Cooper STT vs Wrangler MTR Kevlar

YAHAHA

New member
With the big sales this weekend, we're looking to get a new set of tires. The biggest factor for us around here are snow and mud. Most of the trails around here get very muddy (mix of sand and clay). We're looking not to get stuck in the muddy hills like we did with the stock tires on our JLUR. The internet is full of videos of both of these tires performing well in both mud and snow. We're hoping to get reviews from you guys that have run both of these tires or either of these tires.

Please post the pros and cons of both tires. The kevlars have been touted to have great sidewalls and outstanding mud traction. The Coopers have also be touted to be a great all-around tire. We're really looking forward to hearing from the group here. There's about a $50/tire price difference which isn't that big of a deal as long as the performance difference is better.

Thank you for any information / videos you can provide on both tires. Have an awesome wheeling weekend!
 

Cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
Stay away from the MTR. I ran them for all of 5k miles on my jk and got rid of them ASAP. They were super hard to balance, didn’t track straight down the road at all, were not great in the rain and snow, and I hated how little traction I had off road with them.

Many years later I’m now on the stt pros and they are awesome. Tons of traction in all situations, balanced with little to no weight, and have awesome road manners.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
What cozdude said. Without question, Goodyear MT/R with Kevlar are by far the WORST tire I have ever owned and wanted to love. Pros - they look great. Cons - they're difficult to balance, their directional like tread causes them to track funny at highway speeds and their rubber-bandy feel when aired down causes them to be unpredictable on the rocks. Last but not least, I helped Nitto tire do a tire test years ago and of all the tires tested, the MT/R with Kevlar was the first to suffer a sidewall failure. These are tires I would steer clear from.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Oh, as far as Cooper STT Pros go, there's a reason why I'm slowly moving ALL my Jeeps over to them. They really do that well. Here's what over 2 years of testing in all kinds of conditions has done for me.

 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Based on the videos I've seen online, people rave about the MTRs. It seems that people don't post the bad as much as the good.

Thank you.

When the MT/R with Kevlar first came out, I quickly ran out and bought a set being that I loved Goodyear's original MT/R and loved the way these new ones looked. EVERYONE I know who's ever run them ALL feel the same way about them as me. Sure, there are guys I run into who swear by them but then once we get on the trail, they're the ones who are always having the hardest time getting up obstacles or getting a flat or two. But, that's just been my experience.

That being said, there are guys out there who'll have bad things to say about Cooper STT Pros and most of it will be in regards to sidewall failure. To that, all I can say is that in the 3 years of running Coopers on my JK's, I've only had one fail on me and it was totally my fault. But then, I'm just a mall crawler.
 

WiscoHR

Member
Based on the videos I've seen online, people rave about the MTRs. It seems that people don't post the bad as much as the good.

Thank you.

Sent from my XT1575 using JL Wrangler Jeep Forum mobile app

I can tell you this much, I just spent the last 2 weeks beating the hell out of my Cooper STT Pros. I was in everything from sand, mud, slick rock, sharp rocks, and boulders. These tires are the best I’ve ever owned. The sidewalls were slid up against sharp rocks all week in CO, with zero damage. The only marks I see on them are a few tiny chunks taken out in the tread around the siping from the sharp rocks. Needless to say they are the only tire I’d consider.


Sent from my iPhone using JL Wrangler Jeep Forum mobile app
 

Rellik

Member
I run nothing but Coopers on my JKUR and my JLUR. I dont think there is a better tire for the $$ then the Pros
 

YAHAHA

New member
Heard a loud "pop" on the way into work this morning. Tire was flat within 1/4 mile. Good thing this happened right before I pulled into work! Had 11PSI when I parked it.

The tire is cut on one side of a tread block and on the other side of the tread block. The cut isn't one consistent cut through the block which seems very odd. Not sure what I ran over but we'll see when I get to discount tire tonight.

IMG_5840.jpgIMG_5839.jpg


It's not just a Jeep, it's an amusement park on wheels.
 

JTCO

Meme King
Heard a loud "pop" on the way into work this morning. Tire was flat within 1/4 mile. Good thing this happened right before I pulled into work! Had 11PSI when I parked it.

The tire is cut on one side of a tread block and on the other side of the tread block. The cut isn't one consistent cut through the block which seems very odd. Not sure what I ran over but we'll see when I get to discount tire tonight.




It's not just a Jeep, it's an amusement park on wheels.

Hope it's repairable rather than having to get a new tire.
 

YAHAHA

New member
The cut is almost 2" long and it goes thru the steel belts. My guess is a new tire.


It's not just a Jeep, it's an amusement park on wheels.
 

YAHAHA

New member
Because the belts were cut so badly, new tire on the way! Discount Tire to the rescue.


It's not just a Jeep, it's an amusement park on wheels.
 

YAHAHA

New member
Drove 5 1/2 hours through a thick, heavy, wet, slippery snow storm tonight. Typically it only takes 1 1/2 hours but the weather tonight was special!

IMG_1134.jpg

The STTs were at 37 pounds and did pretty well. Most of the snow on the road was about 6" deep but there were sections where the strong cross-winds created drifts 12" deep.

As long as I drove appropriately, the tires tracked true. If I got on the accelerator a little too aggressively, they would break loose just like most tires. I've run Duratracs on my TJ & my F150. I would say the DTs corner and stop a little better than the STTs in the wet, slippery snow. The STTs are far superior in the mud though which is why I was looking for a more aggressive tire.

It is far easier to be more careful driving in the snow than to create traction in the mud!


It's not just a Jeep, it's an amusement park on wheels.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Drove 5 1/2 hours through a thick, heavy, wet, slippery snow storm tonight. Typically it only takes 1 1/2 hours but the weather tonight was special!

View attachment 7151

The STTs were at 37 pounds and did pretty well. Most of the snow on the road was about 6" deep but there were sections where the strong cross-winds created drifts 12" deep.

As long as I drove appropriately, the tires tracked true. If I got on the accelerator a little too aggressively, they would break loose just like most tires. I've run Duratracs on my TJ & my F150. I would say the DTs corner and stop a little better than the STTs in the wet, slippery snow. The STTs are far superior in the mud though which is why I was looking for a more aggressive tire.

It is far easier to be more careful driving in the snow than to create traction in the mud!


It's not just a Jeep, it's an amusement park on wheels.

Totally agree with you on the Duratrac's performing a little better than the STT Pros but then, they're an all terrain tire and the later is a mud terrain tire. As I've said before, the STT Pros are the BEST performing mud terrain tire I've ever run in the snow and apparently, they did well for you as well.
 

Rellik

Member
Drove 5 1/2 hours through a thick, heavy, wet, slippery snow storm tonight. Typically it only takes 1 1/2 hours but the weather tonight was special!

View attachment 7151

The STTs were at 37 pounds and did pretty well. Most of the snow on the road was about 6" deep but there were sections where the strong cross-winds created drifts 12" deep.

As long as I drove appropriately, the tires tracked true. If I got on the accelerator a little too aggressively, they would break loose just like most tires. I've run Duratracs on my TJ & my F150. I would say the DTs corner and stop a little better than the STTs in the wet, slippery snow. The STTs are far superior in the mud though which is why I was looking for a more aggressive tire.

It is far easier to be more careful driving in the snow than to create traction in the mud!


It's not just a Jeep, it's an amusement park on wheels.

37 PSI seems a bit high for street driving. I run mine at around 30 PSI.
 

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