Cooper Begins Record-Breaking Year With Four Product Launches

In a year in which Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will introduce the most new products to the North American market in the company’s history, the tiremaker is starting things off with a bang.
cooper's zeon rs3-a, which replaces the current cooper zeon sport a/s, combines large tread elements and asymmetric design, as well as a silica tread compound designed for exceptional all-season driving performance.
“Cooper has traditionally been a follower when it comes to new technology – but that is not the case anymore,” Chris Ostrander, president of North America tire operations, told select media at a ride-n-drive event held in mid-February. “From now on we will focus on innovation to introduce new, technologically advanced products – while still keeping our mid-level price point in the market.”

Held at the Cooper Tire & Vehicle Test Center in Pearsall, Texas, some 40 miles south of San Antonio, the event showcased four tires the company first introduced at the 2010 Global Tire Expo/SEMA Show: the Zeon RS3-A, Zeon RS3-S, Discoverer A/T3 and Discoverer S/TMaxx.

The 1,000-acre facility provided an ideal setting to put each of the tires to the test – in wet and dry handling courses for the all-season UHP Zeon RS3-A and summer UHP Zeon RS3-S; and in a hill climb, rock crawl and other off-road tests for the Discoverer A/T3 and Discoverer S/TMaxx.

The Zeon RS3-A, which replaces the current Cooper Zeon Sport A/S, launched April 4 in 31 initial sizes, with additional sizes scheduled for release later in the year. The RS3-A combines large tread elements and an asymmetric design, as well as a silica tread compound designed for exceptional all-season driving performance, Cooper said.

The Zeon RS3-S, which replaces the current Cooper Zeon 2XS, offers a low profile, high performance rating that combines world-class dry road traction, improved handling and exceptional cornering ability, the company said. A silica tread compound is designed to provide superior wet driving performance. The RS3-S is available now in 21 sizes.
Cooper said its new Zeon RS3-S offers a low profile, high performance rating that combines world-class dry road traction, increased handling and exceptional cornering ability, plus a silica tread compound designed to provide superior wet driving performance.
The Discoverer A/T3, also launched April 4, is a direct replacement for the Discoverer ATR. The A/T3’s silica tread compound improves treadwear and wet traction, and helps resist cutting and chipping, according to Cooper. The tread design improves off-road traction without sacrificing highway performance. The A/T3 is available in 30 SUV sizes and 32 light truck sizes ranging from 15- to 20-inch wheel diameters.

The Discoverer S/TMaxx, which will replace the Discoverer S/T-C and select sizes of the Discoverer S/T, features Cooper’s 3-ply “Armor-Tek3” carcass construction, a cut- and chip-resistant tread compound and a progressive tread design, the tiremaker said. The S/TMaxx is currently available in eight sizes ranging from 16- to 18-inch wheel diameters.

Renewed Focus
The launch of the four new tires marks the largest consumer investment ever for Cooper, according to Julie Smalstig, director of consumer and channel development for the company’s North American tire division. “Cooper’s position is to provide great performing products at a value that fits consumers’ budgets,” she said. “We’re going to frame that message for the consumer mindset – that we don’t make tires for cars, we make tires for people.”

The new consumer campaigns for all four tires will feature traditional print media ads, in addition to digital marketing that includes social, interactive media with a focus on microsites and bloggers. Tire dealers will see launch kits that include point-of-sale and display materials; flip books that offer additional tire features with quick access for counter persons; and a revamped e-learning course – launching this month – that rewards users for their participation, Smalstig said.

Summing it all up, Phil Caris, Cooper’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the tiremaker is redefining itself by stepping up to meet market demands with a stronger product portfolio. “When we took a look at where we were in terms of products, we didn’t have as progressive and aggressive a plan to introduce new products as we felt we needed,” he said. “We have laid out a five-year plan of new product introductions that will see our product portfolio grow by brand, segment and channel.

“We are challenging our tech team to find ways to be more innovative, by introducing new products in markets we aren’t traditionally strong in, such as UHP,” he added.

Want more information on Cooper’s new rollouts? Check out our exclusive photo album and video footage from the launch event!

Double Coin and CMA unveiled two new tires for airport ground support equipment (GSE) applications: the REM-26 steer and REM-4 drive tires. Double Coin said each tire's key features allow maximum endurance in the GSE environment.

“Working with some of our key partners, we found the robust REM-26 and REM-4 designs will offer excellent performance in this segment,” Tony Cresta, director of product management at Double Coin, said. "These new releases offer Double Coin customers a specialized product for the increasingly important GSE segment. We know the REM-26 and REM-4 will maintain our premium quality position and give our partners more options and value in the airport handling equipment segment.”