Hello and welcome to my Cooper Discoverer H/T review.
According to Cooper Tire, the Discoverer H/T is a premium touring tire made specifically for SUVs and light trucks. They continue with saying that this tire provides excellent ride comfort, all-season traction and a premium treadlife warranty. These things are somewhat standard for the touring class, and every tire in this category should at least offer good traction and grip on the highway.
The Discoverer H/T is equipped with a solid center rib that improves steering response and reduces noise – also, something that we can see with most premium competitors. For better wet traction and resistance to hydroplaning, the tire is designed with four wide circumferential grooves. They also help in light snow, and on top of that, help for better traction on soft surfaces. It will be interesting to see if this is really the case here. Additionally, there are the now ubiquitous zig-zag sipes that further enhance wet traction and winter performance.
But, what about dry performance? Glad you ask – the Discoverer H/T has semi-close shoulder design that increases the contact patch, helping the tire have more grip in the corners. This also helps for even wear and reduced noise on the highway.
Cooper Discoverer H/T Overview
According to Cooper Tire, the Discoverer H/T is a premium touring tire made specifically for SUVs and light trucks. They continue with saying that this tire provides excellent ride comfort, all-season traction and a premium treadlife warranty. These things are somewhat standard for the touring class, and every tire in this category should at least offer good traction and grip on the highway.
The Discoverer H/T is equipped with a solid center rib that improves steering response and reduces noise – also, something that we can see with most premium competitors. For better wet traction and resistance to hydroplaning, the tire is designed with four wide circumferential grooves. They also help in light snow, and on top of that, help for better traction on soft surfaces. It will be interesting to see if this is really the case here. Additionally, there are the now ubiquitous zig-zag sipes that further enhance wet traction and winter performance.
But, what about dry performance? Glad you ask – the Discoverer H/T has semi-close shoulder design that increases the contact patch, helping the tire have more grip in the corners. This also helps for even wear and reduced noise on the highway.
Pros:
- Very good straight-line stability
- Excellent traction on both dry and wet surfaces
- Very quiet and comfortable
- Long warranty and durability
- Reasonable price
Cons:
- Snow traction is below par
- Some owners report higher noise after several thousand miles
Detailed Review of Cooper Discoverer H/T
Treadwear and Durability
Given the fact that this is a touring tire, it is expected that it will last for several years without losing too much of the tread depth. Cooper Tire gives excellent 60,000-mile tread warranty, which is one of the best results in this class. In the real world, you can expect to travel the same amount before you need to change the tires. That said, please note that you will lose wet traction after 3-4 years of driving, like with almost every touring tire out there. Dry handling should be intact, even after 5 years of use.
However, there is one thing that I noticed owners around the USA complaining about, and that’s noise, particularly when the tire is older. I wasn’t able to replicate this in my testing, but given the fact that there are a lot of people protesting about this, I think that it is true.
Dry Traction and Grip
As with every touring tire, the straight line stability of the Discoverer H/T is excellent. Driving on the highway feels secure, and the same can be said in case of emergency braking, where the Cooper again shows that it is a very safe tire. In tight corners, you can expect reasonable grip, even on heavier SUVs. However, the handling is not as responsive as on some other tires in this category, which can be felt behind the steering wheel. Still, for a tire that is predominantly designed to be used on family vehicles, I think that it is good enough. At the end of the day, if you want a sporty tire, you should look for high-performance tires and not for touring tires.
Wet Traction and Grip
Thanks to the tread design with four circumferential grooves and zig-zag sipes, the Discoverer H/T is very good in heavy rain. It resists hydroplaning extremely well, even in the corners, giving the driver a lot of confidence to push even more. Not that you should drive fast in the rain with your family onboard, but it is good to know that your vehicle sits on reliable tires. Thanks to the advanced compound, the Discoverer H/T is also very good in light rain. The manufacturer also says that the tire is good on soft surfaces, but it’s probably only better than its competitors – you will still need a proper all-terrain tire if you want to leave the road.
Snow Traction and Braking Performance
Being an all-season touring tire, the Discoverer H/T can be used in light snow. However, I would suggest against doing that. Traction is severely limited, especially when the temperatures are very low and the tire is more akin to plastic than rubber. Most of the tires in this category are around the same level, but there are better all-season options out there if you care about good traction and braking performance in snow.
Comfort & Noise
I’ve already said that some owners reported noise after several thousand miles driven, but in my testing, the new set of Discoverer H/T tires was very quiet. This is especially felt on the highway, where you will hear much less noise when compared to summer or winter tires. On top of that, the ride is very smooth and comfortable, even when you drive over larger bumps. If the luxurious driving experience is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Cooper Discoverer H/T review: Conclusion
Slightly worse traction in snow shouldn’t detract from the fact that this is one of the best touring tires out there. The Discoverer H/T provides a smooth and safe driving experience on the highway and will last for several years without any issue. Add to that a fair price and the Discoverer H/T seems like a very good deal.
Thanks for reading and I hope you found this Cooper Discoverer H/T review helpful. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.