Cooper is one of the most reliable brands of tire out there with their wide collection of alternatives based on what you are aiming to, such as with Cooper Discoverer Vs Evolution. These lines of tires are very similar yet not the same as well and you may like one of them better whether it is for the price point or for the overall performance. They are good options to consider but before deciding to choose one, let’s see what they can offer below.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- How to Select for a New Tire
- What are Cooper Discoverer and Evolution
- What are the Features in Cooper Discoverer
- What are the Features in Cooper Evolution
- How are Cooper Discoverer and Evolution on the Road
- How are the Cooper Discoverer and Evolution for Off-Road
- Cooper Discoverer Vs Evolution
Changing to a New Tire
Having your own vehicle is great because they are convenient and will take you anywhere that land travel is possible. But, they are not cheap to own even if you are buying a secondhand product because we will continuously spend to take care of them as long as we have and still use the vehicle. From regular maintenance such as changing the oil to changing the wearing parts, we will have to spend some in order to drive them for as long as possible.
Changing the tire every now and then is also one of them and while they are not built within the vehicle, tires play a huge role in deciding the overall performance of your car. The way they are always in contact with the ground to maintain traction is what makes them so important to consider. They are not going to last forever and for daily use we probably have to change them every few years while many applications can render the tire life much shorter in comparison.
When looking for a new set of tires we are not only deciding based on the look. The easiest way to look for one is probably by just picking any stock tires that come with the vehicle the first time we got them but we also have plenty of alternatives in the market in order to improve the performance. The stock tire is very convenient because they are usually matched well with the vehicle and what they are designed for so chances are they will match well with your application as well.
Just like with footwear that we choose for our daily activities, different occasions may call for different shoes. We don’t change tires as often but it is wise to consider what type of application you will be doing then choosing the tire types as well. In general they are separated into road and off-road tires based on the terrain but each category can come with few other sub categories with different focus and different pros and cons in order to tailor the tire as ideal as possible for the native tasks.
Another basic is to shop according to the tire’s size or based on what’s already installed on our car. Tires come with their numbers and letters printed on the sidewall to tell users the general specs of the unit so we can easily find their replacement. The first number from a spec such as 195/55R16 is the tire’s width from sidewall to sidewall. The next number is the aspect ratio or the height of the tire’s sidewall in percent to the width. R means radial construction and the last number is their diameter for inner rim in inches.
About Cooper Discoverer and Evolution
Finding a new set of tires can be quite confusing but they are not impossible because we have lots of aspects to narrow down the option even though there are tons to choose from in the market. They won’t be exactly the same but many are about the same to each other so we can always find another alternative when your favorite brand of tire is discontinued or too expensive to always invest on. Based on the stock tire we can always make a wise decision for the new set.
If you want to shorten the shopping time, we can choose based on the tire type, budget, or the brand itself. We personally choose to shop based on the manufacturer sometimes since it is faster this way, moreover if you already have great experiences with certain companies and their products. Among those options, Cooper is a good choice to consider. This brand carries some of the most promising tires in the market depending on your application.
But, they also have a wide collection which makes it a bit confusing to choose one such as with the Cooper Discoverer and Evolution line. When talking about Cooper tires, in most cases we are hearing about the Discoverer line with its famous choices such as AT3 and AT3 XLT. But, besides this family, they actually have other alternatives in which one of them we have compared before in Cooper Discoverer Vs Adventurer here. In comparison they are not the same tire but also kind of similar or share some similarities.
In general you can find both road and off-road tires from these lines but today we are going to talk about the road variant from both lines or the Discoverer HT3 and Evolution H/T. These tires are designed and optimized for an on road application; especially the highway terrain and both are also all-season to be convenient. The reason why Cooper is more well-known with their Discoverer line is probably because these tires are improved a lot from other alternatives by the company.
Cooper Discoverer Features
Before checking what Cooper Discoverer and Evolution can offer, let’s start with what’s so interesting about these tires first, starting with the Discoverer HT3. This tire is similar to most highway options in the market by being made with silica tread compound and combined with a symmetric pattern. It has continuous shoulder ribs to help resist irregular wear when drivers often stop and start or make turns with the vehicle. As you can see it has lots of siping on the tread blocks to aid stability as well as responsive handling.
The tire carries 4 wide circumferential grooves to help with water evacuation or allowing it to flow through the contact patch and to improve hydroplaning resistance. It is also featured with zigzag sipes for more biting edges when you need to drive on wet roads. As for the internal construction the HT3 has two high-strength belts with single-ply nylon reinforcement cap.
Cooper Evolution Features
Similarly, the Evolution H/T is also made of high-silica compound which is molded into the symmetric tread pattern. As you can see, this tire has a more aggressive looking design since the tread blocks are not as uniform as the HT3 from Discoverer. This design is specifically made and positioned to minimize the tire noise while the tread profile itself is meant for even tread wear to improve the tire’s life. While silica compounds ensure grip on the road, its wide circumferential grooves will help with water evacuation from the contact patch.
It also has the same 3D siping for improved biting edges in order to increase traction on wet surfaces. As for the construction, the Evolution H/T is also made with two-ply polyester casing to balance life and tread wear with comfort and durability while the high strength belt with two nylon cap plies is here to stabilize the tread and improve puncture resistance.
Cooper Discoverer and Evolution on the Road
Now for the most important part, let’s see what Cooper Discoverer and Evolution can offer from the performance point starting at the road application. We have mentioned that the Discoverer line is usually the higher performing option but it is not always the case and some people may have an even different experience but the two are very reliable for regular on road driving. Both of them are amazing in dry and wet conditions but Evolution feels better or more responsive on the steering.
On wet surface hydroplaning is not an issue for these tires and while traction will be less compared to in dry situation, they are still very confident in this type of application with Evolution grip slightly firmer on the surface. As for the comfort, it is not an issue as well for road tires but the ride quality of Evolution is simply better, smoother, as well as produces less whispering noise, even at higher speed.
Cooper Discoverer and Evolution for Off-Road
Next is for the off-road section but none of these variants we choose from Cooper Discoverer and Evolution is an all-terrain so we do not recommend them for this application. If it is just occasional hard packed gravel we can handle them with almost any tire but these tires are not made for rocks or mud and sand. What they are still going to be useful for is the winter season because they are designed to be all-season too. In this comparison Evolution wins again by producing more reliable traction on snow and ice.
Cooper Discoverer Vs Evolution
Both of these tires are good alternatives and while Evolution is not as popular as the Discoverer line, it doesn’t mean that the tire is not as reliable because they surely are. The H/T variants we are comparing today shows that Evolution H/T is overall performing better than HT3 from the Discoverer line by being better at steering response and much better traction even on snow and ice, making the tire an even more versatile choice for highway and all-season alternatives.
| Cooper Discoverer | Cooper Evolution |
|---|---|
| - More expensive | - More affordable |
| - Less sizing | - More sizing available |
| - Not for winter | - Great for all-season |
| - Good dry and wet traction | - Better overall performance |
Conclusion
You can choose any of the two based on which seems to fit you the most but we will recommend the Evolution H/T if you are mainly driving on the road or not doing any off-road adventure because the tire is performing really well across typical applications.
