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Head-to-head Updated

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring vs Firestone RoadHawk — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

CS5 Grand Touring is ahead, 69–60

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Tire ACooper

CS5 Grand Touring

All Season Touring tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 69 · 776 reviews

“Picky1, Former owner of a 2012 Sienna XLE FWD with the 235/60/17 tires. I tried multiple tires on it (Michelin Primacy MXV4s (OEM), Bridgestone Dueler Ecopia HL 422, Firestone FR710s, Cooper CS5 Grand Touring). The best results came from the Cooper CS5 Grand Touring tires. They took my family through multiple 1,000 mile trips, as well as northeast weather including rain, sleet, snow, and ice. I made some comments in the below thread: The CS5's held strong (and had the best wear of the four brands I tried) until I picked up a 2015 Sienna Limited AWD with the Bridgestone run-flats. Those were replaced with Michelin Defender LTX tires, which are phenomenal. Unfortunately, they do not come in the 235/60/17 size. -Eugene”

Tire BFirestone

RoadHawk

Summer

Tests 70 · 17 tests Owners 48 · 644 reviews

“sind diese Sommerreifen noch okay? Im August 2023 gekauft und circa 25 tausend km gefahren. Firestone Roadhawk, DOT 4922. Habe an meinem Opel Meriva beim Anfahren nach links, zB beim Ausparken oder beim Anfahren in einer engen Linkskurve von vorne rechts ein mehrmaliges Poltern gehört. Habe ein bisschen gegoogelt und von ausgeschlagenem Querlenker gelesen. Im Oktober 2022 hat das Auto einen neuen Vorderachsträger und neue Querlenker bekommen. Nun habe ich Winterräder montiert und das Poltern beim Anfahren nach links ist weg. Was kann das sein? Read more”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 71

    Dry

    CS5 Grand Touring +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Grand TouringRoadHawk
    Professional tests (TWG score)–81
    Reviews found online7353
  2. 71

    Wet

    CS5 Grand Touring +3
    68
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Grand TouringRoadHawk
    Professional tests (TWG score)–76
    Reviews found online7255
  3. 63

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Grand TouringRoadHawk
    Reviews found online59–
  4. 69

    Comfort

    CS5 Grand Touring +10
    59
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Grand TouringRoadHawk
    Professional tests (TWG score)–67
    Reviews found online6947
  5. 71

    Noise

    CS5 Grand Touring +25
    46
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Grand TouringRoadHawk
    Professional tests (TWG score)–32
    Reviews found online78–
  6. 68

    Treadwear

    CS5 Grand Touring +14
    54
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Grand TouringRoadHawk
    Professional tests (TWG score)–65
    Reviews found online7038
  7. 64

    Handling

    CS5 Grand Touring +21
    43
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Grand TouringRoadHawk
    Reviews found online6443
Scores at a glance
CategoryCooper CS5 Grand TouringFirestone RoadHawk
Relative Score 69 60
Dry 71 70
Wet 71 68
Snow 63 –
Comfort 69 59
Noise 71 46
Treadwear 68 54
Handling 64 43

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

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Recomputed
Headline score

CS5 Grand Touring

RoadHawk

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A CS5 Grand Touring

Pros

  • Excellent wet and dry traction with strong hydroplaning resistance
  • High value for the price compared to premium competitors
  • Smooth, comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • Some drivers experienced noticeable road noise, particularly on specific lighter vehicles like hybrids
  • Mediocre performance in heavy winter snow, ice, or deep mud
  • Cornering grip in emergency maneuvers is considered average by some drivers
All owner themes in the CS5 Grand Touring review

Tire B RoadHawk

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather performance, particularly in standing water and heavy rain
  • Strong dry grip and confident cornering for daily driving
  • Comfortable ride quality with good bump absorption

Cons

  • Accelerated and sometimes uneven tread wear, resulting in shorter-than-expected lifespan
  • Soft sidewalls that can cause a visual 'under-inflated' bulge and spongy cornering response
  • Limited steering feedback and precision during spirited driving
All owner themes in the RoadHawk review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

Positive

Community sentiment toward the Cooper CS5 Grand Touring is largely positive, with owners highlighting its smooth ride, low road noise, and reliable all-season traction in rain and light snow. While praised as a strong value compared to premium competitors like Michelin, several users note that treadwear often falls short of the advertised 80,000-mile warranty, particularly on heavier minivans or under high-heat conditions.

subaruoutback.org ·2017-01-08

“I too was looking for quiet tires when it came time to replace. Have been very happy with COOPER CS5 GRAND TOURING ==> The CS5 has many modern technologies which improve longevity and traction AND they are M+S rated. I run them all year in Vermont and the snow traction is acceptable with Subaru AWD.”
r/cars ·1 upvote ·2017-09-01

“I have the Cooper cs5 grand touring on my Odyssey and love them. Very quiet and snoot riding. Fwiw, I'm in Southern California so we have little cold/wet weather let alone snow, but they did great when I drove up to Sequoia and had cables on during the snow storm. Much better than the Michelin Defenders I had before.”
subaruoutback.org ·1 upvote ·2023-02-05

“My wife and I have been running Cooper CS5 Grand Touring on Outback and Impreza for many years. (the Outback is on its 2nd set) For us, having a QUIET tire is primary importance... followed closely with winter-traction here in Vermont winters. We do NOT want to have 2nd set of dedicated snow-tires for the winter. The CS5 have met our requirements. At the very least, I would suggest you consider the CS5 Ultra as you make a decision.”
Top themes
#ride comfort and low noise#winter and wet traction#treadwear vs warranty mileage#competitive pricing and rebates#comparison to Michelin tires#tire pressure sensitivity#speed rating differences

Based on 38 community posts

Tire B

Firestone RoadHawk

Mixed

Community discussions reflect mixed perspectives on the Firestone Roadhawk, noting reasonable reviews alongside concerns regarding tread wear. While some test results place it competitively among budget-friendly summer options, owners also discuss practical issues such as unusual noises, generational replacement difficulties, and overall value.

r/tires ·2026-04-22

“I cant for the life of me find a Firestone Roadhawk (gen1) 205/50 R17 93W XL anywhere in Europe. The problem is GEN 1 is over, and all they have is GEN 2, aka Roadhawk 2. And i have 3 perfectly good Roadhawk (GEN 1), and no tire to make a set. Some sellers even post pictures of GEN 1, but they actually send you GEN 2. Which im pretty sure have a different profile, and markings. Any ideas ?”
bobistheoilguy.com ·2023-09-18

“Not sure if it is what you are looking for. I am Polish but I live in the USA. I am still following info from Poland but I am not buying tires there anymore. A magazine Motor tests tires. magazynauto.pl Firestone was included in their "accessibly priced" summer tires: Firestone Roadhawk. They lost to Uniroyal, Semperit, Dębica but were ahead of Kumho, Apollo, Tomket, Imperial and Double Coin. They were not included in their premium and middle priced test. German based Auto Bild (and its Polish version Auto Świat) did a test in 2019 and the same Roadhawk passed the elimination test (53 down to 20: wet and dry braking distances added together as #13) and finished #18 in detailed test. So Firestone is present in Poland and Europe as a cheaper brand from Bridgestone but how popular it is I do not know. Krzyś”
Top themes
#tread wear concerns#budget tire test results#replacement availability issues#generation differences#driving noise symptoms

Based on 5 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Cooper CS5 Grand Touring B · Firestone RoadHawk
CategoryAll Season Touring tiresSummer
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—115
Rim diameters—15″ – 21″
Tread depth11 - 12/32″—
UTQG780 A A—
Treadwear warranty80,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

Firestone RoadHawk

Winner: Cooper CS5 Grand Touring — better noise, handling and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring scores 71 vs 46 on noise.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring scores 64 vs 43 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring scores 68 vs 54 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring scores 69 vs 59 on comfort.

Tire A · Cooper CS5 Grand Touring
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Tire B · Firestone RoadHawk
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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

69

Leads

CS5 Grand Touring

Amazon