Cooper Zeon RS3-A review

[kaz02a4]

Just ordered up two sets of zeon rs3-a tires! I had cs4 tourings on my old subaru and thought they did an overall great job for a grand touring tire; yes, I drove that car like a grandma, and my brother shared it, so we stuck with a lower level all season. Now I'm stepping it up to the realm of high-perf a/s territory, and there will be two opinions for AZ: my 2007 sport suspension 2.0t with 99k miles, and my dad's 2008 standard suspension 2.0t with 73k miles. Both cars have stock suspension components, and I will be varying tire pressure to see how performance changes.

http://www.treaddepot.com/tire/90000003497.html

I bought these based on some excellent CR ratings, and I'm stoked to get some miles under them. I'll be updating this thread at different milestones with both of our opinions. Does anyone here have these shoes, and if you do, what do you think?

[helli217]

We have these tires on our B7 Avant. I have owned all kinds of cars, with a whole spectrum of different tires. If your car is not intended to be a trackstar, these tires are the shit. They are cheap, have great treadwear, semi soft ride (we have 235/40R18) and super low noise even when worn down. When we bought the car it had Nitto Invo's on it (crap IMO) and they were stiff as hell and super loud. When I installed the Coopers I could not believe how quiet the car actually is. The dry AND wet grip is better than any other comparable (same class) tire I have tried. I'm not sure how these tires would do on a two wheel drive high horsepower vehicle, but for the all wheel drive and on our B7, they are great. Also, when you reach the limits they break away gently unlike many other tires I've experienced. Really have nothing bad to say about them. I may even try them on my B5 S4.

[RoguesGambit]

I was about to search for tire recommendations, but gonna look here instead

The Pirelli's I got are decent, two worn inside (now rear) when I picked it up, figure rather than get two news from the dealer, get new Hi-po All Seasons

So I heard Conti's bad, and these are good. Any more info on these?

[teckk]

Let us know bro

[kaz02a4]

My initial impression: 50 miles in, and I couldn't be happier so far. Two things stand out to me: the ride, and the wet traction. Coming from a set of Goodyear LS-2 at 235-45-17 with about 10k of life left, the Coopers are absurdly more comfortable. I didn't realize I was turning my radio up so loud just to hear it over the tires, and I didn't think the Goodyears were that loud. The alignment/balancing also helped; the car drives like new.

I got caught in a rainstorm on my drive in this morning, and pushed the tires a little bit on a sweeping on-ramp. I was easily at the speed I'd normally take it in the dry with the Goodyears, and I could tell there was a good amount of grip left. Turn in was spot on too. With so few miles on them, I was impressed with this. I'm sure once they're broken in, I'll have even more grip on tap.

The sidewalls at 35 psi seem as stiff as the Goodyears (when the Goodyears were at 40 psi), so I may play with pressures a little bit. The grease monkeys at the shop ham-fisted the lugs on, as well as under-inflated the tires. But I fixed that last night, and topped off at 35 psi this morning. I'll try to log some fuel economy data, but I doubt anything significant will happen. I'll be on the road to the Adirondacks this weekend; I'll run at 37 psi and update the thread after.

My dad's initial impression: he came off a set of balding, imbalanced, belt-shifted Hankook Ventus V12 evos, so anything was probably better at this point. He's put about the same amount of miles on his car as mine, and he's thoroughly impressed with how quiet and responsive these tires are. He thought the sidewalls were a little soft and rolled a bit, but his tires may also be underinflated. I have a feeling that impression will change once they're broken in.

Overall, we're both looking forward to seeing how these tires perform as the miles get tacked on

[kaz02a4]

WEEKEND UPDATE: After 500+ miles of driving, I've gotten really used to the limits of these tires. They're high. Higher than the LS-2s that were on before, and I actually liked that tire for the grip that it had. There were a few chances driving through the Adirondacks where I could throw her into a turn, and she took a set and rode it out like a champ. Sweet.

They're a great tire too because most of the time, I can't even tell they're there. The ride is so much more comfortable and quiet than my old tires, while returning better performance. My mileage has stayed about the same I think, but a few more fill-ups are a good idea before I make any decisions about that.

Overall, a solid A for these tires. If they wear at the rate I'm expecting, then I should see over 45,000 miles from these. I'd buy them again if they last that long.

[Muggerrudd]

Just ordered up two sets of zeon rs3-a tires! I had cs4 tourings on my old subaru and thought they did an overall great job for a grand touring tire; yes, I drove that car like a grandma, and my brother shared it, so we stuck with a lower level all season. Now I'm stepping it up to the realm of high-perf a/s territory, and there will be two opinions for AZ: my 2007 sport suspension 2.0t with 99k miles, and my dad's 2008 standard suspension 2.0t with 73k miles. Both cars have stock suspension components, and I will be varying tire pressure to see how performance changes.

http://www.treaddepot.com/tire/90000003497.html

I bought these based on some excellent CR ratings, and I'm stoked to get some miles under them. I'll be updating this thread at different milestones with both of our opinions. Does anyone here have these shoes, and if you do, what do you think?

how well did the cooper zeon rs3-a work out?

[kaz02a4]

Still have them, and they're still great! I think I have 25k miles on them with about 45-50% tread left. They've be relegated to my winter set, however. I picked up a set of 18" S4 wheels, and I'll be putting on some RS3-S tires next season once I chew through the meh goodyears that are on them now.

10/10, would recommend to a friend.

[Muggerrudd]

NTB has them on sale Buy 3 get one free right now with a 75$ giftcard also. Looks like ill be picking up a set next week.

[kaz02a4]

NTB has them on sale Buy 3 get one free right now with a 75$ giftcard also. Looks like ill be picking up a set next week.

Sounds like a great deal. Do you have a summer and winter set of wheels?

[Muggerrudd]

I drive a lot of miles annually and don't think it would be worth me having 2 sets of tires.

when i lived in San Diego i ran BFG forces 19", great summer tires, living in ohio now so i just stick with all seasons especially seeing how we are known for having 4 seasons in 1 week. lol