Gold Star Award to Cooper Weather-Master S/T2 Winter Tires

Now that we have snow covered roads and temperatures at or below zero degrees, ON is officially into winter driving season. All over Toronto GTA area, as well as other areas in the province, tire shops are flat out busy trying to keep up with tire changeovers from all-seasons to winter tires.

It’s time to remind those who are still shopping for winter tires to take a good look at the Cooper winter tire lineup. I’d like to focus in this post on the Cooper Weather-Master S/T2 which has been a regular staple of ON motorists for more than twenty years. As far as aftermarket winter tires are concerned, it is possible that over the last twenty years or so, more Cooper Weather-Master S/T2 tires have been sold than many other single winter tire design.

I have personally had the Weather-Master S/T2 tires on one of my own vehicles for at least three winter seasons, maybe four, and they performed extremely well each season and provided lots of miles of wear. Cooper advertises their Weather-Master S/T2 as a winter weather performance tire for drivers of coupes, sedans, minivans, crossovers and smaller SUV's. Cooper has utilized their exclusive Snow Groove Design Technology on the S/T2 and has designed for it a computer-optimized tread pitch sequence which reduces any tread noise and increases the ride comfort characteristics of the tire.

This tire has a reputation for delivering outstanding traction and handling on snow and ice as well as in other cold weather conditions. It is a studdable tire which increases its performance on ice when studs are installed. Unique tire polymers also provide superior traction on wet or dry road surfaces.

Notre Dame Tire has awarded this tire the Gold Star Award for Value since the S/T2 performs like a much more expensive winter tire yet can be purchased at a bargain on our website.

Here's how one tire review summed up the Weather-Master S/T2:

• Excellent grip and traction on dry, wet, snow and slush
• Responsive steering
• Above average brake performance
• Long lasting treadlife
• Lower price makes for an excellent value

Overall Thoughts
The Weather Master is underrated among some of the bigger name winter tires. Its performance in deep snow, slush, rain and even on cold dry pavement is on par with the winter tires from Bridgestone, Michelin and others. Steering is very responsive and the ride is good as well.

The tire is studdable, so for drivers who live in an area that sees a lot of snow and ice, you have the option of adding studs. The one area we would like to see improved upon is added grip on ice. Overall, the performance, long lasting treadlife and lower price make this an outstanding value among any winter tire brand.