Pulled the trigger on some Cooper AT3 4S tires

[IsaacCarlson]

I ordered some new tires today. 235/65-17 Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S

There isn't much info to be had online apart from a handful of videos and tons of overwhelming 5 star reviews. I have spent months looking at tires and this is what I have whittled it down to. My other choice was the Achilles Trail Hawk A/T in 225/65-17, but there is ZERO info out there for those so I passed on them. I feel better about a tire made here in the USA, and I like the way Cooper makes their tires (8* offset on the plys to increase strength and puncture resistance).

I have the ST MAXX on my truck and love them, and I had to decide between them and the at3's at the time so I have been wanting to try the AT3 line. That was 7 years ago and the truck tires are still in good shape after plowing snow, clawing through river bank, mud, sand, rocks, and hauling extremely heavy loads on and off road. I am impressed by how well they have held up.

Anyway, I saw the newer AT3 4S this year and decided to try them on the Rav4. The are a size up, but that should fix the speedometer discrepancy. They are a few lbs heavier than the old tires, but I don't think that will matter too much. They look pretty meaty and have plenty of small sipes for winter.

We have a 1/3 mile sand/gravel driveway with one good hill and lots of snow in the winter (it was 4 ft deep on several occasions this year) so these should be just the ticket. We also drive on roads that are not really roads. Think steep logging trail through the woods with sand/rocks/clay and maybe a few logs.

Tire calculators say they will give the Rav4 ~5/8" lift, which is welcome in snow and off road. I may fabricate a set of 1" lift blocks as well, but that's not on my important to-do list right now.

I ordered 5 tires so I could have a full sized spare, even if I never need it. (Fingers crossed) My plan is to put into the rotation schedule and get some more miles out of the set. I've never rotated tires in my life, but I've never had a vehicle like this either. I normally buy 2 tires at a time unless a vehicle needs all 4. I'm glad it's not a Subaru or similar where the tires all have to be ~2/32 of each other. I love selectable 4wd.

I should have them mounted in the next week and will post back with an update.