+1 on the Conti DW summer tires. I'm loving them.

 

I went with the Cooper RS3-A. Two NAM members have had them for a decent length of time (16K+ miles) and have nothing but good things to say about them. One said "Their wet performance has been awesome, exceeding all expectations ...I can take even the tightest of cloverleafs at 60+ on dry pavement with very little tire squeal and 55+ on the same cloverleaf on wet pavement ...braking has been awesome too, wet and dry."

They both said they handle very well, are quiet, great in the rain and wear well. All that for $315 for a set of 4 with free shipping.

I'm excited to get them. If they do as well as my Nitto NeoGens on dry roads, but are better in the rain, I'll be a happy camper.

I have no doubt the Michelin Pilot SS and Conti DW are great tires, but I just can't bring myself to try summer tires here in CT. The thought of riding on snows for 5 to 6 months is just far too depressing. Three months of non-spirited driving is bad enough. It went down to 38 degrees last night and was raining ...I'd rather be on all season tires when that happens.

Dean.

 

For those interested in the type of tire the OP was shopping for-

Quiet on the road, handles well in dry or wet, is budget priced, and can handle cold and some snow:
Kumho Ecsta 4X (ultra high performance All Season tire)
215/45-17 $94 each 420 treadwear
205/45-17 $99 each

Tirerack test-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=151

see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...N&sortValue=19

 

Also a little late to the discussion here... Going the cheap route (Cooper RS3-A's for Flipper: Discount Tire Direct: 4*108 - 70 (Cooper rebate) - 75 (Discount Tire rebate) = $287.00; no sales tax either!!). Flipper's a daily driver; just being realistic.

 

http://www.motortrend.com/features/c...ires_zeon_rs3/

 

Thanks for the link ZippyNH; I guess I'm getting a bigger-bang-for-the-buck than I thought. Can't wait to get rid of those S-Drives...

 

Hope they work out for ya!!
On my MINI I have been pretty adventurous in picking tires..a couple sets of Generals..mostly due to $$ cause they seem to melt off...even the good ones!!
Might do General UHP's again for the next ones..but at a similar $$ point..this tire you are trying might be a bit of the sleeper!!
I'll be paying attention!!
Heck...the UHP "fun tire" rims (I have 3 sets-One winter ((aftermarket rims)), one a higher mile commuter tire ((OEM rims of a '13)), and one UHP's on MY OEM rims) are at 3/32's so I have been running my "plain jane" commuter tires longer than normal , but have a few trips I REALLY want UHP's on the car!!

Maybe Cooper is making better tires these days...just want to hear some (hopefully) happy folks before I try a set....lol..the old pep-boys branded coopers I had on a old car at one point were...er....less than steller!! LOL.
On a side note, I can say my MINI guy has been selling a bunch of cooper made, private branded tires (Mastercraft) to folks that don't have $ to spend on tires on non-performance cars/commuter cars
...and they seem to be doing great! Kinda like cheap Champlain on a beer budget!! LOL.

 

Thanks. Down here in Acworth, we are able to get away with just one set of tires year 'round (temps typically average in the 50's and 60's here, Dec. Jan. Feb.), and don't have the same challenges as "y'all" up there (that's not to say we couldn't stand some shorter summers down here though ).

We have Coopers on our '05 RAV4 (Discoverer CTS) and they have worn fairly evenly; different kind of tire from the RS3-A of course, but they are definitely quieter than the OEM tires. We've gotten over 30k them; no issues and they are still running quiet, no cupping of the treads.

I'll try to re-post here as I put miles on the RS3-A's (hopefully Reelsmith will chime in with his experiences too ).

 

Here's a link to another test ...

http://www.windingroad.com/articles/...3-s-and-rs3-a/

Dean.

 

Got the tires last Friday... The Good: Quieter (MUCH quieter; I can now hear the 15% reduct pully doing it's thing over a much larger RPM range) and smoother ride. Tread profile appears more aggressive than that of a typical all-season tire (e.g. Punkin's factory all-season's look lame compared to both the S-drives and RS3-A's). The Not-so-good: Handling not as crisp as with the nearly-bald S-drives; this was expected, but I was surprised at the amount of difference. The Bad: No thing.

 

I got my Cooper AS3-A's (215/45/17) mounted last week and so far so good. Super quiet, they handle better than my Nitto Neo-Gens and the ride is more comfy too. The Nittos were like riding in a wagon with wood wheels when it came to comfort.

No rain experience yet, but if what everyone here on NAM who owns these said is true, I'll be impressed. For a dirt cheap tire ($315, free shipping) they are very impressive so far.







Dean.

 

Dean, thanks for the update; great looking 215's! I'll probably try a set of those when the 205's wear out...

 

Got to drive in the rain on the way to the office this morning and I am a happy camper. The Cooper's are awesome wet weather tires. They corner great in the rain, even when pushing it and no slipage on launch unless I really tried to make it happen.

Thanks to all who recommended these ...you were spot on.

Dean.

 

Revival of an old thread ...

A little over two years later I'm still running the Zeon RS3-A and when they wear out I'll be getting another pair, if Cooper is still making them.

My only complaint is they are not great in the snow ...but I did not expect them to be and we had a hideous winter here in CT, so I spent a bit more time on my snows than I would have liked too.

But, in light snow they are fine and they still impress the heck out of me in the rain. Handling and braking in the rain is very impressive. By the looks of them they may go 50K miles ...which would be twice as far as any of the tires I've had previously.

I'll check back in next year and let you know.

Dean.

 

Nice to hear the follow up. I too live in New England so true summer tires would only be on for 3-4 months. I also run winter tires as this is my daily driver. There are 2 subaru's in the yard, but I'd rather drive the Mini year round.

 

Thanks for the update!!! I was going to PM you regarding how the Cooper Zeons have been doing....your review and update convinced me to get these tires....with Discount Tire still running a great deal on these it is difficult to pass up.

 

Hey Dean,


Another year has gone by...still have those Zeon's? :P


I'm curious because my rapidly balding Continental RF's that came with my 12 Clubman are on their last legs. I've had good luck with Cooper tires in the past and I'm north of you so I understand the New England weather...mine can be worse :P


Thanks,


Jason

 

take a look at these:

Continental's ExtremeContact DWS 06 (DWS for Dry, Wet & Snow)

Tire Rack has a rating chart for each condition plus buyers reviews

 

Definitely steer clear of the Hankook S1 evo2 if you come across them. I got some stock on my JCW and they suck hard in the wet. Worst wet weather tires I've seen, straight line or in curves, I've ever seen labeled as summer tires.

Here's another vote for Conti DW. They're awesome wet and dry and ride great!