MPG Penalty with Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S?

Torn between the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S and Michelin Defender LTX M/S. Fuel economy is important to me so the Michelin's look like the no-brainer, but maybe the Cooper's don't have a significant penalty being a "lite" AT tire? Looking for any real world experience.

I know one is an all-season and the other all-terrain, and I know the all-terrain by default shouldn't do as well in the mpg department, still hoping to quantify the difference though, if possible.

Before anyone suggests it; No, I don't want a Prius, lol.

 

If fuel economy is important to you, you purchased the wrong vehicle. Period.
You should not even think about any LT tires, which will be heavier. Unsprung weight no bueno.
No roof racks either.

 

Oh, stop it. 4Runner fuel economy is important to me, not fuel economy in general. I'm simply interested in not tanking what the truck is capable of.

 

A 1-2mpg will equate to a couple more dollars at the pump. If you can’t live with that, then a stock setup is the best to maintain current specs.
For my e load 33’s, using the skinny pedal more does the trick. Trucks still capable

 

Then why even ask the question? Look into some low resistance tires and drive top speed 55, no jackrabbit starts, avoid stop and go traffic, don’t idle too much and don’t let her idle in the cold.
Anything you modify for the rough looks or better than factory capabilities will hurt mpg.

 

The question was directed at those with real world experience switching to the Cooper tire...

 

You didn’t mention size. If you’re sticking to 265’s you won’t see a difference.

 

Yep, sticking with stock size.

 

I doubt you will notice much of a difference if you stay with the same P-metric oem tire size.

I have only 2 fill-ups (almost ready for a 3rd) since swapping the oem Bridgestones (31.7" diameter and 39 lbs each) for LT255/80/R17 Toyos (33.1" diameter and 50 lbs each), but there appears to be no difference in fuel economy. My average on the Bridgestones through 16500 miles was 19.5 mpg. On the new tires it's 18.8 mpg, but since they aren't the same diameter you have to apply a correction factor to get an apples-to-apples comparison. Oem size is rated at 656-657 revolutions per mile, while the Toyos are rated at 628 revolutions per mile. 628/656 = 0.95732, so if you're getting 19.50 mpg on the oem size tire, the equivalent on the new tires is 18.67 mpg. I'll keep tracking it to see if it changes, but I doubt it will.

One thing I have noticed with the larger/heavier tires is there is a slight drop during stop-and-go city driving, but there is a slight gain on the highway. All in all the average looks about the same, as I do a mix of city/highway.

 

By the way, have you considered a 235/80R17? A guy on the other forum has been running Coopers in that size, and reports great results over 15000 miles. He used to be in the 285/75R17 camp.

Do a google search for: "Ready to move on from KO2's...but to what?"

Start reading at post #80.

 

Soooooooo bought a venture, drove directly to the PA mountains in the snow and floated all over the road on the stock Duellers. That wasn't gonna work so I did the deep dive down the tire rabbit hole. Decided on the Coopers and its been a month and a half and 2k miles now (month on the duellers prior). Very happy with the decision. Stayed with the 265s. No major increase in the road noise (still using my basket because I actually use the basket); great in rain, slush and deep snow. No float, good stick to the road. Offroad (not rock crawling or climbing mountains in Moab) the truck feels stable and confident. I've messed with the PSI a bit to try to dial in ride quality, MPG etc. Seems like 36psi cold (tires have only been on during winter, may vary seasonally) is the sweet spot. I've had some rapid corrections on wet pavement due to other drivers and the tires held the road well and were responsive. As for the mpg penalty...literally none. Tire size may be a factor here, plus a bunch of other driving variables but no measurable effect at the pump. Now, take all this with a grain of salt and get back to me after I drive 20,000 miles on these. That said, great tire and depending on your needs/location, I think you'll be happy with them.

 

I don't have experience with those tires, but I've been through a few sets and have 52K miles on my '19. I am with you on trying to maximize fuel economy, without trying to wheel a Prius.

I ran stock size KO2's for 29K miles and was able to squeeze out 20+ MPG on numerous occasions by watching my speed. Keep it under 70 MPH and you'll do much better at the pump.

I currently have 33.5' E rated mud tires, and have managed over 18 MPG when cruising between 60 - 70 MPH. at 80 - 85, I get 13-14.

Obviously this isn't exactly what you're asking about. I'm just trying to emphasize that your driving will have a greater effect on fuel economy than tires.

Get the tires you want. A slight loss of fuel economy is worth it.

 

Awesome, very helpful. Thanks! The Cooper's were my go-to choice since the beginning (had the older version on my last truck) and the Michelin's weren't even on my radar until recently. A lot of people seem to dig them, though.

 

I'm looking at the AT3 4S and Rev 3 but in 285/70/17, however I'm wondering if there will be any improvements in MPG since I'm going from 285/70/17 Cooper Evolutions MT's Load E's.

 

I have heard a lot of good about the discoverers, and Cooper tires in general. Michelins are fantastic, too. You'll be happy with the Coopers.

 

I would expect a slight improvement. Going to a lighter tire with less rolling resistance can only help.

What load range are you going with?

 

Great comment, thanks!

 

Both AT3 4S and A/T Revo 3 in P.

 

Nice! Those will for sure do better than LT tires. I have heard that the AT3 4S is pretty tough, even in SL load range. There's a very active thread on Tacomaworld on those tires.

 

We run the Cooper AT3 LT's 275-70 17, they have been a very durable, long lasting, even wearing tire. We go with the 10 ply rating because we don't like rocks, it seems more than 1 adventure has been shortened due to ROCKS, while we were not the ones with tire problems, it just puts a damper on things when somebody in the group has a tire with a rock hole in it. The mileage is not too bad, avg. 17.5 to 18, on longer trips up to 18.7, I drive like an old grandpa sometimes, but monitor tire pressure religiously. 38 lbs. air seems to be our 'happy spot' with the air. The trade-off we get for the mileage lost is a little tougher tire when the need arises. The manners of the Coopers in the winter are fantastic. Hope this helps.

 

Any good pics of the AT3 LT’s

 

Update: Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S ordered through Discount Tire in the stock 265 / 70R17 size. $170 per tire plus installation and taxes. Discount Tire is also throwing in a $50 mail-in rebate and I've got a buyer lined up to take the OEM Dunlop Grandtreks off my hands for $250. All told It'll be just over $500 out of pocket for the new tires.

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S definitely looked like the superior highway tire, but the Cooper's were no slouch themselves, plus they have the added benefit of doing a bit better on trails, which I hope to start finding soon.

Thanks for all the contributions!

 

This is a 'somewhat' picture.
Sorry about the reply lapse.

 

First impressions- These look really good. White letters out on Barcelona Red is about as good as it gets for me. An hour drive home and I'll follow up on feel/road noise vs. the still new stock Grandtreks I rode in on.

Edit: Left the tire shop and now have a shake/vibration in the steering wheel over 55 mph. Further balancing is definitely needed. I can live with that and trust Discount Tire will take care of it. Handling was fine otherwise, no complaints.

These are louder tires than the stock Grandtreks (which was to be expected), but the specific tone/pitch of the noise really got to me. After an hour drive home I was pretty much crushed with buyers remorse and frazzled nerves...

 

If you got it from DT taken them back and let them know that they will not workout for your needs.

 

Like @Lab Hiken said, take it back and Discount will exchange for a different tire. They're pretty awesome like that.

 

I’m currently having an issue with the Wildpeakes not balancing out right. They have a set of KO2’s coming in today. They also have another set of Wildpeakes coming in just in case I’m not happy with the KO2’s. They scratched my OEM OffRoad wheels mounting the Wildpeakes. They gave me a 550 credit towards two new wheels or towards aftermarket ones. I sold the ORM set and got a set of aftermarket ones with $100 in my pocket.

 

It's crazy how many people seem to have balancing issues with Falken Wildpeaks. The ones who don't have balance issues tend to swear by them though. Hope you get it worked out to your satisfaction.

 

Nice looking truck! Have you checked the tire pressures? That was the first thing I did when I left DT. Mine were all over the map, between 33 and 48 psi......... At least they didn't scratch my rims.