Last updated on April 5th, 2024 at 10:08 pm
Launched back in 2017, the Cooper Evolution Winter in 2024 is still the most prominent and exceptional winter terrain-performing tire. The tire is renowned among SUV and sedan drivers as the most aggressive tire for the harshest winter terrain rides.
Based on my examination, this Cooper Evolution Winter tire is designed to handle extreme weather more promptly than any other tire. Its aggressive tread blocks ensure that you pass through deep snow and reach the heights of the hills without losing contact.
Tread sipes, high void ratio, and pinned studs also promote its purpose of drifting through sand and water while being totally in control.
Sidenote: although the tire is aggressively designed to tackle extreme weather, it compromises on low rolling resistance, which means more fuel consumption. It is not quite possible to tackle this issue, as it will require continuous ribs, which will counter the extreme weather performance.
Table of Contents
Tread, Compound, and Internal Construction
So, the tire features a directional tread pattern, which is what most aggressive all-terrain and off-road tires equip. The reasoning is simple, more control over unstable roads due to the individual blocks and straighter directional rides.
With an aggressive grip, winter tires also require a temperature control system, which is why this tire is equipped with a winter-focused compound that balances the temperature below zero-degree conditions.
Another thing that winter tires require is the ability to stiff to the ground without getting slippery, and that is why silica in tread compound is provided. Silica bonds the molecules of the rubber more promptly, creating better grip and stiffness in slippery conditions.
The one thing that makes tires multi-weather is sipes, which make the tire grip on wet, dry, and snowy terrains. The multiple multi-angled sipping on this tire’s tread and shoulder blocks make it grip far better than a low, dense winter terrain tire.
Traction and brakes are also improved due to the sipes on each block of the tread. By taking help from grooves, this tire’s performance is further enhanced in wet road conditions, which we will discuss in detail.
The center rib of any tire is the determinant of the tire stability and control on straight roads, essentially highways. The saw-toothed center rib blocks not only improve stable handling it also push the tire to grab a contact when climbing on a hill.
This tire is known to deliver excellently on steep climbs, which is why the price range of this Cooper tire is higher than that of other winter tires.
Wet Road Performance
Factors that matter the most in wet conditions are hydroplaning resistance in deep water and tire-gripping and brakes in rainy situations.
Hydroplaning on water
Hydroplaning is when your tire cannot transfer water from the former contact of the tire to the lateral contact of the tire, resulting in drive over water, instead of underwater.
The wet performance of a tire totally depends on its external layers, which mainly include tread grooves, notches, and sipes.
When the water comes in contact with the tire, the tire needs to flow water through its grooves, so that the tire won’t fly over the water.
In this tire, there are two circumferential grooves that do the job perfectly. However, only grooves are enough.
That is why there are multiple channels between tread blocks that channel the water from the tread over to the shoulder block and exit from the tire tread.
This whole process prevents the tire from landing on water with a tread full of water, continuous channeling of water resists hydroplaning and delivers safer and more controlled rides.
Grip reliance on brakes
So, open channels and lateral notches break the water flow at a fast pace, but what about the brakes?
The brakes and grip are completely aligned together, and require subtle control, especially if you drive a rear-wheel drive vehicle.
The gripping is possible with the tire due to the tread’s multiple corrugated sipes. These full-depth sipes at higher density lock the tread on the road, resulting in a smooth grip while braking.
Grip at corners and turns in rainy situations is further enhanced by open shoulders and shoulder sipes. You would not find it slipping at a normal pace at turn, even in heavy storms, due to the tire’s overall contact.
Usually, winter tires are good in wet conditions. However, this tire performs better than all-season tires in wet conditions. I would personally rate this tire 9 out of 10 in terms of overall wet condition performance.
Dry Road Performance
Dry or warm weather is the most common situation in which to drive your car, and it is not logical to change tires when the weather is stable for a short period.
On dry roads, the performance that needs to be discussed is tire traction, grip, stability, and cornering.
Although you can’t compete with performance tires, it has to be considerably safer to even drive with winter terrain tires.
Traction and brakes on fast speed
The same factors that contributed to wet conditions traction also apply to dry road traction. First of all, high-density and full-depth sipes improve brakes and tire contact.
When a tread is in a directional pattern, a tire has the advantage of achieving traction at a faster pace, as the tread is pushing forward in the same direction, better traction and brakes are the result.
The center rib of a tire is the main factor in deciding the tire’s stability and response, and saw-toothed tread blocks on the center rib of Evolution Winter make smoother contact on the dry road and deliver a responsive feel.
The handling, brakes, and traction are all great in dry road conditions, but the other important thing that is a somewhat basic requirement of dry conditions is the cornering grip and steering response.
Response on lateral cornering
Cornering is basically when you turn your car on sharp turns at a faster pace, most of the time, the car oversteers or understeers on sleek turns, because of the lower control of tires on corners.
The shoulders and outer rib tread edges play an important role in achieving proper cornering. When a tire turns, the outer side of the tread makes contact, and as thick the outer side of the tread is, the greater the results will be.
Now, this tire has thick outer ribs with rigid shoulders and multiple sipes, all of which are necessary for excessive corner control.
That is why the tire doesn’t lose control through steering on faster turns, you can expect good results even at fast-paced track corners.
But it is not as strong as high-performance tire corners, so don’t expect that much from this winter terrain tire.
Winter Terrain Performance
Winter terrains, unlike normal all-season conditions, demand extra features to achieve proper performance. It’s more like a combination of wet conditions and off-road conditions.
So, the tire needs rigid tread blocks, a high void ratio to channels ice and water, and deep tread and sipes. Otherwise, it won’t perform any better than any normal tires.
Brakes and Grip
An important thing about snow driving is the tire’s ability to stop at a distance. If the tire takes too long to stop, it lacks grip and is also dangerous to drive.
For that, this tire is equipped with dense multiwave sipes on the tread and shoulder blocks. So when you press brakes, these sipe bits are on the ground and improve grips and braking at a faster pace.
Its grip is excellent; however, the depth of snow varies the brakes. So if it’s light snow, this tire will be good to drive at 70-80mph, if it’s deeper powdery snow over 6-7 inches, you should not take a risk and drive under 50mph.
Another benefit of this tire is it is studable, so when the snow is getting deeper than normal situations, studs, will play an important part in improving braking and gripping performance, you can expect 20-30% better results while driving with studs.
Handling Response and Stability
The response on the ice track is enhanced by center rib sipes, which deliver extra biting edges on snow so the tire can bite properly on deep snow, without losing control.
Other factors like grooves, tread block channels, and shoulders play a supporting role by cleaning ice and slash from tires, so the car keeps moving at a continuous pace.
Stability on straighter roads is also good as the tread’s sharp edges and saw-tooted blocks make smoother contact with the tire.
A directional pattern allows tires to move forward in balance when climbing a hill or mountains, and the strategically aligned studs further improve performance.
The studs improve overall winter terrain performance by delivering extra traction and grip, biting on the snow, especially when dealing with harsh conditions, or moving upward or downward in steep directions.
Drive Quality
With the performance of traction, handling, gripping, brakes, and acceleration, there are other important things that might not be directly related to performance, they contribute to achieving higher-quality rides.
Comfort on stable and unstable roads
Comfort is another crucial aspect of any tire’s overall performance, as cars are becoming more and more luxurious, you can’t allow tires to ruin the high-class ride.
To achieve comfort, tires need less vibration, shock adjustments, and stability on potholes and bumps, which is not the finest with this Cooper tire.
To enhance comfort, there needs to be more rubber in contact, which may increase comfort but contradicts wet road grip.
Even though this tire does not have comfort-supporting compound or foams inside a tire, thicker shoulders and high ply turn-up benefit the tire by absorbing shock and balancing the ride, resulting in a much smoother ride.
So, overall it might not be the most comfortable tire or even below average at comfort, but with modification in width and size, you can improve the overall quality of a ride.
Tread Noise and Reliance
Tires that contain symmetrical tread patterns are most effective when it comes to noiseless rides due to the pitch sequencing and lower void ratio.
This is not the case with this tire, as this tire requires a higher void ratio for better winter terrain rides and individual tread blocks for aggressive rides; this tire can not achieve the quietest ride.
Even at a slower pace, this Cooper tire i a little bit noisier than all-season high-pace rides. So, when it comes to performance, this tire is great; however, when it comes to ride quality, this tire lacks a little here and there.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel consumption and tread patterns are directly related to each other. If the tire has narrower tread depths and more rubber (low void ratio), it consumes less energy and fuel.
On the other hand, if a tire has wider tread depths and is distributed in blocks, it will consume more energy and fuel, which is similar to this tire.
This tire has a higher void ratio and a tread depth of 12-14, so you can expect a 2-3 miles reduction on a gallon.
Factors like tire width, size, weight, and tire age improve fuel efficiency, so if you are keen on improving mileage, you can modify these things with the guidance of a tire specialist.
Durability and Tread life
This is a relatively durable tire compared to other top tires in the studable winter tire category.
Even though this tire does not come with any tread wear or rubber warranty, the average driver can cover more than 30-35K miles.
The tire is manufactured in the United States, so it has high-quality materials. With that, due to its robust design, a two-ply sidewall can absorb damage without puncture and can resist tear.
So, overall, this tire is more than what you could get from winter tires when it comes to durable and reliable rides.
Weight, Speed, Wear Ratings
Almost every tire in the off-road and winter terrain category comes without UTQG standard tests and ratings.
Similarly, this tire is not rated on treadwear, traction, or temperature. As this is an older tire, there won’t be any problem with any of these things, as nobody complains about them.
Regarding speed, this tire comes in 130-118mph variants based on the tire width and rim diameter.
One tire can carry from 1102-2601 lbs, depending on the load index of that size. You can play with these things based on your requirements.
A tire size that has a higher load index will deliver low fuel efficiency due to the heavier weight of a tire, and a tire with a higher speed range will most of the time be able to carry a high weight.
Ending Note Recommendations
This tire is perfect for excessive rides on harsh winter terrains; due to its sidewall, shoulder, and tread design, it can achieve much greater performance than any other competitive tire.
With studable tread, the tire is able to reach the heights of mountains in heavy snowfall, which is impossible with any normal tire.
Other than that, low fuel mileage will also be a good point if you are considering a tire with a fuel-efficient ride.
I would suggest that, if you care about the performance on winter terrains and are not so much concerned about comfort and noise, then this tire will be best for you.
So, if you have thoroughly read a review of Cooper Evolution Winter tire, you have decided whether this tire will be a good fit for your car.
