Cooper Discoverer H/T

Posted by: DPJ316

Cooper Discoverer H/T - 18/10/13 10:08 PM

I purchased a nice used 05 Xterra last month and have been making some improvements. The tires are Cooper Discoverer H/T. The good news is that they seem to have ample tread left on them. The BAD news is that they perform VERY poorly on wet pavement.

I have to really watch it going around corners or it's easy to go into a skid. Also at stop lights, it's easy to spin (6 spd manual) on wet pavement- not as bad if I start out in 2nd.

SO what I'm trying to figure out is maybe it's the tires, or maybe with the short wheelbase this is normal handling for this vehicle. Slipping it into 4wd takes care of the starts at stop lights, but does nothing for cornering obviously.

Anybody else experience handling? Would appreciate longer term drivers sharing their advice. Thanks in advance!
Posted by: TJ

Re: Cooper Discoverer H/T - 19/10/13 01:11 PM

Originally Posted By: DPJ316
I purchased a nice used 05 Xterra last month and have been making some improvements. The tires are Cooper Discoverer H/T. The good news is that they seem to have ample tread left on them. The BAD news is that they perform VERY poorly on wet pavement.

I have to really watch it going around corners or it's easy to go into a skid. Also at stop lights, it's easy to spin (6 spd manual) on wet pavement- not as bad if I start out in 2nd.

SO what I'm trying to figure out is maybe it's the tires, or maybe with the short wheelbase this is normal handling for this vehicle. Slipping it into 4wd takes care of the starts at stop lights, but does nothing for cornering obviously.

Anybody else experience handling? Would appreciate longer term drivers sharing their advice. Thanks in advance!



You should not be in 4wd on wet pavement....as the diffs are going to be fighting you on turns, especially if you have/engage the rear locker, which will exacerbate that slippage even more.

The X has a part-time 4wd system, not AWD. That means its built sturdier for heavy off road work, but can be damaged if there's too LITTLE slippage. (Wet road = too little slippage)

The traction control, etc, has different programs for 2wd and 4wd...so 4wd on pavement is going to be WORSE (As you already noted), than 2wd.

4wd low range will be a lot worse than even the other combinations alone btw.

As for the tires, sure, they are not great in the wet. There are better choices.

I recommend checking out differences the drivetrain makes first though, to work on one variable at a time.
Posted by: DPJ316

Re: Cooper Discoverer H/T - 19/10/13 06:41 PM

Thanks for responding- interesting info on the part-time 4wd, which I did not know about the Xterra.

The problem certainly is not the 4wd. I almost never have it in 4wd and have never gone into a skid on 4wd on wet pavement.

So the problem is one of two things:
1) the tires suck on wet pavement and should be replaced to fix the problem OR
2) due to short wheelbase, poor design, or whatever this vehicle is simply prone to going into a skid in a corner at normal speed on wet pavement.

If the second one is the problem (design) and everybody experiences then maybe there's no fix and I'll have to learn to live with it. The same thing would continue to happen even with new tires, so that would be a waste of money right now.

So what I'm most interested in knowing is: are other Xterra drivers normally experiencing the same cornering problems and the same problems accelerating normally on wet pavement from a stop?

Thanks again for sharing your driving/handling experiences.
Posted by: TJ

Re: Cooper Discoverer H/T - 22/10/13 11:11 AM

Originally Posted By: DPJ316
Thanks for responding- interesting info on the part-time 4wd, which I did not know about the Xterra.

The problem certainly is not the 4wd. I almost never have it in 4wd and have never gone into a skid on 4wd on wet pavement.

So the problem is one of two things:
1) the tires suck on wet pavement and should be replaced to fix the problem OR
2) due to short wheelbase, poor design, or whatever this vehicle is simply prone to going into a skid in a corner at normal speed on wet pavement.

If the second one is the problem (design) and everybody experiences then maybe there's no fix and I'll have to learn to live with it. The same thing would continue to happen even with new tires, so that would be a waste of money right now.

So what I'm most interested in knowing is: are other Xterra drivers normally experiencing the same cornering problems and the same problems accelerating normally on wet pavement from a stop?

Thanks again for sharing your driving/handling experiences.


No problems here unless normal physics counts, IE: If you are trying to go too fast around a corner, your tires can lose traction.

I don't find my self sliding around a corner unless I want to...same in a Miata, Jeep Wrangler, Min Cooper or Bug Eye Sprite,etc...and they all have short wheelbases.

Trucks in general can't corner like cars can due to a higher COG, so I'm not sure what your baseline for this sort of thing is.

SO, its either the tires as you've guessed, or, its unrealistic expectations on your part, as there's nothing about the Xterra that seems to cause what you report.

I personally used a 2001 and a 2004 X, and have buddies with the 2005+ models, and they handle well for a truck, no issues on my part or theirs.

Let us know how you like the new tires!