SVTPerformance : Cooper Tires Ride and Drive : Part 1http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...-fun-than-human-should-have.html#post12917437http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...-fun-than-human-should-have.html#post12917437http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...-fun-than-human-should-have.html#post12917437http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...-fun-than-human-should-have.html#post12917437
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“Ok, so you’re telling me you want me to fly to TX, drive a bunch of cars at their (my) limits on closed courses without being responsible for any damage I will most certainly cause, and I just have to give you my opinion about some tires? I just have one question, once I get there how do you plan on getting me leave?” That’s basically how the conversation went when Cooper Tires contacted me and said they had some new tires they’d like me to test out. Great power and no responsibility, that sounds like something I should definitely be involved with.
My trek found me traveling from sunny Myrtle Beach, SC to blazingly hot Southern Texas. Pearsall, TX to be exact, home of vast swaths of open range and weaponized grass (grass festooned with burs and thorns). What I discovered upon my arrival to the Cooper Tire & Vehicle Test Center was nothing short of gear head paradise. The Cooper facility occupies over 1,000 acres and boasts a massive two-mile oval track, a 1.3 mile road track, a 14-acre wet skidpad, and a sprawling off-road course. They even had their technical consultant, former Indy Car driver Johnny Unser, on hand to show all the participates the ropes.
Our morning started out with a briefing in the test facility’s conference room. The Cooper staff brought us up to speed on the history of Cooper Tires and the tires we’d be testing that day. They had two different models of their Zeon passenger car line set up for us, the RS3-A and the RS3-S. The Zeon RS3-A is Cooper’s high performance all-season tire, and they list the RS3-S as their ultra high performance summer tire.
Riding in a Toyota is not what I consider a good way to start the day, but the day only got better from here.
We started the day with some classroom time to familiarize us with Cooper Tires' History, the layout of the test facility, and the tests we would be performing.
I didn't realize Cooper Tires as a company is nearly 100 years old.
Our first day of testing would center around Cooper's RS3-A and RS3-S tires.
I was really impressed by how each aspect of the tire and its performance was broken down for us.
A little "pre-game" education goes a long way.
Since we were in South Texas there were a few things we had to avoid. Apparently the fire ants down there are pretty serious.
It wouldn't be SVTP without some spiders.
We started the day with some classroom time to familiarize us with Cooper Tires' History, the layout of the test facility, and the tests we would be performing.
I didn't realize Cooper Tires as a company is nearly 100 years old.
Our first day of testing would center around Cooper's RS3-A and RS3-S tires.
I was really impressed by how each aspect of the tire and its performance was broken down for us.
A little "pre-game" education goes a long way.
Since we were in South Texas there were a few things we had to avoid. Apparently the fire ants down there are pretty serious.
It wouldn't be SVTP without some spiders.
After our briefing it was time to get out on the wet skidpad and get a feel for the tires. Cooper had two 2012 Corvette autos prepped for the testers. The cars were identical except one was equipped with Cooper’s RS3-S tires and the other had BFGoodrich Sport Comp II’s. I had very little experience with either of these tires and even less experience pushing a Vette to its limits on a wet road. This was going to be interesting.
I got behind wheel of the BFG equipped car first. We had three laps on the wet autocross course to get a feel for each tire. With the BFGs I could feel the tires start to lose traction early, especially front grip. Without really pushing the car very hard the BFGs would exhibit serious understeer. However, it was somewhat controllable by correcting it with oversteer. By feeding in some throttle the back tires would break loose and the rear would start to rotate around the turn. Having driven many high-powered Mustangs this is a situation to which I am accustomed.
Immediately after driving the BFG Sportcomp II equipped car I got to drive an identical (except for the color) Vette fitted with Cooper’s RS3-S summer tires. I found this tire very interesting. The “break loose” and understeer limits were much higher than the BFGs, but I had a tougher time controlling the car. This was because the rear tires maintained traction so well that I couldn’t comfortably break the rear tires loose and rotate the car around the turn. Because of this I felt I could drive the BFG smoother, albeit slower, on the wet autocross course. Had I been more experienced at driving that car in that situation, the Vette has a very sharp edge between control and losing it at the limit, I feel the Cooper would have been much faster. Two of the other editor in attendance, both of which work in the hi-po market, had similar feelings to mine.
However, nearly every other driver in attendance was not writing for a hi-po audience. Some were there for family car review sites, others for tech blogs, and several from general consumer product review publications. Because these guys weren’t pushing the cars to the max, I didn’t consider that an option considering the name of this place, they had a different opinion than the performance crowd. The average driver guys were practically unanimous in their praise of the Coopers. Everyone I talked to had a much easier time getting around the course and maintaining control with the cooper tires. I’ll count that as a win for the Cooper’s RS3-S.
We started off the day in a pair of Corvettes.
This panoramic shot should give you an idea of the size of the wet skidpad, 14 acres in total.
This red Corvette was fitted with BFG Sportcomp II tires.
This driver had a little trouble keeping the rear planted with the BFGs. He was able to :kill some cones though.
If you think autocross is fun you should really try it in the rain.
Our friend KJ Jones from 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords was in attendance. He didn't seem totally thrilled by the prospect of driving a Chevy.
Don't let those clouds fool you. It was nearly 100 degrees both days we were at Cooper's facilities.
The black Corvette was equipped with Cooper RS3-S tires.
They seemed to handle the wet conditions better than the BFGs, but I just never really got comfortable in either of the Chevys. Consider it lack of seat time in an unfamiliar vehicle.
Cooper's staff was always on hand to give advice and make sure we didn't go careening off into a prairie somewhere.
This shot should give you an idea of how little water it takes to upset a vehicle.
This transition between dry and wet pavement was a real challenge.
This panoramic shot should give you an idea of the size of the wet skidpad, 14 acres in total.
This red Corvette was fitted with BFG Sportcomp II tires.
This driver had a little trouble keeping the rear planted with the BFGs. He was able to :kill some cones though.
If you think autocross is fun you should really try it in the rain.
Our friend KJ Jones from 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords was in attendance. He didn't seem totally thrilled by the prospect of driving a Chevy.
Don't let those clouds fool you. It was nearly 100 degrees both days we were at Cooper's facilities.
The black Corvette was equipped with Cooper RS3-S tires.
They seemed to handle the wet conditions better than the BFGs, but I just never really got comfortable in either of the Chevys. Consider it lack of seat time in an unfamiliar vehicle.
Cooper's staff was always on hand to give advice and make sure we didn't go careening off into a prairie somewhere.
This shot should give you an idea of how little water it takes to upset a vehicle.
This transition between dry and wet pavement was a real challenge.
Next it was time to hit the dry road course track with the Vettes. You can basically guarantee that if I ever win a few hundred million dollar lottery I’m going to build a track like Cooper’s in my back yard. Driving on a track like that is about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Unfortunately, by the time my turn came the Vettes were having a bit overheating issue. Both cars were in limp mode, it was a triple digit day in Pearsall, TX and the Vettes had just about had enough. Before I could hit the test track I had to take the BFG equipped C6 for a several minute long cool-down run on Cooper’s one-mile oval circuit.
With a cooler car now in hand I gave it my best with the BFG equipped car. Cooper had setup a surprisingly fast track for us. I was really able to push the cars more than I had expected. With the BFGs I was greeted with significantly more tire screeching than with the Coopers. The RS3-S tires displayed significantly more grip in the center of the corners and felt much more stable (less squirrelly) under hard braking. Sadly, I wasn’t able to get much more than one good lap with each car. After a single hard lap both cars were hopelessly heat soaked (limp mode yet again) and the brakes were on their way out. I wish I had gotten more of a feel for the capabilities of each tire, but from the limited time I did have the Cooper RS3-S seemed to have an edge on the road course over the BFG Sportcomp II.
The next order of business was to move to the dry handling track to once again saddle up with the Corvettes.
Unfortunately, when my turn came to drive the Copper outfitted car it was acting a bit temperamental.
And by temperamental I mean temperature challenged.
As in the car was so hot that it was crawling along in limp mode.
I did however get the chance to check out what exciting things are in the area surrounding the Cooper Test Facility. Not much as it would seem.
I did get a bit of time in the BFG fitted Corvette.
It was a suffering overheating problems as well, but not to the extent of the Cooper Vette.
from my limited time in both I can say that the BFGs exhibited much more tire squeal.
By this time in the day the temps were well over 100 degrees.
The BFGs understreered much heavier than the Coopers.
And once the rear tires on the BFG equipped car started to give up grip safe recovery was very difficult.
As the right front tire started to lose grip the car began to drift to the outside of this progressive turn.
Due to my slot as the final driver of the day I was unable to get any action pics of the Cooper equipped Corvette. I promise to make up for it next week with some great photos from Day 2.
Unfortunately, when my turn came to drive the Copper outfitted car it was acting a bit temperamental.
And by temperamental I mean temperature challenged.
As in the car was so hot that it was crawling along in limp mode.
I did however get the chance to check out what exciting things are in the area surrounding the Cooper Test Facility. Not much as it would seem.
I did get a bit of time in the BFG fitted Corvette.
It was a suffering overheating problems as well, but not to the extent of the Cooper Vette.
from my limited time in both I can say that the BFGs exhibited much more tire squeal.
By this time in the day the temps were well over 100 degrees.
The BFGs understreered much heavier than the Coopers.
And once the rear tires on the BFG equipped car started to give up grip safe recovery was very difficult.
As the right front tire started to lose grip the car began to drift to the outside of this progressive turn.
Due to my slot as the final driver of the day I was unable to get any action pics of the Cooper equipped Corvette. I promise to make up for it next week with some great photos from Day 2.
The third session of the day was easily the highlight for me, Mustangs on the wet skidpad. I need to preface this by saying that yes, they were V6 Auto rental cars, but that wasn’t going to stop me from having some fun. Some may think of the V6 Mustang as a lesser form of Pony-car, but with 305 HP on tap the sixxer is basically as stout as the previous model GT. As before, each car was outfitted with a different set of tires. One was equipped with Cooper’s new RS3-A all-season tire, while the other was fitted with Toyo Proxes 4s. While I haven’t had experience with either of these tires I do have substantial seat time in S-197 Mustangs. After watching a few fellow editors take their turn I was fiending to get behind the wheel.
My first Mustang run was in the car outfitted with the Toyo Proxes 4 tires. The first thing that I noticed was that the Toyos had some real trouble maintaining grip under braking. The front end plowed like a John Deere. Frontend grip was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, even when equipped with base V6 engine the Mustang was able to put up a valiant fight against the understeer by simply feeding in some throttle. While sliding around Cooper’s wet skid pad with the Toyos was great fun, the thought driving these tires in wet conditions such as this in the real world is downright scary. Very few of the other drivers there pushed the Mustangs as hard as I did, but that was mostly due to my comfort level with the platform. My experience with the Toyos was similar to driving on snow. Not something I’d like to experience in a Mustang on a regular basis, and it can rain fairly heavily where I live at a moment’s notice in the summer.
My final drive of the day was in another V6 Mustang on the wet skid course, but this one was fitted with Cooper RS3-A all-season rubber. The difference in handling between the Cooper RS3-As and the Toyo tires was stark. Even under heavy braking the Coopers managed to maintain a surprising amount of front end grip. I was really able to push the car into a turn much harder while still having a degree of control with the Coopers than I could with the Toyos. The story was the same when applying throttle when exiting a corner. The rear tires held traction much better than expected. The Cooper RS3-As were the real surprise of the day. I couldn’t believe how hard I could push the Mustang equipped with these tires while still maintaining control in very adverse conditions. After my time with the Coopers I would feel very comfortable buying a set of RS3-As for a car that was going to be driven in inclement weather. For a daily driver these tires would be tough to beat.
It felt good to get in a Mustang, even if it was a V6 model.
The white car was equipped with Toyo Proxes 4 tires.
The black Mustang was shod with Cooper RS3-A all-season tires.
This kind of wet skid-pad testing is so much fun that you'd think it was illegal. I think I may have found where I want to retire to.
This sharp corner was a heart-breaker for many. The Toyo equipped car had a tendency to plow right through it.
A lot of guys found themselves sideways after hitting the wet side of this transition.
The Cooper equipped car gave much better feedback through the steering wheel and held grip much better.
The Coopers inspired much more confidence in the driver than the Toyos.
Even when they broke loose the Coopers always quickly corrected and came back under control.
The Cooper equipped black car could also manage throttle induced oversteer much more confidently than the white Mustang.
Some parts of the track had over 1/2 inch of water running over it.
After watching so many journalist loose control I started to think Cooper placed this one dry patch here just to give the drivers a small glimmer of hope.
I'm guessing this why they call this part of the country "Big Sky Country."
Seconds after this photo was taken the driver plowed over several of the cones on the right.
The Cooper equipped car was much more confidence inspiring.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a short video feauring some of the highlights from our first day at the Cooper Tires Ride and Drive.
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VknvMBZ8Z_0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The white car was equipped with Toyo Proxes 4 tires.
The black Mustang was shod with Cooper RS3-A all-season tires.
This kind of wet skid-pad testing is so much fun that you'd think it was illegal. I think I may have found where I want to retire to.
This sharp corner was a heart-breaker for many. The Toyo equipped car had a tendency to plow right through it.
A lot of guys found themselves sideways after hitting the wet side of this transition.
The Cooper equipped car gave much better feedback through the steering wheel and held grip much better.
The Coopers inspired much more confidence in the driver than the Toyos.
Even when they broke loose the Coopers always quickly corrected and came back under control.
The Cooper equipped black car could also manage throttle induced oversteer much more confidently than the white Mustang.
Some parts of the track had over 1/2 inch of water running over it.
After watching so many journalist loose control I started to think Cooper placed this one dry patch here just to give the drivers a small glimmer of hope.
I'm guessing this why they call this part of the country "Big Sky Country."
Seconds after this photo was taken the driver plowed over several of the cones on the right.
The Cooper equipped car was much more confidence inspiring.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a short video feauring some of the highlights from our first day at the Cooper Tires Ride and Drive.
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VknvMBZ8Z_0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Special Thanks To:
Cooper Tires
-SID297:beer:
