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 + 1 road tests and 251 + 11 owner reviews. How we score
Defender LTX M/S leads, 79–77 Narrow edge
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Tests – · none yet Owners 81 · 251 reviews
“I got 80k (rotating every 10k) out of Coopers on my 2010 and have 40k on current 2019 SL ... Discoverer AT3 LT ... they are designed for heavier trucks... excellent noise, excellent in water. I got stuck in a grass field in the factory HT hancocks... same field few years later with coopers.. no issues.. never tried in snow but imagine they would do well...”
Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Discoverer AT3 LT | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 75 (est.) | ≈ 75 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 86 | 84 |
Discoverer AT3 LT: 60% × 75.4 (est.) + 40% × 86 = 80
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79
No road tests of dry for Discoverer AT3 LT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
No road tests of dry for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
| Source | Discoverer AT3 LT | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 79 (est.) | ≈ 79 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 85 | 86 |
Discoverer AT3 LT: 60% × 78.7 (est.) + 40% × 85.3 = 81
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82
No road tests of wet for Discoverer AT3 LT. 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 Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Discoverer AT3 LT | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 72 (est.) | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 76 | 77 |
Discoverer AT3 LT: 60% × 72.3 (est.) + 40% × 76.1 = 74
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74
No road tests of snow for Discoverer AT3 LT. 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 Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | Discoverer AT3 LT | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 70 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 75 | 78 |
Discoverer AT3 LT: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 75.2 = 73
Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.4 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75
No road tests of comfort for Discoverer AT3 LT or Defender LTX M/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Discoverer AT3 LT | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 66 (est.) | – |
| Reviews found online | 80 | – |
Discoverer AT3 LT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 80.4 = 72
No road tests of noise for Discoverer AT3 LT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Discoverer AT3 LT | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 71 (est.) | 75 |
| Reviews found online | 78 | 86 |
Discoverer AT3 LT: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 78.2 = 74
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80
No road tests of treadwear for Discoverer AT3 LT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
| Source | Discoverer AT3 LT | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 71 | 82 |
| Category | Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT | Michelin Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 77 | 79 |
| Dry | 80 | 79 |
| Wet | 81 | 82 |
| Snow | 74 | 74 |
| Comfort | 73 | 75 |
| Noise | 72 | – |
| Treadwear | 74 | 80 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 82 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Discoverer AT3 LT
Defender LTX M/S
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Community sentiment regarding the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT is mixed with a positive lean. Drivers appreciate its wet and snow traction, low noise, and strong tread life under heavy loads, though some report irregular wear and persistent balancing or vibration issues after accumulating mileage.
“I ran a set of 295/70r18 Discoverer AT3 LT’s for about 25k miles. I had seen lots of negative reviews but figured that I would be OK with them for my needs ( I drive in snow 4 - 5 times per year). Initially I was happy with the tires as they performed well in the snow and the rain but after 10k miles they developed a balance issue and started to wear irregularly. I had never experienced anything like it before. I actually purchased new shocks but never installed them. As I drive a lot of miles I just never had any time to deal with chasing the vibration / balance issue and just replaced the tires with Bridgestone Dueler AT Ascent. I now have about 20k miles on the Bridgestone’s and they are still ride very smooth and are wearing great.”
“I have the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT tires on my 2010 Tundra with Hawk. They are E series tires. Found this link that discusses the differences between the LT and XLT. Really like my LT's. The increased tire mileage would probably be a good thing of the price difference isn't too great. Paul”
“From the Cooper site: Discoverer A/T3 55,000 Mile Treadwear Protection - Light Truck sizes 60,000 Mile Treadwear Protection - SUV sizes The Discoverer A/T3™ is an all-season, all-terrain tire designed to perform well on the highway and off for drivers of SUVs and light duty trucks. Excellent highway performance Excellent wet traction Improved treadwear and traction in rocky and gravel terrain M+S Rated Discoverer AT3 LT 60,000 Mile Treadwear Protection - LT-metric sizes The Discoverer AT3 LT™ with Durable Tread Technology™ hauls heavy loads with less wear and are built to withstand ongoing assault from dirt and gravel. Designed to prevent shredding on rocky and gravel terrain Extreme durability for hauling Superior control and braking in wet weather Cutting through the marketing-speak, it sounds like the A/T3 is more road biased and the AT3 LT is perhaps heavier duty and more offroad biased. And the AT3 LT is not rated for winter conditions. I've had Discount Tire try to feed me a load of BS on more than one occasion. It sounds like that's what they were doing to you. The A/T3 is definitely still available.”
Based on 5 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT | B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Terrain tire | All Season |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 14 | — |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 18″ | — |
| Tread depth | 16 - 17/32″ | — |
| UTQG | — | 720 - 800 B A |
| Treadwear warranty | 60,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering | — |
| Max pressure | 50 - 80 psi | — |
Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT
Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Narrow edge: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling and treadwear. Where the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 71 on handling.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 74 on treadwear.
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Neither, by our numbers: 81 vs 82 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 79 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 75 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 74 on our treadwear score.
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
