I had the set of Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tires in 215/55-17 94V put on this weekend right before a road trip in our other car. We drove my car around town today on the new Coopers, probably about 40 miles in all. The release compound is still wearing off, so they should get grippier as they wear in.
First impressions were:
1. This is a wide tire! Compared to the previous set of TPC-spec (GM OEM) Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires in the same size, these look to be an inch or so wider. Section width is reported as 7.4". The previous set's section width was reported as 6.5". There's more of a bulge in the sidewall for the Coopers than the Goodyears.
2. It's quiet. Yes, it's a new tire at full tread depth compared to a older tire at minimal tread depth. It's still a bit quieter.
3. It's definitely better in the wet. Today was filled with thunderstorms, and I got to drive through a few on the Coopers. They handled the water on the road fine, even the deeper water put down by some of the storms. Stopping/turning in the wet wasn't an issue. Even when trying to get them to spin from a dead stop, they had minimal wheelspin. The Goodyears would have needed traction control to intervene to get the car moving.
4. Dry grip is quite good. Taking a few sharp turns rather quickly revealed that the CS5 UT's were pretty responsive to turning in, and held on well throughout the turn. There's a nice banked turn on my commute that I'll take fast tomorrow to see more about dry grip.
5. The ride is on the firmer side, at least with very few miles on the tires. They do a good job smoothing out the larger bumps. The suspension is about 70k miles old, with most of that being on smoother roads, so it's in okay shape.
6. Handling seems to be responsive. They respond to input pretty quickly. I'm still getting used to how they feel through the Cruze's fairly numb EPS. The extra width is taking some getting used to.
Now for some pictures:
Tread design and sidewall:
Width of some of the grooves:
Shot across to show the depth of the inboard sipes:
Shot to show off the asymmetric tread pattern:
I'll update when I have more miles on them.
First impressions were:
1. This is a wide tire! Compared to the previous set of TPC-spec (GM OEM) Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires in the same size, these look to be an inch or so wider. Section width is reported as 7.4". The previous set's section width was reported as 6.5". There's more of a bulge in the sidewall for the Coopers than the Goodyears.
2. It's quiet. Yes, it's a new tire at full tread depth compared to a older tire at minimal tread depth. It's still a bit quieter.
3. It's definitely better in the wet. Today was filled with thunderstorms, and I got to drive through a few on the Coopers. They handled the water on the road fine, even the deeper water put down by some of the storms. Stopping/turning in the wet wasn't an issue. Even when trying to get them to spin from a dead stop, they had minimal wheelspin. The Goodyears would have needed traction control to intervene to get the car moving.
4. Dry grip is quite good. Taking a few sharp turns rather quickly revealed that the CS5 UT's were pretty responsive to turning in, and held on well throughout the turn. There's a nice banked turn on my commute that I'll take fast tomorrow to see more about dry grip.
5. The ride is on the firmer side, at least with very few miles on the tires. They do a good job smoothing out the larger bumps. The suspension is about 70k miles old, with most of that being on smoother roads, so it's in okay shape.
6. Handling seems to be responsive. They respond to input pretty quickly. I'm still getting used to how they feel through the Cruze's fairly numb EPS. The extra width is taking some getting used to.
Now for some pictures:
Tread design and sidewall:
Width of some of the grooves:
Shot across to show the depth of the inboard sipes:
Shot to show off the asymmetric tread pattern:
I'll update when I have more miles on them.