Bolt-on Performance: The Cooper Tires Cooper Zeon RS3-G1
Tires are not what comes to mind when most people talk about “basic bolt-ons,” which is funny considering that quality rubber makes the biggest difference in how a car performs. To that end, today we want to highlight Cooper Tires and their new Cooper Zeon RS3-G1. Cooper is serious about these tires and their capabilities, so much so that they gave us a set to try out. Consider us impressed.
This is Cooper Tires, and this is the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1
For those who don’t know, Cooper Tire is an American company based out of the Ohio that manufactures tires for all types of vehicles. They are distributed through most local tire supply chains, including Pep Boys, National Tire and Battery (NTB), Discount Tire, America’s Tires, Midas and Sears Auto, among others. In recent years the Cooper Tires brand has branched out into the world of performance tires with their “Cooper Zeon RS3” series. Their latest variant is the aforementioned Cooper Zeon RS3-G1. This ultra-high performance all-season is touted as the new top dog in class, and after driving on them, we aren’t surprised. The name comes from the fact that these tires are capable of sustaining 1G of lateral grip around the skidpad. It was not that long ago that cracking the magical 1G number meant running super soft tires that wore out annually, not any more. The Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 carries a 50,000 mile treadwear protection plan.
The lateral acceleration is impressive, and things shape up equally well in a straight line. The RS3-G1 is a “W” rated tire, which means it’s been safely tested up to 168MPH. Cooper has made a note to impress upon us the consistency that these tires offer. As a track-capable road tire, consistency is an important factor for driver confidence. What is the root of this boon in performance? Quoting Cooper Tires’ Director of Product Management, Scott Jamieson, “Innovations in the tire’s tread compound and design help it deliver incredible grip, allowing the tire to hold the road at up to 1G in tight corners—a marvel of cutting edge technology for an all-season tire.” Thanks to a special coupled silica tread compound, the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 offer prodigious levels of stick.
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten that this is LS1tech, and here tires must be slayed. Here is a sixth-gen Camaro SS gratuitously smoking a set of Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 without issue at the RS3-G1 launch event:
Seems like the tires have no problem taking a beating and allowing the driver ample control over the direction of the car without being overwhelmed. The sixth gen SS isn’t exactly a lightweight either, yet it has seemingly no issues dancing around the pavement with the Cooper tires.
If you want to know more about the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1, including technical data and where you can buy them, check out Cooper Tire’s website right here.
Jake Stumph is the Content Editor behind LS1tech.com. He is an avid racer and car enthusiast. He considers himself very lucky to be able to write about cars. You can follow him on Facebook and YouTube.
