Cooper CS5 Grand Touring Tire Review and Rating

Written By Slavcho Andov
Last Updated June 26, 2022

TireHungry.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no added cost to you

Dry

Wet

Snow

Comfort

Noise

Treadwear

Pros

High comfort and low noise levels
Grip and traction levels are more than enough for daily driving
Very good aquaplaning resistance
80,000-mile treadwear warranty

Cons

Average snow performance
Not the most responsive tire

Throughout the years, the tire industry went through many changes. In the early days, there were only a handful of touring tires, and that was it. Today, things are a bit different.

As we all know, touring tires are the most obvious choice for everyday driving. You get a safe driving experience from a well-refined tire that won’t tear itself to shreds in a few thousand miles. With that said, there are some differences between them.

You may have heard about grand and standard touring tires but couldn’t tell the difference. In short, the grand touring ones are designed for a bit better handling characteristics and sometimes higher speed ratings. This makes the standard touring tires cheaper and more attractive.

Among the plethora of options in the standard touring segment are models from mid-range manufacturers like Cooper. The company has the CS5 Grand Touring tire, which is a standard touring tire despite the name. On the grand touring side, it has the CS5 Ultra Touring, which I wasn’t too impressed with.

Considering this, is the CS5 Grand Touring a disappointment like its big brother?

What are the features of the Cooper CS5 Grand Touring?

Some may say that it’s a tire from the lower end of the spectrum, but that doesn’t mean that the CS5 Grand Touring lacks in terms of features.

I may seem like a broken record, but a crucial aspect of an all-season tire is the rubber. Cooper used its Coupled Silica compound to ensure that the CS5 Grand Touring remains usable in colder temperatures. This should enable the tire to remain pliable in winter or over wet roads.

Non-ideal driving conditions like damp roads or light snow are covered by the sipes. The tread pattern of the CS5 Grand Touring features 3D Micro-Gauge sipes designed to offer biting edges throughout the footprint. As a result, Cooper aims to deliver improved traction on damp and snowy roads.

Sometimes you need to drive in some harsher conditions, like heavy rain, so you’ll need a tire that can perform well. Cooper designed the CS5 Grand Touring with 4 wide channels. They work in combination with the lateral grooves, which should give us a tire with excellent aquaplaning resistance.

Despite not being a grand touring tire, the CS5 Grand Touring has a few features for handling. The tire features the company’s Stabiledge technology, meaning that the handling and stability in dry conditions should be pretty good for a touring tire.

How does it behave on dry tarmac?

Going for a touring tire means you are looking for safe performance and probably own a regular hatchback or a sedan. With this in mind, the CS5 Grand Touring will cover your needs well.

As a daily driver, the CS5 Grand Touring can deliver plenty of performance, so most people would be perfectly fine. Cooper nailed it with this tire, as the levels of grip and traction are excellent for the average driver. You’ll hardly notice any slip when accelerating, and understeer will be something you’ll never experience. Then there are the braking distances which may not be on the same levels as what Michelin or Continental but are pretty good.

Keep in mind that when I say that the CS5 Grand Touring is excellent, I mean for normal driving. The tire doesn’t handle being pushed too much, so it shouldn’t be your first choice for driving on a track. Getting too aggressive will cause it to slip when accelerating, and you’ll get loads of understeer in the corners.

Dry Rating: 4/5

 4/5

How does it behave over wet and slippery roads?

Wet conditions aren’t ideal, and most tires struggle, but that isn’t the case with the CS5 Grand Touring. While it’s not on the same level as the CrossContact 2, it’s still a solid mid-range performer.

Under normal driving conditions, the CS5 Grand Touring can deliver grip and traction levels that are higher than what most people will need. The tire will be fine with normal acceleration and eliminate slip entirely while getting a bit aggressive will spin up the tires, but not much. Things are positive in the cornering department, and thanks to the biting edges, the tire won’t struggle to get you around a corner.

While I wouldn’t categorize the CS5 Grand Touring as the best tire for wet, I can say that it’s pretty good and safe. Apart from the grip and traction, the tread pattern with the wide grooves does an excellent job at keeping it stable when driving over deeper water patches. As a result, the tire won’t get twitchy when you drive on the highway.

Wet Rating: 4/5

 4/5

How is it over snow?

The CS5 Grand Touring is an all-season tire, and even though it can deliver usable performance in some conditions, it’s not a replacement for a proper winter tire.

Thanks to the rubber compound, driving with the CS5 Grand Touring on clean roads in the winter won’t be an issue. The tire will perform excellently, delivering performance that won’t disappoint most drivers.

In light snow conditions, the performance drops but still remains usable. The CS5 Grand Touring does better in shallow unpacked snow, as the sipes can bite in and deliver usable traction. On packed surfaces, traction and grip levels are a bit reduced, so more caution is advised.

Like most of its all-season rivals, the CS5 Grand Touring doesn’t handle harsh conditions pretty good. It will struggle more than you’d want in deep snow, and you are also looking at longer braking distances. Things are much worse over ice, something that the tire won’t be able to handle safely.

Snow Rating: 3/5

 3/5

Is it comfortable and refined?

I was disappointed by the refinement of the CS5 Ultra Touring, so I didn’t have high hopes for the CS5 Grand Touring. Surprisingly, the tire performed much better than I thought.

The CS5 Grand Touring is a very comfortable tire despite the internal construction. It manages to smooth out most of the road imperfections, delivering a soft ride. It’s not on the same level as the premium competitors like the Assurance ComfortDrive, but it does pretty well as a mid-range option. It also manages to smooth out a good amount of vibrations from when you hit a larger pothole.

Noise levels are also pretty good, and the CS5 Grand Touring remains relatively quiet. The most you’ll hear from it is a roar over rougher surfaces, while it will remain quiet at higher speeds. Again, it’s not comparable to the Turanza QuietTrack, but it’s pretty good for this category.

Comfort Rating: 4/5

 4/5

Is the Cooper CS5 Grand Touring ideal for sporty driving?

While the CS5 Grand Touring does pretty well in many areas, there is one where it isn’t particularly good: the tire’s ability for sporty driving.

Sure, you have plenty of grip and traction for normal driving around town or on the highway, but not enough to push it. It’s far from the ideal choice for a track, and I wouldn’t classify it as particularly capable for an aggressive drive on a twisty road.

Then we have the handling, which isn’t the strongest side of the CS5 Grand Touring. It’s not terrible, and the tire is good for normal driving and responds decently well, but it doesn’t have what it takes for sporty driving. Enthusiasts will notice a slight delay when you turn the steering wheel and will have a bit of a difficulty finding some feedback.

Noise Rating: 4/5

 4/5

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring Warranty

Mid-range tires aren’t always on the same level as the premium tires in terms of warranty, but the CS5 Grand Touring does pretty good. With an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty, it’s the same as the TrueContact Tour and the Defender T+H. Surprisingly, it’s less than the Kinergy PT, which is another mid-range option.

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring Pricing: Is it worth the money?

When it comes to pricing, Cooper nailed it with the CS5 Grand Touring. It comes at a similar price as the Kinergy PT but is a bit more expensive than the Kinergy ST. As for the premium competitors, it’s slightly cheaper than the Continental model and a bit more than the Michelin one.

Value Rating: 4.5/5

 4.5/5

Should I buy the Cooper CS5 Grand Touring?

To be honest, there aren’t a lot of budget-minded tires that offer good performance. The CS5 Grand Touring is one of the rare ones, which is why I can recommend it.

Naturally, you’ll have to be aware that as a mid-range tire, the performance levels won’t be like with some of the premium competitors. With that said, not many people will notice a massive difference in normal scenarios. Most importantly, it’s safe, well-refined, and affordable.

As good as things may seem, the CS5 Grand Touring isn’t the perfect tire. The two biggest complaints I have is that the responsiveness isn’t on the same level as some of its rivals. Also, even though it’s usable for the snow, it’s still not the best all-season tire.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

 4.5/5