Cooper ST MAXX - First Impressions

[berniebgf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close berniebgf]

Hi all,

Had the new boots fitted today, Cooper ST MAXX 265/70/17. Here are my first impressions so far...

1. Physical Appearance: They look more aggressive in the flesh than they do on Milo in the 4WD Monthly DVD's. They fill out the wheel arches allot better now (2" Lift). White writing on the inside, no "bling" for me. Extra lift is greatly appreciated.

2. Noise: Noticeable whirling noise at almost all speeds, worst at ~90KM/h. If you put the radio on you can not hear it. Does not concern myself or the wife at all, not loud enough to be distracting.

3. Handling: Slightly more "lag" in response to input commands for Steering wheel, but coming from an 80 series with MUD's its still a dream. Definitely moves around more under breaking now, even with mild breaking. but again not a problem.

P.S: Still looking for used spare --> see this post
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...-than-30-tread


Heading up to Rawson next weekend, will let you know how they go in the Mud.

Compulsory Pictures added. (or else it never happened).



bernie

[rob_macca67 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close rob_macca67]

Nice looking tyre, looking forward to hear how they go offroad.... if only we can legally have that size up here in Qld

robM

[BobTheMonkey Member Find all posts View Profile Close BobTheMonkey]

Or South Australia, it's abit rubbish the laws. Ended up with AT/3

[mrkrinkle Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrkrinkle]

Have used them on and off road and love them.

Yep noisier than road tyres but more than capable off road and a good compromise...

[rwo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rwo]

IF they are not legal in Qld or SA, I guess they are not legal in NSW either? Anyone know when/if VSB14 is actually coming?

[berniebgf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close berniebgf]

Hi Roo,

Can I ask what tyre pressure you are running? mine are currently set the ~43 (from the fitting), they feel fairly firm on the road so I am considering dropping the pressure down....

thanks.

[BobTheMonkey Member Find all posts View Profile Close BobTheMonkey]

Is there a reason why they inflate them so much? I had the same kinda shit on my AT/3s I deflated them to 34 and saved my spine. Not sure what yours should be there was a booklet with mine.

[berniebgf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close berniebgf]

What size tyres are yours Bob?

Looks like I'll be dropping them down tonight, I have a booklet somewhere at home that I requested from Cooper Tyres a while back...
I'll do some investigations tonight and get back to you..

Bernie.

[berniebgf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close berniebgf]

OK, Here is the word from the Cooper Distributor after my enquiry.

"Thankyou for your enquiry on Cooper Tires and congratulations on your new purchase. If your vehicle is not towing or carrying a heavy load on a regular basis, 43psi is slightly over inflated for this tyre on your vehicle. The Cooper STMAXX is a light truck construction and the extra psi will not assist with tyre wear or other factors such as braking and handling. We would recommend to reduce the pressures to approximately 34psi front and 32psi rear. This should help with an easier ride and better durability of the tyre."

Update: (For my 1.6-1.8Tone Towing) Increase to 38-40 at the rear and adjust the fronts if required.

Bernie

[mrkrinkle Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrkrinkle]

Yeah I have been running mine at around 34-36 around town. Anything more just feels a little skittish.

[BobTheMonkey Member Find all posts View Profile Close BobTheMonkey]

On the Rav4 they are just 235/65r17 as im I'm SA and can not get anything bigger.

I pick up my prado VX with 265/65r17 tomorrow with AT/3 also. I would be running them at 34 all round but I'm sure they will come with 40+ when I pick it up.

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

OK, Here is the word from the Cooper Distributor after my enquiry.

"Thankyou for your enquiry on Cooper Tires and congratulations on your new purchase. If your vehicle is not towing or carrying a heavy load on a regular basis, 43psi is slightly over inflated for this tyre on your vehicle. The Cooper STMAXX is a light truck construction and the extra psi will not assist with tyre wear or other factors such as braking and handling. We would recommend to reduce the pressures to approximately 34psi front and 32psi rear. This should help with an easier ride and better durability of the tyre."

Update: (For my 1.6-1.8Tone Towing) Increase to 38-40 at the rear and adjust the fronts if required.

Bernie

Good advise that is!

Looking at buying some new shoes, was thinking of giving these a go, any negatives yet?

What's prices are we paying?

[vxcruiser08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vxcruiser08]

I've done 45,000 kms on mine in 12 months, done the birdsville track, simpson, flinders, corner country, plenty of highway driving etc and still plenty of tread left! I have been rotating between 5 tyres though and i do it every 5000 kms religiously.

I also run the tyres on average at 30 PSI which some may not agree with however due to travelling a few kms of rocky dirt roads on a daily basis i found it a good all round PSI to run. I called coopers and they actually recommended I run them at 30 psi. I pump them up to only 33 when i hit the highways for longer than a few hours.

Tyre noise is fine, no complaints from me.

[ttmx83 Member Find all posts View Profile Close ttmx83]

I have them in 265/70/17 on 17x8'' rims. Used them in anger in the Otways on the weekend and can't fault them. Aired them down to 25psi to start with and left them there as I was happy with the ride. Worked really well in the greasy stuff and had incredible grip on the gravel roads. Also very smooth. They are noisier on the road, mostly at about 80km/h but not overbearing. The tyre shop put them at 45psi when I got them fitted, WTF??? Now I have them at 35psi for road duties and I reckon I could gain a little more comfort dropping them lower but it would be at the expense of handling.

I was lucky to get these for $125 per tyre with 5000 klm on them as they were warranty returns. They have some very small cracks in the sidewall on the white lettering side that the claimant just kept at them till he got new ones. I've had them on for about 6000 klm and have not had any issues so far.

Cheers Brad

[LCPRADO Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close LCPRADO]

I've done 80,000 klms with the ST Maxx'x so far, rotating through all 5 wheels every 10,000 klm. So far I've had no punctures or problems. They do tend to scallop so there is an increased whining noise after the tyres are rotated, probably for a few hundred klms while the tread blocks wear back to even. I could get another 10-15 thousand klms wear if I ran it to the tread blocks but I won't. Nice new tyres coming soon but I haven't decided if I replace the with the same or try some Mickey Thompson's.