Cooper Tires unleashes all-new Rugged Trek 4WD tyre

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Cooper Tires has released an all-new tyre to market, which has been designed and built for serious on- and off-road adventures.

The Rugged Trek - said to be the brand’s “best 4WD tyre ever made” - is an all-round tyre with a massive 14.7mm tread depth that is guaranteed to last up to 80,000km of use and abuse.

The tyre is a combination of all the best bits of all-terrain and mud-terrain tyres, without the compromise, to create what is essentially a hybrid tyre dubbed “rugged-terrain” which is capable of tackling all terrain types - sand, rocks, mud and bitumen.

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"It has all the abilities of an all-terrain tyre. [It’s] nice and smooth on the road and nice and quiet, but then it has the aggression to help off-road,” said Cooper Tires’ technical manager, Jeff Newick.

"Cooper’s Rugged Trek rugged-terrain tyre has all the characteristics you look for in an aggressive mud tyre, while still giving you the mileage and performance from an all-terrain"

Compared to OE tyres, the Rugged-Trek is said to have 63 per cent more tread depth, a 14 per cent larger footprint and 25 per cent more load-carrying capacity.

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The Rugged Trek utilises a combination of high-quality technology and state-of-the-art design, with highlights including:

Dual sidewall (adaptive) design: With a knife-edge design on one side and mountain design on the other, the sidewalls are said to be 20 per cent stronger due to the use of high-tensile body ply in lieu of standard tensile.

Whisper groove shields: This design stops a lot of the noise from resonating outside of the tyre, by blocking the air to reduce road noise.

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Stable Trac technology: Omni-directional microgauge siping through the centre of the tyres is designed to help the stability of the tyre, provide wet weather grip and reduce cut-and-chip.

Offset lugs: Off-set lugs on an eight-degree angle to enhance off-road traction.

Stone blockades: Positioned up against the lugs, the blockades reduce stone retention and damage on the tyre. It also creates an air pocket under any soft material to allow it to clear out of the tyre.

The tyre also contains more than 30 per cent chemically-coupled silica, which, according to Jeff Newick, is essential: “"Coupled silica in the tread compound is absolutely a must in Australian conditions for safety and performance.”

"The development and technology in this tyre is second to none in any market throughout the world," Newick added. "We've been testing it in outback NSW ... we've been putting it through its paces and it has stood up fantastically."

The Rugged-Trek is available in 16-, 17-, 18- and 20-inch options with a Light Truck construction, and 18- and 20-inch options for SUV construction.

Founded in Ohio, USA, in 1914, Cooper Tires is now the 10th largest tyre manufacturer in the world. It reached local shores in 1988, when Terry Smith, General Manager of his family's retail tyre stores in Canberra, started importing Coopers to Australia after seeing them at an international show in New Orleans in 1988.

Demand from other cities led to wholesale distribution, and in 1991 Terry established a Brisbane-based distribution business. Cooper Tires soon became a major 4WD tyre brand in each state.