Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 776 + 11 owner reviews. How we score
Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–74
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Tests – · none yet Owners 76 · 776 reviews
“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.”
Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | CS5 Grand Touring | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 74 (est.) | ≈ 75 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 82 | 84 |
CS5 Grand Touring: 60% × 73.6 (est.) + 40% × 81.6 = 77
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79
No road tests of dry for CS5 Grand Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
No road tests of dry for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
| Source | CS5 Grand Touring | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 75 (est.) | ≈ 79 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 79 | 86 |
CS5 Grand Touring: 60% × 75.3 (est.) + 40% × 79 = 77
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.9 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82
No road tests of wet for CS5 Grand Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
No road tests of wet for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | CS5 Grand Touring | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 64 | 77 |
CS5 Grand Touring: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 63.6 = 66
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74
No road tests of snow for CS5 Grand Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
No road tests of snow for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | CS5 Grand Touring | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 70 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 76 | 78 |
CS5 Grand Touring: 40% × 70.1 (est.) + 60% × 75.9 = 74
Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75
No road tests of comfort for CS5 Grand Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
No road tests of comfort for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
| Source | CS5 Grand Touring | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 66 (est.) | – |
| Reviews found online | 81 | – |
CS5 Grand Touring: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 80.6 = 72
No road tests of noise for CS5 Grand Touring. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | CS5 Grand Touring | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 69 (est.) | 75 |
| Reviews found online | 73 | 86 |
CS5 Grand Touring: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 70
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80
No road tests of treadwear for CS5 Grand Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
| Source | CS5 Grand Touring | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 72 | 82 |
| Category | Cooper CS5 Grand Touring | Michelin Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 74 | 79 |
| Dry | 77 | 79 |
| Wet | 77 | 82 |
| Snow | 66 | 74 |
| Comfort | 74 | 75 |
| Noise | 72 | – |
| Treadwear | 70 | 80 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | 82 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
CS5 Grand Touring
Defender LTX M/S
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“I put Cooper CS5 Grand Tourings on my Sienna after having gone through several sets of Michelins, I am happy with them so far. Regardless of what tire you purchase, they will not get to their warranty mileage on a Sienna. The Sienna is notoriously hard on tires. A word of advice, run them at 40 to 42 PSI and rotate them regularly if you want to get reasonable wear. The Sienna's 35 PSI recommendation is FAR too low for the weight the tires carry and the front tires wear 3x faster than the rears.”
“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.”
“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.”
Based on 38 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Cooper CS5 Grand Touring | B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season Touring tires | All Season |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Tread depth | 11 - 12/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 780 A A | 720 - 800 B A |
| Treadwear warranty | 80,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | — |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | — |
Cooper CS5 Grand Touring
Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, handling and snow. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 70 on treadwear.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 72 on handling.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 66 on snow.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 77 on wet.
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Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 77 on our wet score.
Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 79 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 66 on our snow score.
Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 75 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 70 on our treadwear score.
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.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology
