Even though the Yokohama Geolandar MT and the Cooper STT Pro are both mud-terrain tires, the STT Pro performs exceptionally better on muddy terrains as compared to its competitor due to its higher void ratio.
But, the Geolandar MT is far more comfortable to drive on road, owning to its higher contact patch. Keep reading to find out more about both of these tires!
Table of Contents
Comparing Cooper STT Pro with Yokohama Geolandar MT
Yokohama Geolandar M/T
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro
Vs
As the name suggests, the Yokohama Geolandar MT is a mud-terrain tire. However, its on-road dry and wet traction is also satisfactory. Talking about the off-road traction, even though its mud and soft snow traction are excellent, it is not as efficient as compared to the competitor. But, when it comes to the traction on ice, the Geolandar MT leaves the STT Pro far behind. The main reason behind its excellent ice traction is the higher contact patch of its tread. Additionally, the frequent sipes also prove to be excellent in wiping the water away. Since the tire features narrower grooves, it offers excellent on-road comfort to the users. That’s because there are fewer spaces for the air to be trapped inside its tread. As a result, it does not produce as much noise as the Cooper STT does. But, the narrow grooves do not prove to be effective in absorbing bumps and shocks while driving off-road.
Just like the Geolandar MT, the Cooper STT Pro is also a mud-terrain tire. Its performance on mud and soft snow terrains is far more superior due to its wider grooves. In addition to this, the self-cleaning ability of the tire further provides effective evacuation of mud and snow which leads to excellent traction off-road. Not only this, but the wider grooves provide excellent comfort while driving off-road as well. It also possesses bold stone ejectors in its central ribs and shoulder lugs. This is what makes it capable of avoiding pebbles and stones adherence effectively. The tire is also more affordable than the Geolandar MT which makes it an excellent candidate when it comes to off-road traction.
On-Road Traction Comparison
When it comes to on-road traction, the MT performs better than its competitor due to the lower void ratio. The less wide grooves than the STT Pro result in a greater contact patch which provides a better grip on the road. In addition to this, the strong shoulders provide relatively enhanced handling when you take swift turns on paved tracks. When it comes to wet on-road traction, the deep sipes of the tire make the tread capable of wiping the water away. As a result, you get good wet traction and resistance over slippery surfaces but lowered compared to STT Pro.
On the other hand, the STT Pro performs less on dry roads due to its wide channels among tread blocks.
The wider grooves of the tire minimize the contact patch which reduces its traction on-road resulting in poor grip. However, the massive grooves can resist hydroplaning as well. But, this feature is unable to compensate for reduced contact patch and as a result, the overall traction on a dry road is still lesser in competition. However, the on-road traction on a wet road is very effective due to wider grooves easily passing the water through the tread. Its sipes are thinner than the regular sipes yet it outperforms its competitor due to wider grooves.
Off-Road Traction Comparison
Mud Terrain
Even though the mud traction of the MT is appreciable due to its wide grooves, it is still lesser than its competitor. Comparatively speaking, its grooves are narrower than the STT Pro and its self-cleaning ability to throw the mud off from the tread is inefficient. However, the firm handling over the corner is aided by the aggressive shoulders of the tire. You can use them confidently over the mud puddles but might have trouble while dealing with deep mud.
In comparison, the open tread design of the STT Pro is equipped with all the qualities that a tire requires to glide smoothly through muddy terrains.
The tire’s wide grooves have huge spaces between them which make the evacuation of mud very effective and easy. Furthermore, this self-cleaning ability protects the tire from mud stuffing which leads to excellent mud traction. The scooping pattern over the shoulder lugs of the tire provides extra support while steering.
Snow Terrain
The performance of MT over soft snow is no doubt satisfactory. However, it is not as effective as its competitor. The grooves of the tire are relatively narrower and as a result, the soft snow is not completely removed from them when they move forward. Therefore, the voids might become choked with snow which leads to decreased snow traction. However, these tires show good traction on the ice due to the high contact patch of the tread. In addition to this, the frequent and deep sipes also play their part in wiping away the water. This further increases the ice traction.
In contrast, the STT Pro shows superior performance on surfaces covered with soft snow.
The wider grooves of the tire provide them with a full capacity to clear their pathway by throwing the soft snow backward. As a result, they move ahead with ease. But, it will face trouble over icy terrains as the wide grooves result in lesser contact patches which will lead to lesser grip.
Rock Terrain
Although you can confidently use the MT for roaming around rocky trails, its performance is less when it comes to stone ejection. The stone ejectors of the tire are capable of avoiding the rocky fragments; however, there are no stone ejectors among the central blocks. This is what makes the MT vulnerable to scratches, punctures, and choking of grooves due to stony particles. On the contrary, the deep biting feature of the tread provides the tire with awesome traction on rocky surfaces. In addition to this, the large shoulder lugs also maintain traction when the vehicle makes turns on difficult corners.
The performance of STT Pro is extraordinary in rocky terrains due to the higher number of stone ejectors. It also possesses bold stone ejectors on both shoulder lugs and central ribs. This is what makes it capable of avoiding stony particles such as pebbles and stones. Not only this, but it also prevents the tread from puncturing and clogging. The tread of the STT Pro has an aggressive pattern which further enhances its biting ability on uneven surfaces. Moreover, the combination of textured sidewall lugs and scooped shoulders offer excellent handling on tricky turns.
Comfort
As the MT has fewer wider grooves and closely packed shoulder lugs, it becomes less noisy as compared to the STT Pro. That’s because the less wide grooves decrease the wind resonation and fewer amount of air particles are trapped between them. However, its off-roading comfort lags a bit behind its competitor. The narrower grooves will be unable to absorb the harsh jerks just as effectively as the STT Pro. As a result, your ride might become uncomfortable.
On the other hand, the STT Pro is louder than the Geolandar MT due to the wide spacing of its tread blocks. The massive space between the grooves allows the wind particles to move back and forth among the tread which in turn produces a lot of noise. As a result, you get a relatively uncomfortable road trip. But, you will get an incredibly smooth and comfortable ride while off-roading as the wide grooves will absorb the shocks and jerks effectively.
Durability & Treadwear
In terms of tread design, the meaty shoulder blocks and the touch sidewall design of the MT are worth mentioning. They work in harmony to protect the tire against rock punctures and deliver additional grip and better traction. This is what makes the durability of the tread phenomenal. Other than that, the average tread life is reported to be around 60,000 miles which is also an outstanding feature of the tire.
The STT Pro is made of 3 ply thick sidewalls which are capable of efficiently absorbing shocks and also provide resistance to scratches, chips, and abrasions. However, when it comes to the durability of the tread, it is lesser in comparison. The average tread life of the tire is reported about 30,000 to 40,000 miles.
Price
Talking about the price, the MT is higher priced than the STT Pro. That’s because it offers comparatively better on-road traction and comfort. However, if you want to buy a tire that provides excellent off-road traction then you should consider the Cooper.
Quick Summary
- Both MT and STT Pro are mud-terrain tires.
- The on-road dry traction of the MT is better whereas STT performs well on wet traction.
- The off-road mud and soft snow traction of STT Pro are superior.
- The MT performs better on icy terrains.
- STT Pro’s performance on rocky terrains is better on rocky terrains due to bold stone ejectors.
- Geolandar MT provides more comfortable driving on-road.
- The off-road comfort of STT Pro is better.
- MT tread is more durable than that of STT Pro.
- TheSTT Pro costs less.
