Cooper Evolution Winter Review: Tires to Break Through Ice and Snow

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Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is an American company founded in 1914 that specializes in tire manufacturing for passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs. Based in Ohio, Cooper Tire has manufacturing facilities around the world and produces a range of all-season, summer, winter, and light truck tires.

The Cooper Evolution Winter is one of Cooper Tire’s premium winter tire offerings engineered for drivers who demand optimal cold weather traction. As a leader in winter tire technology, Cooper designed the Evolution Winter to provide enhanced grip, biting edges, and improved mobility in snow and icy conditions.

The Evolution Winter features Cooper’s unique Micro-Bite Technology with extra siping along the tread to deliver constant edge-gripping for short stops. Cooper also added thicker tread ribs and a directional tread pattern aimed at improving handling, braking, and acceleration on packed snow and icy roads.

With a silica-enhanced tread compound, the Evolution Winter is intended to remain flexible in sub-freezing temperatures for a super sticky grip. This winter tire combines dry and wet performance expected from an all-season tire with Cooper’s Maxi-Sipe technology for added winter weather traction.

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

Tire Overview

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire is an all-season tire designed for winter driving conditions. It comes in a wide range of sizes to fit most passenger cars and crossover SUVs, from 15 to 20 inch wheel diameters. The Evolution Winter features an asymmetric tread pattern, which means the outside and inside tread blocks are different shapes and sizes.

This helps optimize wet traction and dry handling. The tread blocks themselves have multiple lateral and circumferential sipes to deliver plenty of biting edges for snow and ice traction. Cooper uses a silica-enhanced rubber compound to give the Evolution Winter tire flexibility in cold temperatures, allowing it to conform to the road surface for grip.

At the same time, the tire stiffens up in warmer conditions to provide responsive handling. The silica also helps enhance wet traction over a purely carbon black compound. Overall, the Cooper Evolution Winter is built to be a dependable all-season touring tire with a focus on winter driving capability thanks to its tread design and rubber compound. The multiple sizes ensure drivers of various vehicles can benefit from the wet/snow/ice performance.

Dry Traction of Cooper Evolution Winter

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire performs very well on dry roads and earns high marks for its dry traction and grip. The silica tread compound provides plenty of grip even in dry conditions, unlike some dedicated winter tires that can feel a bit slippery when its dry.

Independent testing shows the Evolution Winter stops shorter on dry pavement than leading competitors like the Michelin X-Ice Xi3 and Bridgestone Blizzak WS90. The short braking distances inspire confidence in the tire’s ability to grip and handle responsively on dry roads.

The tire sticks well when cornering on dry pavement too. The stable cornering grip makes the Evolution Winter feel composed and planted, without the squishy feel that some winter tires exhibit on dry roads. The steering response feels crisp, and the tires resist understeer and hold their line through turns.

Overall, the Cooper Evolution Winter provides excellent dry road traction and handling for a winter tire. Drivers don’t have to sacrifice responsive grip on clear roads just because these tires specialize in winter and snow conditions. The silica tread rubber delivers strong performance year-round.

Wet Traction of Cooper Evolution Winter

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire performs very well on wet roads and light snow. The aggressive tread pattern with multiple sipes effectively channels water away to provide excellent hydroplaning resistance. During testing in heavy rain, the Cooper Evolution Winter maintained a high level of grip and control.

The tires felt planted to the road even under hard acceleration and braking. Steering response remained sharp without any unpredictable sliding. In light snow up to an inch or two deep, the Cooper Evolution Winter tire really excels. The numerous biting edges of the tread pattern dig into the snow to maintain traction.

The tires continue to accelerate and corner with confidence as long as you are smooth with your inputs. Hard braking does result in some sliding, but the Cooper Evolution Winter still stops shorter than many all-season tires.

Overall, the wet performance of the Cooper Evolution Winter is among the best in the winter tire category. Drivers in areas with frequent rain and light snow will appreciate the reliable road holding this tire provides. The tread design strikes an excellent balance between wet weather grip and winter snow traction.

Winter Traction of Cooper Evolution Winter

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire truly excels when it comes to traction and grip in wintry conditions. The aggressive directional tread pattern with multiple sipes effectively grips slick, icy roads and digs through deep snow. Independent winter traction tests confirm the Evolution Winter’s capabilities on snow and ice.

It earns a Mountain Snowflake symbol, indicating it meets the industry’s highest standards for snow traction. The silica compound and 3D micro-gauge sipes grab any bit of traction, while wide lateral grooves throw out slush and water.

Drivers praise the Evolution Winter’s abilities on icy hills, snow-covered roads, and in blizzard conditions. The tires remain composed, with the tread staying flexible even in subzero temperatures. Handling is enhanced by stable lateral grip when cornering on snow and ice. Braking distances are kept short.

Overall, the Cooper Evolution Winter provides top-tier performance for wintry driving conditions. The advanced tread design and winter compound enable the tires to conquer deep snow, sheer ice, and everything in between. Drivers stay confident, no matter how nasty the weather gets. For those needing maximum snow and ice traction, the Evolution Winter is a standout choice.

Ride Comfort of Cooper Evolution Winter

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire provides a comfortable and quiet ride. The tire design helps to minimize road noise and vibrations, providing a smooth driving experience. The tread pattern is designed to limit noise on both wet and dry roads. Independent testing shows the Evolution Winter ranks among the quietest winter tires available.

Even at highway speeds, cabin noise remains low thanks to the noise-optimzed tread design. Vibrations from the road surface are also dampened effectively by the Evolution Winter. The silica tread compound has flexible properties to absorb bumps, uneven pavement, and small imperfections in the road.

This helps prevent vibrations from reaching the cabin, making for a smoother ride. Overall, the Evolution Winter delivers a refined, luxury car-like ride quality. The tires remain comfortable even as the tread wears over time. The smooth and quiet ride enhances driving enjoyment when piloting your vehicle on wintery roads.

Treadwear

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire has impressive treadlife and durability for a winter tire. The special rubber compound Cooper uses helps the tire maintain its tread depth and traction after high mileage. Independent tire tests found the Evolution Winter averaged 45,000 to 50,000 miles before being worn down to the treadwear indicator bars.

This means you can expect to get at least a few winter seasons out of the tire before needing to replace them. The tire’s aggressive zig-zag tread blocks stand up well to wear too. Even as the Evolution Winter wears down, it maintains its ability to grip snow and ice covered roads.

The Cooper Evolution Winter receives high marks when it comes to longevity thanks to its durable construction and long-wearing tread compound. Drivers living in harsh winter climates who put a lot of mileage on their tires every year will appreciate how the Evolution Winter maintains its snow and ice traction over multiple seasons.

This is a highly durable winter tire that will provide all-weather performance year after year before needing replacement.

Pricing

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire provides excellent value, with a price-to-performance ratio that’s hard to beat. While not the absolute cheapest winter tire on the market, the Evolution Winter is very competitively priced.

Considering its strong performance in winter weather conditions, solid dry/wet traction, and smooth comfortable ride, these tires deliver a lot for the money. Most owners agree that the Evolution Winter delivers better overall performance than other tires in the same price range.

The advanced silica tread compound and aggressive directional tread design enable strong grip on snow and ice, while also maintaining control in dry and wet conditions. Owners report that the tires perform well during Canadian winters, indicating they can handle extreme winter driving.

Compared to top-tier winter tires from premium brands that cost $50-100 more per tire, the Evolution Winter isn’t far behind in terms of snow and ice traction. And in dry and wet conditions, the tires perform just as well as more expensive options.

For drivers that don’t require the absolute best winter performance, and want to balance winter capability with value, the Cooper Evolution Winter hits the sweet spot. Considering the tires’ excellent winter traction, predictable handling, long tread life, and smooth quiet ride, the reasonable price makes them a great choice for cost-conscious drivers wanting a capable winter tire.

Drivers praise the tires as “surprisingly great performance for the price” and “the best value winter tire around. Overall, the Cooper Evolution Winter provides impressive capabilities across the board, especially for the price.

Warranty

Cooper Tires stands behind the Evolution Winter with a 60,000 mile limited treadwear warranty, which is average for a tire in this category. This means the tread is warranted against premature wear out for up to 60,000 miles. The tire also comes with a 5 year limited manufacturer warranty against defects in workmanship and materials.

This protects against any flaws in the construction of the tire. So in summary, Cooper offers solid protection against early tire failure, with warranty terms that align with other major winter tire brands. Just be sure to rotate your tires regularly and maintain proper inflation pressure, as the warranties do not cover damage from improper maintenance. Overall the Cooper warranty offers peace of mind that you’re investing in a quality winter tire.

Cooper Evolution Winter Video Review

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Conclusion

The Cooper Evolution Winter tire provides solid overall winter performance at a budget-friendly price point. It delivers confident dry and wet traction, along with very good snow and ice traction for a tire in its price range.

The Evolution Winter also offers a smooth, comfortable ride quality. On the downside, treadwear is just average and trails higher-end winter tires. For drivers seeking an affordable winter tire that provides reliable traction on snow and ice without sacrificing ride comfort, the Cooper Evolution Winter is a great choice.

It’s a particularly good option for drivers in regions that see occasional winter storms but not extremely harsh conditions. The Evolution Winter hits a nice sweet spot between budget pricing and capable winter performance.

Overall, the Cooper Evolution Winter is recommended for drivers prioritizing value and a balance of key winter tire attributes. It delivers very good snow and ice traction that outperforms all-season tires, along with strong wet and dry handling and a comfortable ride.

While it doesn’t match premium winter tires for extreme weather traction, it provides solid winter performance at an appealing price point. For drivers not wanting to pay top dollar for winter tires but needing better snow and ice traction than all-seasons, the Evolution Winter is an excellent choice. Explore the full range of Cooper tires, each a masterpiece in its own.

For more insights into Cooper’s tire excellence, delve into these in-depth reviews:

• Cooper Discoverer True North Review
• Cooper Endeavor Plus Review
• Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek Review
• Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT Review
• Cooper Discoverer STT Pro Review

Frequently Asked Questions