American tire manufacturer Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has been producing top quality tires for over 109 years. A subsidiary of Goodyear, Cooper is based in Findlay, Ohio, and has over 60 offices and manufacturing facilities worldwide. It produces tires for passenger cars, minivans, CUVs, SUVs, light trucks, and commercial vehicles under various categories such as all-season, all-terrain, winter, UHP, all-weather, mud-terrain, and more. To combat the extreme low temperatures, Cooper offers a wide range of winter tires and the Discoverer Snow Claw is one of them.

Designed for SUVs and light trucks, the Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw features a large number of sipes to ensure that tread flexes and bites into the ice and snow for a controlled ride. With the Snow-Groove technology, the tread can trap snow and deliver greater traction, braking power, and handling. The special tread design can be pinned with 11mm (TSMI #12) studs to further boost traction and grip over slippery surfaces. With rigorous winter testing in the snow around the globe, the Cooper tire assures great winter performance and features the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification. Available in a large number of tire sizes, the tire comes with a 45-day satisfaction guarantee scheme for complete peace of mind.

So, does it keep up to the promise of offering great performance in winter? Let’s find out the answer in this Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw tire review.

Features and Benefits

Winter tires are designed to offer superior grip, traction, and handling in severe winter weather conditions of ice and snow. The Cooper tire promises great traction and grip in sub-freezing temperatures with its ‘claw’ tread design.

• Solid grip and traction: Whether it’s deep or light snow, the tread features Snow-Groove Technology that helps trap snow for enhanced traction, handling, and braking power. The circumferential grooves evacuate water and slush quickly to avoid the risk of aquaplaning. The option of adding studs further strengthens its performance in heavy ice and snow.
• Great handling and stability: The zigzag tread design with dense sipes provides the necessary stability and handling on slippery surfaces. The special winter compound ensures the tread remains flexible even during conditions where the mercury consistently dips below the 45-degree Fahrenheit mark. Also, the solid shoulder blocks with deep and wide lateral grooves further assist in returning confident handling and cornering on ice and snow.
• Sturdy built, longer life: The optimized tread design ensures there’s equal distribution of driving pressure and, hence, the tread wears evenly. The special silica polymers of the Discoverer Snow Claw aid in reducing wearability by resisting uneven wear.

Pros and Cons

While the Cooper tire embraces a good number of positives, it has some disadvantages too. Let’s have a look at its pros and cons before summing up the Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw review.

PROS:

• Backed by a 45-day satisfaction guarantee
• Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification assures optimum winter performance
• Dense sipes for extra biting edges in deep snow and ice
• Snow-Groove technology for enhanced snow traction
• Circumferential grooves to limit hydroplaning
• Optimized tread design for even wear

CONS:

• No mileage warranty on offer
• Studs are not legal in many regions
• Cannot be used when temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees Fahrenheit

SimpleTire’s view on Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw tires

In a nutshell, the Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw (starts around $172) is a great choice for SUV or light truck owners looking for a reliable winter tire that offers solid traction, grip, stability, and handling in severe winter weather conditions. Like most winter tires it doesn’t come with any mileage warranty and has studs which may or may not be legal in your region. Just check with the authorities to be double-sure before buying them.

It competes with the likes of Hankook Winter i*Pike X (W429A) Studded (starts around $159) and Nokian Nordman 9 SUV (starts around $137).

Vehicles the Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw is a good replacement tire for

The Cooper tire is an excellent replacement tire option for Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Cheyenne, GMC Sierra 1500, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, Toyota Tacoma, and several more.