It’s been 12,521 miles since we launched our extended tire test of Cooper’s AT3-XLT pickup tire—an addition to Cooper’s A/T3 truck tire lineup but with fitment that more specifically targets usage segments while offering plenty of tread variety for mixed surfaces.
Our test set of rubber—in 275/55R20—was provided by Cooper and mounted to a 2017 F-150 4×4 in December for an extended trial throughout this year. Over the past three months, they have spent plenty of time on highways, surface roads (dirt and paved) and trekked various traction conditions in both two and four wheel drive.
The short version: These tires have been nothing short of excellent, handling everything that has been thrown at them with an uncommon blend of strength and finesse.
The more detailed version: Scott Jamieson, Cooper’s director of category management, says the AT3 was developed with Even Wear Arc Technology, “which means the tire shape is engineered to strategically balance pressure at the tire-to-road contact area, promoting on-road even tread wear and superior handling.”
We measured 16/32nds of tread depth off the rack and after 12,000-plus miles, that’s down to a respectable 11/32nds across all four. The set was first rotated at 6,000 miles with the front tires showing nearly 2/32nds more wear than the rear. I wanted to swap them sooner than a typical rotation to be sure that could be attributed to the additional weight on the front axle. It was.
Under- and over-inflation can wreck an extended test like this so air pressure in these tires has been meticulously, almost compulsively, maintained at 40 psi. As a result, wear patterns across all four tires appear even if not identical.
