Light truck and suv tires

Best light truck and SUV tires

I don’t normally do best light truck and SUV tire reviews, but I had the chance to field test Cooper’s next generation light truck and SUV tire and I came away mighty impressed. The new Discoverer STT PRO took three years to develop and incorporates a unique tread block design, a protective 3-ply belting configuration, rim flange protectors (to protect your alloy wheels), side biter cleats, and a flex groove.

The Discoverer STT PRO is perfect for use in off-road use, but that’s not why I’m reviewing it—most of my readers don’t do off-roading. But they do use their light trucks and SUVs for work and family. If you’re a tradesperson who relies on your truck to bring home the bacon this tire will get you to the jobsite and back every day. Here’s what I learned about the new Discoverer STT PRO.

1) It’s not easy being mean

Look, it’s not hard to design a mean looking tire. Just space big honkin’ tread blocks around the tire, mount a few equally mean looking tread blocks on the sidewall and call it a day. But looking mean and acting mean are two different animals. It takes quite a bit of engineering know-how to design a tread block that loads and ejects mud but loads and holds snow (snow-on-snow provides more traction than rubber on snow ). Cooper engineers solved that problem with unique mud scoops and ejection dimples. The scoops, well, ah, scoop mud into the void. As the mud packs into the void, it traps air in the dimples. As the tire turns out of the mud, the air pockets eject it. In winter, the same tread block features compact snow and hold it in place. Brilliant.

The engineers faced similar challenges with the side biter cleats. They’re designed to dig into a rut and pull you out. But they also have to resist cutting and chipping. Designing a side biter that

Shoulder tread and side biter cleats

digs into mud and provides traction against rock and boulder, but doesn’t tear off the tire is a major coup and Cooper has pulled this off as well. The Discoverer STT PRO pulled me right out of deep mud ruts and helped me climb up rocky slopes. After eight hours of tortuous driving, the side biters had no damage whatsoever.

2) Ply me to the moon

Economy truck tires are built with two plies. Premium truck tires have three. The additional ply strengthens the sidewall significantly. But here, Cooper has taken a different approach by running the third ply at an angle to the two radial plies. The angled ply provides an extra measure of sidewall stability and puncture resistance. Just what you need on a construction site.

3) Scrape rattle and roll

Ok, this alone isn’t a justification for buying the Discoverer STT PRO. But if you have alloy wheels on your truck or SUV and drive through construction sites with rocks and boulders, you know it’s easy to damage your pretty wheels. I don’t know why other tire makers haven’t made this standard on their tires, but really, how much extra effort does it take to mold in a rim flange protector? Apparently it’s not that hard for the guys at Cooper. The raised rim flange protector is molded into the lower sidewall area, so it protects the wheel flange from rock damage. Problem solved.

4) It’s all about the bass, ‘bout that bass

Ok, you knew it was going to come down to noise, right? Well, it’s true—aggressive high void tread patterns make more noise than less aggressive tread designs. Light truck owners hate that deep bass hum/rumble at highway speeds that makes you think you’re driving a semi. Well, I drove these tires at highway speeds, and yes, they make noise. BUT, it’s a fraction of the noise levels I’ve experienced from other high-void tires. Honestly, I didn’t find the noise level at all objectionable.

5) Those sticks and stones

When you drive in gravel and rock, you’re going to push stones deep into the tread voids, and those stones can really tear up a tire. Some tire companies mold in stone ejectors to pop out the stones. Good idea. It works and Cooper uses that design on the Discoverer STT Pro as well. But they also take it one step further by angling the groove walls to prevent the stones from getting trapped in the first place. Not exactly rocket science, but pretty darn good tire science, dontchathink?

6) If I knew you were comin’ I’d have baked a cake

Developing just the right tire compound recipe to match the tread and expected driving conditions is, well, an art. Tire engineers have far more ingredients at their disposal today than just five years ago. So the Discoverer STT PRO is a blend of all the right ingredients to provide the best traction in mud, rain, ice, and snow, yet resist cutting and chipping on rocks and gravel. My congratulations to the chefs!

7) Yeah, this is where the rubber meets the road

You knew I was going to use that phrase somewhere in this review. But here’s the bottom line: Twelve journalists went into the mountains and woods. None of us were professional drivers. We drove our Jeeps for eight straight hours through grass, mud, streams, gravel, rocks, tree roots, and up and down steep inclines. None of us got stuck. No tires were punctured or damaged. The Jeeps were covered in mud and so were we. But the consensus was unanimous. These are darn good tires.

Congratulations Cooper Tire, the Discoverer STT PRO is a home run (I can’t believe I threw in a baseball analogy).

Almost bumper deep and no problems

On top of the Mesa driving through the muddy meadow trails

Traversing a mountain stream

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13 Best Light Truck & SUV Tires

Save on Taxes While Saving the Planet — with Emission Credits

The amount of depreciation that can be claimed during the first year of corporate ownership of a vehicle has has been increased to $10,000 for passenger vehicles and $11,000 on light trucks and delivery vans.

For example, lawmakers in Sacramento have come up with a hybrid tax incentive to encourage businesses to make the switch from large, low-mileage behemoths to highly efficient gas-electric autos and trucks. Although at this writing, the hybrid tax incentive has yet to be signed into law, these particular vehicle tax incentives could ultimately save your company as much as $4000 when it acquires such a vehicle for business use. You may find it well worth your while to invest in vehicles that qualify for the hybrid tax incentive, such as the Prius.

When it comes to federal business taxes, your California business may also qualify for alternative fuel credits. Depending on the weight of the vehicle and the type of alternative fuel it uses, alternative fuel credits can mean up to $32,000 in savings in corporate taxes.

In addition, the recent federal stimulus package has included additional vehicle tax incentives for business. The amount of depreciation that can be claimed during the first year of corporate ownership of a vehicle has has been increased to $10,000 for passenger vehicles and $11,000 on light trucks and delivery vans.

More vehicle tax incentives come when your company chooses to lease vehicles rather than purchasing outright. The difference here is that your tax deduction is based on the percentage of business use of the vehicle in years during which lease payments are made, as opposed to simple depreciation.

Is your company eligible for emission credits or the benefits of a hybrid tax incentive? This is where you’ll definitely want the advice and counsel of a qualified, expert CPA in the LA area. This individual is trained in the fine points of the California tax code and is required by law to stay current on the changes that frequently come from the state house in Sacramento. A good CPA is a worthwhile investment, as he can help you determine which emission credits your company qualifies for.

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Light Truck/SUV
Tires

The ExtremeContact™ DWS06 Plus is a premium all-season ultra-high performance tire for passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs.

TrueContact™ Tour

• Passenger Passenger
• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Touring Touring
• All-Season All-Season

TerrainContact™ A/T

• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• All-Terrain All-Terrain
• All-Season All-Season

The TerrainContact™ A/T is a premium all-season all-terrain tire designed for crossovers, SUVs and light trucks.

TerrainContact™ H/T

• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Touring Touring
• All-Season All-Season

The TerrainContact™ H/T is a premium all-season touring tire designed for light trucks and full-size SUVs.

CrossContact™ LX 25

• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Touring Touring
• All-Season All-Season

VikingContact™ 7

• Passenger Passenger
• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Touring Touring
• Winter Winter

VanContact™ Winter

• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Original Equipment Original Equipment
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Touring Touring
• Winter Winter

Marked with the Snowflake-on-the-Mountain symbol, this winter OE tire is a great fit for your vehicle. .

CrossContact™ LX 20

• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Touring Touring
• All-Season All-Season

The premium light truck, crossover and SUV all-season tire with EcoPlus™ Technology for excellent wet braking, long wear and enhanced fuel efficiency

CrossContact™ LX Sport

• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Original Equipment Original Equipment
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Touring Touring
• All-Season All-Season

ContiSportContact™ 5

• Passenger Passenger
• Crossover Crossover
• Light Truck/SUV Light Truck/SUV
• Original Equipment Original Equipment
• Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicles
• Ultra-High Performance Ultra-High Performance
• Summer Summer

A premium ultra-high performance summer tire designed to combine short braking distances and solid cornering traction with fuel efficiency and long tr

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Light Truck/SUV

The Grabber™ APT is a durable, all-season all-terrain tire for light trucks and SUVs.

A strong all-season highway terrain tire designed for light truck, crossover and SUVs that provides fuel efficiency with a perfect balance of comfort, durability and performance.

Participating local Toyota Dealers in AL, FL, GA, SC & NC.

The Grabber™ HD Van is a durable, all-season commercial tire for cargo vans. Developed for long-lasting treadwear under loaded conditions, this tire comes complete with Duragen Technology, which provides robust durability and enhanced sidewall protection.