Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring Tire Review and Rating

Written By Slavcho Andov
Last Updated June 26, 2022

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Dry

Wet

Snow

Comfort

Noise

Treadwear

Pros

Excellent aquaplaning resistance
Decent grip and traction for everyday driving
Long treadwear warranty
Nice balance between price and performance

Cons

Even though the tire is soft, the comfort levels aren’t marvelous
Responsiveness is poor

If this isn’t your first time purchasing a new set of tires, you probably know that the most common option is touring models. These models cover the essential aspects that people are after – longevity, refinement, and safe performance.

Most people don’t care too much about a “sticky” tire, mainly because they drive a family sedan that cannot go around a corner at 100 mph. This is one of the main reasons why UHP tires don’t make too much sense for these applications.

Having a lot of tire manufacturers on the market means you will have a wide range of selections. Tires can range from the cheapest tires, which I hardly recommend, to the mid-range and premium ones.

A common option is the mid-range manufacturers like Cooper because they strike a nice balance between affordability and performance. The company’s flagship grand touring tire is the CS5 Ultra Touring, a model designed to compete against the big players in the industry.

What are the features of the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring?

Like any touring tire you’ll find on the market, the Cooper focused the features of the CS5 Ultra Touring around the aspects that matter.

The first and among the most important one is the compound. Cooper’s Coupled Silica rubber is used for the CS5 Ultra Touring, designed to perform in multiple weather conditions. The result should be a tire that can be used in summer and winter, up to a point.

Despite being a touring tire, Cooper implemented some features that should make it handle better. The Stabiledge technology is part of the tread pattern of the CS5 Ultra Touring that keeps the blocks more stable and prevents flexing. As a result, we should see some decent handling characteristics and improved stability.

The tread pattern should greatly affect how the CS5 Ultra Touring handles in non-ideal conditions. For the harsher ones like heavy rain, Cooper designed it with 4 circumferential grooves that should help it channel water and provide good aquaplaning resistance.

Another area of the tread pattern that should help the CS5 Ultra Touring deliver performance in poor conditions is the biting edges. Their goal is to ensure that the tire delivers traction on damp roads and in light snow situations.

How does it behave on dry tarmac?

People get a touring tire to get safe performance, and that’s what the CS5 Ultra Touring can offer.

Touring tires are designed to be driven normally and deliver good performance. The CS5 Ultra Touring offers performance that is on par with the rest of the mid-range tires. While it doesn’t excel in a certain area, as an overall package, it does pretty well. The grip and traction levels are plentiful for people that need a good set of tires for general driving. If you own a car with “normal” power, the tire will be fine, and you won’t experience too much slip when accelerating. It can also go around a corner without too much drama.

As decent as the CS5 Ultra Touring may be for daily driving, it’s not a tire you should push. When you start to approach the limit, which isn’t particularly high, the tire becomes a bit nervous. You will notice some twitchiness, which may not be the safest thing, making the tire a poor option for aggressive driving.

Dry Rating: 4/5

 4/5

How does it behave over wet and slippery roads?

When it comes to driving in rainy conditions, the CS5 Ultra Touring is decent for normal driving, and that’s as much as you should expect from it.

The CS5 Ultra Touring manages to deliver decent performance in wet conditions, so you are looking at a safe touring tire. Traction when accelerating is very good, and slip is minimized, while the grip in the corners is pretty good. Keep in mind that the levels aren’t very high, so you will get understeer if you go into a corner at a higher speed.

Speaking of higher speeds, the CS5 Ultra Touring may be fine for normal driving, but it doesn’t handle aggressive driving too well. Like in dry conditions, once you start to push it, you will notice that it won’t feel as planted as most enthusiasts would want it to be.

On the flip side, the aquaplaning resistance is pretty good, near the top of its class. Also, the braking distances may not be industry-leading but are quite short for a mid-range tire.

Wet Rating: 4/5

 4/5

How is it over snow?

All-season tires are designed to be usable in snowy conditions, and that’s just what the CS5 Ultra Touring can offer.

The performance on clean roads is fine, thanks to the compound that enables the CS5 Ultra Touring not to harden in colder temperatures. Naturally, it won’t be on the same level as in the summer, but it’s not too bad either.

Considering that the CS5 Ultra Touring is an all-season tire, the performance in light snow conditions is usable. If the snow is shallow and unpacked, the tire can offer decent levels of traction and grip. With that, you also won’t struggle too much to keep it on the road, as it doesn’t struggle with handling either. Packed snow can be a bit more challenging, but the tire is also doing fine in these conditions.

Going for the harsher ones, we being to see why an all-season tire isn’t a replacement for a proper winter one. In deeper snow, the CS5 Ultra Touring will struggle to find traction and get the car moving. Plus, ice is an area where any tire in this category will have poor results, so Cooper’s option is no exception.

Snow Rating: 3.5/5

 3.5/5

Is it comfortable and refined?

There’s a trend that tires that don’t perform exceptionally in terms of performance are well refined. Unfortunately, the CS5 Ultra Touring isn’t that kind of tire.

The first problem is how soft the tire is, which may seem fine at first glance. While the CS5 Ultra Touring manages to smooth out the road imperfections, being overly soft creates a problem where it takes a bit longer to settle. You may not notice this if you hit one pothole, but things won’t be too pleasant over a bad road. Also, despite the softness, the vibrations aren’t well isolated.

Noise is another area where the CS5 Ultra Touring doesn’t impress too much. Sure, mid-range tires may not be as quiet as the Turanza QuietTrack, but this one is average even in its own class. You’ll get a bit more noise from the road, even if you’re not driving on the highway.

Comfort Rating: 3/5

 3/5

Is the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring ideal for sporty driving?

The CS5 Ultra Touring may not be the best performer in many areas, but the one where it’s the worst is the sporty driving.

Grip and traction levels may be fine for daily driving, but the CS5 Ultra Touring isn’t a tire that can deliver high-performance levels. It doesn’t feel planted when you reach the limit, so you won’t be too confident pushing it.

The worst part is how the tire handles, which is why I feel it’s among the worst choices for sporty driving. Cooper made the CS5 Ultra Touring overly soft, resulting in a tire with poor responsiveness. It can be safe to say that there are some more responsive winter tires than this. The CrossContact 2 is a much better choice for sporty driving in the all-season touring segment.

Noise Rating: 3/5

 3/5

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring Warranty

The CS5 Ultra Touring may not be able to deliver a lot in terms of performance, but it does pretty well when it comes to warranty. You have a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty for the V and H-rated models and 50,000 for the W-rated ones. This is in the same area as what tires like the PureContact LS or the Advantage T/A Sport have to offer.

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

As a mid-range option, the CS5 Ultra Touring is priced accordingly. A smaller-sized model comes at a little under $110, putting it in the same ballpark as the Kinergy GT. Naturally, the premium models are more expensive, so for tires like the Assurance WeatherReady, you should expect to pay a bit more.

Value Rating: 3.5/5

 3.5/5

Should I buy the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring?

While I wouldn’t say that you should avoid it, I will say to check out other tires as well. The CS5 Ultra Touring isn’t the worst, but it falls behind its competitors in certain areas.

On the performance side of things, you get a decent contender capable of delivering safe performance in almost all conditions. The CS5 Ultra Touring may not be a performance tire, but it does a decent job for daily driving.

Pushing isn’t something you should do, mainly because it’s not designed for it. On top of that, you have a tire with poor responsiveness, and the refinement can use some work.

Overall, the CS5 Ultra Touring isn’t the worst choice, but I believe there are better options for a similar price.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

 3.5/5