Cooper vs Hankook Tires: What to Choose?

Cooper vs Hankook Tires, who’s got the better rubber in this tire brand comparison? Well, we’re here to find out! Cooper Tires has a wealth of experience under its belt, with more than a century’s worth of tire manufacturing knowledge.

Meanwhile, albeit younger, Hankook tires aren’t to be underestimated either, as this Korean brand has been slowly rising up the ranks as one of the best mid-range options out there. So, who will reign supreme?

Overview of Cooper Tires

Cooper Tires are among the oldest brands in the business. Established in 1914 in Akron, Ohio, this company has been one of the best contenders in the Western tire market for decades now.

Like many other brands, Cooper doesn’t just focus on one market, as they have diversified their tire catalog for various uses. However, there’s no doubt that Cooper is widely beloved for its outdoor tire selection, especially its Discoverer AT3.

And with its recent acquisition by Goodyear just two years ago, the sky’s practically the limit for this American company, as they’ve been mostly blessed with stellar tire reviews.

Related: Goodyear vs Hankook tires

Overview of Hankook

This tire brand is a tad younger than its American counterpart, Cooper, as it was established in 1941 by none other than the king of the Eastern tire market, Bridgestone. However, it was initially called Chosun Tires.

Similar to its parent company, Hankook offers a wide array of models to choose from. Whether it’s the open road or the great outdoors, drivers are sure to find a Hankook tire that’s perfect for them.

Also, like Cooper, it boasts a reputable off-road selection, with the DynaPro RTF 10 as its flagship outdoor tire. Moreover, Hankook Tires also has a dedicated electric vehicle selection, which is a welcome bonus for a mid-range brand.

Differences Between Cooper and Hankook Tires

When it comes to Hankook vs Cooper Tires, it’s definitely not easy to choose the better brand on paper. So, we got a little creative and tested some of the tires ourselves and picked the best ones for the job accordingly.

1. Wet performance

When it comes to wet performance, you definitely can’t go wrong with a set of all-season tires. So, for this one, we’ll be going with the Cooper Endeavor and the Hankook Kinergy GT.

And right off the bat, Cooper wins this round, hands down.

The Cooper Endeavor dominated the Hankook Kinergy GT on all fronts, from wet braking to aquaplaning resistance. It wasn’t even close, as the Kinergy GT was only average at best when it came to wet performance.

2. Dry performance

For dry performance, we’ll have to go with all-season high-performance tires, as Cooper doesn’t have a dedicated summer tire. And for this one, we’ll choose the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 and the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2.

And yet again, Cooper comes out on top in dry performance. However, the gap wasn’t too wide with this one, as the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 fared better than average. But as mentioned, Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 was simply better in terms of cornering, traction, and steering response.

3. Off-road performance

Now, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of this comparison and find the differences between what these two brands are popularly known for, off-road tires. As such, the obvious choice was a Cooper AT3 vs Hankook AT2.

To be specific, we’ll go with the Cooper Discoverer AT3 and the Hankook Dynapro AT2. Moreover, since off-road tires are quite diverse in their capabilities, we’ll break down this category into mud, rock, and sand performance.

• Mud

When it comes to mud, the Cooper Discoverer AT3 is the better choice, mainly because of its tread design. It features a more open tread, which excels at ejecting sticky matter with relative ease, while the Hankook Dynapro AT2 struggles a bit in this regard.

Regardless, both tires aren’t exactly built for traversing through muddy terrain, especially if the mud is a little deeper than usual.

• Rock

As for rock, we’ll have to go with a tie on this one, since both tires have unique strengths and weaknesses. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 features very flexible lugs, which give it the extra grip it needs on rocky terrain.

However, due to its tread design, it’s a bit lacking in lateral traction, which can be a game changer if you’re entering competitions.

On the other hand, the Hankook Dynapro AT2 has more biters, which give it extra grip, but it was lacking in traction during straight-line acceleration and prone to understeering.

• Sand

Sinking is your main concern when it comes to sandy terrain, and that’s where the Cooper’s side lugs come in handy, all of which the Hankook Dynapro AT2 lacks. As such, the Cooper Discoverer AT3 is the far better tire when it comes to sand.

4. Price and warranty

Tire price can definitely be a major factor when choosing products, and if you’re looking at mid-range brands, we’re pretty sure you’re looking for the best value for money.

Both brands have around the same price of $100 to $600. However, Hankook has a much more competitive treadwear warranty (covering up to 100,000 miles for the Optimo H727), while Cooper’s treadwear protection maxes out at 80,000 miles.

Pros and Cons

1. Cooper

2. Hankook

Which One is Better?

As we can see from the comprehensive comparison above, it’s vividly clear that Cooper has the better tires. However, Hankook isn’t terrible either, so long as you don’t drive too aggressively.

Just be wary of all-season Hankook tires, since they’re not exactly stellar by our standards.

Conclusion

Thanks for sticking around for our Cooper vs Hankook tires comparison. And by now, I hope we’ve shed some light on which brand has the better set of tires. Objectively, Cooper is the clear winner in this tire face-off.

However, do take note that Hankook isn’t by any means a terrible brand, since their tires give good value for money and are an excellent choice for drivers on a budget.