Member Since: 14 Nov 2019
Location: Torridge, North Devon
Posts: 45
Cooper Zeon 4XS - Sports (my review)
I posted this on the D2 forum as well. But here's my thoughts on them.
With the D4's pirelli All seasons starting to deteriorate, I noticed they were only too happy to squeal when I took a corner and I didn't exactly throw it round corners either, my fuel economy also went to the dogs which was the biggest incentive to change as D4's are rather thirsty machines. So my mate in Norway used to have Cooper Zeon 4XS - Sports on his X-Trail when he lived here, he later changed them to ATT's when there for obvious reasons. But he never had a bad word to say about them. I think cooper have become very popular among 4x4 drivers and I own a set of Discoverer STT pro's for the D2 which I have yet to really put through their paces yet thanks to this lockdown and green laning ban but, I digress.
So I decided to forget having road biased All-Seasons on the D4 and switch to a fully road biased summer tyre. Ignoring the fact that I have those 18" wheels for the D4 from compomotive for off tarmac use should i wish, lets pretend that I just have the standard 20" wheels it came with. Fact is, the D4 is my dad mobile, and just like a WW2 U-Boat spent 95% or more of its time on the Surface, the D4 will also spend 95% or more on the tarmac which is either dry or wet from rain. So, if like me you are in the south of the UK where snow is a rare occurrence mostly, and if you too will spend the vast majority of your time on the tarmac and you grudge paying for fuel, then, a road biased summer tyre might be a good choice for you.
So here's some pretty pics of the tyres
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Appearance
There's nothing flashy or, particularly standoutish about the tyre. It just looks like an unassuming black rubber ring. Its not the sort of tyre that draws your attention to it, which fits the Discovery (whether its a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) nicely I feel. Because lets face facts boys, we want people to admire our car not its wheels right? The D4 has a very simple and very boxy styling, and I'm fairly certain the very first prototype of the D3/4 was actually made out of lego bricks. Which would explain its boxy four corner style. The fact is, the D4, and I'm fairly certain the D2, even with these blatantly road biased tyres still look like the sort of machine that could chase the tanks on Salisbury Plain.
Handling
We all know D4's are as heavy as a family of obese rhinos at the all you can eat buffet. So, the inertia of the vehicle will increase with its weight - this will in turn increase the amount of traction required to change the speed or direction of the vehicle without traction loss. So basically, in the rain where good old fashioned friction is suitably reduced between a tyre and the tarmac, you want something that grips well. I am happy to say we've had a spot of rain in wales lately, and these Zeon's stick to the road like excrement to the blanket. Making a few intentionally tight turns at a greater than usual speed and the car didn't feel squirelly at all. It was well planted and went precisely where I hoped it would go, and the lamppost is still there right now as we speak.
I just want to revisit my previous point re: snow. While this is complete hypothesis on my part, I do think that in the event of some dusting of snow and slush, these tyres, when mated to a Discovery 2, 3, 4 or 5 that possess some form of traction control should be absolutely fine. Just drive in the snow as you would with an all season or all terrain, because there are places in the tyre where the snow can clog and will help with traction even though these are not mud and snow rated. As far as off tarmac use goes... no chance on anything worse than a bit of a gravel track. Using these off tarmac, would be like going hiking in a pair of slippers, totally inappropriate and useless. As I say, these tyres are for people who only use their 4x4's on the road, or people like me with more than one set of wheels who don't require any compromises.
MPG
This morning, I had to do a mission of mercy over to swansea for my elderly grandmother and deliver supplies to her as my younger brother was in work all day today doing overtime. Last time I made this same trip was 2 weeks ago roughly as I was going to sort out a prescription that the chemist had bungled for her as again my brother was in work. My mother and grandmother are estranged and thats a long story... anyway... the last time I went, I set the cruise for 65 as I always do and the best I got was a mere 29mpg by the time I reached her house. Today when I went from my house to hers, my final MPG was 36.9. On the way home, it was 34.5mpg. Which is great! I think the best I ever got from the old Pirelli's was 34 there, and 31 back when I first bought the D4 in November 2019. So, so far I am very happy with the new coopers, though they are brand new, so I will re-review a few thousand miles later. But even short little trips to the shop and back 26/27mpg is possible too!
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The stats on them are great for the money you pay. I wouldn't have any road biased tyre with a rolling resistance less than a C. So its easy to see how the MPG's got better instantly.
Noise
The Pirellis that came off had a noise reduction do-dat in them to make them even quieter. These have no noise reducing thing, and they are just as quiet as the Pirelli's were even back when I first had it in November last year. So the 71db rating as in the picture seems legit to me. Very quiet very comfortable tyre that even on a mere 50 profile, can absorb the bumps really well!
Overall
At this stage of the game, I would strongly recommend them. I've never had a new tyre make such an impact on me as these which is why I've written this review despite only being on the car a mere week. I liked them so much, I've bought a set of them for my D2 as well in 255/55/R18. Anyway, if you live in the south or areas where snow is as rare as rocking horse pooh, AND you have no interest or want to use your Disco off tarmac, these are a GREAT choice.
I will update this thread later on with more thoughts as things are going.Mike
Driving:
2016 Discovery 4 SDV6 HSE
2002 Discovery 2 Td5 ES Auto
2012 Toyota Yaris Hybrid
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