I took the plunge on these with a new vehicle I bought this fall. I had 18" wheels I saved from my previous vehicle that were compatible with my new one, and found that my selection for 18" winter tires to fit this vehicle were limited:
- Blizzaks, a bit pricey, but wear very fast, quite squishy feeling in terms of handling
- X-Ice Xi3, not going with that junk again, barely better than an all season
- Everything else either not available locally, or insanely expensive
Then this came along, promotional material said Canadian Tire had a panel of people from across the country participate in the testing and development, and Cooper was the tire manufacturer behind it. My understanding was that Cooper was under contract with CT to develop this specifically for them, and they do not resemble any existing Cooper tire. The pricing was right, 25% off, and I figured they wouldn't be any worse performing than the X-Ice Xi3.
We've now had winter road conditions in Edmonton since the beginning of November, and I will say that I am impressed with the performance. ABS is very hard, to get to kick in, as is tire spin starting off from a stop. I have yet to feel any sliding while turning/cornering.
It has been all city use so far, but they are exceeding my expectations.
My other new set of winter tires on my van are leftover Continental Extreme Winter Contacts.
Yes, they are on different vehicles and are different sizes, but at this point, I can't say if I prefer one over the other.