Goodyear to acquire Cooper Tire in $2.5 billion deal




Prediction: Goodyear cocks it up and makes Coopers expensive and crappy, just like Goodyear.

That's okay, I'm getting Falkens from now on.

But yes, that's exactly what they'll do.

Agreed.

I'll continue to price-check Coops; I really like the RS-3s I have on the Marauder and I'd buy another set if the price was right.

But yeah, I expect to switch brands by the time I'm due for my next set.

I've heard stories form the old-timers about when our plant was operated by Goodyear.

It was not good. Lotsa scrap, bad quality, tires that wouldn't meet our current standards - you know, Goodyears.

I'll say this: the Goodyear RS-A Plus tires that were on the '03SAP I briefly owned...those tires rode quieter and smoother than anything I've ever driven on.

But they're RS-A's so ultimately there was probably a hidden flaw in the slaw. Maybe they were garbage in wet/snow.

On my 3rd set of Cooper Zeon RS3-As. Great tire. I also put them on my Flex.

Good move on Good Year's part, if Cooper was up for sale, it was their board's doing. Running Good Year RS-As on three cars now, hard to count the numbers of them used in my career since they came out but not one failure due to tire quality. Love them. You work a coal strike, you're gonna pick up some jack rocks I think. When I started, was Good Year Blue Streak with almost dog bone looking tread. Used up some Firestones and Generals too in my job. Was eying Coopers too, likely will try some as I have used them in the past on trucks, and the lettering looks good. BFGoodrich Radial T/As are high dollar, but I've always been very pleased with them. On my third set of Pirelli Scorpions on my '07 F-150 so 'tis fair to say I like them too.

Never had any experience with Goodyear, save for the fact my grandfather seems to insist for them on his Town Car. Last set I saw he had on there was starting to have sidewall cracking despite being only a few years old.

'97 came with Kumho KR21s, liked those, but they dropped the whitewall, so I switched to Firestone Affinity Touring to get whitewalls, and those worked okay. I could run those tires at the recommended pressure or a little over and they'd always wear out the center like they were super over inflated. Two sets did that. I put Kuhmo Solus TA11s on last go around, and they wear nice and even, but I miss having the whitewall.

I put Firestone FR710s on the wagon since it had junk tires before I purchased it. They're adequate, but definitely too hard of compound for my liking and suck ass in the weather. I thought they'd be softer like the Affinity Tourings since those were no longer available when I was purchasing tires, but I was wrong. Guess it doesn't matter anyway since Firestone dropped the FR710 and Affinity Touring for their "Fuel Fighter" or whatever BS tire that only offers a blackwall.

Eyeing Nexens for my next set on either car since they offer the 225/70R15 with a whitewall option.

They were practically giving away Zeon RS-3 at Walmarts here about a year ago. I had a set on my Volvos, for the price they were great tires.

Sadly not many affordable tires left that are decent. Now the Chinese are taking over and their tires are crap.

I've been buying Generals, Kuhmos and currently rocking a set of Yokohamas that I got for free on a giveaway.

Give the Toyo Extensa A/S a look.

That's not good news for Cooper.

They were virtually the only providers of stems, their rubber just sucks period, little UV inhibitors. Buying closer to home costs more at point of sale, but is more satisfying .... for me anyway.

The 710s were their bargain basement junk tire after they dropped the 380s. They sucked just as bad.

*SIGH*

I have boycotted Goodyear ever since the Z-rated tires that came on my '94 Thunderbird SuperCoupe had a defect. Ford referred me to Goodyear for warranty and Goodyear basically told me to pound sand. The Ford dealer ran me over to the local Michelin store and put a set of (something something somethings) on the car and they lasted me 8 years. Yay Ford, Boo Goodyear.

Used Coopers for the last 20 years. Not anymore.