New shoes will put a spring in your step, right?
Our Toyota Sienna’s tires were semi-worn, and with winter coming up, I was feeling nervous about driving. A pair of nice, durable tires was exactly what I needed. When Cooper Tire offered to send its Discoverer EnduraMax for me to review, I jumped the chance. Once installed, our Toyota Sienna drove like a brand new car all over again. And, more importantly, I felt that I could tackle any more craziness the rest of 2020 might bring.
Most cars on the road are outfitted with touring tires, which are great for driving on paved roads. But those aren’t the tires you’ll want if you do any amount of unpaved driving — like off-roading or driving on gravel. My local parkway was being repaved when I fitted the EnduraMax tires on my Sienna, and even that had me breathing a sigh of relief: I felt confident in the uneven terrain on my new set of wheels.
Cooper Tire designed the Discoverer EnduraMax with those facts in mind. Touring tires aren’t fully designed to drive on rough surfaces for a long time. The tread will wear a lot faster. But these tires are designed to prevent that wear.
Related: Are All Season Tires Really The Best Tires for Every Season?
Off-Road Durability for On-Road Driving
The durable tread on these tires helps them really last because they resist wear and tear. We drive a lot, going back and forth to work, school, activities and sports event on the weekends. All those miles start to add up, especially when you start taking rough detours or when roads are under construction. I can’t have tires that wear down quickly.
These tires are designed to last for 60,000 miles. If you like to put a set on your car and forget about them for a few years, this is a good tire that will let you do it.
Related: Michelin’s “Safe When New, Safe When Worn” Tires: The Best Tires … Get Better With Wear?
Bring On The Snow
One feature I liked on the EnduraMax tires are its saw-tooth grooves. If you look closely, you can see them on the edges of the treads. The grooves help with grip and traction, allowing you to adjust to wintery conditions. Since I had these tires in the fall, I couldn’t review its snow capabilities, but the grip was nice even in cool autumn conditions.
I used to dread driving on the snow, not knowing how my tires would perform. With all-season touring tires, you can get by, but you have to be extra careful. Now, I’m actually eager to test them out during the first snowstorm of the season!
Related: How to Keep Potholes from Ruining Your Tires… And Your Day
Fear Blowing a Tire? Nah.
One of the scary parts about driving over gravel, potholes, or uneven pavement is worrying that you’ll pop a tire. So, Cooper lined the inside of its EnduraMax tires with steel belts to provide strength on the toughest of roads. They won’t weigh down your car, but a little bit of extra reinforcement is always a good thing.
The tires are also reinforced with nylon. That means you’ll be able to feel more stable at highway speeds or when driving on a long, straight road. It also helps with responsiveness, which is what had me feeling like my old Sienna was a brand new car!
When It’s Time For New Tires
It can be a little confusing to figure out when it’s time to change your tires, especially if you’ve never had to figure it out yourself before. Here are some tips to help you decide when it’s time to look into some new tires:
- Insert a quarter upside down in the tread. If the tire tread doesn’t cover Washington’s head, it’s time to replace your tires.
- Start keeping track of how old your tires are and how many miles you’ve put on them.
- Check for cracks all over, not just in the sidewall. If your tires are losing air pressure more quickly than usual, you might have a nail or crack you never knew existed.
- Look for blisters in the rubber, either on the tread or the sidewall. These are disasters waiting to happen — don’t wait to change tires.
- How has it felt while you’re driving? Is it rough? Is it vibrating? Those are signs to change.
What I Loved About Cooper Tire’s EnduraMax
- They make for a delightfully smooth ride, even when transitioning between road types, like gravel to paved
- They’re quiet, which can be a miracle with three teenage girls in the back
- Safety, safety, safety!
- Impressive longevity and dependability
- They make my Toyota Sienna feel like new, even though it might have seen better days
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Disclosure: Cooper Tire provided the EnduraMax tires for my test drive. All opinions are my own.