LAS VEGAS—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. displayed its newest tire lineup for crossover and sport-utility vehicles during the recent Specialty Market Equipment Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, including the new Discoverer SRX, launched in May.
The Findlay, Ohio-based tire maker also highlighted the Discoverer A/T, an all-terrain SUV tire, which has been on the market for about a year, the Cooper Discoverer STT Pro, for off-road driving, and a new product designed specifically for the Latin American tire market—the Cooper CS1.
Cooper is targeting the Discoverer SRX at the 65 percent of households in the U.S. that own an SUV or CUV, said Chuck Yurkovich, senior vice president of global research and development.
The all-season tire's tread pattern features a coupled silica compound for lower rolling resistance, stabiledge technology that stabilizes the tread elements for steering precision and 3D micro-gauge dimple sipes that allow the tread elements to interlock to improve road grip and performance, Cooper said.
In designing its tires, Mr. Yurkovich said Cooper tries to put something new in every product. “The idea is to differentiate it” from other tires in the marketplace.
One such feature in the Discoverer SRX is wear-square visual indicators. The wear indicators change from a square when new to a U when 25-percent worn, to an L when 50-percent worn and to an l when 75-percent worn. When the indicator square finally looks like an exclamation point (!) this indicates it's time to replace the tire.
The SRX also comes with what Cooper calls a winter-edge in the tread pattern for enhanced snow grip. These edges or snow claws hold snow in the tread allowing for enhanced snow-on-snow traction, said Scott Jamieson, director of product management for Cooper's North America Tire Operations.
Cooper is offering the Discoverer SRX in 27 black sidewall sizes from 225/75R16 104S to 285/45R22XL 114H. It also is available in nine outline white letter sizes from 245/75R16 111S to 265/70R18 116S.
The tire has a 740 Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG) treadwear rating, an A temperature and A traction grade in H-rated versions and an A traction and B temperature rating in T/S speed-rated sizes.
The Discoverer SRX comes with a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty and a free 45-day road test.
For on- and off-road performance including in snow, Cooper also displayed the Discoverer A/TW (winter).
Mr. Jamieson described this product as a premium all-terrain severe-weather tire with a tread pattern that is designed to hang on snow, but also offer a quiet ride in summer months. It is essentially an A/T tire with a winter compound for “great snow traction,” he said.
The tire's snow performance is enhanced by snow grooves that increase the contact surface area and by full- length, full-depth micro-gauge corrugated sipes, Cooper said. It also carries the snow-flake designation on the sidewall indicating it is a severe-weather-rated tire.
The Discover A/TW comes with a 560 BB rating for treadwear, traction and temperature, respectively, and has a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty.
Cooper is offering the tire in 18 sizes from 235/70R16 106T to 275/60R20 115S. It became available earlier this summer for the winter selling season, Mr. Jamieson said.
Also new to the Discoverer SUV/CUV lineup is the STT PRO, a premium high-void tire “for the guy who does serious off-road driving or races,” Mr. Yurkovich said.
This product, which replaces the Discoverer SST, features a 3-ply Armor-Tek3 carcass for added impact protection and inner tread ribs in an alternating 3-2 pattern that reduces road noise, increases stability and handling, while providing soft surface grip, Cooper said.
To enhance traction, the SST Pro employs large, specially designed cleats of rubber (side biters) on the sidewall shoulder area. Traction is further aided by asymmetrical scallops on alternative lugs that clean mud from the tire's tread.
The Discoverer SST PRO is available in 20 light truck blackwall sizes and 20 LT raised white letter sizes.
Cooper also displayed the Cooper CS1 replacement tire specifically designed for the Latin American market.
“The tire is designed for the region,” Mr. Yugovich said, where winter driving characteristics are not needed, while wet and dry are. “This tire meets the requirements of the region,” he added.
Cooper will offer the tire in 25 T- and 13 H-speed ratings, with full availability in the first quarter of 2016, said Luis Ceneviz, managing director of Cooper's Latin America Tire Operations. “This is a really big addition for us,” he said.