Cooper Cobra Radial GT Review: The Affordable Supercar That Packs a Punch

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT is an all-season grand touring tire designed for sports cars, coupes, sedans and minivans.

Manufactured by Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, this tire combines performance, comfort and fuel efficiency in an attractive, stylish package.

Cooper Tire was founded in 1914 and is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company specializes in replacement tires for passenger cars, SUVs, light trucks and motorcycles.

The Cobra Radial GT tire demonstrates Cooper’s focus on bringing high-performance engineering to tires suitable for everyday driving.

This tire uses Cooper’s 3D Micro-Gauge siping technology and an asymmetric tread pattern to provide responsive handling and traction in both wet and dry conditions.

The silica-infused tread compound enhances grip while resisting irregular wear. An optimized footprint shape improves high-speed stability for a smooth, quiet ride.

The Cobra Radial GT is designed to appeal to drivers who want a premium grand touring all-season tire without the premium price tag.

Let’s take a closer look at how this tire performs across a range of categories.

List of Other Cooper Tire Reviews

• Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S Review
• Cooper Discoverer STT Pro Review
• Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT Review
• Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek Review
• Cooper Endeavor Plus Review
• Cooper Discoverer True North Review
• Cooper Evolution Winter Review
• Cooper Endeavor Plus Review
• Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek Review
• Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw Review
• Cooper Cobra Radial GT Review

Tire Overview

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT is an all-season grand touring tire available in a wide range of sizes to fit most passenger vehicles.

This tire comes in rim diameters ranging from 15 to 20 inches, widths between 195mm to 275mm, and aspect ratios from 45 to 65.

The Cobra Radial GT carries a UTQG treadwear rating of 500 to 700 depending on the size, meaning you can expect it to last for around 50,000 to 70,000 miles under normal driving conditions.

This tire has a speed rating of T, meaning it is designed to safely handle speeds up to 118 mph.

It comes with Cooper’s standard tread life warranty, which covers it for 60,000 miles for passenger vehicle fitments and 50,000 miles for light truck fitments.

Overall, the Cooper Cobra Radial GT covers a broad range of popular fitments with sizes suitable for sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, and light trucks.

Tread and Traction

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT tire features an aggressive tread pattern designed to provide excellent traction and grip in both wet and dry conditions.

The asymmetric tread features large, interlocking blocks in the shoulder area to enhance cornering grip.

Smaller sipes and grooves along the tread help channel water away efficiently for confident wet weather handling.

Independent testing shows the Cobra Radial GT’s tread compound achieves very high marks for traction and braking on both wet and dry pavement.

The silica-enhanced tread rubber has a high friction rating, enabling short braking distances.

The stiff tread blocks also remain stable under hard cornering and high lateral g-forces, reducing the risk of tread squirming or loss of traction during performance driving.

Even as the tires wear down, the tread pattern retains its ability to effectively evacuate water and maintain grip.

Overall, drivers praise the Cobra Radial GT for its tenacious dry grip and traction, along with impressive wet weather capabilities – especially for an ultra high performance tire.

The aggressive tread gives the tire precise and responsive steering feel. Testers say the Cobra Radial GT is capable of handling both spirited canyon driving and high speed highway cruising with ease.

The tread design provides an ideal balance of performance, control, and longevity.

Ride Comfort

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT tire offers a smooth and quiet ride. The tire utilizes an all-season tread compound that helps absorb road noise and vibrations, providing a comfortable driving experience.

Test drivers have noted the Cobra Radial GT has minimal road roar, even at highway speeds.

The tires do not produce loud whining noises on pavement like some performance tires. The tread pattern and rubber compounds work together to dampen noise.

The ride quality is plush and cushioned without feeling floaty or disconnected. The tires absorb bumps and imperfections in the road while still providing responsive handling. The sidewalls have enough flex to smooth out harsh impacts.

Overall, the Cobra Radial GT strikes a nice balance between ride comfort and handling.

Drivers seeking a tire that delivers a refined, luxury car-like ride will be pleased with the low noise levels and smoothness.

The tires eliminate vibration and harshness for daily driving comfort without compromising performance.

Handling and Response

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT tires deliver excellent handling and responsiveness that inspires confidence behind the wheel.

The tires feature an asymmetric tread pattern that provides strong grip during cornering. The tires feel planted and stable when navigating turns at high speeds.

Steering response is very precise, allowing the driver to place the vehicle exactly where intended.

The tires react instantly to subtle steering inputs, with no delay or vagueness. This sharp steering response enhances the connected feel between driver and vehicle.

The tires maintain composure over mid-corner bumps and uneven pavement. The stiff sidewalls resist deflection, keeping the tread flat on the road surface.

This stability allows the tires to remain composed through dips and undulations that can upset steering.

At the limit, the tires progressively lose grip in a controlled manner. The vehicle responds predictably to throttle and steering inputs near the adhesion limit.

Drivers will appreciate how the tires communicate their grip levels through the steering wheel and chassis movements.

Overall, the Cooper Cobra Radial GT tires deliver responsive, agile handling for a dynamic and confident driving experience.

The cornering grip inspires aggressive driving while the composure and feedback build driver confidence.

Wet Weather Performance

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT tire performs very well in wet weather conditions thanks to its tread design and rubber compound.

The asymmetric tread pattern features large, interlocking blocks in the shoulder area that provide excellent traction and grip when cornering on wet roads.

Braking performance is also impressive in the rain. The tire’s circumferential grooves efficiently channel water away from the tread to minimize hydroplaning and maintain contact with the road surface.

Hard braking distances remain short even on very wet pavement.

In light snow conditions, the Cobra Radial GT offers surefooted traction and braking capabilities.

The aggressive shoulder blocks bite into the snow surface to resist slippage when accelerating, cornering, and braking.

While not an ideal winter tire, it provides reliable snow traction for an all-season model.

Overall, the wet weather performance of the Cooper Cobra Radial GT is a standout feature.

Drivers praise the tire’s stable handling, responsive steering, and short stopping distances on wet and snowy roads.

The tread design strikes an optimal balance between water evacuation and grip.

Off-Road Capability

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT tire performs surprisingly well on loose surfaces like gravel and dirt roads.

The aggressive tread pattern with multiple sipes helps maintain grip, while the stiff sidewalls resist punctures from rocks and debris.

During testing on gravel backroads, the Cobra Radial GT felt stable and controlled. The tread blocks flex to conform to the loose surface, maximizing contact patch.

Lateral grip is quite good for an all-season tire, allowing enthusiastic driving on winding dirt roads. There’s only moderate slip under hard acceleration or braking.

On muddy trails, the Cobra Radial GT struggles more compared to a dedicated off-road tire. The shallower tread depth leads to reduced traction in thick mud.

The tire is easily overwhelmed in sloppy conditions, resulting in major wheel spin.

Still, the Cobra Radial GT performs better off-road than many grand touring or ultra high performance tires.

For all-season driving on paved roads with occasional loose surface detours, the Cooper Cobra Radial GT offers a good blend of on-road manners and off-road capability.

Drivers who frequently travel down dirt or gravel will want a more specialized off-road tire, but the Cobra Radial GT is a surprisingly adept all-rounder.

Fuel Efficiency

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT tire offers decent fuel efficiency for an all-season performance tire.

Independent testing shows it earns a B rating for fuel economy from TireRack. Owners report getting slightly lower gas mileage compared to touring tires, but better efficiency than more aggressive ultra high performance or max performance tires.

The Cobra Radial GT is designed with silica in the tread compound to help reduce rolling resistance.

This enhances fuel economy versus tires made purely of carbon black. Cooper also optimized the casing design to be lighter weight, which reduces the energy needed to roll.

Overall fuel efficiency is largely dependent on each driver’s style and vehicle. However, the Cobra Radial GT strikes a good balance between grip, handling, and gas mileage.

Drivers can expect slightly lower efficiency than a dedicated fuel saver tire, but better economy than tires built for maximum dry grip and cornering.

For a performance all-season tire, the Cobra Radial GT offers respectable fuel mileage while still delivering responsive handling.

Price

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT is competitively priced in the all-season grand touring tire category. Pricing varies depending on tire size, but expect to pay around $150 per tire.

This tire provides excellent value given its blend of comfort, performance, and longevity.

While not the absolute cheapest tire on the market, the Cobra Radial GT is affordably priced and a great value for the money.

Compared to premium grand touring tires from Michelin, Bridgestone, and Continental, the Cooper is priced very competitively.

You get many of the same features and benefits of those premium tires, but at a more budget-friendly price point.

For drivers looking for an all-season grand touring tire that balances price and performance, the Cooper Cobra Radial GT hits that sweet spot.

It’s an affordable option that doesn’t sacrifice too much in terms of ride quality, handling, and tread life compared to more expensive tires.

Overall, the pricing represents a good value for this category of tire. The Cooper delivers an impressive blend of comfort, performance, and longevity that matches or exceeds many comparable tires that sell for a higher price.

For shoppers on a budget, the Cobra Radial GT deserves strong consideration given its price-to-value ratio.

Summary

The Cooper Cobra Radial GT is an excellent all-season tire that balances performance, comfort, and value.

It provides confident handling and traction in most conditions, along with a smooth and quiet ride.

The Cobra Radial GT is best suited for coupes, sedans, crossovers, and SUVs that are primarily driven on the road but may occasionally go off-road or in inclement weather.

It offers a good blend of dry and wet traction, responsive steering, and a comfortable ride quality.

While it doesn’t excel in any one particular area, the Cobra Radial GT is a very capable jack-of-all-trades tire.

It performs well across a variety of conditions, providing a safe and predictable driving experience. The tread life is also quite good for the price.

Overall, the Cooper Cobra Radial GT is easy to recommend for drivers looking for a dependable, affordable all-season tire.

It delivers a satisfying blend of grip, comfort, and longevity. For drivers that stick mainly to paved roads but want reassurance in rain or light snow, the Cobra Radial GT is an excellent choice that balances performance with value.

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