Camry Tires: Cooper CS5's or Conti Pure Contact

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So I was trying to squeeze another winter out of the Bridgestones that came on the Camry, but after driving it today it's apparent that even at almost 17K they're shot. Tire place I use stocks Cooper and Continental tires (among others, but I think I've narrowed it to those two brands). If you guys had your choice which would you prefer:

Cooper CS5 or Continental Pure Contact

Both are priced around the same (215/55/17). Don't plan on driving in deep snow, but I would like some extra grip for the curvy mountain roads. Pretty sure that's what killed the old ones.
 
17K is awful unless you are drifting sideways around those mountain curves.

I have the Pure Contacts for about 40K an highly recommend them. Great water traction and treadwear. No experience with the Cooper.
 
Both the TrueContact from Conti and the CS3 from Cooper are better rated all season winter tires. You can kind of tell just by looking at the tread.

https://tirereviewsandmore.com/top-10-passenger-car-all-season-tires-for-winter-driving/

Although the review on the PureContact is very good. Prob better than the CS5 in winter driving. I'm a fan of Cooper but if prices are around the same the Conti should be the premium tire. Conti competes with Michelin. General is more of a competitor to Cooper. Conti is more of a Cadillac while Cooper is Chevrolet.

PureContact Review
 
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Have to agree.
The Pure Contact is a better tire that the Cooper, so for the same money it's a no brainer.
We put a set of these on the older Forester around four years back and they've been very good.
Nothing wrong with Coopers, though.
 
Conti is the more premium tire, so for the same price, get that one.

Much of the reason the Cooper CS5 is popular on here is because of the low price you can get them for during DTD's sales such as the Black Friday sale coming up very soon. It competes with the General RT43 (another popular tire on here, for the same reason), General being Continental's mid-tier brand.

But if you're only going to use one set of tires year-round, consider something with the 3-peak symbol such as these:
Michelin CrossClimate+
Toyo Celsius
Goodyear WeatherReady
Vredestein Quatrac 5
 
The Continental Pure Contact are better than the CS5s IMO. They also work much better in light snow as well.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys! Looks like Continental is winning over. I know the Conti's on my GTI seem to do well and even did decent in the one and only snow its seen.
 
Sorry but the CS5's will do just as well as the Continental. I put CS5's on a RWD grand marquis and they did just as well in ride quality and performance as the Michelin's that were on there before. They are an 80,000 mile tire. Cooper is spoken of as if they are a 2nd tier company and they are not. They do make cheaper tires with their starfire brand. But they offer premium tires as well. I'm sure if Cooper spent more on marketing and charged more for their products they would get more respect on here.
 
I personally use TireRack's test result to decide which tire is better objectively (I know, if they are not done on the same day weather, temperature, and fuel blend may change the way things are, but still). I primarily look at wet stopping distance and wet cornering G-Force to see which one would be "safer". I'm not too concerned about dry performance.

Between the 2 I'd say Conti Pure Contact.
 
I would go with the Cooper product. Take a look at the Cooper RS3-G1, as well. I had a set of CS3 touring tires on a Hyundai Tucson and I was pleased. I bought a set of General Altimax RT43 (Continental) and they couldn’t be balanced. So, I made the tire dealer pull them and replace them with the Cooper. He wasn’t happy, I was.
 
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I'd go with the cooper as an all-around better tire. I like continentals and might argue that they feel more nimble, but my personal experience with continental sidewall blowouts, same as reviewed on tirerack, AND correlated by a local installer, puts them best in the high-performance low mileage category for me.
 
I've been running the CS5 215/55-17 V rated tires on my 12 Camry for 2 years now. Although I run Blizzak's in winter the CS5's have worked excellent. Good dry/wet, quiet, and handle great. Maybe the only downside is a little more rolling resistance. I would buy them again, except I always try a different tire every time I replace a set on the same car.
 
Originally Posted By: MParr
I would go with the Cooper product. Take a look at the Cooper RS3-G1, as well.


I put a set of Zeon RS3-G1's on my Taurus SHO about a month ago. I think I have close to 1k on them and they are great. Great traction in the rain or dry and they grip like glue. We'll see how they do in the snow but so far I'm impressed.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: MParr
I would go with the Cooper product. Take a look at the Cooper RS3-G1, as well.


I put a set of Zeon RS3-G1's on my Taurus SHO about a month ago. I think I have close to 1k on them and they are great. Great traction in the rain or dry and they grip like glue. We'll see how they do in the snow but so far I'm impressed.


That's a high performance, "light snow capable" tire with a short tread life warranty, not a grand touring M&S rated tire. Just saying, not the same class of tire as OP's two.
 
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