Ask any off-road enthusiast worth their pinstripes what your first upgrade should be. Odds are, they’ll say: tires. Not only do they make your truck look sick, they also boost grip and smooth out the ride.
As I’ve previously explained in great detail, our Chevy 2500 is our base station for boondocking. It’s our version of a luxury grand tourer, with some off-road capabilities and a micro studio in the bed. We take it to ride bikes and hike, but when it’s time to get rowdy or drop into low range, we’ve got other rigs for that.
Credit: Saris Mercanti
When it came time to replace our ten-year-old tires, we wanted something that kept road noise down, didn’t compromise our already questionable MPG (11, if you’re wondering), and could handle sand, snow, mud, or whatever we might encounter.
I’ve had great luck running Discoverer AT3s on my long-trel Tacoma, so I reached out to Cooper to see what they’d recommend. They pointed us to their brand-new Discoverer Stronghold AT.
What is it?
Credit: Saris Mercanti
The Stronghold AT is the successor to the Discoverer AT3 LT/XLT tire. The “Stronghold” name is meant to highlight the tire’s tenacious grip across various surfaces. It’s designed for ¾- and 1-ton chassis, but is ailable in 28 sizes ranging from 16″ to 20″ rim diameters.
This allows you to run it on a mid-size truck if you need something rated for heier payloads or want a tougher (higher ply) option for off-road use. It’s offered in both E and F load ranges, with maximum load ratings around 4,000 lbs, depending on size. Plenty for hauling hey gear, towing, or running a slide-in camper setup.
Credit: Saris Mercanti
In terms of positioning, it goes head-to-head with other premium all-terrains like the Toyo Open Country A/T III, Falken WildPeak A/T4W, and Nitto Terra Grappler G3. Claimed weight comes in at 46 lbs, which puts it right in the middle of the pack. They’re lighter than the Falken (50 lbs), a touch heier than the Toyo (44 lbs), and about even with the Nitto.
Tread depth is 16/32″, right on par with the BFG KO2 and Toyo Open Country (16.1/32″) and slightly deeper than the Nitto Terra Grappler G3 (15.5/32″). That extra depth should translate to solid longevity and better grip in loose terrain.
You can think of it as a 70/30 tire, built primarily for the road, but more than capable when the pement ends. It’s also built to handle hey loads and long highway towing with ease.
The textured edges on the inside of the shoulder knobs help provide traction in winter conditions. Credit: Saris Mercanti
This tire also earned the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe snow. While the Stronghold is not a true winter tire for extreme conditions, it handles light snow with confidence. If you live somewhere with moderate winders, the Strongholds could easily be used year-round. For those with severe winters, a dedicated winter tire is still a must.
The Details:
The alternating scoops on the outer edges of the shoulder knobs for added grip off road. Credit: Saris Mercanti
The first thing you’ll notice on these tires is the distinctive S-shaped lugs on the sidewalls. Not only do they add an aggressive stance, but they’re also designed to work in conjunction with the alternating scoops on the shoulder lugs to help find traction in loose conditions.
The interlocking center blocks feature unique cutouts to resist irregular wear and continue delivering traction as the tire breaks in. Deep grooves and wide notches help channel water away to reduce the risk of hydroplaning, while textured edges on the shoulders provide extra grip in snowy conditions.
Rock-ejector ledges between the center blocks solve a major gripe from previous models like the AT3, keeping grel from getting lodged in the tread. Underneath it all, a two-ply polyester casing and reinforced internal structure, featuring high-strength steel belts and a polyamide cap ply, keep things stable.
Warranty:
Credit: Saris Mercanti
The Stronghold AT comes with a 60,000-mile (96,000 km) treadwear warranty and a 45-day test drive guarantee. Just note the fine print: to stay covered, you’ll need to rotate the tires at least every 8,000 miles (13,000 km). The warranty is also prorated based on your mileage.
That puts it right in the middle of the pack. For comparison, my long-time go-to, the BFG KO2, comes with a 50,000-mile warranty. Toyo matches the Stronghold with a 65,000-mile warranty on the Open Country III. And Nitto now offers a limited treadwear warranty of up to 70,000 miles for hard metric sizes, and 55,000 miles for LT/flotation sizes on the Terra Grappler.
To put that in perspective, the erage American drives about 15,000 miles a year. These tires should last you around five years, give or take.
Cooper Discoverer Stronghold AT Tire Review
Credit: Saris Mercanti
Mounting:
First stop: the tire shop. The Stronghold ATs balanced easily. According to the tech who mounted them, each wheel required less than 1.5 ounces of weight.
For context, the tech said most tires in this size range need approximately 2 ounces to balance properly, and if things are really out of spec, it’s not unusual to see 3 or even 4 ounces per wheel. So seeing sub-1.5 oz across the board? That’s a good sign of consistent manufacturing and solid build quality.
We stuck with stock sizing, but the tire’s shoulder design gives it a beefier profile than our previous setup. Fitment was easy with no rubbing on our 2500.
Noise:
Credit: Saris Mercanti
Before the swap, our ten-year-old Michelin tires (OEM fitment) clocked road noise in the cab at 57–61 dBA at 30 mph, according to my highly scientific* iPhone (*read: not scientific at all). At freeway speeds, the reading jumped to 66–72 dBA, depending on road surface.
After installing the Stronghold ATs, we measured 68 dBA at 65 mph.
This isn’t a lab test, but it gives you a ballpark. Overall, the Strongholds are within a few decibels of the more highway-oriented stock tire. The difference? They’re actually quieter on rougher sections of pement, where the old Michelins transmitted more harshness. On smoother, freshly ped roads, the Strongholds tend to resonate slightly more. Across surfaces, expect about a 5 dBA swing.
Credit: Saris Mercanti
These tires only he about 1,000 miles on them so far. We’ll report back as we rack up more summer miles and see how road noise evolves over time.
That said, cabin noise is important to me – especially on long hauls. I’ve never been a fan of loud interiors, and I’d happily do 7–8 hours behind the wheel with these.
Gas Mileage:Our truck eraged 11.9 MPG before the swap and came in at 11.6 MPG after installing the Strongholds.
Feel:
Credit: Saris Mercanti
This tire has a noticeably more aggressive tread pattern, and yes, that makes it a bit more jello-y. That’s the highly technical term, of course. Many all-terrain tires tend to struggle under hey payloads or when towing, and while these aren’t quite as stiff as a standard tire, they strike a solid middle ground.
Similar to the Discoverer AT3s, there’s a subtle change in steering feel. Inputs return to center just a hair slower, which you’ll notice if you’re sensitive to handling dynamics. Ride comfort is firm but controlled. It absorbs washboard decently for a load-rated tire, though you’ll still feel sharper hits, especially when unloaded.
Credit: Saris Mercanti
We’ve tested them across sand, grel, and mud, with consistently solid results. Our camper weighs around 1,500 lbs, and we regularly tow a 3,000 lb trailer, plus the occasional “ran-when-parked” project vehicle. Even under that kind of load, the sidewalls hold up with good support. I’ve run them at 75 PSI when towing, and they’ve felt planted and stable.
We keep our camper loaded full-time, so we generally run the tires at 50-60 PSI. This provides a balance between compliance and support on the highway while being usable on fire roads without hing to air down.
On long stretches of grel and sandy fire roads, traction was confident, and the tread shed stones quickly – something we’ve had issues with on previous Cooper models.
Cooper Discoverer Stronghold AT Tire Review: The Verdict
Our camper lives full-time on our truck, and we frequently tow deep into the back country. Credit: Saris Mercanti
Cooper crushed it. These tires are noticeably better off-road, they look the part, and they’re surprisingly quiet with no noticeable hit to fuel economy.
If you carry hey loads, spend a lot of time on the freeway, and prioritize gas mileage, but still want something that performs off-road and doesn’t look out of place on a built rig, these are worth considering.
They’re also competitively priced. As of publishing, a Stronghold AT for our Chevy 2500 retails for $256.99 on Tire Rack, putting it right in line with other premium all-terrain options.
Credit: Saris Mercanti
The only real downside is road noise. It’s minimal compared to stock when new, but like most all-terrains, it’ll likely increase as the tread wears in.
We’ll update this review to report on tread wear, evolving noise levels, and long-term impressions, especially as we hit more mixed terrain this summer. With just over a thousand miles of mostly highway miles and light off-roading, we’ve noticed no early signs of cupping, chunking, or other indicators of premature wear.
Shop the Cooper Discover Stronghold AT at Tire Rack