.]

2013 Outback and need a tire with a little more tread than stock.

Looking at Geolander ATS 225/60/17 from Yokohama

Or

Cooper Discoverer A/T3 in 235/60/17 (would appreciate a little extra width)

Opinions?

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by Scout.

2013 Outback and need a tire with a little more tread than stock.

Looking at Geolander ATS 225/60/17 from Yokohama

Or

Cooper Discoverer A/T3 in 235/60/17 (would appreciate a little extra width)

Opinions?

My Sequoia we purchased this summer has the Geolanders on it. Not impressed with them loud - seem to wear poorly etc. For the money there are plenty of better tire options out there. Oddly enough the last set of Yokohama tires I put on a car different model gave me the same feeling. Haven't purchased any Yokohama tires since other than this set of Geolanders that came with our truck. Next set of tires will probably be BFGoodwrench or possibly the stock Michelin's the Sequoias were sold with as original equipment.

Only reason to go wider is for special use reasons - sand use etc. Otherwise your just impacting mileage and snow traction with a wider foot print.

[tibug]

My local mechanic loves the AT3s and my buddy with the F-350 says they're his favorite tires besides Toyos. The mechanic put them on my dad's Silverado and they are very nice so far. Pretty rugged tires but still have a nice ride. I may get them for my Outback when these crappy Dunlops finally die.

[SE95]

I've actually heard nothing but good things about the Geolander ATS. I've heard for a decently aggressive tread they still ride very well and are very quiet. Same with the Geolander HTS (though they don't make them in that size).

[jp1203]

I have the A/T-S for my 2004 and it is a really nice tire! Plenty aggressive for logging roads, mud, rocks, etc., but not a whole lot of road noise. Didn't run them long before I switched over to the snows, but I saw no wear whatsoever for the time I had them on.

Can't vouch for the Coopers, never even seen them on anything.

[John E Davies]

I had Cooper Discovery ATRs on a RAV4 and they were MOST excellent.

I currently have Yoko Geo A/T-S tires on my OB because I couldn't find the size I wanted in a Cooper - they are MOST excellent.

I have Cooper STT mud tires on my truck, and will continue to buy Coopers preferentially, when they have the size I require.

I voted to buy the Geolanders because I have no experience with the new A/T3. If you DO decide to buy the Coopers, shop around, Discount Tire especially since they price match (or better) and the exclusive Cooper dealers will demand too much cash plus your first born child. You can do much better elsewhere!

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

[Unclviny]

I had ATS's on my 2009 Forester and I loved them, not mileage killers, not loud, good manners both on and offroad.
They are going on my OB very soon with the 1 3/8" lift-kit and the 19mm RSB.

Vince

[Scout.]

The Cooper is only available in the 235/60/17 size. Does anyone see any reason why that would rub or not work well? Here is the Cooper, really like the additional siping over the Yokohama.

[tibug]

I'm thinking you should be fine...

This is a good resource for visualizing how big of a difference one size tire will be over another...especially for people who don't like math.

Tire size calculator

If you plug in 225/60/16 as the stock size and 235/60/17 as the new tire, you get a tire with a sidewall 0.3" taller and therefore 1/2" more in diameter.

For reference, 225 is the section width of the tire, 60 represents the section height, which is actually meaning *60% of the section width*. So, the section height is actually 225*0.6=141mm. The width of the tire is going from 225mm to 235mm, which is about 0.4" wider.

Not a big difference. You should be fine.

[John E Davies]

Originally Posted by tibug

Tire size calculator

If you plug in 225/60/16 as the stock size and 235/60/17 as the new tire, you get a tire with a sidewall 0.3" taller and therefore 1/2" more in diameter.

Yes, that is a useful tool, but you can get erroneous results. Not all tires in a given size have the same dimensions - sometimes there are significant differences.

If you really want to understand the sizing, you need to go to Tire Rack or the manufacturer's websites, and look up the dimensions you are interested in on their "Specifications" pages. It takes a little time, but the results can be educational.

The Cooper is 28.3 inches OD and 9.6 inches section width. Tread depth 12.5/32 inches

The Yoko is 27.6 inches OD and 9.1 inches section width. Tread depth 12/32 inches.

So the Cooper is actually 0.7 inches taller and 0.5 inches wider, but that is actually pretty close to what the tire calculator predicted...... however, sometimes it isn't that accurate.

You need to look up your OEM tire size at Tire Rack and see what the (unworn) figures are, and then you can compare and see what effect the two new tires will have.

I wouldn't go any wider than stock unless you absolutely need the floatation, and I would only increase the OD a little (2 or 3%) to avoid performance losses and speedometer error.

Weight is another consideration - a heavier tire will be more robust, but you take a hit in terms of rolling resistance and mpgs.... and sometimes it is very hard to find tire weights. Cooper does NOT publish them on their website, and it may take a phone call or email to get an answer. I had to call and play phone tag to find the weight of my (very heavy) STT tires.

BTW, I like the look of the Cooper - it is the successor to the very good ATR. Maybe you should buy that one so you can give us a road test report....

John Davies
Spokane WA USA