Time for a quick update. I have about 15k miles on both pairs now, so I think that I am able to share some of my initial reactions on how these are aging.
Cooper CS5 Grand Touring (Honda Odyssey):
The snow and rain performance has been excellent. They have plenty of grip and never feel skittish.
The ride and handling are, well, squishy. These have very soft sidewalls and you can tell. Every turn allows you to feel the tires shift into the turn.
The soft sidewalls are effecting the wear on the edges. They are wearing faster than the middle, even with the air pressure a little high. This may also be partially due to the Honda which wears tires fast anyway and the back roads my wife drives to work.
I will probably try some Contis or Generals next go around.
Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring (Toyota RAV4)
Quite simply, these things are awesome. The difference between the Grand Tourings is night and day. If the GTs are good in the snow and wet, the Ultras are amazing. During winter storm Jonas I felt zero desire for more grip. I made a 2 hour trek between home and Charlottesville in the middle of the storm for unavoidable medical reasons and the tires were never scary in the least.
The ride and handling have also been excellent. These have a much stronger sidewall, which gives solid handling but not at the expense of ride quality. The RAV4 is know for a rough ride, but these help out much more than the OEM Bridgestones.
They are wearing well and even. There is no noticeable road noise as the miles increase. Gas mileage has also increased a little more than 1 mpg over the OEM rubber. At this rate, I think these will actually outlast the GTs on the Honda.
I will be putting another pair of these on when these wear out. Great tire, great value.
So, in summation, I would absolutely recommend the Ultras if they make a set that fits your car. The GTs I think are just way too soft. I haven't been impressed. They aren't horrible and they are safe, but I think for the money there are better tires out there.
