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In the last 25 years, the light-truck segment has exploded…all you have to do is look around while you’re driving anywhere and note the number of Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Toyota and Nissan pickups on the road. While trucks were once work vehicles that hauled shingles and mulch and 2 x 4s, they’re now daily drivers for many people in the United States; they’re practical and tough, and offer creature comforts and amenities that were unheard of 30 years ago.

For most drivers, their trucks spend over 80 percent of their time on-pavement with only a very occasional venture off-road. For these drivers, all-terrain tires are a good fit, with an aggressive enough tread pattern for traction and performance off-pavement while still offering good road manners, handling and ride on the highway. At Carl’s Tire Service in Birmingham, AL, we’ve come to find that the Cooper Discoverer AT3 is one of the best values in an all-terrain tire for light trucks. Let’s take a look at some of the features that make the Discoverer AT3 such a great value:

• The Discoverer AT3’s tread pattern is designed with saw tooth-shaped grooves that help eject mud and sand in off-road driving, with a broken-pattern center section that improves traction and handling on soft surfaces. The dense zigzag pattern of tiny sipes in the tread elements offer more biting edges to enhance traction in wet, wintry or off-road conditions.
• The AT3’s sidewalls are as much as 66 percent stronger than older models from Cooper, meaning a higher load capacity and resistance to damage. In addition, the AT3 uses super tensile steel belts for enhanced strength and puncture resistance.
• Cooper’s innovative silica-infused tread compound means a stronger, tougher tire with improved wet and dry traction and excellent road manners. It’s also formulated for low rolling resistance, giving the Discoverer AT3 an edge in fuel economy compared to the competition.

How Does the Cooper Discoverer AT3 Perform?

The Discoverer AT3 isn’t designed for extreme off-road use like rock crawling or mud bogs, but it offers solid dependable performance on soft surfaces or in off-road snow. About the only area where it doesn’t perform well is on icy pavement…and let’s face it, when it’s like that outside you should probably just stay home anyway.

On the highway, you can expect a tire with great straight-line stability and a forgiving ride, although with a somewhat higher noise level than you’d experience with an all-season light truck tire. Its tread design evacuates water well, keeping the risk of hydroplaning to a minimum. Cooper offers a 55,000 mile warranty with the Discoverer AT3, making it an excellent value in an all-terrain light truck tire. The AT3 is available in 25 different sizes for various light truck/SUV fitments.

At Carl’s Tire Service in Birmingham, AL, we have a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3s that will be a great fit for your vehicle, at a price that you’ll love. Don’t forget that we also feature a mobile tire service to suit your tire needs, or if you have any problems on the road! Give us a call and we’ll be happy to set you up with a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3s for your truck.