Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has launched four new Cooper brand premium products at a ride and drive media event at the company’s tire and vehicle test center in Pearsall, Texas, that all feature Cooper's latest technical innovations.
Two of the new tires belong to the 30-year-old Discover brand for light truck, SUV and commercial applications. The Discoverer A/T3, which stands for “All Traction, All Terrain, All the Time,” is the latest addition to Cooper's SUV and light truck tire lines and will go on sale April 4 as a direct replacement to the Discoverer ATR. In development for the past two and one-half years, the A/T3 uses technology, compounding and design to produce a tire that provides strong all-terrain performance. It features a specially designed silica tread compound that improves wet traction and helps resist cutting and chipping, and the modern tread design significantly improves off-road traction without sacrificing highway performance, says Cooper.
The design was based on consumer testing and was produced for Tier 1 performance and quality with Tier 2 value. The A/T3 is available in 30 SUV sizes and 32 light truck sizes ranging from 15 to 20 inch rim diameters.
The new Discoverer S/TMAXX commercial grade traction tire was designed to perform well in tough terrain and features Cooper’s three-ply Armor-Tek3 carcass construction, a new proprietary cut and chip resistant tread compound and a progressive tread design. Shipping in April, it will be available in eight sizes ranging from 16 to 18 inch rim diameters. The company says the tire replaces the Discoverer S/T-C and selected sizes of the Discoverer S/T, and in 2012 Cooper will migrate the remaining S/T sizes into the S/TMAXX line.
"In our highly competitive and fast paced industry, we believe a genuine competitive edge can be obtained from the commitment Cooper has to providing our customers with a consistent supply of innovative new products," says Steve Sawyer, Cooper Tire's director of brand and product management. "The launch of four new premium products in one year is an unprecedented move for Cooper, and we are excited about not only the products but the market opportunities that they will provide our customers."
Also launched is the Cooper Zeon RS3-A, which replaces the current Cooper Zeon Sport A/S and is the latest ultra-high performance all-season tire within the Cooper performance family. Combining large tread elements and asymmetric design, it features a silica tread compound designed to provide all-season performance, as well as a mold profile that provides a square tread footprint to offer more tread-to-road contact. The RS3-A will be initially offered in 31 sizes and will go on sale April 4. Additional sizes are scheduled for later in the year.
The fourth new tire is the Cooper Zeon RS3-S, an ultra-high performance summer tire that replaces the current Cooper Zeon 2XS. Cooper says the new tire builds on the technology and performance of the Roush RS3 tire and offers a low-profile, high performance rating which combines strong dry road traction, increased handling and powerful cornering ability. Designed with a silica tread compound to provide good wet driving performance, the durable uniform tire construction delivers a crisp, tight steering response. The RS3-S will be available in 21 sizes on April 4.
