Cooper vs Toyo Tires
Cooper and Toyo are two of the most famous brands in the tire industry. While Cooper has been picked as their OEM tire manufacturer by the likes of Ford, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz in recent years. Toyo supplies OE tires for various Audi, Toyota, and Nissan models.
Cooper Rating: 4.5/5
Toyo Rating: 4.7/5
The names listed above tell you all you need to know about the quality, performance, and reliability of Cooper and Toyo tires. They also give you all the social proof you need to assure yourself that if you go with either of these brands, the results won’t disappoint you.
These brands are not only reliable and trustworthy. Their mid-range pricing makes them one of the best choices for budget-minded buyers, too. So, if you don’t want to spend over the odds, but are still looking for a quality set of tires, Cooper and Toyo have you sorted.
In this article, we’ll carry out a detailed comparison of Cooper Vs Toyo tires. We’ll begin by discussing Cooper’s history, its various tire families, and the models offered under each. After that, we’ll turn our attention to the Toyo tire brand’s history and a lineup of tires.
Cooper Tires History
Cooper is the older company of the two by a few decades. The tire company was founded in 1914 in Akron, Ohio, but its original name wasn’t Cooper. Instead, it was referred to as M and M Manufacturing in the early days. Also, the company’s initial product lineup didn’t include tires,
Fast forward seven years, and the company began taking the shape we now see it in. Its founders bought Giant Tire & Rubber Company and decided to move the headquarters to Findlay. The location change was followed by a shift in the product lineup and, eventually, a name change.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company was thus born. Right from the first day, Cooper made it its mission to produce high-quality yet affordable tires. This was a difficult balance to strike, given that the tires had to be affordable to lure the masses yet perform reliably to be safe on the road.
The fact that we’re talking about the company almost a century after it made that decision is a testament that Cooper succeeded in its mission. Though not the cheapest on the market, its tires are still available at prices the majority can afford. That too without cutting too many corners.
Cooper’s Tire Families
Cooper categorizes its tire into seven lineups or families. These include Endeavor, CS, Zeon, WM, WeatherMaster, Discoverer, and Evolution. Since none of the names betray their intentions, let’s discuss all Cooper’s tire families in detail.
Endeavor
Cooper’s Endeavor lineup consists of all-season touring tires. There are only three tires in this family, but as you’ll see, three are more than enough. The Cooper Endeavor is made for passenger cars and impresses with its decent dry/wet traction and above-average treadlife warranty.
The Endeavor Tour is also aimed at drivers of passenger cars. This model features latest technologies compared with the original Endeavor, meaning you can count on it to offer better performance. Finally, we’ve the Endeavor Plus, an all-season touring tire for CUVs and SUVs.
CS
There are many similarities between the Cooper CS and Endeavor families. Both consist of all-season touring tires. Both have different models aiming for the passenger car, SUV, and CUV crowd. And both come with respectable treadlife/mileage warranties.
Having said that, there is one key difference between the two lineups. The Cooper CS family gives you more options, thereby attracting more potential customers. You have tires from CS1 to CS4, CS5 Ultra Touring, Grand Touring, and finally the CS7.
Zeon
Cooper’s Zeon family puts performance at the front and center of things. These tires are designed to impress on the road. Their enhanced steering response, excellent cornering performance and superb high-speed stability would make you doubt that you’re driving a pair of budget tires.
If you drive a passenger car, you can choose from the Zeon RS3-G1, RS3-A, and RS3-S. All three tires are available in similar sizes with slight differences in features. SUV and CUV owners, meanwhile, will be better off with the LTZ, a high-performance tire which can also handle some light off-roading.
WM
Unlike the families mentioned above, the WM isn’t a summer, all-season or touring tire family. Instead, all the tires in this lineup are designed to keep you safe in harsh wintry conditions. Plus, they also have a bit of sporty side to them as well.
The WM SA2+ tire is designed for passenger cars only. These tire is available in two models, with the T-speed rated model ideal for smaller sizes and the H- or V-rated model best for larger passenger cars. A WM tire with a van model is on offer too, which you can fit on an SUV or a light truck.
WeatherMaster
These tires are similar to WM tires in that they are also designed for winter conditions. The only key difference between WeatherMaster and WM tires is that they are aimed at different vehicles. Unlike the WM, this family is only for SUV or a light truck.
Two tires complete the WeatherMaster lineup. These include the WeatherMaster WSC, which is for SUVs and CUVS. The other model is the WeatherMaster WSC 4×4, whose name betrays its intentions. The WSC 4×4 is made to fit light trucks.
Discoverer
It is very difficult to put Cooper Discoverer tires in one category. That is because summer, all-season, winter, performance and even off-road tires are a part of this family.
For the passenger car drivers, the Discoverer All-Season and Winter are available in a wide variety of sizes. CUV and SUV owners can opt for XLT, ATT, AT3 Sport, and AT3 LT. Off-roading enthusiasts, meanwhile, can pick from S/T MAXX and STT PRO.
Evolution
There are many similarities between the Evolution family and the one discussed above. Evolution tires are available for multiple vehicles (passenger cars, SUVs, light trucks, CUVs) and for multiple weather conditions (all-season, summer, winter, performance, off-road).
Toyo Tires History
Toyo tires was founded under the fog of World War 2. The company was founded in the same month (August 1945) in which atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both these cities were at a distance of less than 500 miles from Osaka, the city in which Toyo was born.
Like most Japanese company founded during those testing times, Toyo didn’t use the devastations caused by the war as an excuse to law low. Less than 8 months after its inauspicious beginnings, the company’s founder opened Toyo’s first large-scale manufacturing facility.
A listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was next, followed by Toyo setting up their own Research & Development Laboratory in Hyogo. The decade was capped on a stunning point as Toyo became the first Japanese tire company to open its subsidiary business in the United States.
At the time of writing, Toyo is the 8th biggest tire manufacturer in the world, with a market cap of $1.94 billion, $32 million higher than the next brand on the list.
Toyo Tire Families
There are 8 families in Toyo’s tire lineup. These include Proxes, Celsius, Open Country, Nano Energy, Observe, Snowprox, and Transpath. Let’s discuss them all in detail.
Proxes
Toyo Proxes tires are aimed at enthusiast drivers. Exceptional cornering performance, maximum straight-line tracking and enhanced steering response – these are some of the features you can expect to get from every member of the Proxes lineup.
Not that there is shortage of members in the Proxes family. There are ten tires that complete this lineup, including the Proxes Sport A/S, Sport, R1R, ST III, R888R, R888, RR, and RA1. The remaining two members are the Proxes RS1 and TQ.
Celsius
Three members complete the Toyo Celsius family. Toyo Celsius, the premier member, comes with high-density sipes and snow claws to safely carry you from point A to point B in harsh wintry conditions. This tire also features multi-wave sipes to minimize the risk of hydroplaning.
Celsius A2, the second member of this family, is available in 31 sizes from 15- to 20-inches, casting its net as wide as possible. Then there is the Celsius Cargo, which is aimed at commercial vans and truck drivers.
Open Country
The Toyo Open Country AT3 best signifies what this family is all about. This model has an aggressive tread pattern for improved dry and wet handling. A high-void tread compound has all the space that may be required for superb-off road performance.
Furthermore, like other members of the Open Country family, the AT3 comes with the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake 3PMSF symbol. This means the tire has met the rater’s criteria for adequate performance on snow.
Nano Energy
There are five members in the Nano Energy lineup, all of which are aimed at reducing fuel emissions to protect the environment. At least three of the tires are designed to fit the newer or older versions of Toyota Prius, one of the world’s first EV cars. Others can be installed on various vehicles.
Bear in mind, though, that these tires don’t allow universal fitment. So, before you order one of these for your vehicles, make sure it will fit.
Observe
The Observe series is made for wintry conditions. The Observe S44, one of the two tires in this family, is designed for mild-to-moderate inclement weather. In contrast, the GSI5 has what it takes to safely carry you from point A to point B in harsh wintry conditions.
Snowprox
The Toyo Snowprox tires are also made for inclement weather. There are three tires in this lineup, including the S954, S943, and S954 SUV. While the first two are designed for medium/high-class cars and mid-size family cars, respectively. The S954 SUV is for sub-urban vehicles.
Tranpath
The Tranpath tires aren’t made for aftermarket use. These are OEM tires that come installed from the factory. For instance, the A11 fits various trims of Toyota Lexus. The A14 meets the sizing requirements of Nissan cars and the R23 can be installed on Mazda Premacy.
Cooper Vs Toyo Tires: Differences
Here are the major differences between Cooper and Toyo tires:
Performance
In the performance department, Toyo tires are a no-brainer.
For almost 80 years now, the Japanese tire brand has been the favorite choice of motorsport racers, driving enthusiasts and street racing enthusiasts. Its tires’ flexible tread compound, straight line-tracking and high-speed handling are the reasons why.
That isn’t to say that Cooper tires will struggle to perform on the track. Some of this brand’s HP tires can give any brand’s models a run for their money. Yet, on a pound-to-pound comparison, Toyo tires are clear winners in this aspect.
Availability of options
There is no clear winner as far as the availability is concerned.
While Cooper offers everything from all-season to mud-terrain tires, Toyo does the same. Sure, some Toyo tires are available in more sizes. But that shouldn’t distract us from the fact that Cooper tires are also available in multiple sizes. So, it’s impossible to pick a clear winner here.
Price and Warranty
While Toyo tires carry the day when it comes to price, Cooper tires come with longer warranties.
Compare the standard all-season touring tires of both these brands to understand this point. From the side of Cooper, we have the Discoverer All-Season, which is backed with an eye-watering 80,000 miles warranty, 15,000 miles higher than the maximum warranty on any Toyo tire.
Advantages of Cooper
- Backed with bigger warranties
- Offer dedicated winter tires
- Are also affordably priced
Advantages of Toyo
- More pocket-friendly
- More performance oriented
- Available in a large number of sizes
Cooper Vs Toyo Tires: Which One to Choose?
Should you opt for Cooper or Toyo tires? The answer to this question depends on your needs. If you’re looking for fairly inexpensive tire for performance driving, Toyo tires are your best friend. Conversely, if you need a set of reliable and budget-friendly tires for every driving, Cooper is a better bet.
