Adventurer and Discoverer are two different families in Cooper’s line-up. Both were released as on-road all-terrain tires. While Adventurer stays as a cheaper and lower quality one, Discoverer is the jammy one. Well, it is a bit more expensive. In this article, I will compare Cooper Adventurer AT and Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S.
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, both tires have a narrow application range that only includes mild applications. Luckily, both are great on mild surfaces. Both are reliable and quiet on the highway. Yet, Adventurer AT (discontinued) is not durable at all. I recommend Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S the whole day long!
Note: Cooper Discoverer AT3 is discontinued. So, I didn’t put it into this article. Yet, it has superior off-road and winter performance than Discoverer AT3 4S. Lucky you, some sizes are still available on SimpleTire. Check if your size is still there!
Table of Contents
Durability
Alright, most of you will decide what to pick after reading this section. But I would recommend you to go on if winter performance is your priority.
Adventurer AT has some major issues due to durability. This tire is a kinda flip coin. In my point of view, that’s a big problem. It isn’t designed to perform on severe applications. I see that. But if you release an all-terrain tire, it should bear to gravel at least. Most customers complain about cupping in 6 months. Moreover, tire performance is significantly decreasing over time. I understand the price difference is big. Yet, 6 months of using won’t afford even this price.
On the other hand, Discoverer AT3 is a reliable option. It is wearing evenly and sidewall durability is way much ahead of its competitor. It’s worth reminding, if you need a tire for towing or heavy-duty applications, you should consider Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT or Cooper Discoverer XLT for harsher ones.
Tread Life
I made most of my comments on the durability section. This section is a summary.
Cooper Adventurer AT’s tread life is not bad if you only use it on highways. Yet, if you are riding off-road, it can barely make 30,000 miles. Rubbish!
On the other hand, Cooper Discoverer AT 4S’s tread life is aligned with its warranty. Depending on your application, you can get 60,000-100,000 miles with it easily.
Warranty
Cooper Adventurer AT has 60,000 miles tread wear warranty.
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S has 65,000 miles tread wear warranty.
Road Noise
Both tires perform very well due to noise reduction. Well, there is a take-home point in this section. Let’s continue below!
These tires have a less aggressive tread design compared to other all-terrains. So, both are very quiet on the road. Yet, Adventurer AT has a rock-holding problem. When it can throw the rock out, the tread starts to produce road noise.
The above comment explains everything clearly.
Comfort
Both are smooth tires. They can cross over the bumps smoothly. The reason behind this is soft compounds. Well, Adventurer AT’s is a bit softer than it should be…
Dry Performance
Dry performance is where these two are shining. Soft compounds and well-placed sipes ensure you don’t have any traction problems on dry surfaces. Yet, Discoverer AT3 with a bit more siping superior this section.
Due to symmetrical and soft tread designs, both tires have great steering response and handling. These tires are lightweight compared to their competitors. Hence, losing handling is unlikely.
Wet Performance
Wet grip is not an issue for these two. They are built to perform perfectly. Yet, hydroplaning resistance is where these two are separated.
Hydroplaning resistance is all about the footprint. Adventurer AT has more gaps on the tread. Therefore, its footprint is less intense than Discoverer AT3. That feature causes a hydroplaning issue when it’s combined with a soft compound.
Cooper Discoverer AT3 is a way much better tire on wet ground.
Winter Performance
This section is kinda easy to compare. Cooper Discoverer AT3 has a 3-peak mountain snowflake labeling. It means it is severe snow-rated. You can confidently use it in harsh winter conditions. Yet, ice performance is not good enough for me. There are better tires on ice.
On the other hand, Cooper Adventurer AT is not winter rated. Yet, deep grooves and wide void areas ensure light snow traction.
A side note here: Understanding the snow performance of all-terrain tires can be quite challenging. For those who find it perplexing, I’d like to direct your attention to a helpful resource: “6 Best All-Terrain Tires for Snow by AT Tire Category“ This article is specifically designed to assist you in making informed decisions regarding all-terrain tires in snowy conditions.
Off-Road Performance
Before starting, I’d like to emphasize one point. These tires are not going to work on severe surfaces. With severe surfaces, I mean rock and mud especially. So, I don’t put these two into consideration.
Gravel and Dirt Performance
If you are stuck between these two this section is the only one you need.
Let’s start with dirt.
Cooper is using Adaptive-Traction Technology for Discoverer AT3. Moreover, they combine it with a silica-based compound which is a perfect selection for dirt. Thus, these features make this tire perfect on dirt.
On the other hand, Cooper Adventurer AT is also working very well on dirt. It has perfect center section design that clean itself perfectly.
Let’s continue with gravel.
Cooper Discoverer AT3 rip Adventurer AT apart on gravel. Adventurer AT doesn’t have a traction problem. Yet, it has poor durability. So, bubbles are inevitable.
Sand Performance
I’m going to keep this part very very short. Let’s start with a tip. What works the best on sand is less aggressive tires. So, Cooper Discoverer AT3 is our winner again and again.
Specs
| Cooper Discoverer AT3 | Cooper Adventurer AT | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-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’’ |
| Weight | 30 – 45 lbs | 30 – 71 lbs |
| Made In | U.S | U.S |
| Severe Snow Rated (3PMSF) | No (only M+S) | No (only M+S) |
| Warranty (P-metric) | 65,000 Miles | 60,000 Miles |
| Warranty (LT Sizes) | 65,000 Miles | 60,000 Miles |
| 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,
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
Cooper Line-Up: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/brand.jsp?brand=cooper
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
Cooper Line-Up: https://simpletire.com/brands/cooper-tires
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
Cooper Line-Up: https://www.discounttire.com/tires/brands/cooper
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
That was the easiest comparison I’ve ever made. Cooper Discoverer AT3 is the true and the only winner in all sections. If I were you, I would not waste my money with Adventurer AT.
I hope the article was helpful. I don’t think you will have but if you have any further questions, please leave them below 🙂
Have a safe ride!