Choosing between Cooper vs. Falken Tires is hard, since Cooper made a name for itself with its affordable and comfortable tires. Meanwhile, Falken has the upper hand in tire variety and a good range of high-performance options.
To give you a quick picture of how the two brands compare, below is a short chart.
| Cooper Tires | Falken Tires | |
| Performance | Cooper tires excel on dry roads while Falken does better on wet roads. | |
| Tire Variety | Falken tires have more options. | |
| Durability | Falken tires have better internal construction. | |
| Price | Cooper tires are much more affordable. | |
Below is our comprehensive guide on Falken vs. Cooper Tires to help you choose the right brand for your vehicle.
Table of Contents
Overview
1. Cooper Tires
Cooper, established in 1914, originated as the M and M Manufacturing Company and later evolved into Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.
They offer a wide range of tires, catering to various vehicles and driving needs.
| Cooper Tire Family | Purpose |
| Evolution (3 tires) | Mainly for SUVs, CUVs, and pickup trucks |
| Discoverer (15 tires) | For trucks and SUVs in all sorts of weather conditions |
| Zeon (4 tires) | For wet terrains |
| CS5 (2 tires) | For touring |
| Cobra Radial (1 tire) | All-season sport performance |
| Trendsetter SE (1 tire) | Suitable for older vehicles |
| Weathermaster (5 tires) | For harsh weather |
2. Falken Tires
Falken Tires, a Japanese brand founded in 1983, has rapidly grown into a key player in the global tire industry. Its products are renowned for advanced technology and exceptional handling capabilities.
Falken’s offerings have been used in a number of races, such as the Kenya Endurance Rally and the Paris to Dakar Rally.
| Falken Tire Family | Purpose |
| Azenis (4 tires) | High-performance summer tires |
| Espia (2 tires) | Durable winter tires |
| Eurowinter (1 tire) | For winter cars and SUVs/CUVs |
| Aklimate (1 tire) | All-weather touring (better in snow than traditional all-season tires) |
| Pro G5 (4 tires) | All-season tires |
| Sincera (2 tires) | All-season touring tires |
| Winterpeak (1 tire) | Studdable tire for snow and ice |
| Ziex (3 tires) | All-season performance for luxury vehicles |
| Rubitrek (1 tire) | All-terrain tire with severe snow handling |
| Wildpeak (6 tires) | Cater to off-road light trucks and SUVs |
Differences between Falken tires vs. Cooper tires
1. Dry performance
A good way of comparing these two tires is to assess their offerings from similar lines.
In direct comparison between the Cooper AT3 XLT vs. Falken Wildpeak AT3W, the Cooper Discoverer demonstrates a slight edge in overall traction. This is attributed to its more closely packed blocks and rugged traction shoulders, which grip the road and enhance braking.
The Wildpeak, though also excellent, doesn’t handle off-road irregularities as easily. Its traction is comparable to the Cooper AT3, but the Falken tire lags behind slightly in terms of comfort.
2. Wet performance
For this part, we’ll also compare the Discoverer AT3 and the Wildpeak AT3W.
While both tires perform admirably in wet conditions, the Falken AT3w demonstrates a slight advantage. Its aggressive design and dual siping on the shoulder blocks enable superior wet traction and responsive handling.
The Cooper AT3w, though offering interlocking sipes across its tread for similar performance, is slightly outpaced by the Falken in terms of quick feedback and handling in wet conditions.
3. Durability
Durability is important in determining the quality of Cooper tires and Falken tires. Specifically, we’ll closely examine the Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek vs. Falken Wildpeak AT3W.
Considering the construction of both tires, the Falken WildPeak A/T3W appears to have a more robust build, particularly due to its four cap plies (Cooper only has one). This construction offers enhanced protection and durability, especially in demanding off-road situations.
4. Availability
Cooper has a total of 21 tires for cars, SUVs, trucks, and sports cars per its website. A majority of its products are all-season tires, such as the Discoverer AT3 4S.
Falken, on the other hand, has nearly 30 different tires for passenger, light truck, SUV, and commercial truck vehicles. The company has four different high-performance tires, which is their Azenis line.
The winner in the tire options category is Falken for having more variety in their offerings.
5. Prices
Cooper tires prices range from $94.96 (Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring All-Season) to $221.99 (Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S) at popular tire retailers.
On the other hand, Falken tires cost $137.00 (Falken Wildpeak A/T Trailer) to $521.14 (Falken BI 830). In terms of affordability, Cooper tires simply have the edge.
Which Tires are Better: Cooper or Falken?
The winner by a small margin is Falken tires. Falken excels in wet performance and durability when you compare its tires to Cooper’s. With the wide range of Falken products to choose from, this brand is the overall winner in this comparison.
Cooper Tires is still worth considering if you are looking for tires that excel on dry roads. They are more affordable than Falken tires and may be more comfortable as well.
Conclusion
To conclude the comparison between Cooper vs. Falken Tires, the latter is the winner. Falken does well on wet surfaces and has better durability thanks to the brand’s technology and design.
In addition, they have a wide range of tire lines to choose from. Cooper is still worth considering due to its affordability and dry road performance.
