Cooper Rugged Trek Off-Road Tire Overview
August 10, 2023
Is The Cooper Rugged Trek Tire Worth It For Your Off-Road Build?
We've long known Uncle Cooper and his tires as some of the best that the American off-road market has to offer, and that's on full display throughout the brand's extensive lineup. You probably know all about heavyweight brand favorites like the Discoverer ATT Pro and AT3, but today we want to take a closer look at another great option that suits nicely into the off-road market's rising Hybrid tire category - the Rugged Trek.
There's a lot that we like about this tire, from the sipe design to the tread patterning all the way over to its awesome sidewall construction. So, without further ado, join us as we take a dive into what the Rugged Trek brings to the table and see if it's best for your rig!
Table Of Contents
-Shoulder Lugs and Sidewall Features
Tread Pattern and Siping of the Cooper Rugged Trek
First off, what we really like about the Cooper Rugged Trek is that there are plenty of voids in between all the tread lugs - these are gonna give you plenty of off-road performance and extra traction when you're in deep snow and ice, helping the tread lugs bite and evacuate loose dirt, snow, water and mud. Another thing to keep in mind with the voids between these lugs is that they're pretty deep - Cooper rates them at about 16/32nds of the tread depth, which is pretty cool.
Another thing we like about the Rugged Trek's tread design is all the different sipes that Cooper has added throughout the tread lugs. There are squiggly sipes in the shoulder lugs and each sipe is in a triangle-shaped pattern on the center treads themselves, both of which help give you excellent traction when you do get into some inclement weather.
Hybrid Design Cues of the Cooper Rugged Trek
Being a hybrid terrain tire, the Rugged Trek strikes a balance between mud-terrain and all-terrain performance, making it a more-than-capable tire option for both on-road and off-road use. To help reduce road noise, Cooper has introduced a variable pitch pattern on the Rugged Trek, wherein the pitch of the contact patch hits the road just right to really calm down that road noise.
Another thing Cooper did to alleviate road noises is put in sound barriers in between all the shoulder lugs - this means that when the center tread contact patch hits the pavement and makes that slapping sound, those barriers will help isolate that noise and keep it inside of the tire, dispersing it at the same time.
Cooper Rugged Trek Tread Ridges and Shape
One cool design cue on the Rugged Trek is all the tread ridges that you see in between the shoulder lugs - these are designed to add some extra protection against sharp rocks or other sharp objects, so they don't puncture through the bottom of the tread layer.
Cooper has also designed the Rugged Trek's tread pattern to improve handling and stability with what they're calling an Omni-Design tread pattern. What this means is that the center lugs and side lugs both work together to help with the overall stability of the tire - it won't flex or fold too much one way or the other.
On closer look you can see that the tread lugs are designed to really bite, with jagged edges to each block as you go throughout the center and side patches. As the tire rotates, its treads will bite at the road a bit more aggressively, leading to better traction both on and off the road.
Shoulder Lugs and Sidewall Features of the Cooper Rugged Trek
With that omnidirectional tread pattern we mentioned earlier, the Rugged Trek's shoulder lugs are also designed in an angled pattern so you get the scooping, grabbing and biting on the outside of the tire. These shoulder lugs are also staggered, and that's great for when you're going through the mud because they act as scoops that can push the mud (or snow) out of the way as you drive.
As you go down to the sidewall, Cooper has added quite an aggressive sidewall design to the Rugged Trek, which is especially helpful for getting some additional traction when you're aired down.
Shop the Cooper Rugged Trek For Your Off-Roader at TrailBuilt Off-Road
If you haven't already been keeping an eye on the Rugged Trek for your off-roader, it's definitely time to give it a look. If it's right for you, visit our store today and you can pick up a set for yourselves - better yet, package them with some new wheels and we'll handle the mounting, balancing and shipping for free. We'll see you out on the trails!
