This years Truck tires currently in test:

All Season
Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza T
Continental CrossContact LX20 EcoPlus
Cooper Discoverer CTS
Dunlop Rover HT
Firestone Destination LE
General Grabber HTS
Goodyear Wrangler SR-A
Hankook DynaPro HT
Kumho Road Venture APT KL51
Michelin LTX M/S2
Michelin Latitude Tour
Michelin Latitude Tour HP
Maxxis Highway Terrain HT-750 Bravo
Nexen Rodian HT SUV
Nokian WR G2 Sport Utility
Nokian HT Sport Utility
Pirelli Scorpion STR A
Toyo Open Country H/T
Uniroyal Laredo Cross Country
Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G051
Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza H
Michelin X Radial LT2

All Terrain
BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2
Bridgestone Dueler APT IV (Sears)
Cooper Discoverer AT3
Firestone Destination AT
Hankook Dynapro AT’M
Kumho Road Venture AT KL-78
Michelin LTX A/T2
Nexen Rodian A/T II
Pirelli Scorpion ATR
Toyo Open Country A/T
Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S G012
Kumho Road Venture SAT KL6I

Winter
BFGoodrich Winter Slalom KSI
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1
Continental ExtremeWinterContact
Firestone Winterforce UV
General Altimax Arctic
Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT
Kumho Road Venture SAT KL61
Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI 2
Nokian WR G2 Sport Utility
Nokian Hakkapeletiitta R Sport Utility
Toyo Observe Open Country G-02 Plus
Yokohama Geolandar i/T GO72

Wow!  THANK YOU!

Two questions for you.  I am curious what the Cooper Discoverer AP is (which you are testing).  I can't find anything about the tire in its website or anywhere else.  I do note that the Discoverer ATR (which is mostly a strict L/T tire) is being discontinued and replaced by the A/T3.

Which beckons my second question.  You have already explained how tires are chosen (usually working with the manufacturer in terms of most appropriate fitment for category). Have you had it happen that tires have been discontinued during testing?  If so, were you able to "back-track" with whatever new tire came out?  Just curious, since I know that tires have to be purchased months and months ahead of the release of the final report. 

Okay, one more.  If this has happened, what have you done with test results of tires you fully tested only to have them discontinued about the time of the release of your report?  This can obviously extend to more than just tires.

Oh, and you weren't kidding that Goodyears were going to be quite under-represented this time around.  Too bad for that.  Thanks again.

Jerry, in addition to Thomas' question, can you give us some more information on the Michelin LTX AP, that shows up in the all-terrain tire section.  I assume that is supposed to be the LTX AT2, but I just wanted to check.  Thanks!

Guys, great catches, those were transcribing errors. They have been corrected.

If a tire is discontinued we check with the manufacturer to see if there is substantial inventory out there. If not (as happens in most cases), we drop it from the ratings. We do retain the test data, but it does not get published.

As to augmenting the ratings, sometimes we do add a tire to the ratings at a later date, here is an example. But it's pretty rare as we have to use the same vehicle (which may have been sold) and repeat everything. Plus, we are usually well into the next program which makes it difficult to schedule. That's why we try so hard to get it right to begin with.

Thanks for the info.  But unless I'm missing something, you are doing precisely that with the Cooper Discoverer A/T 3, and you did the same with the Cooper Discoverer CTS three years ago.  In both cases, to my knowledge the tire was not available to the general public until your tire testing was well, well underway.  In fact, at least at my two local Cooper dealers, the A/T 3 is still not yet available.

Does that mean you are able to get "advance copies" of the tire?

Just curious, as I am glad that the CTS got in the last round of tests, and the A/T3 is getting in this year's.

Thanks again for the info.

Thomas

Sorry for the delay. In answer your question on the Cooper A/T3. You are correct, it may not be available at retail. This is because tire manufacturers make tires to prepare for a major official launch, often taking months to build-up inventory to have tires available at launch-time.  We were able to obtain retail tires prior to the official launch from a local Cooper Dealer.  Cooper did not want us to test the soon to be discontinued A/T 2 and the timing was right to test the A/T3 which will be in the November issue of the magazine. We will not publish data on any pre-launch tire until after a launch date. We will also repurchase tires after the launch to check DOT serial codes and verify performance in key tests to ensure that we have representative test samples.  

Indeed, your timing on this response is excellent.  Because the A/T 3 is now available at the local retailers.

But at the risk of beating the same horse a few times over, I am now curious because the information I am getting on the A/T 3 is confusing.  In one source, most of the A/T 3 sizes are L/T sizes, not 'P' sizes.  In the other source, they all are.

Since I know that your preference is for 'P' tires, I am curious whether the A/T 3 you are testing is a 'P' or an 'LT'.  Thanks.

Thomas

All the tires we are testing are P metric versions of the tires.