Cooper CS4

[little bob]

Had this set for 20K miles and they're smooth and getting great wear but are noisy. Most is road whine but one (or possibly two) has a low droning sound that sets in around 60+. It's more noticeable on smoother asphalt than other roads and it's intermittent....comes and goes. There's some minor feathering, too. To this point, the car (02 Camry w/145K) has had four wheel alignment twice; tires rotated three times and balanced twice. The front struts were replaced prior to buying the tires. We run 30psi in all 4. Previous sets of Summits were quiet and smooth.

Is this a tire, bearing or suspension issue? Suggestions? Help?

 

[Papa Bear]

I would love to see a printout of the cars present alignment.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Probably alignment issues.

Cooper tires seem to be super popular. I have been in a few vehicles with CS4s - ranging from new to worn completely out. Never noticed a lot of noise from them.

 

[KitaCam]

Originally Posted By: little bob
Had this set for 20K miles and they're smooth and getting great wear but are noisy. Most is road whine but one (or possibly two) has a low droning sound that sets in around 60+. It's more noticeable on smoother asphalt than other roads and it's intermittent....comes and goes. There's some minor feathering, too. To this point, the car (02 Camry w/145K) has had four wheel alignment twice; tires rotated three times and balanced twice. The front struts were replaced prior to buying the tires. We run 30psi in all 4. Previous sets of Summits were quiet and smooth.

Is this a tire, bearing or suspension issue? Suggestions? Help?


Re: Noise/drone....is this sound TONAL (like a hum you might hear from a passing pickup) or GRINDING (like "white noise")?

My Ventus tires' grinding noise is evident on most surfaces until I get on asphalt/Tarmac when they go silent. That's likely a result of the tire COMPOUND chemistry. If it were a whistling tonal noise that would be a result of TREAD design.

Minor feathering (from front to back) is normal....What's MINOR? A photo would clarify that...minor feathering smooths out when tires are rotated.

You might increase the PSI to 32-34 and see if that improves the tires' performance...That's what the 05 Camry had when running 15" OEM-touring tires like the CS4 that had 51psi max. cold heavy load specifications....17"ers NOW running high performance V-rated tires @ 45psi, tires that also have max. 51psi.

 

[little bob]

I watched while the last alignment was done and the screen on the machine showed the alignment as dead on after some minor adjusting on both the front and rear. The last alignment was done 30+/- days ago.

The feathering isnt visible but can be felt by running hand over the tire tread. It's mostly on the edges

The droning sounds like a low toned groan where the whine is just that...high pitched.

Should I just air them up to 34 and let it go awhile and see if it goes away?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

What is suggested for the car?

 

[KitaCam]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
What is suggested for the car?


29psi

 

[KitaCam]

Originally Posted By: little bob
I watched while the last alignment was done and the screen on the machine showed the alignment as dead on after some minor adjusting on both the front and rear. The last alignment was done 30+/- days ago.

The feathering isn't visible but can be felt by running hand over the tire tread. It's mostly on the edges

The droning sounds like a low toned groan where the whine is just that...high pitched.

Should I just air them up to 34 and let it go awhile and see if it goes away?


You're already at 30psi, so adding a couple more PSI at a time would be a conservative adjustment...

As for feathering...if you can't see it then it's likely nothing to worry about....just rotate the tires every 5-6k miles.

As for the noise...can't help you with the MULTIPLE sounds you describe...maybe other CS4 users can "chime" in...

 

[Vibe_2007]

Originally Posted By: little bob
Had this set for 20K miles and they're smooth and getting great wear but are noisy. Most is road whine but one (or possibly two) has a low droning sound that sets in around 60+. It's more noticeable on smoother asphalt than other roads and it's intermittent....comes and goes. There's some minor feathering, too. To this point, the car (02 Camry w/145K) has had four wheel alignment twice; tires rotated three times and balanced twice. The front struts were replaced prior to buying the tires. We run 30psi in all 4. Previous sets of Summits were quiet and smooth.

Is this a tire, bearing or suspension issue? Suggestions? Help?


I have been running the CS4 tires on my Vibe for about 35000 miles now and they are very noisy tires on this vehicle. This despite dead on alignments with rear shims and the whole bit. There is always the low drone you speak and has been that way since the first year.

My car is in great shape---new struts, sway bar links, alignment is spot on, control arms are good, etc.

The other major problem I have with the tires is tramlining on grooved road surfaces. Car bounces all over the place and never did that with the previous tires it had.

I won't buy these again. I'll go with the GY Comfort-Treds next time.

 

[little bob]

Vibe 2007...sounds like you have the same problems. Never had anything like this on the previous sets of Summits. But we'll get through it.

Bought the CS4's over Hankook 727's due to the rebate at the time. Wont do it again.