cooper tires and flats
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 226
From: PA
cooper tires and flats
I was thinking of going with cooper cobra's (255/60R15) for the stock rims on my '80. However, mentioning this to some family members over the 4th, two of them said they'd had issues with other cooper's having a lot of flats. Looking up reviews on them, it seemed there were a quite a few complaints on them for flats and blow outs in the past year or so, though before that it didn't seem like there was any unusual level of complaints. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has had issues with coppers bought in the last year.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,844
Likes: 99
From: Orrtanna Pa.
I run Coopers on the front,.....same set for almost a decade and they don't even lose air...……...
I've found online reviews of any product will have both good and bad reviews.....which really confuses me. You can't even by drywall screws at Lowes without reading a bad review about them.
I've found online reviews of any product will have both good and bad reviews.....which really confuses me. You can't even by drywall screws at Lowes without reading a bad review about them.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 226
From: PA
I run Coopers on the front,.....same set for almost a decade and they don't even lose air...……...
I've found online reviews of any product will have both good and bad reviews.....which really confuses me. You can't even by drywall screws at Lowes without reading a bad review about them.
I've found online reviews of any product will have both good and bad reviews.....which really confuses me. You can't even by drywall screws at Lowes without reading a bad review about them.
Currently I have BFG TA's on, and while they have plenty of tread and overall good performance (except wet), they date to pre-2004 as the car sat for about 13 yeas. There's no cracking in them as they were always in a garage. But I'm in no mood to gamble on their structural integrity. I would just buy another set of the BFG TA's, but the set would be about $200 more than the Coops for no noticeable difference in performance.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Cooper Cobras in the typical C3 sizes ... very same tire in same sizes also available in other brands such as MasterCraft & JETZON ...
... YOU have to verify if same as some sizes are offshore e.g. Indonesia, Malaysia etc ...
... that said, for years I've run offshore tires (OHTSU, SUMITOMO) on other vehicles w/ no issue ... really like them.
On C3 I've run 2-3 sets of JETZON Revenger G/T (USA) over some 15 years ...
... no issues. Got mine thru local Farm Service dealer at good bit less $ than Cooper.
I had some Hi-$ Cooper Touring on a Town Car and they delivered about Half expected mileage ... of that, some 15-20K was coast-to-coast & cross-country ...
... made warranty claim and Cooper reimbursed over Half purchase$ ... now shod w/ OHTSU.
... YOU have to verify if same as some sizes are offshore e.g. Indonesia, Malaysia etc ...
... that said, for years I've run offshore tires (OHTSU, SUMITOMO) on other vehicles w/ no issue ... really like them.
On C3 I've run 2-3 sets of JETZON Revenger G/T (USA) over some 15 years ...
... no issues. Got mine thru local Farm Service dealer at good bit less $ than Cooper.
I had some Hi-$ Cooper Touring on a Town Car and they delivered about Half expected mileage ... of that, some 15-20K was coast-to-coast & cross-country ...
... made warranty claim and Cooper reimbursed over Half purchase$ ... now shod w/ OHTSU.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 226
From: PA
Yes, 2.5 year old thread, but felt my update is relevant. Have had the Coopers for a couple years now and I am finding that they do slowly leak. If they sit for a few weeks they'll be down anywhere from a couple psi to as low as 10 psi from the original 32 psi. Each tire has it's own characteristic leak rate. So clearly a quality issue as many with older sets have not had this problem. Note, my BFG's never had this issue.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,502
Likes: 1,510
From: Little Rock AR
Yes, 2.5 year old thread, but felt my update is relevant. Have had the Coopers for a couple years now and I am finding that they do slowly leak. If they sit for a few weeks they'll be down anywhere from a couple psi to as low as 10 psi from the original 32 psi. Each tire has it's own characteristic leak rate. So clearly a quality issue as many with older sets have not had this problem. Note, my BFG's never had this issue.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 226
From: PA
Aluminum, same rims the original GY Eagles and at least 2 later set of Eagles and one set of BFG T/A's were on. None of those leaked, and the the TA's were on for at least 15 years.
Haven't bothered to check as I haven't driven it enough to have become an inconvenience yet.
Haven't bothered to check as I haven't driven it enough to have become an inconvenience yet.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Its not the tires themselves leaking. Eiher porous around the lip or your valve stem is slowly losing air
Had numerous pairs of Coopers with 0 issue. Even had them up to 148mph (wouldnt recommend it)
Had numerous pairs of Coopers with 0 issue. Even had them up to 148mph (wouldnt recommend it)
Last edited by cv67; Nov 7, 2021 at 08:51 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6,284
Likes: 1,171
From: Hermosa
I would agree. It's not the tire. I Have had three sets and none have leaked. Latest pair put on last year.
I use the stock aluminum wheels. One wheel is porous to some degree, it has leaked down slowly with any tire that was on it.
I use the stock aluminum wheels. One wheel is porous to some degree, it has leaked down slowly with any tire that was on it.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 226
From: PA
I don't doubt that the rims may play a role, but I had no problems with the T/A's that were 12 years old. Just the usual need to add a couple psi every month or two. But per my 2+ years ago post, several people on some sites noted problems with slow leaks with Coopers, but the Cobras didn't seem to be having this issue too often. When I told my nephew I was looking at Coopers, he brought up the same issue with sets on his car and his mother's, but those weren't Cobras. It may be that cleaning up the inside of the 40 year old rims will help. But again, the T/A's were OK with them. Could be the Coopers are just less tolerant. Easier though to put air than to have the tires pulled, clean up the rims, and remount the tires.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 1,510
Likes: 498
Cooper tires are not a problem , aluminum rims and valve stems are , we are not a tire store but do sell Coopers tires and are I'm set up with the Cooper warehouse and never have problems , we do have to clean every aluminum wheel that comes in and we install new valve stems my bet is the tire store didn't clean the corrosion from the wheel and just simple threw the tires on
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 5,775
Likes: 585
From: Texas
Cooper tires seem to have a problem with potholes. Ran some Coopers on my Audi and they just don't deal with potholes as well as other brands. Sidewalls tend to blow out. Other than that, they're fine.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Shops do a cr@ppy job of installing tires, these days. They don't clean the mating surfaces of tire and wheels, some just leave old stems in place if "they look OK", no sealant placed on beads, no leak checking after tire has been mounted, etc, etc. Most likely you have an aluminum wheel with minor porosity or the installation was not done well, or the stem/valve has a small leak. Could it be the tires leaking? Yes, but not very likely. If it is the tire, it is likely due to a bead imperfection that SHOULD have been found and corrected by the installer when the tire was mounted.
Dunk test the tire and find the bubbles. Then you will know what is causing the leak.
Dunk test the tire and find the bubbles. Then you will know what is causing the leak.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,030
Likes: 363
From: Lubbock Texas
Yes, 2.5 year old thread, but felt my update is relevant. Have had the Coopers for a couple years now and I am finding that they do slowly leak. If they sit for a few weeks they'll be down anywhere from a couple psi to as low as 10 psi from the original 32 psi. Each tire has it's own characteristic leak rate. So clearly a quality issue as many with older sets have not had this problem. Note, my BFG's never had this issue.
Interesting. For what it's worth, I've been running 17" Cooper Zeons on my '73 for the last couple of years and I have had no issues with air leakage. There is one quirk with the Zeons. They "sing" when driving on concrete but are quiet when driving on asphalt.
DC