Tire Buying Time.

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RamFan

RamFan

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Blaine's is having a pretty good deal on tires now so it's time for tire shopping. It's been narrowed down to two tires but I'm having a hard time deciding between the two since I've got limited information on one of them. I need an all-season tire for my mom's Charger that can handle some light snow (I know, nothing beats snow tires). Thank's to tirerack.com I've got plenty of information on the Goodyear tire, but the Cooper is proving harder to figure out. Any input?

The contenders:

Goodyear Eagle GT (V speed rating)
gy_eagle_gt_ci2_l.jpg


Cooper CS4 Touring (H speed rating)
co_cs4_touring_hv_l-20121005003050-cooper-tire-cs4-touring-h-tire-p255-65r18-109h.jpg
 
I don't have any first hand experience with either, but just looking at the Eagle GT, I can't imagine it could be worth a darn in the snow.

Lots of people here have the CS4's and most people seem to like them, my gut is saying that is probably a better choice. It will likely be quieter too. Aggressive tires get really loud as they age as well.
 
I thought that too at first, but after reading up on them and hearing from some forum members they seem to hold their own in snow.
 
Originally Posted By: RamFan
I thought that too at first, but after reading up on them and hearing from some forum members they seem to hold their own in snow.


That is interesting... Knowing what I know about tires, I would probably still go with a less aggressive tire.. (CS4) Road noise, overall performance in all conditions, etc.

All you can do is keep trying to gather data, since you can't exactly have each set of tires installed to test them.

For what it's worth, I have Nexen CP672's on my Civic SI and they are wonderful tires, I had no idea I would like a tire so much but they are my favorite in recent memory of any tires I've run.
 
Can't tell you much about handling in the snow, but I can't get the set of CS4s on my van to wear out. Approaching 70,000 miles now. Great wet and dry traction, super handling.
 
My vote goes for the Cooper CS4. Friend in Wisconsin bought a set last Fall and is happy with them. Did well during the harsh Winter months there.
 
CS4 even if they were a little more expensive than the Good4ayear tires. Dad had the T rated versions and they did well in Cleveland winters.
 
What is your size?

Are you willing to consider other brands? I really prefer Michelin whenever possible...
 
the GY has limited siping. its going to be much worse than the CS4

you could also consider the conti DWS if you want a high performance tire thats decent in the winter.
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
the GY has limited siping. its going to be much worse than the CS4

you could also consider the conti DWS if you want a high performance tire thats decent in the winter.


OT: My father swears that when he buys more siped tires, he picks up more nails...

May be another consideration if you believe it...

OT2: I was under the impression that summer tires offer better wet traction than all seasons... However, siping is also attributed to wet traction... My experience is that summer tires are usually blockier in tread design...
 
I read reviews of that Goodyear -- sounds like it is pretty lousy in the snow and is barely an all-season tire. It looks quite aggressive for winter use.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2


OT2: I was under the impression that summer tires offer better wet traction than all seasons... However, siping is also attributed to wet traction... My experience is that summer tires are usually blockier in tread design...



Sort of. There are really two classes of summer tires: "regular" and "extreme". The regular ones do fine in the rain, whereas the extreme ones (Neova AD08, RE11, Ventus R-S3, Azenis, Ecsta XS, Star Spec) are basically just race tires with extra siping.

I used to run the R-S3 as autocross/track tires, and had to drive home on them once in the rain. They were very scary, even in a 4000lb 4WD Audi doing 45mph. When I put my Eagle F1 Asymmetric summer tires back on, I could do 80+ in the rain without any worries.


If you want a sporty all-season tire, the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 is getting amazing reviews.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
I read reviews of that Goodyear -- sounds like it is pretty lousy in the snow and is barely an all-season tire. It looks quite aggressive for winter use.


That was my first impression when my nephew bought an '03 Crown Vic PI that came with nearly new Eagle GTs a few months ago. My only experience with the Eagle line---the OE Eagle GAs that were still on my '04 Chevy Classic when I bought it used with 30K miles---was not good. Would have been dangerous in winter, for sure.

But the more I read the better the GTs sounded. TR gives it a good review overall and especially for winter traction. (for an HP) Customer reviews are also good in general and decent-to-good for winter use. Scattered reviews at other sites are similar. Much is made of the "unique" tread design, though light on specifics. It certainly looks different than most tires I've seen.

I still would not choose it for a powerful full-sized RWD sedan in a northern winter---but neither would I worry about crashing in the first snowstorm, as I did with the late unlamented GAs.
 
Generally not a fan of GY, though I own a set of tripletreads on our van based on better-than-michelin reviews and so far those reviews hold air. Darn good tires. But in general, I have had more average-to-poor experiences with GY than Birdgestone and Firestone--- where if I stay in the upper models have never been disappointed.

The GY tires listed above have minimal siping--- they are not going to fair well in snow or cold wet streets. The Coopers shown look like they'd do much better in the cold and slick.

I've never owned coopers either. My best cold/wet/snow experience has been with michelins and bridgestones, with a respectable nod to BFG, that did well in DC snows on a CRV.
 
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Originally Posted By: meep
Generally not a fan of GY, though I own a set of tripletreads on our van based on better-than-michelin reviews and so far those reviews hold air. Darn good tires. But in general, I have had more average-to-poor experiences with GY than Birdgestone and Firestone--- where if I stay in the upper models have never been disappointed.

The GY tires listed above have minimal siping--- they are not going to fair well in snow or cold wet streets. The Coopers shown look like they'd do much better in the cold and slick.

I've never owned coopers either. My best cold/wet/snow experience has been with michelins and bridgestones, with a respectable nod to BFG, that did well in DC snows on a CRV.




What's wrong with Goodyear? They make plenty of good tires.
 
What is the price difference between them in your size and the place where you plan on buying them?

The Eagle GT is being replaced by the Eagle Sport All-Season, so getting a replacement if you need it may be troublesome.

However, I would take Goodyear over Cooper.

Fun fact: the Goodyear Eagle GT and the replacement Eagle Sport A/S are made in Chile, while the similar (and usually cheaper) Dunlop SP Sport Signature is US-made, as are most of Walmart's proprietary Goodyear tires (Eagle Authority--which is also similar to the GT, Viva 2, anything with "Viva" and/or "Authority" in its name)

Also, keep in mind that they are different performance categories (grand touring vs high performance tire) with different priorities.

If you like Cooper, the Zeon RS3-A is a better comparison to the Goodyear Eagle GT (same performance category)

Tire Rack has this helpful guide on Cooper tires, even though they don't carry them.
 
The Cooper's will be $464 plus a $60 rebate, so $404 for the tires. I have to call for pricing on the Goodyear tires as they don't list the price online. I wanted her to get the Michelin MXV4 (?) but they would be around $800 from Discount Tire.

I'm surprised this thread has come to a solid conclusion, most of the time there's tons of debate!
 
The Goodyear Eagle GT has been replaced with the Goodyear Eagle All-Season - check the goodyear website! I got my Eagle All-Season's installed a few months ago and they are actually fantastic tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+Sport+All-Season+(W-Speed+Rated)

product-2720-prodpage.png


Also mine were MADE IN THE USA
 
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