Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 Review

Last Updated on May 4, 2021 by Stephen Tillman

I always try to include tires for different purposes in my reviews, and when looking at high-performance all-season tires I noticed that Cooper delivers one of the most impressive solutions for more spirited drivers with the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1. These tires are not the regular touring tire that you will fit on your minivan, and I don’t suggest them for those purposes. Based on the reviews and what everyone is telling me about, Cooper has hit the sweet spot with these tires. Let’s get on with it.

Main Features Of The Cooper Zeon RS3-G1

Target Audience

Cooper has stated that the Zeon RS3-G1 tires are the best, most advanced, all-season high-performance tires, designed specifically for drivers with performance cars under them. While that might be true, I am always a bit skeptical about performance tires since they sacrifice a lot to provide performance and sometimes they don’t even do that. So I wanted to see if it can provide one of the best, and thorough testing, we should get a better idea about it.

Specs and Features

For being a performance tire, the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 comes with some features that you wouldn’t expect to go along with high-performance, but still, if any of these is true we have something special here. The biggest surprise here, in my opinion, is that the company offers a super impressive long warranty of 45,000 miles treadwear protection if you fit all four tires in the same size, and 23,000 miles for staggered fitments. This is not your regular all-season performance rating, and while it may not be a lot compared to touring tires, it is not something that a lot of performance tires can boast about. It has also passed the M+S and UTQG ratings of 500 for treadwear so you can stay assured about the claims. It comes available for rims ranging from 16 to 20 inches in diameter and has a W speed rating.

The Cooper Zeon RS3-G1’s have a two-ply polyester casing that is responsible for balancing the handling and the driving quality. It is also fitted with twin steel belts that are also reinforced with a spiral wound and nylon wraps that are important for delivering performance for higher speeds. The bead fillers on the tires are of the highest stiffness, to deliver precision in handling and resist distortion. Most importantly the silica compound is of the highest quality which should deliver the performance needed for high-speed traction and control.

The Cooper Zeon RS3-G1’s rock a special asymmetric tread pattern that is made for traction, stability and quiet ride, but then again while also keeping the water away from it, but I am not confident in that. It also has 3D micro-gauge siping that has proven to keep the car stable and deliver smooth acceleration. For noise reduction it also has some interesting features, coming in the form of more rubber on the outside shoulder and intermediate rib, which should keep the noise at bay, but then again without testing, we can’t be sure. On top of all this, it has the WearSquare feature that indicates how much tread life you have on your tires.

First Impression

Right from the get-go, you will notice that these tires are more of performance-focused tires, they look pretty aggressive. I am confident that they will at least deliver a good performance in the dry, but we will see about the durability and wet performance.

I installed these tires on the BMW 328i, which is a bit aggressive car with nice acceleration and handling. First off I have to say that they look extremely good on them, then when I took them for a spin around the block they felt nice.

Testing

After the initial break-in phase, the first thing I noticed with these tires is that they delivered an even wear, very even and excellent in my opinion. I also think that they can comfortably deliver the 45,000-mile tread life, without any doubt, and this was my main area of concern since performance tires are notorious for low tread lives. I also noticed that compared to most performance tires in the market they were relatively quiet and comfortable to drive on, you can push your car to its limits and you won’t hear the hum from your tires at all.

For testing their performance, handling, traction and grip, I took the car to the track to see its full capabilities and push them safely to their limits, and boy, oh boy, did they thrive on track. While they are not racing slicks by any means, they are excellent for all-season performance tires. Traction and grip were excellent during sharp corners and they delivered plenty of responsiveness, despite most tires suffering in that aspect with the BMW. The acceleration was rather smooth and exceptional, with no wheel spinning in most cases. On top of that braking distance was rather short, allowing me to deliver faster lap times overall. You notice that the car comes to life with a proper pair of performance tires, especially when you switch from touring tires.

In the wet, they were equally exceptional. While I don’t recommend anyone to drive aggressively in the rain or wet asphalt, it is nice to know that a pair of tires can keep traction and grip in emergency situations. The braking distance was better than most of its competitors and it didn’t skid or lose traction in sharp corners. It was pretty resistant to hydroplaning and it kept traction rather well most of the time. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to test them in snow, but with light snow and not extremely low temperatures they should be pretty much excellent overall.

Verdict

Let’s be honest here, these tires aren’t you regular all-season all-performance touring tires that you will keep on your four-door family sedan. These are the best for more spirited drivers that drive performance cars, and if you fit in that category, the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1’s are the best fit for you, top-notch tires.

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Cooper Zeon RS3-G1

7.3

Quality

9.0/10

Durability

6.0/10

Value

7.0/10

Pros

  • Excellent traction and grip in both dry and wet asphalt
  • Smooth and silent drive

Cons

  • Mediocre snow traction

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