November 12

Cooper Zeon RS3-S Review: The Best Affordable High-Performance Summer Tire?

While regular all-season tires are great for all-purpose use, they may not meet your performance capabilities expectations, especially if you’re an adventurous driver. 

Sure, they save you a substantial amount of time by potentially eliminating the need to change your tires so often. But if you require better grip, handling, and traction, it might be time to replace them with high-performance summer tires. 

Today, we’ll introduce you the Cooper Zeon RS3-S, a tire with an awesome reputation. 

In this Cooper Zeon RS3-S review, we will talk about its features, pros, and cons, so you can decide whether it’s worth buying or not.

Let’s get started.  

Cooper Zeon RS3-S Specs

Before we dive deep in our review, let’s first look at the summary of Cooper Zeon RS3-S’ features:

Type:Summer Tire
Designed For:Muscle cars, sports cars, and coupes
Warranty Distance:20,000 miles
Sizes:17” 18” 19” 20”
Pros:Offers the best dry and wet traction among its class
Even tread wear
Outstanding wet driving performance
Cons:Poor tread life
Available In:Amazon (check price)

Cooper Zeon RS3-S Tire Type

The Cooper Zeon RS3-S is a high-performance summer tire meant to be used in dry and wet weather. 

Is the Cooper Zeon RS3-S Good for Rain and Snow?

The Cooper Zeon RS3-S performs well in the rain but not in the snow. 

Its silica-formulated tread compound and the increased grooves in the tread design help deliver exceptional wet traction and driving performance. The grooves also assist in reducing the risk of hydroplaning.

Zeon RS3-S owners report that the tires have perfect grip on wet roads, even during heavy rains.  

Because the Cooper Zeon RS3-S is a dedicated summer tire, it is not intended for use during the winter

A user claims, though, that the tire performs adequately well in temperatures between 5 and 7 degrees Celsius, so if you live in a state that rarely gets snowfall, you might still be okay with a set of these tires during colder months. 

Is the Cooper Zeon RS3-S Good for Dry Weather?

The Cooper Zeon RS3-S provides excellent performance in dry weather. It offers world-class dry traction, and its wide, circumferential grooves allow for stable cornering abilities.

Some experienced and spirited drivers use the Zeon RS3-S as a race track tire because of its ultra-high performance reputation. 

Not only does it look nice in most sports cars, but it also provides excellent grip, speed, and cornering force. 

Many users say that it is perhaps one of the most responsive tires they’ve ever tried.  

Is the Cooper Zeon RS3-S Quiet?

The Cooper Zeon RS3-S may not be the quietest tire you’ll ever buy, but compared to other summer tires in the market, it produces less noise, thanks to its asymmetric tread design. 

It isn’t built for comfort, but it provides a fairly smooth ride because of its Advanced Technology Mold Profile that allows for improved tread-to-road contact. 

Which Vehicles Fit the Cooper Zeon RS3-S Tire?

Wondering whether the Cooper Zeon RS3-S is a good match for your car?

Below are just some of the vehicles the tire will fit:

  • Acura CSX, RSX, TSX  
  • Audi A3   
  • Bentley Continental   
  • BMW 3, 5 Series   
  • Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette,   
  • Ferrari 599   
  • Ford Mustang   
  • Lexus IS 250, 350, GS450H   
  • Nissan 370Z, Maxima   
  • Pontiac Trans Am, GTO   
  • Porsche 911   

And so many more!

Cooper Zeon RS3-S Tire Sizes

The Cooper Zeon RS3-S was released in the following tire sizes. Note, though, that some may no longer be available in the market. 

17″ Cooper Zeon RS3-S Sizes

  • 235/55R17 99W BLK
  • 205/50R17 93W XL BLK
  • 225/50R17 98W XL BLK
  • 215/45R17 91W XL BLK
  • 225/45R17 94W XL BLK
  • 235/45R17 97Y XL BLK
  • 245/45R17 95Y BLK
  • 245/40R17 91W BLK
  • 275/40R17 98W BLK

18″ Cooper Zeon RS3-S Sizes

  • 235/50R18 97W BLK
  • 225/45R18 95W XL BLK
  • 245/45R18 96Y BLK
  • 225/40R18 92Y XL BLK
  • 235/40R18 95Y XL BLK
  • 245/40R18 97Y XL BLK
  • 255/40R18 99Y XL BLK
  • 275/40R18 99Y BLK
  • 255/35R18 90Y BLK
  • 275/35R18 99Y XL BLK

19″ Cooper Zeon RS3-S Sizes

  • 255/40R19 100Y XL BLK
  • 235/35R19 91Y XL BLK
  • 245/35R19 93Y XL BLK
  • 255/35R19 96Y XL BLK
  • 265/35R19 98Y XL BLK
  • 285/35R19 99Y BLK
  • 325/30R19 105Y XL BLK

20″ Cooper Zeon RS3-S Sizes

  • 245/45R20 103Y XL BLK
  • 245/40R20 99Y XL BLK
  • 275/40R20 106Y XL BLK
  • 255/35R20 97W XL BLK
  • 275/35R20 102W XL BLK
  • 305/35R20 107Y XL BLK

Check Prices

Cooper Zeon RS3-S Price

The Cooper Zeon RS3-S starts at around $120 each, depending on the size, putting it on the lower-end side of its class. 

Cooper Zeon RS3-S Warranty and Lifespan

Unlike many summer tires in the market, the Cooper Zeon RS3-S has a 20,000-mile tread life warranty. It also comes with a uniformity guarantee that covers the first 2/32 inches of wear. 

Cooper offers a lifetime warranty on materials and workmanship, which includes free tire replacement during the first quarter of tire wear. 

It is common for summer tires to trade off tread life, so this tire is not expected to last that long. Depending on usage, they begin to wear out at 15,000 miles or earlier.

They wear pretty evenly and nicely, though, due to the cross-rotation in the tread design. 

Conclusion: Should You Get the Cooper Zeon RS3-S? 

So, do we recommend the Cooper Zeon RS3-S tires for you?

Well, it depends on what type of driver you are. If you are a confident, spirited, experienced, or aggressive driver, you will likely have the most fun road trips with these tires.

However, if you use your car for everyday commutes, such as when you’re going to work, school, your local supermarket, etc, then it might not be exactly what you need. Tires with longer tread life are the best picks for everyday drivers anyway.  

The Cooper Zeon RS3-S is built specifically for performance, so unless you are a sports or muscle car owner, it might not be the most suitable for you. 

Now that you’ve got yourself a good set of tires, check out these tips on How to Make a Car Safety Checklist for your trip!

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