Comparisons

BF Goodrich KM3 vs Cooper STT Pro

Updated: November 11, 2025 by Emrecan Gurkan Leave a Comment

BF Goodrich KM3 and Cooper STT Pro are both mud-terrain tires that can be used for highway driving. Most people prefer these tires to obtain an aggressive look on their vehicles. Yet, an aggressive appearance comes up with some cons. Let’s see which will meet your expectations.

	BF Goodrich KM3	Cooper STT Pro
Better for	Off-road adventure, lifted vehicles owners who wanna put aggressive appearance, great on-road manners for a mud terrain tire, winter traction	Squishy regions, hauling & towing, commercial usage
Pros	Insane off-road traction, tough sidewalls, long-lasting rubber for a mud-terrain tire	Insane wet and dry traction, mild & severe off-road traction,
Cons	A bit noisy	Limited winter performance

As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, BF Goodrich KM3 offers a slightly smoother and less vocal tire. BF Goodrich KM3 and Cooper STT Pro are both solid picks for wet and dry grounds. Furthermore, both have exceptional off-road performance. While BF Goodrich KM3 performs better in muddy conditions, Cooper STT Pro handles slightly better in rocky conditions. However, BF Goodrich KM3 lasts longer.

Dry Performance

The dry performance consists of 3 different dimensions.

The first dimension is dry traction that’s not an issue for mud-terrain tires. These tires are also known as maximum traction tires. Well, dry traction is the easiest part for them.

Secondly, steering response. Steering response’s a huge game-changer in my point of view. It’s hard to reach for huge tires but not impossible.

Lastly, cornering stability. This part is tricky. These tires need flexible sidewalls due to increasing their air-down performances. Yet, manufacturers should balance this flexibility with sidewall durability.

Let’s compare them for each sub-sections.

Dry Traction

Let’s keep this part short. These are premium brand maximum traction tires. So, they’re both extremely trustworthy options regarding dry traction.

If have to pick one, I would go with BF Goodrich KM3. Its divided center section lugs will increase the biting edge area and offers slightly better traction.

Steering Response

Steering response is related to the contact patch. If your tire steps the ground completely then it’ll provide a solid steering response. Think about racing tires. They’re almost bald due to improving steering response.

In that case, our tires are close rated. Yet, if you check them closely, you can clearly see that BF Goodrich KM3 has a very well optimized and slightly less void area. Its center section almost steps the ground in whole and that’s a huge plus for quick steering response. On the other hand, bigger and differently sized center section lugs. These kinds of designs generally have an issue with steering response and balance in the latest tread life. Because they tend to wear unevenly.

BF Goodrich KM3 has a quicker steering response. Yet, Cooper STT Pro has a decent steering response. It’ll satisfy you at least %70 of its tread life.

Cornering Stability

Cornering stability is important when you’re driving at high speed. Though worth reminding, I don’t recommend using these tires at high velocity. Especially, if you’re not paying attention to your inflation pressure.

Regarding our comparison, I prefer BF Goodrich KM3 every day of the week. Its optimized sidewalls are robust and flexible at the same time. However, Cooper STT Pro has tough sidewalls. Yet, unlike BF Goodrich KM3, Cooper STT Pro is only designed for off-roading. Therefore, its sidewalls aren’t optimized for high-velocity driving.

I recommend BF Goodrich KM3 if you’re likely to use your vehicle at high speeds. Otherwise, Cooper STT Pro will meet all of your expectations.

Wet Performance

Mud-terrain tires generally struggle on wet grounds. Due to their less notched tread patterns, they have huge grip issues on wet ground. However, their water evacuation ability makes them a reliable tire regarding hydroplaning resistance.

Wet Grip

Wet grip is kinda challenging for these two. But, no worries. Both can handle it very well.

Due to their soft compounds, both have an average wet grip ability. However, Cooper STT Pro is one step ahead due to its better-notched rubber.

Cooper STT Pro is a better pick if a wet grip is your priority.

Hydroplaning Resistance

I don’t think that you’ll have an issue with hydroplaning with these tires. Yet, in case it’s important for you, here is the comparison.

Due to its narrower horizontal shoulder grooves, BF Goodrich KM3 can evacuate the water with a higher pressure. As a result, it can throw the water out of the pattern zippier.

BF Goodrich KM3 has better hydroplaning resistance.

Off-Road Performance

Off-road is where these two are shinning. Yet, they’re experts on different surfaces. Let’s evaluate them one by one and which one is better.

Dirt and Gravel

This section is for those who’re using these tires for appearances. So, you guys mostly face dirt or gravel.

Regarding dirt, both tires can perfrom perfectly. Due to their unique rubbers, they can grip like no others. Let’s say draw for this time.

Regarding gravel, both tires are trustworthy. Yet, I prefer Cooper STT Pro because its wider shoulder grooves can grip the loose ground better. On the other hand, these fellows have stone ejectors which provide consistent traction through the gravel terrains.

Just close your eyes and pick one for this section. They’re both unstoppable.

Mud

Mud performance is strongly related to water evacuation capability. In that case, shoulder biters have also had a huge impact on performance.

BF Goodrich KM3’s shoulder design promises a lot more than Cooper’s. Its shoulder grooves continue to its sidewalls. Therefore, its water evacuation ability is superior. Moreover, its sidewall biters are specially designed for loose grounds. They increase its traction ability a lot.

BF Goodrich KM3 is a better tire for mud driving. Yet, Cooper STT Pro is also a solid pick for this section.

Sand

Let’s keep it short. Less aggressive design always works better on sand. In that case, BF Goodrich KM3 is the winner of this sectiion.

Rock Crawling

Rock crawling is the expertise of BF Goodrich. Due to their robust compound selections and 3-ply sidewall addiction, BF Goodrich tires always my best picks for rock crawling. Yet, they have a tough competitor for this time.

BF Goodrich KM3 and Cooper STT Pro are equally great tires for rock crawling. While Cooper’s combine Armor-Tech3 construction with a 3-ply sidewalls, BF Goodrich has 3-ply sidewalls built with CoreGard technology. Both are beast for this section. You can confidently go each way.

Comfort and Road Noise

Unlike other tire segments, comfort and road noise aren’t aligned with each other for mud-terrain tires. These tires should have superior grip and flexible sidewalls due to perform properly off the road. So, they’re generally smooth tires. However, their huge void areas and big lugs make them the noisier tires in the market.

Regarding comfort, both are quite comfortable tires. They can absorb the reaction force on bumps with ease. Well, that’s expected. These tires should absorb rock crawling forces. Bumps are nothing for them.

I have to admit that, if you’re expecting a deaf ride, you can stop reading this article right now and start searching for all-terrain tires instead of mud. Mud-terrain tires are noisy. Yet, here is a perfect tip for you. If you’re looking for the quietest one you should pay attention to their pattern. A less void area on the center section always makes less noise.

Both offers smooth ride. Yet, BF Goodrich KM3 is a less vocal tire due to its optimized void area.

Winter Performance

Winter performance is where most mud-terrain tires are failed. Well, expect deep snow. Due to their lug-type patterns, these tires aren’t able to perform in icy conditions. Their contact patch is very limited for a decent performance on the ice. Therefore, I don’t recommend using these tires in icy conditions.

Light snow performance is highly similar to wet grip. Due to its softer compound and more siped pattern, Cooper STT Pro is a better pick for light snow. Though worth reminding, both tires have an absence of snow-biting sipes. Expecting perfect performance is nothing more than imagination.

Deep snow performance is strongly related to tires’ traction capability. In that case, shoulder biters and lugs are crucial. Due to more aggressive sidewall biters and higher void areas, Cooper STT Pro is a better pick for compact snow. However, BF Goodrich KM3 is a bit wider tire. Furthermore, its tread grooves are deeper than Cooper STT Maxx. Well, the difference is minor.

Tread Life

Tread life is the weakest point of mud-terrain tires. Due to their application range, they should grip better than other tires on the market. Hence, they have relatively soft and sticky compounds.

In that case, I’m going back to my comment in the previous sections. BF Goodrich KM3 has an optimized contact patch, which makes it a superior tire for highway usage. For this reason, its tread life is longer than Cooper STT Pro.

Due to uniform and optimized contact patches and stiffer compounds, BF Goodrich KM3 tends to wear more evenly. Thus, it will last longer than its competitor.

Getting maximum wear life from a tire is related to you as well as your tire,

If you’d like to learn how to get maximum tread life:

https://tireterrain.com/how-to-make-tires-last-longer/

Warranty

Cooper and BF Goodrich don’t offer tread life warranty for these products. Yet, uniformity warranty at first 2/32” of wear is valid for both of them.

You can click here to see Cooper’s warranty document.

You can click here to see BF Goodrich’s warranty document.

Specs

	BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain KM3	Cooper STT Pro
Category	Mud-Terrain Tire	Mud-Terrain Tire
Vehicle	Light Truck, SUV	Light Truck, SUV
Available Sizes (Rim)	15’’, 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 20’’, 22’’	15’’, 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 20’’, 22’’
Weight	37 – 89 lbs	42-94 lbs
Made In	Opelika, AL, USA	USA
Severe Snow Rated (3PMSF)	No (Only M+S)	No (Only M+S)
Warranty (P-metric)	N/A	45 Days Test Drive
Warranty (LT Sizes)	N/A	45 Days Test Drive
Prices	Check price section to see best possible prices	Check price section to see best possible prices

Price

The tire market has a dynamic price policy. Hence, in my point of view, sharing tire price is pointless.

Though, I’ve analyzed the top 10 brands of most popular tire brands.

Here are the dealers with a reasonable price range,

DiscountTire

Biggest dealer in the US. Founded in 1960
1000 stores in 35 states. You most probably find one on your parallel street
Free rotation and balancing
5% off for DiscountTire cardholders on online purchase
Highest rated online tire dealer in Consumer Affairs
Almost all brands are available
Delivery takes 2-4 days (30% shorter average waiting time when you book online)
Frequent discounts and promotions

BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/bfgoodrich-mud-terrain-t-a-km3

Cooper Discoverer STT Pro: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/cooper-discoverer-stt-pro

TireRack

Fast and Free shipping
Usually delivered in 1 day
Joint venture with DiscountTire(their installers and dealers are on your service)
Tons of installer options, they also help you to choose the best one
Mobile installers in many areas, your tires will be replaced while you’re working in the office
Tire test results and comparisons can be found on the most product page
4.6/5 points on Google rate

BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/bfgoodrich-mud-terrain-t-a-km3

Cooper Discoverer STT Pro: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/cooper-discoverer-stt-pro

SimpleTire

Free shipping
Delivered in 2 days
Verified shops near you(for mount and balance)
Mobile installation option
7 million customers since 2021
4.7/5 points on Google rate
Top-notch customer service, you may even request a price match

BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3: https://simpletire.com/brands/bfgoodrich-tires/mud-terrain-t-a-km3

Cooper Discoverer STT Pro: https://simpletire.com/brands/cooper-tires/discoverer-stt-pro

While choosing dealers, I especially pay attention to reliability. All of the dealers on this list have 15-20 years of experience in the online tire business. Therefore, I can guarantee a smooth and fast tire buying process.

Conclusion

These tires have a tight battle. Moreover, they have a very similar application range. Well, I can confidently say that you can go both ways. Yet, the below table will help you to make the best selection.

	BF Goodrich KM3	Cooper STT Pro
Better for	Off-road adventure, lifted vehicles owners who wanna put aggressive appearance, great on-road manners for a mud terrain tire, winter traction	Squishy regions, hauling & towing, commercial usage
Pros	Insane off-road traction, tough sidewalls, long-lasting rubber for a mud-terrain tire	Insane wet and dry traction, mild & severe off-road traction,
Cons	A bit noisy	Limited winter performance

If you’ve any further questions, please leave them below. I will answer ASAP!

BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport vs Michelin Premier A/S

Updated: July 28, 2025 by Emrecan Gurkan Leave a Comment

BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport and Michelin Premier A/S are both grand touring all-season tires. Both tires can be used on small crossovers, sedans, coupes, and minivans. These tires are built in the same factory. Yet, they’re serving different customer intentions. Let’s dig into them and find out what is the best pick for you!

	Michelin Premier A/S	BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport
Better for	Fuel-efficiency, riding comfort	Responsiveness and stable handling, performance-oriented vehicles
Pros	Wet, dry traction and breaking, light-snow traction	Stable cornering and quick steering response, wet and light snow traction, long-lasting rubber
Cons	Harsh ride due to stiff compound	Riding could be a bit smoother

As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport and Michelin Premier A/S are solid picks for wet and dry ground performance. While both can handle light snow very well, deep snow is BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport’s expertise. However, Michelin Premier A/S offers a less vocal and smoother ride. Yet, Advantage T/A Sport has a significantly better tread life.

All-Season Tires Cheat Sheet

Finding the most suitable one for you among thousands of tires is very difficult.

My team & I have analyzed 100 different tires and generated this ‘Quick Answer Sheet‘ for those who don’t wanna spend too much time during tire selection.

Before we start, here are the incredibly helpful articles I highly recommend to take a look at;

How to keep tire noise down:
https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/why-do-tire-tread-patterns-make-noise
Fuel-Efficiency:
https://www.tirerack.com/landing/fuel_efficiency
Traction/Stability control for AWD/4WD (All-Season tires specific)
https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/traction-stability-4ws-awd

Below the table, you can find my favorite tires that I have classified according to your needs.

All-Season Tires Cheat Sheet
Name	Best for	Works Best on	Articles	3PMSF	Road Noise	Mileage	Responsiveness	Riding Comfort	Warranty	Fuel Economy	Wet Performance	Mild Winter	Severe Winter
Michelin Crossclimate 2 ( Check Price – Test Report )	Year Round Usage & Tread Life	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	Review	Yes	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Decent	60,000	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Decent
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S ( Check Price – Test Report )	Everything but severe winter traction	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	45,000 – 55,000	Decent	Elegant	Average	Fairy Well
Bridgestone WeatherPeak ( Check Price – Test Report )	Smooth & quiet 4 season driving	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	Review	Yes	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	70,000	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Average
Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus ( Check Price – Test Report )	Great all-round run-flat tire	SUV, CUV, Sedans, Coupes	Review	No	Average	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	65,000	Average	Excellent	Decent	Average
Vredestein Quatrac Pro ( Check Price – Test Report )	4-Season performance-driven riding	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	Yes	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	50,000	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Average
Vredestein HiTrac All-Season ( Check Price –Test Report )	Year round performance with great handling	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs		No	Decent	Decent	Elegant	Decent	70,000	Decent	Elegant	Decent	Average
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 ( Check Price – Test Report )	Great all-round performance + mild winter	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	70,000	Elegant	Decent	Decent	Average
Nokian WRG4 ( Check Price )	Traction focused 4 season driving	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	Review	Yes	Decent	Decent	Decent	Elegant	65,000	Average	Elegant	Elegant	Decent
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady ( Check Price –Test Report )	Year-round traction + handling	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, minivans	–	Yes	Average	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	60,000	Average	Elegant	Elegant	Average
Firestone WeatherGrip ( Check Price –Test Report )	Winter-focused 4 season driving	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	Review	Yes	Average	Fairy Well	Average	Decent	65,00	Fairy Well	Average	Elegant	Elegant
BF Goodrich Advantage Control ( Check Price –Test Report )	Quiet & smooth 3 season traction + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Elegant	Decent	65,000 – 75,000	Elegant	Decent	Average	Poor
Kumho Crugen HP71 ( Check Price – Test Report )	Decent all-round performance + light snow	CUV, SUV	Review	No	Average	Average	Decent	Decent	65,000	Decent	Decent	Decent	Fairy Well
Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra (Check Price – Test Report )	Long lasting performance for squishy regions	Crossovers, SUVs, light trucks	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	70,000	Decent	Elegant	Decent	Fairy Well
Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring AS (Check Price)	Affordable 3 season traction	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Average	Average	Decent	Decent	70,000	Decent	Average	Fairy Well	Poor
Goodyear Assurance All-Season ( Check Price – Test Report )	Affordable all-round 3 season + light snow performance	Sedans, minivans	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	65,000	Decent	Decent	Average	Fairy Well
Goodyear Assurance MaxLife ( Check Price – Test Report )	Longevitiy focused 3 season traction + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, minivans	Review	No	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	85,000	Elegant	Decent	Average	Poor
Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack ( Check Price – Test Report )	Comfort-focused 3 season traction + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, minivans	Review	No	Elegant	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	80,000	Elegant	Elegant	Decent	Fairy Well
Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive (Check Price – Test Report )	Above average all-round performance	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs	Review	No	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	60,000	Average	Elegant	Decent	Average
Michelin Defender T+H (Check Price – Test Report )	Efficiency focused 3 season performance	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	vs Crossclimate 2	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	80,000	Elegant	Decent	Fairy Well	Poor
BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport ( Check Price – Test Report )	Long lasting 4 season performance + handling	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	–	No	Average	Decent	Decent	Decent	60,000 – 70,000	Average	Decent	Decent	Fairy Well
Continental TrueContact Tour ( Check Price – Test Report )	Smooth & long-lasting 3 season performance + light snow	Sedans, coupes, crossovers	–	No	Decent	Decent	Decent	Decent	70,000 – 80,000	Decent	Elegant	Average	Fairy Well
Yokohama Avid Ascend LX ( Check Price – Test Report )	Long-lasting & responsive 4 season performance	Sedans, coupes, crossovers, minivans		No	Decent	Elegant	Elegant	Elegant	85,000	Elegant	Decent	Decent	Fairy Well
Laufenn S Fit AS (Check Price)	Long-lasting sporty driving	SUV, CUV, Sedans, Coupes	Review	No	Decent	Decent	Excellent	Decent	45,000	Decent	Decent	Average	Poor

Depending on your needs, the below article might help;

Dry Performance

The dry performance consists of 3 different dimensions. All of them related to different technical features. Let’s evaluate them one by one.

Steering Response

Steering response is vitally crucial if you’re using your vehicles at high velocity. In that case, uniform rubber and contact pitch are highly important.

Due to solid center rib design and symmetrical patterns, both tires have a very reliable and trustworthy steering response.

However, Michelin Premier A/S is a slightly better tire due to its optimized contact void area. In that case, the minor void areas always provide better handling.