9th March 2000

First impressions are generally the most lasting, and as I drove out of Exclusive Tyre Distributors with a new set of Cooper A/T’s on my GQ Patrol, two things were most prominent.
Firstly, the lack of noise from the tyres. The latest computer-formatted SNDQL (Sound Quality) tread design optimises the tread pattern pitch sequence to theoretically come up with a design that is quiet on the road. I think Cooper are on a winner because these tyres are extremely quiet.

The second thing that is most noticeable is the grip. These tyres are just fantastic. A quick trip, a couple of days later through the Burringbar Range south of Tweed Heads, only proved what I first thought, these tyres are really good in the dry. You would have to be quietly suicidal to get them to bread adhesion.

Their performance in the wet is equally as good both when new and after 24,000kms. A large central groove and tiny sipes or cuts in the tread aid in squeezing the water away.

Normally when I travel out west I fit split rims but seeing as I had these tyres under test I decided to do a quick trip down through south west Qld into NSW across through Cameron Corner, the Strzelecki Track, the northern Flinders, Marree, Alice Springs and back over the Plenty and Donohue highways to Boulia. I encountered water, mud (plenty of it), rocks and dust.

Except for a piece of steel rod puncturing one tyre and taking the side out of another with a large rock, which would have happened to whatever tyre I had fitted, the Cooper’s handled all types of terrain equally well. Certainly there’s no sharp edges left on the tyres but there’s no chips of rubber missing either. The stepped tread blocks and the new anti chip tread compound aids in reducing chipping to a minimum.
Overall - a damn good tyre - and one that I would not hesitate to fit again

There’s one other major point that stands out. Nissan Patrol GQ’s and from all accounts GU’s have a dynamic balance problem between 80 – 90 kph to a greater or lesser degree, Certainly all three GQ’s I’ve had over the last ten years have had the characteristic.

These Coopers were balanced when fitted, they have been rotated twice and I haven’t had them re-balanced over the 24,000 k's I’ve done. To me that’s a record. I believe it’s a combination of the low tolerance tyres that Terry Smith has arranged through the factory to be selected for his Australia distributorship, and the balancing techniques employed by the staff at Exclusive Tyre Distributors.
They know their Patrols and the result if; you don’t have to get the tyres re-balanced so often and the steering wheel shimmy between 80/90 kph will be gone.

If you are in the market for an AT tyres, check out the Cooper. I don’t think you will be disappointed. Remember, the tyres are very quiet, and the grip in both wet and dry conditions is excellent plus the added bonus of the 80,000km Cooper guarantee with applies to these tyres.

Regards, David Moon.

Gordon Smith
Discount Tyre Services
Fyshwick ACT 2609

Dear Gordon,

I thought you would like to know that we have just come back from our trip that included travelling along the New South Wales and Queensland Border covering all sorts of terrain from sand, sharp rocky country, mud and of course sealed roads, as well your usual outback gravel roads.

All in all we travelled about 7,000 klm's in three weeks, and I am very pleased to report it was the first trip that we have completed since shooting our current Television Programs that we have not had any sort of tyre trouble.

Shooting the previous 7 Television programs we had flat tyres on all trips and it was a pleasure to find a tyre that can handle all the travelling we do. We can’t speak more highly of our Cooper Tyres.

The Cooper Tyres came through unscathed and handled all the terrain we drove through with flying colours. You may also be interested to know we had at least a dozen different people comment on the Cooper Tyres we had and asked us how they were performing. Obviously the name Cooper is getting into the outback.

We are about to set off on a three month expedition which will include Central Australia, the Kimberley area, Kakadu and Arnhem Land and to the top of Cape York and home again.
We will report to you on our return and let you know how the Coopers performed.
Once again, thank you for all your help.

Regards, Mike Leyland.

I chose Cooper Discoverer HP Sport tyres because I wanted more precise handling on the road.

These days, with a young family, our Land Rover Discovery spends a lot of time on the blacktop going to and from the family farm at Gulgong, and my recreational four-wheel driving consists mostly of Outback touring, with the occasional foray onto the beach or into desert sand dunes.

The differences between the high-tech Coopers and the Michelins they replaced were immediate from the outset. Turn-in was more precise, the car was more responsive to steering inputs, and driving was a much quieter experience.

In the wet, the Coopers have also proved to have terrific water dispersal qualities thanks to the unidirectional tread pattern. Having run Coopers before,

I'm also looking forward to not having to change rubber again for a long time. The last ones I had seemed to go on forever!

Written by Ian Glover Freelance motoring journalist and Technical Editor, 4WD Monthly Magazine