When it came to the CS5s,
it was all about that added
confidence to push the
‘Stang to its limits.
traction under wet conditions, as well as
improving its cornering abilities. Lastly,
Cooper has installed a brand-new Wear
Square Visual Indicator on each tire
for customers to see for themselves
whether the tire is losing its tread. How
it works is simple, it starts out as a
complete square and after some time, it
will slowly start to lose each side of the
square. Eventually, an exclamation point
will be shown to indicate its time for a
change.
Now that we know a little bit about
the new CS5, it was time to test these
out with some real-life back-to-back
tests versus those aforementioned
competitors. We started out in the
Mustangs for a wet test against the
Hankook Optimo H727. The Hankooks
were composed, but couldn’t be
pushed that hard due to a lack of
traction. I knew one extra bit of
acceleration and I would see the back
slip out and the Mustang perform a
sideways twist straight through a set
of pylons. I babied the Hankooks to the
finish line without incident, but come
real-road testing I would have to be on
major alert throughout my drive.
When it came to the CS5s, it was all
about that added confidence to push
the ‘Stang to its
limits. The better grip
handling was clearly
evident which led to
a savings of three
seconds per lap. The
tires just swifted
away any excess
water and charged
those corners
without any wobble. To have that much
of a difference in time and comfort with
a direct competitor at the same price
is just incredible. That’s why a real test
really speaks for itself.
The CS5’s might have showed
off their best qualities under wet
conditions, but they still held their
own against the Hankooks under dry
conditions. The gap between the two
narrowed, but I found myself one
second faster in the Coopers. Traction
was once again the biggest difference
between the two, as I found myself
screeching to make certain turns in the
Hankooks. If you go too hot in a corner,
the Coopers are more forgiving and will
balance you out. At the end of the test,
it was clearly evident that Cooper Tires
chose the right dancing partner for this
competition, but it will be interesting
to see if the same results hold up in the
V-rated test.
For the afternoon session, it wasn’t
just about testing how Cooper’s V-rated
tire performed under various conditions,
but how it did against a more expensive
top-tier competitor. This test is similar
to a boxer bulking up and making the
move up from middleweight to the
heavyweight division.
The BMW 328is were ready for
action. Once again, the Pirelli Cinturato
P7 competitior went first. The car was
faster and more precise, but the Pirelli’s
held their own on track. I found a touch
more traction in the Coopers, but I have
to say it was close. Under dry conditions,
the CS5’s edged out the competition by
under a second; while the Coopers still
retained their strong wet presence by
being one-and-a-half seconds quicker.
When you consider the price difference,
close is exactly what Cooper Tires were
hoping for and a really big high-five if
they won the challenge.
For the Canadian climate that deals
with a lot of light snow and rain, the
Cooper Tires CS5 performance under
wet conditions is eye popping. It
clearly trashed its competitors in that
regard leading to a safe and controlled
ride—something that everybody behind
the wheel looks for. When you add in
the fact that it performed slightly better
on a dry track and it comes out equal
in price to the Hankooks and cheaper
than the Pirellis, it really isn’t a difficult
decision.
For Cooper Tires, it’s all about
listening to its customers and providing
performance for the everyday driver—
and that’s what they’ve accomplished
with the all-new CS5. It’s clear to me
that they made the right decision to
do away with their best-selling tire and
introduce something that’s improved in
every way thanks to years of research
and hard work with modern technology.
Cooper Tires proved their point to me
and they’re a Canadian player to watch
out for in the coming years. TDM
thedriver.ca
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