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Continental PureContact LS vs Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 25 + 326 owner reviews. How we score

PureContact LS leads, 69–67 Narrow edge

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Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx
Tire BCooper

Discoverer S/T Maxx

All Season

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 67 · 326 reviews

“Personally a huge fan of the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx great on and offroad. Quite on road.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 69

    Dry

    Discoverer S/T Maxx +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSDiscoverer S/T Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6973

    PureContact LS: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 69 = 69

    Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 71

    No road tests of dry for PureContact LS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 72

    Wet

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSDiscoverer S/T Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7273

    PureContact LS: 60% × 71.6 (est.) + 40% × 72.2 = 72

    Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 72

    No road tests of wet for PureContact LS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 67

    Snow

    Discoverer S/T Maxx +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSDiscoverer S/T Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6468

    PureContact LS: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 64 = 67

    Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 69.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.5 = 69

    No road tests of snow for PureContact LS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 59

    Comfort

    Level
    59
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSDiscoverer S/T Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5454

    PureContact LS: 40% × 65.7 (est.) + 60% × 53.9 = 59

    Discoverer S/T Maxx: 40% × 65.8 (est.) + 60% × 54.4 = 59

    No road tests of comfort for PureContact LS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 68

    Noise

    PureContact LS +9
    59
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSDiscoverer S/T Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7047

    PureContact LS: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 68

    Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 47.4 = 59

    No road tests of noise for PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 68

    Treadwear

    PureContact LS +2
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSDiscoverer S/T Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6966

    PureContact LS: 60% × 67.4 (est.) + 40% × 68.8 = 68

    Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for PureContact LS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 70

    Handling (owners)

    PureContact LS +19
    51
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSDiscoverer S/T Maxx
    Reviews found online7051
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental PureContact LSCooper Discoverer S/T Maxx
Relative Score 69 67
Dry 69 71
Wet 72 72
Snow 67 69
Comfort 59 59
Noise 68 59
Treadwear 68 66
Handling (owners) 70 51

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

PureContact LS

± 7

Discoverer S/T Maxx

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A PureContact LS

Pros

  • Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Strong wet and dry traction with reliable handling
  • Good balance of everyday comfort and long treadlife

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can lead to less responsive or wandering handling during aggressive cornering
  • Develops temporary flat spotting when parked, causing morning vibrations
  • Poor winter performance, particularly lacking traction on snow and ice despite being an all-season tire
All owner themes in the PureContact LS review

Tire B Discoverer S/T Maxx

Pros

  • Aggressive all-terrain tread pattern that excels in dirt, gravel, sand, and moderate mud
  • Surprisingly quiet and smooth ride on the highway for such a rugged tire
  • Exceptional sidewall strength and puncture resistance against sharp rocks and debris

Cons

  • Faster-than-expected tread wear for some users, particularly on heavier duty or lighter vehicles
  • Subpar wet pavement traction, specifically in cold or greasy conditions
  • Stiff ride quality and potential handling vagueness or steering pull if pressures are not meticulously tuned
All owner themes in the Discoverer S/T Maxx review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Continental PureContact LS

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx

Positive

The community generally praises the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx for its exceptional dual-purpose performance, offering low road noise and strong traction across various off-road conditions like mud, rocks, and sand. Users note good handling while towing heavy loads, though some mention a slight softness or different feel during cornering that does not negatively impact overall safety. While initial purchase costs can be high, overall satisfaction is very high with many loyal repeat customers.

r/ToyotaTundra ·2 upvotes ·2026-10-10

“Personally a huge fan of the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx great on and offroad. Quite on road.”
duramaxforum.com ·2012-09-10

“I have 285/75-r16 on my f-150 and love them. I've put them through hell (rocks, mud, sand, rim breaking in half and truck skidding down the road on it) and the have held up amazing. My old set of cooper st's last around 60k and still had a little life left. Ill never run any thing but coopers now. and for the record i had that tire checked out by 3 different tire shops and they all said it was fine.”
duramaxforum.com ·2012-09-10

“I have the 285/75-16 Discoverer MAXX on my 05 CCSB and I love them. They ride nice, are quiet and work well when hauling my Tractor . As far as the feeling when turning they do feel a little different but it has not affected the handeling of the truck at all. I def . recommend getting this tire .”
Top themes
#on and off road traction#low road noise#heavy towing performance#durability and toughness#cornering feel#aggressive appearance

Based on 11 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental PureContact LS B · Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available—30
Rim diameters—16″ – 20″
Tread depth10/32″19/32″
UTQG700 A A—
Treadwear warranty70,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side WallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering
Max pressure51 psi35 - 80 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental PureContact LS

Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx

Narrow edge: Continental PureContact LS — better handling and noise. Where the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental PureContact LS scores 70 vs 51 on handling.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental PureContact LS scores 68 vs 59 on noise.

Tire A · Continental PureContact LS
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Tire B · Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx
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PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx?

Which is better in the wet, PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 71 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 69 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx?

Continental PureContact LS, 68 vs 59 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 59 vs 59 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, PureContact LS or Discoverer S/T Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 66 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology