Cooper Vs Firestone Tires

When it comes to procuring a set of new tires, most motorists feel completely overwhelmed when choosing between Cooper vs. Firestone tires. But, truth be told. Being stuck between top tire manufacturers such as these two is quite obvious keeping in mind that these brands are some of the best in the business.

You see, the wheel is considered the oldest and the greatest invention man has ever made. From the oldest Stone Age era to modern civilization, the wheel has been used to transport goods and humans from one place to another.

Today, the wheel is referred to as the tire and is considered an overly glamorous purchase that keeps your dear auto in safe contact with the road. Although modern cars are stocked with cool features such as multiple electronics, advanced braking systems, cool-sounding systems, and higher horsepower, the tire will remain to be a worthy investment that can never be neglected.

 

Cooper Vs Firestone Tires: Step by Step Guide

Since it can be quite overwhelming to choose between Cooper and Firestone tires, this guide has done an in-depth inspection of these two tires to help you decide which between the two will meet your driving demands.

In our discussion, we’ll look at the company’s overview, tire reliability, affordability, and industry’s reputation among other factors.

 

 

But First, Why Buy a Reliable Tire?

The automotive industry is among the sectors that have enjoyed the huge impacts of the advancement in modern technology. Although the entire spectrum of auto parts has been advanced massively, the tire has remained to be the most important variation.

Just as mentioned earlier, the tire is the medium that connects your auto with the road. Unlike earlier tires, today’s tires are technologically advanced to improve your car’s drivability, improve fuel efficiency and improve traction when driving under harsh weather conditions.

Now, all the three factors we’ve mentioned just above only apply to high-quality tires. However, if you shop for a low-quality tire, what you’ll get is a tire that gets flat easily and one that’s prone to regular wear and tear.

So, having said that, let’s now discuss these two dominant brands by comparing them in greater depth to see which one stands out over the other.

 

Cooper Tire Overview

Cooper Tire is an American manufacturer that deals with the production of tires meant for cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans. The company manufactures some of the cheapest tires in the business making their tires highly affordable. But, does the low price mean the company has traded quality over affordability?

Well, the answer is No. Although their tires are cheaper than most leading brands, the company has not sacrificed quality whatsoever. In fact, Cooper has landed OE tire contracts with some of the leading cars manufacturers such as Mercedes, Ford, and Volkswagen.

Cooper Tire is also an independent tire manufacturer that distributes its line of tires to independent dealers, online selling platforms, and selected retailers both regionally and nationally. This marketing strategy, however, makes their tires very difficult to find.

 

Firestone Tire Overview

Firestone, on the other hand, is a brand that was founded in 1900 in Akron, Ohio. Despite being a well-recognized brand among most commuters, Firestone became a subsidiary of Bridgestone in 1988 with the parent company now owning 19.5% of the American market share.

Now, Firestone is a brand that has managed to offer stiff competition to leading tire manufacturers such as Michelin and Goodyear. This brand has achieved this by manufacturing high-standard tires and selling them at an affordable and competitive price.

In fact, Firestone is considered a former manufacturer of OE tires for Ford Motor Company. Today, Firestone is hailed for manufacturing different purpose tires for cars, trucks, and SUVs.

 

Cooper Tires Industry Rating

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every tire must go through a thorough grading system to evaluate its quality. This evaluation process is called Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG) and it’s mostly based on three major categories that are traction, tread wear, and temperature resistance.

And since Cooper Tires isn’t an exception, we’re going to break down each of these categories to see how this American tire performs in each section.

• Traction: Traction is basically the rating of how well a tire grips on wet roads. This parameter is very important when choosing a tire as it tells you how safe a tire can be when driving in rainy conditions. Most brands grade their tires from AA, A, B, or C. In most cases, tires with a rating of A and above are considered to have the best traction.
• Tread Wear: This is basically an estimate of your tire’s lifespan. In most cases, tread wear is affected by various factors such as your driving style, aggressiveness, and the condition of the roads you’re driving on. To determine a tire’s treadwear rating, a control is used that has a rating of 100. So, if a tire manages to go beyond this rating, let’s say 300 or 500, then it means it’s three to five times longer lasting.
• Temperature Resistance: This is another parameter every tire must meet. Temperature rating measures a tire’s heat resistance and is rated from highest to lowest (A, B, or C). In most cases, performance tires tend to have a higher rating than passenger all-season tires since they undergo a lot of abuse.

Now that you’ve understood how each category works, we’ve compiled a well-detailed table that reveals the performance of some popular Cooper tires.

Cooper Tire Model	Tire Type	Tread Wear Score	Traction Score	Temperature Resistance
Cooper Evaluation Tour H/T	SUV/Crossover All-Season	600	A	B
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S	All Terrain Tricks & SUVs	620	A	B
Cooper Zeon RS3-G1	Ultra-High Performance All-Season	500	AA	A
Cooper Trendsetter SE	Passenger All-Season	440	A	B

 

Firestone Tires Industry Rating

Just like Cooper Tires, Firestone Tires also undergo a very strict evaluation system as stated by the NHTSA. This evaluation system, commonly known as the UTQG, is a strict rating system that grades tires based on traction, tread wear, and temperature resistance.

Since we’ve already discussed all these three parameters in the Cooper Tires section, we’ll go straight to analyze the grading data of some popular Firestone tires according to UTQG.

Firestone Tire Model	Tire Type	Tread Wear Score	Traction Score	Temperature Resistance
Firestone All-Season	Passenger All-Season	560	A	B
Firestone Destination LE2	Light truck/SUV Highway All-Season	520	A	B
Firestone Destination A/T	Light truck/SUV All-Terrain	460	A	B
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500	Passenger Ultra High-Performance Summer	500	A	B

 

Cooper Vs. Firestone Tires—Cost

The best thing about both Cooper and Firestone tires is that they’re highly affordable as compared to most popular brands such as Michelin and Goodyear. In most cases, procuring a set of all-season tires can cost you no more than $150, which most reports suggest is quite fair.

However, if you’re looking for a set of high-performance tires or tires that offer advanced traction, then you must be ready to spend more as these tires are generally costlier.

 

Conclusion

So, Cooper vs. Firestone Tires—which is the best? Well, the answer to this question will vary greatly depending on your taste. Looking at the price factor, both of these brands are very affordable as compared to most leading tire manufacturers.

However, when it comes to the UTQG data, Cooper seems to have the upper hand, especially in the tread wear category. This means that Cooper tires are smooth, safe, and longer-lasting. However, when you look at the rest of the categories, both of these tires have tied up meaning it’s all up to you to decide which brand suits your situation best.