Cooper Discoverer Stronghold AT

[ErikTheRed]

No rubbing but I also have no front swaybar. It was -3°C

What are the negatives of removing the front sway bar? Why would I not want to do that? I understand removing it for tire clearance and more unrestricted articulation for more serious off-roading (which this truck will never do), but theres gotta be a downside.

 

[dieselscout80]

What are the negatives of removing the front sway bar? Why would I not want to do that? I understand removing it for tire clearance and more unrestricted articulation for more serious off-roading (which this truck will never do), but theres gotta be a downside.

Tall loads will cause more sway, but there are other ways to mitigate it.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Tall loads will cause more sway, but there are other ways to mitigate it.

The rear controls that enough

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

What are the negatives of removing the front sway bar? Why would I not want to do that? I understand removing it for tire clearance and more unrestricted articulation for more serious off-roading (which this truck will never do), but theres gotta be a downside.

Really none other than a touch of body roll but it does not affect evasive driving, it really helps going over curbs and un even surfaces as it allows the axle to move and not throw you around in the cab. I have been doing it since 94 with my first 2nd gen

 

[dieselscout80]

The rear controls that enough

I’m not sure about that when I haul hay it sways more but not dangerous. I have been running with my front sway bar disconnected for more than 1.5 years and for my use the only time I notice is with taller loads of hay.

However, I think I want to try some Sumo spring bump stops and if they work out I might try them on the rear too.

 

[WXman]

I still can't believe Cooper sold their soul to Goodyear. In this Stronghold tire you can clearly see the Goodyear influence. It looks almost exactly like the Wrangler tire that comes stock on many Super Duty trucks.

The AT3 series will still be a better tire since it was a true Cooper tire.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

I still can't believe Cooper sold their soul to Goodyear. In this Stronghold tire you can clearly see the Goodyear influence. It looks almost exactly like the Wrangler tire that comes stock on many Super Duty trucks.

The AT3 series will still be a better tire since it was a true Cooper tire.

I would strongly disagree The AT3 was not even close in comparison I had them and had to warranty 3 sets they had ok traction but these are MUCH better hopefully Goodyear influenced them enough so these tires don’t dangerously crack around the bead like the AT3s did in the 2 sets I had to warranty on the one set that was out of round and could not be balanced….

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

I’m not sure about that when I haul hay it sways more but not dangerous. I have been running with my front sway bar disconnected for more than 1.5 years and for my use the only time I notice is with taller loads of hay.

However, I think I want to try some Sumo spring bump stops and if they work out I might try them on the rear too.

I did not find that noticeable of a difference the stability was pretty much the same with hauling my full water tote the airbags made the biggest difference. Im sure your loads of hay were taller hence the difference you feel but most people don’t haul high stacks of hay. When I haul hay its usually one round bale in the truck and a hay wagon behind

 

[AH64ID]

I can't complain about Cooper and Goodyear since both brands have made the best tires I've ran the last 20+ years.

My AT3's were great tires, but these Goodyear Duratrac RT LT's are better.

My AT3's did get warrantied at the end for tread chunks falling off on a couple of the tires.

 

[WXman]

Interesting. I've had a few sets of AT3s with zero issues. My uncle has them on his Cummins truck right now and they've been on there 2 to 3 years with no issues. And I always found traction to be far superior to any Goodforayear products, particularly in the rain.

 

[johnmyster]

What are the negatives of removing the front sway bar? Why would I not want to do that? I understand removing it for tire clearance and more unrestricted articulation for more serious off-roading (which this truck will never do), but theres gotta be a downside.

I suspect the stiff front swaybar helps the manufacturer maintain understeer behavior for a wide envelope of truck/trailer loadings. Typically when you increase compliance for an axle you reduce the tendency for that axle to break loose in evasive maneuvering. To restate, I don't think the swaybar is necessary to guarantee stability, but HD pickups have to be qualified under such a wide range of loading conditions that it is necessary to make compromises at the OEM level. My truck has an EW of 8000 pounds, GVWR of 12,400 pounds, and GCWR of ~25,000...and the truck needed to understeer at all extremes.

The radius arm front setup (aside from the PW with the extra bushings/links for compliance) have a good bit of roll stiffness in them anyway. I'm happy with the Thuren swaybar but I can see how full removal would be reasonable (and free).

The rear controls that enough

You can only have so much rear anti-sway behavior on a pickup before unloaded it becomes a one wheel wonder. If the rear always has load (slide in camper, giant toolbox, etc) then yes.

I once had a S-10 pickup, 4cyl, manual, 2wd, ECSB, ZR-whatever sport suspension, camper shell. It had rear antisway. Unloaded, I couldn't get out of my own driveway. For years I went to state inspections and had to explain to the tech why one rear end link was removed.

 

[etshields]

Just put Cooper Stronghold LT295/70r18s on our 2022 Ram 2500. Looks nice and no rubbing. Been playing with tire pressures all weekend to try to smooth out the ride. Door sticker calls for 60psi for original tires, so I went with 65psi. Nasty ride! So now I’m all the way down to 55psi and no better. About to try 50psi and have scheduled a rebalancing. Steering wheel is smooth but I feel a vibration in my seat. If 50psi don’t trigger the TPMS and the rebalance don’t work, what next?

 

[AH64ID]

Just put Cooper Stronghold LT295/70r18s on our 2022 Ram 2500. Looks nice and no rubbing. Been playing with tire pressures all weekend to try to smooth out the ride. Door sticker calls for 60psi for original tires, so I went with 65psi. Nasty ride! So now I’m all the way down to 55psi and no better. About to try 50psi and have scheduled a rebalancing. Steering wheel is smooth but I feel a vibration in my seat. If 50psi don’t trigger the TPMS and the rebalance don’t work, what next?

65 psi was the wrong way. Larger tires need less air pressure to support the same weight.

50 psi on 295/70R18 supports the FAWR, which is what 60 psi did on the stock size.


Have you scaled your truck? 45-50 front and 35 rear is likely all you need to run empty.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

I suspect the stiff front swaybar helps the manufacturer maintain understeer behavior for a wide envelope of truck/trailer loadings. Typically when you increase compliance for an axle you reduce the tendency for that axle to break loose in evasive maneuvering. To restate, I don't think the swaybar is necessary to guarantee stability, but HD pickups have to be qualified under such a wide range of loading conditions that it is necessary to make compromises at the OEM level. My truck has an EW of 8000 pounds, GVWR of 12,400 pounds, and GCWR of ~25,000...and the truck needed to understeer at all extremes.

The radius arm front setup (aside from the PW with the extra bushings/links for compliance) have a good bit of roll stiffness in them anyway. I'm happy with the Thuren swaybar but I can see how full removal would be reasonable (and free).



You can only have so much rear anti-sway behavior on a pickup before unloaded it becomes a one wheel wonder. If the rear always has load (slide in camper, giant toolbox, etc) then yes.

I once had a S-10 pickup, 4cyl, manual, 2wd, ECSB, ZR-whatever sport suspension, camper shell. It had rear antisway. Unloaded, I couldn't get out of my own driveway. For years I went to state inspections and had to explain to the tech why one rear end link was removed.

I understand that completely but not worth mentioning due to the discussion. My 14Jk I could get the front tire off the ground if I was going around the corner from a stop and hammering on the throttle it was quite fun lol (no rear sway bar)

Just put Cooper Stronghold LT295/70r18s on our 2022 Ram 2500. Looks nice and no rubbing. Been playing with tire pressures all weekend to try to smooth out the ride. Door sticker calls for 60psi for original tires, so I went with 65psi. Nasty ride! So now I’m all the way down to 55psi and no better. About to try 50psi and have scheduled a rebalancing. Steering wheel is smooth but I feel a vibration in my seat. If 50psi don’t trigger the TPMS and the rebalance don’t work, what next?

44 psi front and 35 rear unloaded works very well for the 285/75/18 I would say it should be the same for you as the tires are basically the same size

sounds like you have a rear out of balance but did you pull the rotor retaining washers off the studs before putting those wheels on? Most Aftermarket wheels don’t have the spot facing on the back face of the hub flange so they don’t sit flat if those retaining washers are still installed

 

[joeybryant0929]

Just put Cooper Stronghold LT295/70r18s on our 2022 Ram 2500. Looks nice and no rubbing. Been playing with tire pressures all weekend to try to smooth out the ride. Door sticker calls for 60psi for original tires, so I went with 65psi. Nasty ride! So now I’m all the way down to 55psi and no better. About to try 50psi and have scheduled a rebalancing. Steering wheel is smooth but I feel a vibration in my seat. If 50psi don’t trigger the TPMS and the rebalance don’t work, what next?

Is your truck leveled? Or factory height?

 

[ErikTheRed]

I didn't have to remove the front sway bar, the 285/75-18 Kenda R/T's don't rub anywhere, even at full lock forward and reverse. And I'm happy about that.