RegularGuy

Hey all. This has probably already been beaten to death, but still.
Soon it will be new tire time for my XJ. I loved my previous set of Mastercraft Courser AXTs in 235/75/15, and they were but 112 bucks each to boot.
My tire guy lists the Discoverer AT3 and its all season version (ATW, was it?) as 124 each.

I guess my first question is, is there a significant difference between the tires, or should i just save the money and get the AXTs again. I wasnt sure if the AT3s had more sipping or whatever (though i think the ATW has softer compound for snow traction).


I guess my next question is a bit more complicated. I have three wheels being the standard five spoke steelies and one being the six spoke kind. I want to get another five spoke, sand them down and paint them black before getting the new tires, but i might have another option available.

I know where there is an XJ thats been sitting a while with Rubicon wheels and 245/75/16s. I know those tires are too large (Ive used some before on my old jeep, they rubbed when articulation of any kind occurred or i had passengers in the back). I know 16s came stock on a few late model XJs and IIRC the size was 225/75/16. Is this about the biggest you can have and still retain the maximum range of articulation? Would i even be better off getting the 16 wheels (assuming i could get the guy to sell them, let alone at a price i could afford) or would the "more meat" of the 15" tires offer advantages?


tl;dnr Are Discoverer AT3s worth 12 more dollars than courser AXTs?
Is it worth trying to buy some sweet Rubicon wheels when i dont have a lift?

Martlor13

The Coopers are a top option in the all terrain market. I would recommend them over the MasterCraft. The Coopers and ko2 are 1-2 in all terrain based on various customer feedback I receive.

GreaseMonkey17

I think anything from cooper or its sister companies such as mastercraft or Hercules is good in my book . Being made in the USA is a huge plus in my book. I recently bought a set of the Hercules trail digger MT's in 285/75r16's for an f150 I sold and they were great tires .

00t444e

Mastercraft and Cooper are made by the same company. I have ran the Mastercraft Courser MT/MXTs on three different vehicles (Ranger, F250, XJ) and they have performed well. I had the Cooper AT3s on a WJ and they sucked in any type of mud just like any other AT tire, however they did good on the street and in the rain. The MXTs are very quiet for a mud tire and have worked well in mud, sand, snow, in the rain, and on the street. Another good tire that isn't too aggressive but still does good offroad is the Goodyear Duratrac.

Martlor13

MasterCraft is made by Cooper...yeah MasterCraft are good but not the quality of the parent company. Just like Bds and zone...i honestythink the Coopers are better then the $12 difference in price per tire by a substantial margin. But it does depend on what you want out of the tire. All arouund performance undoubtedly the at3 is miles ahead. But strict dd with occasional light off-road? Save the $50 for 4 and go with MasterCraft. The tires that Cooper makes, regardless of brand, are all pretty good. So I mean you really can't go wrong unless your comparing performance.

RegularGuy

Mud tires are all the rage these days, but i dont want t be one of those guys who has big knobby mudders which have worn down to practically racing slicks, and have to keep replacing them because they aren't so good for being on tarmac.

What Martlor said sounds a lot like how my XJ is right now, "Strict DD with occasional light off-road use". Does the AT3 offer better performance than the AXT in snow? i didnt have so much problem with my AXTs in any given situation besides the fact that they kept finding nails...

Also, as far as the Rubicon wheels, i suppose it wouldnt hurt to at least ask the guy if he would be willing to sell them, then go from there as to if its a good idea or not.

Martlor13

The Coopers are snowflake rated. Can't recall of the mstercrafts are. I don't think so.

00t444e

I don't think you will notice a difference between the Coopers and Mastercrafts in the snow.

Martlor13

in deepish snow you wouldn't tell, but on road in wet conditions the Coopers *should* grip better.

investinwaffles

My roommate has some Cooper AT3's on his 4runner and he wants to go to Nokian Nokian WRG3's all seasons, because he doesn't like their winter performance when it is really bad out (he goes skiing alot). In comparison, my other friend has the Nokian on his Rav 4, skis way more, and says they are really confidence inspiring when it is really bad out.

My General Grabber AT2's were pretty good in the deeper stuff, but not so much on ice. They were really tough off-road though, I never punctured the sidewall or anything which was damn impressive for an "all terrain"

RegularGuy

Well the Rubicon wheels are a no-go, so nix that idea.

I dont know, i think for 12 dollars more each i might go with the Coopers. I was pleased with my Mastercrafts and if they are a step above that then they should work out great.

jedijeb

I bought the MasterCraft AXT for my F150 a few months ago. I can't complain at all about them. In the 29-30" sizes they are about the same price as the Coopers. I looked at 31" also and the price difference jumps to about $40 per tire.

The siping on the tires is where your snow/ice traction improvements come from as well as the compound hardness. I think it is about the same for both tires so for that you should be comparable with either one. I have recently been hitting 2-4" pools of water on the highway at speed and can say the AXTs do well in hydroplaning resistance my last tires(Mesa AP) would have put me in the ditch in those conditions.

RegularGuy

I just ordered some more AXTs. Since things are going favorable at thee moment in Jeep-land, now's usually the time something goes wrong, so i figured the extra 50 dollars might be nice to have in case something does indeed go sideways.

I had no complaints with them before. they should be ready to install Monday.