Mastercraft/Cooper CS5 Tire Equivalent

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I bought 2 Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 245 60R18 tires last year and am considering buying 2 Mastercraft tires to replace the other 2 worn out tires. Was wondering if there's an equivalent Mastercraft tire to the Cooper CS5? And what is the price difference?
 
I can't imaging the price difference being high enough to justify running mismatched pairs of tires on a vehicle. There is no Mastercraft tire whose tread matches the CS5; the closest you are going to come is finding a passenger touring tire with a different tread pattern.

When I bought my CS5's they were in the low-mid tier price range. Sure you can save a few bucks going cheaper but is it worth it?
 
+1
Price difference is so negligible, it's not worth it, from what I recall working in a shop that had both MC and Cooper.

Both tires are produced by Cooper, but Cooper is the superior tire getting the better compounds, R&D, etc.
 
Don't mismatch tires, it is penny wise and pound foolish to try and save a few $$$ on one of the most important components of your vehicle which is in direct contact with the road. Even if you go to sell the car you will more then recoup the difference in money. Mismatched or unknown China brand tires are a sure sign of a car the owner has "let go". Get the Coopers, you'll sleep and more importantly STOP better.
 
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If you have a warranty issue down the road my guess is that you will have better luck with a Cooper product.
 
Nokian eNTYRE is very similar to CS5, I had them mixed on mom's Jetta S/W

I like the Cooper, but the Nokian is better, and DIRT cheap on EBay
 
I was told (doesn't mean it's true) that Mastercrafts were cheaper as they were made in a non-union shop.

If you are gonna be switching completely over to Mastercrafts in the long run, I'd go with the LSR Grand Touring which come in your size.
 
Here's the deal.....I'm looking for a new vehicle right now and there's no telling how long it will take plus I have a slow leak from a nail so I want to put the least amount of money into the vehicle right now.
 
Originally Posted by Warstud
Here's the deal.....I'm looking for a new vehicle right now and there's no telling how long it will take plus I have a slow leak from a nail so I want to put the least amount of money into the vehicle right now.


If that's the case, just get the cheapest tire in your size
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted by Gebo
I was told (doesn't mean it's true) that Mastercrafts were cheaper as they were made in a non-union shop.

If you are gonna be switching completely over to Mastercrafts in the long run, I'd go with the LSR Grand Touring which come in your size.

I've ran Mastercrafts before, I think they are a good budget tire I got great mileage out of them.
 
Originally Posted by Warstud
I bought 2 Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 245 60R18 tires last year and am considering buying 2 Mastercraft tires to replace the other 2 worn out tires. Was wondering if there's an equivalent Mastercraft tire to the Cooper CS5? And what is the price difference?


There is not an exact equivalent to the CS5 Ultra Touring. The Mastercraft LSR Grand Touring (in V speed rating) is the closest to it, though, and it should be safe using them together if you really can't buy the CS5. There will be some differences in the wet and winter performance between the two products.
 
Originally Posted by Gebo
I was told (doesn't mean it's true) that Mastercrafts were cheaper as they were made in a non-union shop.

....


It's most certainly NOT true.
 
I don't get it... What's the most you can possibly save by buying a pair of lower tier tires...? When I bought mine which were a similar size to the OP (P235/55/19), the Coopers were about $160 each and the cheapo Chinese ones were about $120. So I guess $80 is money in your pocket, but here's the rub-- unless the car is getting repo'd, that $80 will pay for itself a few times over simply by having good matched tires on a trade-in or private sale vehicle.

If I'm buying a used car and I see mismatched or low quality tires, the first thing that pops in my mind is cheapskate that probably skimps on more than just the tires. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with being frugal and buying budget brands (including tires), but mismatched tires throws up a red flag that says "does things the cheapest way possible." Then I'll have to buy new tires to correct the mismatch, so right away I'm asking for money off the price for that reason alone. In the case of a trade-in, I'm sure a dealer is doing some math in their head, because they probably don't want to sell a car with mismatched tires, and if they do, surely it impacts resale value in some way.

Of the ones linked to above, I believe the Hercules is a closer match. The center tread on the Eldorado does not match at all; has much more aggressive siping and/or smaller tread blocks.
 
Originally Posted by Warstud
Here's the deal.....I'm looking for a new vehicle right now and there's no telling how long it will take plus I have a slow leak from a nail so I want to put the least amount of money into the vehicle right now.


Well thats easy.. patch it and put it on the back.
 
Originally Posted by SirTanon
Just get the cooper. You won't save enough to make it worth it, and in all honesty, the Mastercraft may not last as long, costing you money in the long run.

I just checked the price of both and I would only save $10 per tire. I would of thought it would be much more.
 
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